Couple questions

[JasonToews]

1 At what point should you filter your product, do you leave it till you start bottling?

2 I purchased white labs liquid yeast, but they didnt ship it with anything to keep it cool. It's in the fridge now, is there any chance the yeast died not being kept cool?

3 Does anyone know a cheap place to pick up a stock pot or brewpot online?

thanks!

Jason

 

[marubozo]

1. Most people don't filter their homebrew. Properly done, you can make clear beer with relative ease, and it's even easier with some of the clearing additives.

2. There's a chance if the yeast got well over 100 degrees, but most of the time even if it was sitting on a UPS truck overnight or through the weekend in the summer you'll find the yeast is fine. Since you should be making a starter with liquid yeast anyway, you'll know whether or not the yeast is viable once you get that going.

3. How big of a size are you looking for, and in aluminum or stainless steel?

 

[FreeM80s]

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[JasonToews]

I'm looking for one that can hold up to 3 gallons. Probably stainless.

 

[marubozo]

I'm looking for one that can hold up to 3 gallons. Probably stainless.

For something that size you might as well just check your big box retail stores like Target, Sears, Walmart, (or whatever comparable stores you have up there in BC). I picked up my first brew pot which was a 5.5 gallon stainless pot at Walmart on sale for something like $30. You might be able to find a pot a few dollars cheaper online, but unless you're getting free shipping it may ultimately cost more.

 

[BeerJorge]

2. There's a chance if the yeast got well over 100 degrees, but most of the time even if it was sitting on a UPS truck overnight or through the weekend in the summer you'll find the yeast is fine. Since you should be making a starter with liquid yeast anyway, you'll know whether or not the yeast is viable once you get that going.

+1. You should always make a yeast starter when you're not sure if you have good liquid yeast...

 

[Bob]

1 At what point should you filter your product, do you leave it till you start bottling?

You can filter if you like, but it's a complicated process. Be sure you understand the process before you attempt it. As another poster pointed out, homebrewers have an excellent method of promoting clarity in their beer: Patience. Just let it sit in a "secondary" for a while. If it's still not clear enough for you, add some finings like gelatin.

2 I purchased white labs liquid yeast, but they didnt ship it with anything to keep it cool. It's in the fridge now, is there any chance the yeast died not being kept cool?

There's a chance. As others have pointed out, make a starter. Not only will it ensure your yeast is alive and active before pitching, it'll give you a proper amount of yeast to pitch. And the process of brewing a starter is really, really easy.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[JasonToews]

thanks all the help!

 

[eddie]

1 At what point should you filter your product, do you leave it till you start bottling?

2 I purchased white labs liquid yeast, but they didnt ship it with anything to keep it cool. It's in the fridge now, is there any chance the yeast died not being kept cool?

3 Does anyone know a cheap place to pick up a stock pot or brewpot online?

thanks!

Jason

1) Most people don't filter at all.
2) The yeast may have been stressed in shipping but it's probably not dead. Make a yeast starter to get them going again.
3) Try a local restaurant supply store. They are reasonably priced and most will sell to the general public as well. If you're looking to buy from a US company online, you'll save up-front but will get raped on customs and shipping.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

As far as the pot goes, you will probably want something bigger than 3 gallons sooner rather than later, so you should buy something that holds 6 or more gallons -- if you can afford it.

Kettles sold as brew pots are highly priced. However, you can find perfectly useful kettles sold as pressure cookers, steamers, etc. at a very large size. I have a $30 5 gallon steel kettle from a brew store and a 8 gallon aluminum kettle for $30 I bought at a generic retailer that was sold as a tamale steamer. Both work great.