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Figured I would report back and answer my own questions for the sake of posterity: The coils are attached to the back in four places by plastic tabs attached to the freezer with short screws. Once these were removed, there was enough "give" to allow me to paint behind the coils without much...

I picked myself up a lightly used Magic Chef 7.2 Cu. Ft. freezer last weekend, which was a fantastic find as it will be able to hold 6 ball lock kegs and a 5lb CO2 tank once my collar is built. The only real downside is I was planning a black keezer build and this one is white. Now, I know...

I'm planning to go this route with the freezer I just picked up, but I had a couple of questions about the painting process: 1. White freezers have white seals around the lid. Did you paint the seal with the epoxy paint, paint it with something else, replace it with a different seal, or does...

My plan is to do the following: 1. Cut the female end off an extension cord and use it to provide power from the wall outlet to the Love controller. 2. Install a standard wall outlet in the back of the collar of my freezer. 3. Use the controller to provide switched power to the outlet (I may...

Thanks for the info, MadDwarf. I hadn't yet thought out the tap handle situation, so that's definitely food for thought. Nothing I have will be have so gorgeous as those you've carved... incredible work! I just purchased a Love Temperature Controller (and a thermistor probe) online today...

Give this one a try: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00194DVJI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 32 quart aluminum, for $30 w/ free shipping. I picked one up a few weeks ago and used it for the first time last week. No complaints.

If you're using Beersmith to design your recipes, you're probably trying too hard on this one. When you're building your recipe, just uncheck the box that says "Set Boil Volume Based on Equipment" and manually enter your boil volume (4 gallons in this case). Beersmith already calculates for...

I just purchased a used E-Wave 7.2 Cu. Ft. chest freezer (model EWCF7WBX) on Craigslist, only to happily discover than an E-Wave is just a rebranded Magic Chef. I checked it out last night, and I can fit 6 kegs plus a CO2 tank! Question for the OP: It looks like you're using the commonly...

Be sure to visit el Bait Shop in downtown Des Moines. They don't brew themselves, but they have a VERY respectable selection of beers to choose from, including beers from a lot of the area breweries. It's always an awe-inspiring sight when I walk in the door.

Most of the taps at el Bait Shop in Des Moines, IA. I couldn't fit them all in one photo.

Bars I've visited worthy of a photo or two.

Beautiful label, man. If I saw that beer on the shelf, I would buy it for the label alone. :mug:

I suppose that all depends on the sort of beer you're looking to end up with. As I understand it, dextrose will ferment out pretty completely and leave your beer dry and thin. Malt extract contains both fermentable and nonfermentable sugars (which contribute to body and flavor). If you're...

If you have a hydrometer, and took an initial reading, you could always do a reading now. If the number has moved, fermentation has begun. If the number is the same, fermentation has yet to begin. If the number is 68.4, you grabbed the thermometer instead. :)

My guestimate on your beer's vitals: Batch Size: 5.00 gal Boil Size: 5.72 gal Estimated OG: 1.065 SG Estimated Color: 55.6 SRM Estimated IBU: 3.5 IBU Estimated ABV: 6.26% My closest uneducated guess on a 'style' match would be an extra-sweet Sweet Stout, though I had to make some...

+1 to that. 2 minutes on 2 ounces of hops is going to give you approximately no bitterness. HOWEVER, the 1/2 can (what size can?!) of cocoa powder and the hot-steeped grains will probably contribute some bitterness. Just not hop bitterness. ;) The good news: Beer!

Your beer can sit at fermentation temperatures after being kegged. If you were bottling, you'd let the bottles condition for several weeks minimum, usually at ale-fermentation temperatures.

Thanks for posting this build, Quaffer. After seeing your photos, SWMBO has agreed that a DIY keezer can look nice enough to sit in the finished half of the basement. I plan to start gathering parts this autumn! :mug:

I used this technique last night for my first partial mash batch. It was a 2-gallon batch, and I think I've come to the conclusion that this might be too much labor for a case of beer. All the more excuse to move up to 5-gallon batches! :) I did discover that it's pretty difficult to maintain a...

From what I've read elsewhere on this site, brand doesn't matter so much on the light and extra light malt extracts -- by necessity they're all pulling from the same basic ingredients (2-row, predominantly). That changes a little bit if you move up into the other "colors" of malt extract. For...