Brewing with the Brewpastor

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Brewpastor

Beer, not rocket chemistry
Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
4,628
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Location
Corrales, New Mexico
I am trying to build a thread related to my last brew session and a number of pictures from the session.

Please check beck in a little while.
 
I was gonna be first.....but I was waiting for an explanation....though I really liked the pic of the hydrometer....Great composition and everything!

*subscribes and twiddles thumbs in anticipation* :D
 
I like this flair for the dramatic....I'm going to start putting out a "pre-post" before actually posting anything just to get a positive buzz going....:D
 
Suddenly it got really busy here at work. I hate when all these people think I am here for them and get in the way of my HBT time. If it wasn't for them I would be a post whore extraordinary!
 
Brewpastor said:
Suddenly it got really busy here at work. I hate when all these people think I am here for them and get in the way of my HBT time. If it wasn't for them I would be a post whore extraordinary!

Yeah...congregants, you can't live with them, you can't shoot 'em (Though at times I would have liked to!):D
 
Well, this is not posting the way it should, so I will continue to try and get the actual pictures up, but until then...

OK, so I brewed yesterday and took a few pictures.


This is my HLT heating up:
CIMG0518.jpg


HLT ready to pump into the MLT:
CIMG0520.jpg


Detail of my home made burners. These are under the HLT and there is another set under the kettle. As you can see in the first pictures, they do the job!
CIMG0524.jpg


I didn’t get a milling picture, but here are the results:
CIMG0525.jpg



continued...
 
Brewpastor said:
Suddenly it got really busy here at work. I hate when all these people think I am here for them and get in the way of my HBT time. If it wasn't for them I would be a post whore extraordinary!

gotta love it... instead of just making the thread you made a pre-thread thread then went on to explain why you couldn't just make the original thread to begin with :D :D
 
Hard to tell from your pics, but how do you get the whirlpool going in the MLT? Do you just stir or do you have the return line set to whirlpool the wort as it's being pumped in?
 
jdoiv said:
Hard to tell from your pics, but how do you get the whirlpool going in the MLT? Do you just stir or do you have the return line set to whirlpool the wort as it's being pumped in?

It is pumped into the MLT where I have a fitting that is simply a long, curved piece of copper tubing that runs from the quick connect at the top around the inside to near the bottom. As the wort is pumped it causes the whirlpool. I recirculate through the heat exchanger as it whirlpools. The copper piece is very much like the piece that runs from the MLT into the kettle.
 
So it has been cooled before the whirlpool starts then? Just wondering about HSA.

I'm beginning to think that HSA is a huge myth. I will recirculate during HERMS or when direct firing my mash and will have a good 6 to 8 inches of pour between the sparge ring and the grain bed. I'll also start my whirlpool, a la Jamil, when the wort is still boiling. I haven't noticed any off flavors from HSA yet.
 
jdoiv said:
So it has been cooled before the whirlpool starts then? Just wondering about HSA.

I'm beginning to think that HSA is a huge myth. I will recirculate during HERMS or when direct firing my mash and will have a good 6 to 8 inches of pour between the sparge ring and the grain bed. I'll also start my whirlpool, a la Jamil, when the wort is still boiling. I haven't noticed any off flavors from HSA yet.

I am not worried about hot side aeration. I transfer the boiling wort into the Whirlpool and let it spin, then I swith the hoses around and start chilling. This way I leave some of the crap behind and don't run it all through my heat echangers. I then run it until it is cooled to the point I want and then stop the chilling water and whirlpool for another 10 minutes or so.

I think HSA can be an issue, but I have not picked it up in my beers using my process. In actuality the hot wort does not splash much in my set up.
 
Holy crow man! That is some serious equipment. When are you opening your brewpub?
 
Brewpastor said:
I fired up the HLT at 7:30 and was showered and at the boys school at 2:30.
Now I'm sure your beers are much better than mine and you produce more per batch but with my dirt poor AG system I'm done in time to sit down and have a beer with lunch.
Doesn't seem that a better system buys any time. :D

Ofcourse I'd brew on that setup in a heart beat. :rockin:

Craig
 
Boy is my face red--we have exactly the same setup. :eek:

We must shop at the same store....how embarrassing :D
 
Brewpastor - Don't feel bad that you overshot your target OG, it's a very common problem among homebrewers. You can avoid this by taking a gravity reading before the boil. If the pre-boil gravity is too high you can lower it by adding some water. If its too low you can boil longer or add some DME. I use BeerSmith to figure out what my pre-boil gravity should be and to help me figure out what corrective action to take if I miss it. A refractometer is a handy tool for taking the pre-boil gravity. You might want to consider getting one. Austin Homebrew Supply has them on sale for only $49 until the end of the month.

Please don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any more concerns about your beer. We are here to help!

:D ;) :cross: :drunk:

EDIT: Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees the humor in this.
 
Beerthoven said:
Brewpastor - Don't feel bad that you overshot your target OG, it's a very common problem among homebrewers. You can avoid this by taking a gravity reading before the boil. If the pre-boil gravity is too high you can lower it by adding some water. If its too low you can boil longer or add some DME. I use BeerSmith to figure out what my pre-boil gravity should be and to help me figure out what corrective action to take if I miss it. A refractometer is a handy tool for taking the pre-boil gravity. You might want to consider getting one. Austin Homebrew Supply has them on sale for only $49 until the end of the month.

Please don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any more concerns about your beer. We are here to help!

:D ;) :cross: :drunk:

EDIT: Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees the humor in this.
now that's funny.
 
Beerthoven said:
Brewpastor - Don't feel bad that you overshot your target OG, it's a very common problem among homebrewers.

EDIT: Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees the humor in this.

BWAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!:rockin:

That's like telling Ray Croc how to successfully peddle cheap hamburgers!
 
CBBaron said:
Now I'm sure your beers are much better than mine and you produce more per batch but with my dirt poor AG system I'm done in time to sit down and have a beer with lunch.
Doesn't seem that a better system buys any time. :D

Ofcourse I'd brew on that setup in a heart beat. :rockin:

Craig

No, it doesn't save time! But that is OK with me most of the time.
 
Reverend JC said:
I bet it does save strain on you back though!
+1 on that
I think I strained something last time I carried 5 gal of boiling wort from the garage to the basement so I could run the immersion chiller. I usually run it outside in my garage but the hose and outside faucet were frozen solid.

I'm just giving you a hard time Brewpastor. That is one awesome system. Getting a system like that is so far from reality for me that I can't even dream it.

Craig
 
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