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We live in the woods and consequently have all sorts of critters hanging around. The squirrels chewed through a rubbermaid trash can to get at our bird feed so I invested in a few galvanized trash bins for the grain. I keep big sacks in their original bags but put specialty grains in gallon...

My roggenbier was the worst stuck sparge I've ever encountered, but the end result was worth all the hassle! We used the yeast cake from a pale ale (S-04, IIRC). That recipe had rye as 60% of the grain bill. I believe style guidelines call for a minimum of 50%. Use some rice hulls! I also...

It depends to a certain extent on the weather - cold and wind will cause you to burn more gas. Generally, I'll do four 5 gallon batches with my turkey fryer before starting to worry about it - five out of tank is not unheard of at all. You just don't want to run out in the middle of the...

I recently resolved some efficiency issues with a few easy fixes: 1) Getting a better thermometer - and testing it to make sure it's accurate. I had been using the one that came with my turkey fryer. It has an analog dial which is too imprecise for brewing. You couldn't be certain if you...

Here's our take on Pliny The Elder. A buddy and I split a 10 gallon batch. I just added the final dry hop about 15 minutes ago. I'll bottle it next week, and enjoy throughout the summer and fall... if it lasts that long. The samples I've had have been mind blowing! Pliny the Clone...

Spent grains go on the compost pile. Hops go in a forested part of our yard that is fenced off from the dogs. IC water to rinse out the cooler.

Some extra sweetness. No worries - this is not a huge mistake. I don't think that was a "stuck" sparge, which usually comes about from too fine of a crush (too much flour) or using large quantities of wheat or rye. You just added too little water - the grain in the MLT absorbed what you...

I don't want to thread-jack, but I recently did the drill-mod on my Victoria (Corona) mill. I found a bolt with the same threading, hacked off the end, and used a grinder on one side so the drill would have something to hold on to. Unfortunately, my drills were not up to the task. I used both...

I generally stick to the British and American ale styles. I use US 2-row, US pale ale malt, and Maris Otter as my base malts - whatever I get the best deal on. I keep some Vienna, Munich, Crystal 60°, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Black Patent, and Biscuit on hand but don't need to purchase 55lb...

Things weren't very smooth for me today either. I just drill-modded my corona mill last night, but found that neither of my drills seemed robust enough to maintain a steady crush. An hour of 'bursts' later I put the handle back on and manually crushed the rest. Oh yeah - I built a small...

Right on. I add a few inches worth of hot water then put the lid on for a bit to pre-heat the cooler. Add some grain, more water, more grain, more water, etc. and stir.

I live in a semi-rural area and squirrels and rodents are a concern so I picked up two large aluminum trash cans from Lowes/Home Depot/etc. I haven't gone too crazy (yet!) but they'll easily accommodate a couple hundred pounds. I keep my base and specialty malts in bags inside the trash can...

We run an R/O filter and store water in 30gallon Rubbermaid trash cans. We keep a lot of H2O on hand in case of power failure (no electricity means no well pump), or salt water fish tank disaster. I usually grab 4-5 gallons of R/O for a 5 gallon AG batch and use well water for the rest...

Precisely! IMHO, as long as the majority of your recipe is coming from the mash and not extract you won't notice a difference. I really enjoyed the PM beers I brewed before moving to AG...

50qt. rectangular cooler converted to MLT with SS braid Turkey fryer (aluminum) Immersion chiller 1 five gallon glass carboy 2 6.5 gallon buckets The turkey fryer will soon be replaced with a 20 gallon SS converted medical oxygen tank that I scored on craigslist. However I must first upgrade...

The base looks nice and sturdy, but that burner only puts out 55k BTU. Is that sufficient for 10 gallon batches? I just picked up a 20 gallon brewpot (converted medical oxygen tank), and am in the market for a new burner and stand because my turkey fryer isn't going to cut it... The Banjo...

I brewed a barleywine eight days ago. The 20lb. grain bill plus water nearly filled my 48qt cooler. I could have squeezed in some more, but I wouldn't have felt very confident in my ability to stir without some overflowage.

I've never used a chiller. It sounds like using a chiller is the proper way to go, but I wanted to chime in and say that you can still make great beer without one. My water comes from a well. Out of the tap it's REALLY cold - even in the summer. I fill up the tub with cold water (no ice!)...

I enjoy a crisp hoppy pale ale on a hot summer day: partial mash @ 154° for one hour: 2lb. Maris Otter 0.5lb. Wheat Malt 0.5lb. Carafoam 0.25lb. Biscuit Malt 1lb. of Crystal 60°L You'll need 6lbs of Extra Light DME: 3lbs at the beginning of the boil and the remaining three with 15...

Q4T - some dishwashers even have a dedicated sanitizing cycle.