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I use a Hatch Pocket pro and calibrate it each brew day. It works great and it's not too expensive. But you could also use the pH test strips to get it close if you dont want to puchase a pH meter just yet. Typically what I end up adding is around 1ml of 85% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons but...

Seb, Do you have a pH meter and are you using acid to get the pH down below 6 prior to brewing? I test all of my water before brewing and treat it with Phosphoric acid to a pH of 5.5 before adding the grain. I've found that this will keep things in range while mashing. Also adding brewing...

Yup, when I use wheat or a bunch of flaked adjuncts I'll throw in half a pound of hulls to help with recirculation. I used the more loose mesh bag on this last batch and didn't have a single problem, but I'd also opened the gap set to .039 so I'm going to tighten it for the next batch and see...

I definitely squeeze the bag after I pull it. I'll get a cooling rack and set the bag on it and use the kettle lid to squeeze the wort out. I've also used a finer crush, around .032 or somewhere around there and was getting some cavitation issues under the false bottom, but the bag I was using...

I use BIAB, I have the BrewBoss kettle and false bottom with the High Gravity controller. I really like that set up.

I think it really helps for cooling during whirlpooling. It took my last batch down from boiling to 160F in just a couple of minutes just because it does a great job at keeping the wort moving over the coils. I like it better than using the CFC for sure especially when I have half a pound of...

Thanks for the tip! I dont sparge at all. I use whatever the total amount of water is for the batch. I'll give that a go for the gap set and see how things go when milling the wheat as I believe thats what caused me to come in a little low for this batch.

I have the SpinCycle and I love it when I'm using an immersion chiller. It creates a huge cone of hop debris and trub in the middle of the kettle. However, when I try to use it with a CFC the performance is hugely lacking as the pump has to push everything through the CFC and it just doesnt...

Just brewed this up on Sunday. I went with a mash temp of 156F and changed the hops to 3oz Denali, 2oz Citra, and 2oz El Dorado for a 10 min whirlpool at 160F plus what ever additional time it took to get down to pitching temps. Brew day went really well, got an OG of 1.058 for 6 gallons...

Super Berry Melomel. Catches the light nicely.

Another thing is to use soft water, make sure your mash pH is in the 5.2-5.5 range, and add a tsp of gypsum and 2 tsps of calcium chloride. And as always try to minimize oxygen exposure when packaging.

And if all the hop additions are going in around the flameout and whirlpool then you won’t get near as much bitterness. I’d whirlpool for at least 30 mins though. If it were me I’d throw in one oz of each at flameout, then chill to 160F and toss in 3oz of each and whirlpool for 30 mins. If you...

You could also throw in a 30 minute whirlpool addition of 5-6 oz at a temp of 160F and get lots of flavor and aroma.

I've also had problems with the bag getting in the way during stirring or recirculation during the mash. That's the only thing I dont like about using a bag. What a lot of people have had success with is to just stir up the mash really well and then cover and wrap it in a sleeping bag and let...

Drew Beechum likes to talk about his Expanded SMaSH, or "Brewing on the ones" that he likes to use and it basically consists of this: One Base Malt One Color/Flavor/Adjunct Malt One Sugar (if added) One Spice (if added) Use a High Alpha hop for the bittering addition - he always recommends...

That was my worry too about the smaller portion El Dorado, that it would get lost in all the Citra. I think I'll change it to the 2:3:2 (Citra/Denali/El Dorado) like you suggested and see how that goes. I've never used Denali or El Dorado but I've read the El Dorado can get a bit too...

This is something I'm going to have to try! When I use a lot of wheat or flaked adjuncts I get issues with lautering and have to use lots of rice hulls. I've never tried not using them but it looks like I need to give it a shot. The Julius clone link you referenced also has some interesting...

Can’t go wrong with Golden Promise and Amarillo! I’ve heard good things about Denali too but I haven’t tried it. A tsp of Gypsum in the mash should get you some hoppy crispness.

Yeah I usually just do with a 60 minute mash at 154 but thought I’d give this a try due to all the protein. Not sure it’ll make a difference or not but it can’t hurt right? I could also forego the recirculation and wrap a sleeping bag around it so I don’t have to worry about clogging anything...

This is great info! I was also struggling with recirculation issues due to crush size etc. my next batch is going to get stirred thoroughly and then get a sleeping bag wrapped around it for an hour and we’ll see how that goes.