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I do use keg lube. My LHBS recommended it and I've always used it. I like the idea of the the spunding valve. Seems like a very simple way to accomplish what I'm trying to do.

Thanks, man! There are moments where I just feel myself overcomplicating it and this certainly seemed like it was coming one of them.

I've been kegging my homebrew for 3-4 months now. I built a keezer that can hold 4 kegs. I've been having trouble keeping the pipeline going mostly due to finding the time to brew. I am going to start brewing 10gallon batches with the hope of having a few kegs in reserve so when something...

I ended up brewing OktoberFAST last weekend. My LHBS didn't have aromatic malt, so I subbed in melanoidin. I have to say, it smelled absolutely amazing and the wort tasted very rich and delicious. The S-04 took off and was happily bubbling away in less than 24h. The back room in my basement...

I'm going to look into this. Thanks.

Thanks for the feedback. I like the look of these recipes. The party is Oct 22, so I don't have that much time for a lengthy lagering. I could probably handle a swamp cooler approach for a cooler fermentation that usual. Usually I ferment around 65-68 with relative ease in my basement. I...

Some friends are hosting an Oktoberfest party and I'd like to bring a keg of homebrew for the festivities. From my quick research it seems that what is served in Bavaria, Festbier, is actually closer to a helles than the traditional Märzenbier. I know that traditionally a lager would be...

Thanks fellas! I will stick with the valve. I think I might have had buyer's remorse if I went without. I'll definitely work on a more robust heat shield.

Yes, I am referring to the boil kettle. The worry about the heat is on the ball valve during the boil. An 8 gal kettle is not that much wider that the burner itself, so a lot of heat comes up the sides. The rubber on the valve handle has already melted a little from prior brew sessions. I...

This makes so much sense. I guess I was under the impression that I had to keep stirring it throughout. If I can just do a good job up front and walk away, all the better! I will certainly give that a shot next go around. Thanks!

My current 8g brew kettle has a valve. It's the only one I have ever used, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I'm outgrowing it and looking to upgrade with something larger. A friend of mine swears by his auto-siphon and recommends saving money by keeping it simple and avoiding the...

Last weekend I brewed my first BIAB batch, a Cream Ale. After throughly stirring in the grain, my initial temperature was 154F. I put the lid on and covered the kettle with 2 fleece blankets. Every 15min, I uncovered, stirred and took the temp with my thermapen. :00 - 154F :15 - 152F...

We are in a similar position for sure. I also am now kegging and have little plans to bottle in the future. Perhaps occasionally, but I have little interest after building a keezer for 4 kegs. You make a really good point about the headspace in a large kettle. For the vast majority of my...

I wanted to get some feedback on the ideal kettle size. I currently have an 8 gal kettle and after my first foray into BIAB, I am already seeing the limitations. My first instinct was to consider a 10-12gal kettle, thinking that would give me plenty of headroom. But then I started to...

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thank you! You are correct, I meant to say boil volume. Up until this point, I have been an extract brewer and for my next batch, I am going to try an all grain BIAB. I was trying to approach this in stages. Figure out what I needed to hit for boil volume and then work back for strike volume...

Anyone out there use Brewtoad? I am creating a recipe but I'm a little confused about the batch size. My goal is to get 5.25 gal of wort into the primary. There is a section in equipment profile that I have set to assume .5 gal kettle loss and an evaporation rate of 1 gal/hr. So in theory...

I used my stove for my first few batches, but then I got a Blichmann, which I used on my last couple of brew sessions. It puts out heat like a rocket and my evaporation rate has seriously increased. I'm still trying to get a handle on what to expect each time.

Awesome, great to know!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. My understanding is that boiling wort from fresh grain vs extract, there's a much more foaming due to the hot break. Does this match your experience? I have had great success in taming foaming with a spray bottle of water in all my extract batches. Am I...