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Oh no, I did not throw out the CO2 tank. I paid good money for that back in the day. In Brooklyn I can only do swaps so it isn't the shiny one anymore but it isn't the old type either. I'll swap it when closer to ready. I don't trust the regulator since it had a problem when I did my last...

It's been a long while but I bought my first ingredients batch the other day after a 4 year hiatus from brewing. I planned on doing this almost a year ago when I retired but nevergotaroundtuit. I had to check out my kegging setup and decided to replace everything except the keg itself as the...

Let's see, I don't want an electric system mostly due to cost, my brews have been very consistent, attenuation is pretty much spot on, I use the store mill so maybe that would be a good investment to get a finer grind, I have a fridge with a controller that works well. NYC has the best water in...

I used my sous vide for the second time today, this time on some salmon filets. No thanks. The fish just turned to mush. I still haven't started brewing again, mostly due to the weather. It is too nice outside to do this. There's a second reason though, I'm scared that having a keg of...

I have a 10g kettle and it is plenty big for a 5 gallon batch. I don't see the need for a 15g kettle at all. I also have a thermometer in mine and while it is theoretically possible it could catch the bag it hasn't after about 20-30 batches. I'm also of the opinion that once you try BIAB you...

The Sous Vide came today and now that I see the size it looks like it'll be a good fit. I tested the thing with some steaks, and not so sure I liked the results. The steaks were perfectly cooked and then charred on the grill, but overall I found the taste to lack the bite of a real grilled or...

I'm thinking I'll go with sous vide after I do my first new batch in 3 years with my old method.

I have kegs, and I have my dorm fridge with a controller that works well and fits kegs and fermentation bottles, but not simultaneously. I don't have a space for a chest freezer. Hmmm, I have a BBQ thermometer with remote monitoring. I could maybe use that. I think the sous vide may be what...

This is what got me started at thinking about upgrading my system. But I look at these and think that it takes all the fun out making the beer. Just add water and it does the rest. And besides, the Blichmann kettle I have already cost me money and there are fittings from Blichmann themselves...

The crush could be too coarse as already stated, and maybe the mash water was too low and didn't allow enough of the sugars to dissolve? Maybe though your temp was too low, and even though you applied heat the temp was still too low at the beginning. Did you calibrate your thermometer against...

Hmmm. I guess I should have made clear that I have: 1. A wort chiller (DIY with lots of copper) 2. A fully temp controlled fridge/fermentation system (I ferment pilsners starting at 45f.) 3. No desire to install a pulley (I did say that, didn't I?) 4. No desire to brew outdoors (even though...

I currently have a Blichmann 10g kettle and a Wilser bag, but not much else specific to BIAB. I use my high-output kitchen stove to provide the heat, and use Beersmith to calculate the water temp needed to get the mash temp right. I lift the bag out manually and place it in a big tray (my...

Exactly. If it takes 5 hours instead of 6, it just isn't worth having half the beer. Now if it only took 3 hours to do a half batch, maybe that would be worth doing. I've never been able to beat 6 hours with a 5 gallon batch, from the time I open the box with the kettle to the time I've put...

While I know it will take less time to make smaller batches, I never could get away from the fact that a lot of the work is in the cleaning up, and that won't take any less time. My rule has always been to leave the kitchen cleaner than when I started.

Count me in as returning. I stopped about 3 years ago after brewing "Marathon Madness" for my wife's running club which as you may guess was running the NYC Marathon. The plan was to have it ready for a celebration party a week or two later. The party never happened and it just disappeared as...

It is basically the mash temp that is still sometimes a little iffy for me, but never by more than two degrees, and I aim low. I've thought about using an immersion heater or sous vide, but I'm going to see how much I'm doing this before I invest. I quit making this for a reason, and I don't...

Hey all, thanks for the replies. Now that I think about it, I started brewing about 25 years ago, after my son was born, as something to do around the house. I did it for a year or two, then stopped. I picked it up about 10 years later when my next born daughter needed a science project for...

And one comment as I'm going through the board. There is nothing new under the sun! But this is true of all bulletin boards I find, same discussions, same arguments, same questions. The one thing that is always new are the noobs of course. I guess we've been brewing beer for a few centuries now.

Lagers/pilseners. I bought a fridge and controller just so I could do this. I've been idle with brewing for a few years and the fridge has served well as the beverage cooler for the purchased goods. I still use the controller too with it and always have some nice cold brew and soft drinks around.

I'm retiring in a month and this will be one of my retirement hobbies, at least the making if not the drinking. Back when I was doing it I got pretty good at this, usually making lagers that were crystal clear and IPAs with homegrown hops, and the occasional summer saison. I just need to...