17 more days until I might be able to come home.

[Cakehole]

It has been a long journey. Almost 300 days down with the last 16 or so left. I almost regret volunteering for the second portion of this deployment....until I reconsider and remember that I will now have the $$ to buy my kegging equipment as well as my BGE. I have monitored the discussions here about the BGE and decided it is a must have item.

I am also thinking about going straight to All Grain. Right from the start. I have brewed in the past, 20 years ago, but I think that I can watch a few clips from the Net and hopefully convince Brewpastor to let me watch him brew once or twice and I should be ok.

I am glad I found this site. I have learned a lot in my time reading here and can't wait to put some of what I have read into practice.

Plans are to clean out the garage so I have room to store the brews. Get the fridge all set up so I can control fermentation temps ( hot in Albuquerque in the summer ) get 10 gallons of Appfelwine fermenting asap, and then work on getting my cooler converted so I can brew some beer.

I think I will go with a 5-7cf chest freezer and make a keezer out of it. I need at least 4 taps. ( 1= soda water, 2= root beer, 3= appfelwine, 4= beer ) now that I typed that, 4 will not be enough, I need 6. Yes 6 should do just fine. ( edited list, 4= an English Bitter, 5= a stout, 6= a lawnmower type beer). Perfection !!

Now I need to figure out how to regulate the different pressures for the water, root beer and the real beer....

 

[McKBrew]

Right on. Brewing is worth the wait. Enjoy spending that well-deserved cash.

 

[eschatz]

i think you'll need seperate pressure regulators for each beer that you want to be on seperate pressures. you earned the cash! spend away!

 

[david_42]

I'd post the picture of my CO2 setup, which has a primary supplying the soda (35 psi) and the two secondaries, but I can't figure out the new gallery system. The picture doesn't show up in my gallery any more.

 

[DUCCCC]

I am also thinking about going straight to All Grain. Right from the start. I have brewed in the past, 20 years ago, but I think that I can watch a few clips from the Net and hopefully convince Brewpastor to let me watch him brew once or twice and I should be ok.

If you've got an understanding of the process, and you've got someone to show you how once or twice I say go for it. I don't recommend AG for everyone righ from the start, but it sounds like you'll be in good hands. You do state you've brewed before anyhow. Buy the AG stuff, and if you're not quite up to AG for the first batch there's nothing that says you can't use the brewpot and burner for an extract batch while you get beck up to speed.

 

[Cakehole]

I actually think I have ordered 2 batches as PM so I will probably do those two batches while I wait for my grain mill to arrive.

Forrest has agreed to hold my order I made during his sale earlier this summer until I get home. That guy rocks. I think I ordered a couple of kits, can;t remember. If I didn't I will probably order 2 PM kits just to get some practice in before totally going all grain.

 

[Bald Head Brewer]

I did the exact same thing when I got home after a deployment to the Ghan, i.e. dumped alot of cash into my homebrewing hobby and got a great setup.
27 months deployed over 2 tours was too long to be sober for me, so I took up homebrewing.
If I deploy again, I'm going to have a hard time controlling myself and not converting a milvan container into a brewery downrange--ha.

Being deployed sucks, but being able to treat yourself when it's over is great.

Hope you get home safely....

 

[Skins_Brew]

Wow, we are almost in the same boat. I might be able to come home in as little as 14 days, but, i have only been deployed for about 6 weeks so far. This is like deployment #3 so i have done my time. When i get back, i start separation processing and proceed to enjoy my 39 days of well deserved terminal leave.

 

[Petey]

Same boat here as well. Except well i've got about 3 1/2 months left on this one. But i started putting together all my AG stuff before i left, just a little work when i get back and i'll be in business. Best of luck gettin on the freedom bird.

 

[Cakehole]

I have no idea when I am actually going to leave. Since I volunteered to stay an extra rotation they changed all of my data in the computer system that tracks our return dates. I am not sure how I am listed in the database. I might know more tomorrow night, but best case is I will get on a big airplane on or about the 16th of July to go home to Albuquerque.

Sleep for a few hours then go out and buy a Big green Egg and some pork ribs for a good meal.

I don't have any HB on hand so I will just have to find something passable at the store. I wonder if Quarter's has a good beer selection?

 

[david_42]

You'll probably want a 9 or 12 cuft, so you can lager. Or maybe two smaller ones, so you can have cold beverages & cellar temperatures ones. You don't want cold ESBs, right?

Multiple pressures are easy, just get some secondary regulators. http://www.sciplus.com/ seems to have an unlimited supply of them.

Safe journey home, guy.