RoaringBrewer
Well-Known Member
Well, after being a bum in the homebrewing world for the last 9 months or so, I am finally going to get back at it. The last 6-7 months have been very busy with my first home purchase in Oct 09 (months before that I was busy looking for one), a job switch (closer to new home), and wedding planning (Aug 7, 2010 is the date).
So, anyway, this week I started to get around to rehabbing my 4912 kegerator - disassembled and cleaned it, added new beer line, etc. I set it up in the basement for now, with a countertop I salvaged from my kitchen remodel to set things on or hang out at and drink a few if I want to. I want to remodel a large "family room" we have on the rear of the house someday and add a bar to part of it - its a 25x14 room so there is room for it, and a sitting TV area. But for now its the basement.
I also added a roaring bull tap handle for something I planned to put on tap. And I performed the keg tower cooling trick with copper pipe that extends into the fridge to conduct the cool to the tower/lines. No pics of the mod, its same as others have done, but here is the tap handle:
Since I haven't brewed in forever, all I had was a batch of 1 year aged Apfelwein on hand. So, I put in a can of concentrate to backsweeten and threw that on tap. I also ran to the local beverage distributor and picked up a sixtel of troegs hopback amber (it was that, SNPA, or troegs pils - all they had in sixtel) and threw that on tap with my perlick low profile sankey tap.
To two kegs, from none, in no time.
Now, its to get back to brewing. I have some ingredients that are roughly 3 months old (the extract and specialty grains on bottom shelf for a extract ESB - thought I could squeeze in a quick one a few months back and it never happened) and some that are 6 months old (the all grain 3 floyds gumball head clone i am attempting - top shelf). Hops have been frozen since received so they should be fine... I will find time to brew both soon.
I also ordered 2 hop rhizomes (including a jumbo hallarteau) and plan to get them in the ground by week's end. I know its late, but the jumbo might produce something and if not I'm getting a jumpstart on next year...
It's good to be back!
So, anyway, this week I started to get around to rehabbing my 4912 kegerator - disassembled and cleaned it, added new beer line, etc. I set it up in the basement for now, with a countertop I salvaged from my kitchen remodel to set things on or hang out at and drink a few if I want to. I want to remodel a large "family room" we have on the rear of the house someday and add a bar to part of it - its a 25x14 room so there is room for it, and a sitting TV area. But for now its the basement.
I also added a roaring bull tap handle for something I planned to put on tap. And I performed the keg tower cooling trick with copper pipe that extends into the fridge to conduct the cool to the tower/lines. No pics of the mod, its same as others have done, but here is the tap handle:
Since I haven't brewed in forever, all I had was a batch of 1 year aged Apfelwein on hand. So, I put in a can of concentrate to backsweeten and threw that on tap. I also ran to the local beverage distributor and picked up a sixtel of troegs hopback amber (it was that, SNPA, or troegs pils - all they had in sixtel) and threw that on tap with my perlick low profile sankey tap.
To two kegs, from none, in no time.
Now, its to get back to brewing. I have some ingredients that are roughly 3 months old (the extract and specialty grains on bottom shelf for a extract ESB - thought I could squeeze in a quick one a few months back and it never happened) and some that are 6 months old (the all grain 3 floyds gumball head clone i am attempting - top shelf). Hops have been frozen since received so they should be fine... I will find time to brew both soon.
I also ordered 2 hop rhizomes (including a jumbo hallarteau) and plan to get them in the ground by week's end. I know its late, but the jumbo might produce something and if not I'm getting a jumpstart on next year...
It's good to be back!