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I switch the out and in. I recirc hot water with PBW through all of my equipment including my plate chiller for about 30-mins. It seems to do a pretty good job.

The bazooka will still clog, but it is better than nothing. I just used my false bottom for the first time this weekend, but I left in the bazooka for good measure. The two together worked well, but I didn't have a lot of hops. If you are brewing with a lot of hops, I am pretty sure you clog...

Cold conditioning the beer will help with clarity. My solution to remembering whirlflock or Irish moss is to put in into the containers when I weigh out my hop additions. The container for my 10-min hop addition contains hops, whirlflock and yeast nutrient.

That is an interesting method. It certainly seems like a viable alternative to yeast starters. My only concern besides infection would be two lag phases and the potential for unintended by-products from two growth phases. It would be interesting to do side by side tests.

If you are an AHA Member (and you should be) go and listen to Neva Parker from White Labs lecture on yeast growth from 2012 NHC. There are quite a few variables such as the gravity of your wort and your pitch rate. She also has a video on making a yeast starter that is good. I was creating...

Thanks for the explanation. Do you have thoughts on mixing fresh yeast or yeast from previous generations to reduce the relative population of mutated yeast? I am making 12 to 15 gallon batches, so I am pitching a fair amount of yeast which is part of the reason I started rinsing my yeast. I...

I think you are morally obligated to drink all beer that you brew. :mug:

Keeping the temp low in the beginning of fermentation, reduces fusels and esters. Bringing the temp up after the first few days, gets the yeast more active, helps to finish fermentation and clean up by-products produced during the beginning of fermentation like diacetyl.

I rinsed my yeast from a 1.076 IPA. I know you are not supposed to re-use yeast from high gravity IPAs. If I make a starter with plenty of nutrients and oxygen, let it ferment out completely, cold crash it, won't I have plenty of healthy yeast? Is there something else I should do?

High Gravity Brewing have some nice all-electric systems. They also sell all of the components if want to build something piecemeal or integrate with existing equipment...

That is kind of like asking what is the best car: Lamborghini, Ferrari or Porsche. You can't go wrong with any of them. I wouldn't waste any of those hops for bittering. Get a cheaper neutral high alpha bitter hop like warrior or magnum.

I would dry hop with a high alpha hop at room temp for 5 to 7 days. Cold crash it near freezing for 2 to 3 days (you could even use a fining to help it drop). Then do a closed transfer to a new keg for serving leaving trub in the first keg. This method works well because you can taste the beer...

I have had a lot of problems the rubber stopper/seal on my beer gun. I talked to John Blichmann about it a NHC and I have to say he seemed like he couldn't care less. I think they should provide a replacement rubber piece when you buy it. A replacement costs $4.

Thanks for the explanation. BTW -- I do add 5.2 to my sparge water to control the PH.

I am usually at full volume before before I get to 1.010. My efficiency has gone up so much that I am still adjusting to it. My last two brews I have ended up with 2 to 3 extra gallons of extract. On my last brew, my first running were 1.057 or 14 Plato. My last reading was 1.016 or 4 Plato. I...

I bought the Amazon version and it works well. I am not sure what the difference would be.

I take a gravity reading of my first runnings, second runnings/sparge, @45-min and flame out. For me those are the key places where you can make adjustments. I always keep DME on hand to add fermentables when they are needed. You can usually get a refractometer for around $25 if you keep an...

I will have to look it up, but I think once you drop below the 1.010 range you start extracting tannins ect. You don't really want your efficiency to get much past the 80s. I will see if can find the exact number. The idea comes more from breweries fly sparging with larger hot liquor capacity...

I may have to try that method to see how it compares to a single sparge. What is your reasoning for doing the second infusion?

I would just pitch the yeast for the sake of simplicity. If you really want to do a starter, do a mini-mash with the grain you already have. I think a sugar starter would work, but you are self-selecting the yeast that prefer sucrose. Having said that, you will still have the full spectrum to...