Search results

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
  1. J

    Idea For Better In-Kettle Fermentation?

    Yeah, I only brew once a month max, so tying up the BK isn't a big deal for me. And I do 5-gallon BIAB brews with a 15 gallon BK, so definitely no headspace issues. Going back to racking is a minor drag, but I can just stick that in the keg while that's sanitizing, I suppose. The advantage...
  2. J

    Idea For Better In-Kettle Fermentation?

    I posted a few months back about an idea I had for filtering and aerating wort post-boil using a pump and strainer. I've made a few batches this way and they've come out great. I had another idea that I wanted to float out there. Flame out. I fire up the pump and the chiller. When it gets...
  3. J

    Greatings from frozen northern Ohio

    Greetings from down near Bowling Green! There seem to be a lot of NWO folks here.
  4. J

    How to clamp pump output tube to top of brew kettle?

    Hello! I'm using a March pump to recirculate the mash in my brew kettle. The input comes from the kettle's weld, and the output goes through the tubing which I put through the top of the kettle, dropping down into the wort. It stays pretty well in place with the lid on, but last night, I managed...
  5. J

    Aerating/Filtering With March Pump & Splashing?

    While brewing a batch this week, I had an idea. After boiling, I have a March pump that I was running while using my immersion chiller to circulate the wort around and speed up the process. While it was hot, I was being careful not to splash to avoid hot-side aeration. That got me to thinking...
  6. J

    Frustrated: Always (Well) Below Gravity Targets

    For anyone stumbling across this thread, I wanted to give an update. I found the problem - though I was using water from a number of different places, after some research, I found that it was all reverse osmosis water, which is missing the minerals needed for a good extract. *headdesk* I swapped...
  7. J

    Capacititative sensing of liquid level

    Ultrasonic sensing can apparently have problems with hot liquids - the steam coming off of it can throw off the sensor.
  8. J

    Parsing Water Report Numbers

    I've been dealing with horrible mash efficiency, and I tracked the problem down to the fact that I was using untreated RO water, mistakenly figuring it'd be better. I decided to try tap water, so I called up my local water department (Findlay, Ohio) and got the following numbers: Hardness...
  9. J

    Complex Solenoid Valve Routing?

    I had a late-night brainstorm that resulted in a mostly automated brewing process. Unfortunately, I'd underestimated how difficult the fluid routing would be. Essentially, I have 7 junction points to control. Three of those have two inputs, three more have four inputs, and one has five inputs...
  10. J

    Inline refractometer

    I'm really interested in having a go at this. Do you have any other details as to the design and/or parts used here?
  11. J

    BIAB: Ill effects from thicker mash?

    [citation needed] There may be some differences in caramelization of the sugars from a smaller volume, but I can't imagine water would have trouble "blending" with wort, seeing as how the wort is almost entirely made of water anyway.
  12. J

    BIAB: Ill effects from thicker mash?

    So I'd need to use a bit more hops, then? That makes sense. Batch size isn't the primary concern. Even with a larger pot, it seems to me like a thicker mash and partial boil would have advantages (specifically, the quicker cool-down and the insurance against undershooting the OG).
  13. J

    BIAB: Ill effects from thicker mash?

    I'm about to do my first BIAB brew after many no-sparge cooler mash tun brews. I've often seen people say that you should use the full volume of water in the mash, but (a) that seems counter-intuitive, and (b) I only have an 8 gallon pot. First, my goals are (in order of importance): making...
  14. J

    Frustrated: Always (Well) Below Gravity Targets

    Yeah, the ratio was an accident - I undershot the target mash temperature at first and had to dump more water in to get there. I have two hydrometers, so that's not a factor, but I'm 90% convinced that it's a crush problem now. Thanks, everyone!
  15. J

    Hello from Northwest Ohio!

    Greetings from the sticks down around Findlay/Bowling Green!
  16. J

    Frustrated: Always (Well) Below Gravity Targets

    I've noticed that, too - the readings I take are mostly in the 80s and 90s, and last night I kept a pre-boil sample around and cooled it to room temperature to make sure it wasn't a problem with that - same adjusted reading. (And I have a refractometer on my list for Santa.. hehe) And...
  17. J

    Frustrated: Always (Well) Below Gravity Targets

    The two measured numbers quoted above are the first run (pre-sparge), and then the combined mash + sparge (in the brewpot, well-stirred). I'm guessing the sparge runoff has barely double-digit points. Is that normal? All of the gravity readings were temperature corrected. I am reaching my...
  18. J

    Frustrated: Always (Well) Below Gravity Targets

    So I've been doing all-grain for awhile now, and I have 7 AG brews under my belt. Every single one of them has been drastically under the target gravity. Example: last night, it was a brown ale. I mashed 6.25 lb 2 row, and about .4 lb each of 40L caramel, carafoam, and chocolate malt in 3...
  19. J

    Mash Tun + False Bottom + ...Grain Bag?

    Hey all! I'm brewing a hefe tonight, and I realized I forgot the rice hulls, so I'm concerned about a stuck sparge. I did some brainstorming and came up with an idea. I've got a cooler mash tun with a false bottom. I also have a giant grain bag that would fit all the grain easily. What if I...
  20. J

    Igloo Cooler: 5 gallon to 10 gallon switch?

    Ok, so I have a 5 gallon Igloo mash tun (the yellow round one, with the red top) with a false bottom. I thought it would be big enough, but I keep running out of room, so I'm considering stepping up to 10 gallons. The question: can I use the same conversion hardware in the 10 gallon cooler? I...
Back
Top