Bar Build Part 2: 8-tap Through-the-Wall Keezer

[max384]

Last night was inauguration night for the tap system. I have five beers on Tap, and a root beer. The cooling system worked perfectly! No first pour foam, and the beers were cold!

However, my beer kinda sucked. These are the first beers I've made since moving to my new house.

I suspect the water may be to blame. The water at my last house was tested and was actually great for most styles, so I never adjusted the water. At my new house, it's hard water. I haven't had it tested, and haven't made adjustments. Looks like I'll be learning a new brewing skill...

 

[kegtoe]

Hardwater is typically good for brewing. If you are concerned with water quality it may be the Chlorine or Chloromine your city uses to treat the water. A couple of options would be to buy purified, spring, or RO water in the store and harden accordingly with brewing salts. Otherwise, you can use a campden tablet in your water. When boiled the chlorine and chloromine are supposed to be released more effectively.

 

[Weezy]

Great that the taps worked well! Sorry the beer sucked. I went through the same adventure with the water. Read AJ's sticky in the science section.

 

[max384]

Hardwater is typically good for brewing. If you are concerned with water quality it may be the Chlorine or Chloromine your city uses to treat the water. A couple of options would be to buy purified, spring, or RO water in the store and harden accordingly with brewing salts. Otherwise, you can use a campden tablet in your water. When boiled the chlorine and chloromine are supposed to be released more effectively.

I checked the online water report, and they use chlorines, not chloramines, forunately. I'll be sending in a sample to Ward Labs, however, to get all the specifics.

In the meantime, I think I'll be buying RO water and water salts.

Thanks!

Great that the taps worked well! Sorry the beer sucked. I went through the same adventure with the water. Read AJ's sticky in the science section.

I'll be checking that out. Thanks.

 

[Genuine]

Looks great! I just moved into my new house back in November so I'm looking to do something similiar

 

[TravelingLight]

I'm sitting here eating a peanut butter and jealous sandwich. Great build, I dig your style.

My apologies if you mentioned this and I missed it...your line cooling bucket: do you just keep it full of water and have a fountain pump or some pump to pump the cold water through the copper lines and dump back in the bucket? If so, brilliant. Hadn't even thought about doing that (even though that's essentially how I used to control heat in my hydroponic buckets).

 

[rippajak]

This build is unbelievably cool. Slick, polished, professional-looking. Beautiful work.

I could not be more jealous.

 

[max384]

Thanks guys! I appreciate everyone following along with my progress and commenting.

I'm sitting here eating a peanut butter and jealous sandwich. Great build, I dig your style.

My apologies if you mentioned this and I missed it...your line cooling bucket: do you just keep it full of water and have a fountain pump or some pump to pump the cold water through the copper lines and dump back in the bucket? If so, brilliant. Hadn't even thought about doing that (even though that's essentially how I used to control heat in my hydroponic buckets).

That's exactly what it is. It's a 160 mph adjustable flow pond pump I got off of amazon.

 

[freisste]

That's exactly what it is. It's a 160 mph adjustable flow pond pump I got off of amazon.

mph or kph? Either way, it's fast...

 

[max384]

Lol. Autocorrect! It should say GPH.