Search results

Temperature control is most ideal, but you can get good beer by just winging it. I mean brew a batch and set it in a closet that stays around 60-70 and it will ferment out. Well at least for ales. If you let your beer sit for several weeks any mistakes from not being temp controlled will...

Well good luck over here so far. <fingers crossed> I think im going to be ok because i'm keeping the heat from rolling up the sides of the mash tun. The heat from a hot mash tun hasn't beaten up the reflectix yet, but i imagine the heat from a flame might. That reflectix seems just like...

I have reflectix on my mash tun, done two mashes now and no problem with direct firing here. I cut it to go a few inches above the bottom and just above the holes on the lower collar. I then wraped the bottom with foil tape.

I think you wont have any problems. The stainless and grains hold heat pretty well, yea insulation will help but you'll be ok anyway. Technically speaking a shallow grain bed is most ideal for brewing. I wonder why you would only want 5 gal when you have a keggle system though, i always brew...

Maybe a wire brush on a drill would clean up the welds some? Don't use it on anything other than stainless prior to cleaning your stainless. Any bits of carbon will want to rust if they get in your weld. The welds you describe are quite common. No they are not 'sanitary' but with a cooker...

I think i'm also going to play with adjusting the thermostat on the heater.

I believed that the air was the most appropriate place for the temp probe when i first hooked up my controller and was shot down by opinions in the 'ebay diy controller' forum. I then went to a thermowell. Now that i have a thermowell i find that my heater does overheat the wort to where my...

I have 3 mil plastic sheeting taped together covering everything, followed by fiberglass insulation and topped off with sheets of foam insulation. I figured overkill couldn't hurt. Make sure you use foil tape, duct tape is porous.

Try a hop bomb. Add all your hops at the end of the boil, enough to bring your ibu's up to where you want them. No 60 min - 30min hop additions.

I think there is something up with the opd valves on the propane tanks too. They have a float valve or something in them. I mentioned that the gas would sometimes come out as if the thing was nearly empty but he suggested shutting it off turning it upside down and trying again.

You could get the Mason/kerr/ball jar attachment and plug that in your vacuum sealer, then you can reuse the jars indefinitely.

Oh ya, i direct fire it! Protein rest and all of that junk! I have a false bottom on mine, some use a manifold, so whatever. You just have to remember to constantly stir while you are heating and probably to use enough water. I recommend a wooden paddle, my stainless one scratches the...

Cool, i think you'll appreciate being able to heat your mash, i know i do.

Do you move your burners around? Maybe i could see a better pic of that?

I just bought a tig machine to do those types of welds, i have a mig welder with gas and i'm not even trying to attempt it. You definitely need straight Argon gas and stainless wire in either case. And you'll have to look into back gassing. IF you wan't to know everything there is to know...

I moved to Seattle from Tuscon, man if i still lived down in AZ i'd have no excuses to not be outside brewing! Up here i have to gear up in the rain gear to brew a batch in the back yard! ;p Nice build guy, I have a three tier, but my boil kettle is higher than yours to facilitate dumping...

Do you find the racking arm to be useful?