I like this time at night on HBT

[Dan]

I really appreciate these late night talks. But please don't be feeling sorry for me anyone, tons of people have been through the same thing hubby and I are going through. They are just quieter about it and maybe don't complain so much. Time to head back to my own little world, mixing gray paint with white highlights to try and make silver fish on my walls. I'll show the mural when it's finished. Been working on it over a year now.

Wao, or however it is spelled.. I'll just say STOP! Yes many people have been through what you guys are going through but that does not make it any easier for you and your husband. Some people are super quiet and even try to hide from it. I'm familiar with that situation and in the end it didn't help anybody. Please do not head back into your own little world and take this on alone. There is no weakness in needing help so don't you go crawling under the covers now.

 

[BobbiLynn]

I think it's spelled Whoa! On one hand, I am completely alone in this, the only one who knows what is going on behind the scenes. On the other hand, many people have felt the same way I feel at times. When I try to escape, I'm not really trying to shut the world out, but sometimes bring it closer so I can understand better. A door closes and a different one opens.

That's enough deep thoughts for tonight. Going to bottle more of my hoppy IPA, it's clear enough to read a newspaper through, ready to bottle and I don't need a hydrometer to tell me that.

 

[mike_in_ak]

You guys are the worst.



It's spelled WOE

 

[Leadgolem]

Whoa, woe, toe, wait what?

 

[BobbiLynn]

Some of my not so close neighbors, but people who live in the same county as me, said they saw bigfoot. They were on TV on that finding BigFoot show. I always say, just call them Bigfeet, because I doubt they are like hermit crabs, one big foot.

Our county is called "Wakulla county", but people make fun of us and say it's "We'll Kill 'Ya County". I guess because a lot of hunters around here, folks like their guns. Not sure where that nickname came from, but I have a good guess. Not so good history going back to the civil war.

 

[Leadgolem]

Yeah, I'm to tired to come up with something clever to say.

 

[Leadgolem]

Interesting, I was sipping on some of my overly sweet concord wine. I still have it in the bottling bucket. I don't really see the point in going through the effort of bottling something I won't really enjoy later. It didn't taste quite so sweet, stronger too. So I took another gravity reading off it. It's down to 1.062 from an OG of 1.160. That's not as bad. Still overly sweet, but I don't have to mix it to drink it now. I thought it had petered out at 1.072. That was about a month ago. That makes it 13.1% ABV.

I wonder if it will continue to drop if I leave it even longer? Worth a try, it's still to sweet to drink much of. If I can get it down around 1.040 I'll bottle and pasteurize, though I don't think that's all that likely.

 

[Dan]

Looking forward to a nice brew day tomorrow. Never tried making wine but might give it a go one of these days. Tomorrow is yard work, maybe some garage spring cleaning but for sure late in the afternoon a peaceful brewing session of simple pale ale. Low ABV and an ounce of Perle at 60 and 30 with some Cascade or Centennial near flame out. Looking forward to a peaceful Saturday.

Cheers. G'night.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Cheers and goodnight Dan. As stated previously, good to see you back in the ranks.

 

[Varmintman]

Can't you notch it in? I mean cut a wedge out of each side, then cut the thinned center section. And/or make a cut from each side. It is more work, but should be doable.

I could do it but I am not going to. For the amount of work involved I would rather buy wood and give it away. All day yesterday I was blocking wood that was between hip high and mid chest high laying flat on the ground. Those pieces are just the mid sized ones. There are 2 sections I guess 15+ foot long that laying flat on the ground I cannot touch the top of them.

Man I am tuckered. Logger I am not :cross:

 

[Varmintman]

Idaho chainsaw forum? I can imagine the white supremacist heathens from the panhandle not much liking the Mexi-Mormons down south.

Sigh, I miss it there.

Not that this is even in Idaho, it's in Washington but here's me in another life.

We got a little snow yesterday and supposed to get more today up in the high country. Kind of bummed since I am ready to go camping right now

LOL It is a politics forum. And let me tell you it gets entirely to crazy there sometimes. Some folks just will not even listen to another point of view

 

[BobbiLynn]

To brew today or not to brew, that is the question. Bottled last night and now I have 2 empty fermenters. Can't stop thinking about it, how empty they are.

 

[BigPicture]

I finally have 2 batches in the secondaries ageing while the quad-kegerator is full.

I've never been so stocked up. I love it.

AND I'm ready to brew a 3rd.

Life is good!

 

[BobbiLynn]

Late getting started but about to start a batch, the empty fermenters won't leave me alone.

So, I got crapped on by a chicken today, he shat on my foot. Was only a matter of time, that's what I get for playing with chickens. I shall call it my christening.

 

[Stauffbier]

To brew today or not to brew, that is the question..

I always vote yes!

 

[Stauffbier]

So, I just kegged for the first time, and I'm pretty excited about it.

I also brewed today, and had a perfect brew day. Got great efficiency and finished in record time in spite of adding kegging for the first time.

 

[passedpawn]

So, I just kegged for the first time, and I'm pretty excited about it.

It is exciting. Now don't screw it up by overcarbonating. I was really excited when I started kegging and kept trying to rush it and then drinking foamy beer.

There are lots of things that cause that, you'll see all of them eventually I'm sure.

Try filling your keg with it closed. Fill through the beerside post. If you get a beer-side quick disconnect and attach it to your siphon hose, you can close your keg, fill with CO2, open the pressure relief valve, snap the QD onto the beer-out post, and fill that way. It really doesn't take any more work and is a much better way to fill that keg. No O2, no splashing.

For the QD, get the kind with the separate barb that screws onto the QD. That way it's easy to disassemble for cleaning.

 

[passedpawn]

Late Niters, it's saturday and I'm dragging the first lady out. She's been working out a lot, she's in shape and dressing pretty fancy, makes me look like the gardener all the time. Meh.

I need to get to the shop and pick up some modern threads. Have a rocking good Sat nite everyone.

 

[Dan]

Brewing today, earlier than planned (didn't clean out the garage to beautiful outside to be working). I've about had it with cheapo thermometers. Between mine they both seem to agree that a glass full of ice cubes and water read the same, but somewhere around 160 there is a 7-8 degree split between them and one of them, my cheese thermometer says water boils at 218 here at nearly sea level. The cheap Harbor Freight digital one got two out of three correct so I'm using it but going to buy a decent thermometer. I can handle a couple of degree error but not 7-8 degrees in mash temps and strike water.
Okay I feel better.

 

[Dan]

You too Pappy!

 

[bottlebomber]

Late Niters, it's saturday and I'm dragging the first lady out. She's been working out a lot, she's in shape and dressing pretty fancy, makes me look like the gardener all the time. Meh.

No pic? You're a cruel man, PP.. Enjoy your date night.

 

[bottlebomber]

Brewing today, earlier than planned (didn't clean out the garage to beautiful outside to be working). I've about had it with cheapo thermometers. Between mine they both seem to agree that a glass full of ice cubes and water read the same, but somewhere around 160 there is a 7-8 degree split between them and one of them, my cheese thermometer says water boils at 218 here at nearly sea level. The cheap Harbor Freight digital one got two out of three correct so I'm using it but going to buy a decent thermometer. I can handle a couple of degree error but not 7-8 degrees in mash temps and strike water.
Okay I feel better.

You should get on these guys mailing list, and wait for them to do a open box sale.
http://www.thermoworks.com/?utm_sou...o&utm_content=inbox&utm_campaign=ltd_ed_coals
They usually do them about every 6 months or so, and you can pick one up for $60 vs $100. It's a lot to spend, but it is more or less waterproof which is a nice thing, and you will find that it is the only thermometer you'll ever need. It's not a need but a want, but once you bite the bullet you'll be glad you have it.

 

[passedpawn]

No pic? You're a cruel man, PP.. Enjoy your date night.

Here I am. Probably a bit older than you thought. Oh, you wanted pics of my wife? Dream on.

 

[Dan]

You should get on these guys mailing list, and wait for them to do a open box sale.
http://www.thermoworks.com/?utm_sou...o&utm_content=inbox&utm_campaign=ltd_ed_coals
They usually do them about every 6 months or so, and you can pick one up for $60 vs $100. It's a lot to spend, but it is more or less waterproof which is a nice thing, and you will find that it is the only thermometer you'll ever need. It's not a need but a want, but once you bite the bullet you'll be glad you have it.

Thanks BB. I've always used one thermometer and decided today to use my cheese thermometer as a second check. Lost faith in both.

I'll check that place out. Worth the investment.

Here's what I've been doing the last 35 minutes, while listening to good music of course. Watching the mash um, mash. Forty minutes to go and then I'll recirc for a bit and transfer to the keggle then sparge.

[/IMG]

 

[passedpawn]

Nice Dan!

 

[Dan]

Thanks Pappy. I'm still getting used to the pump. I think things went smoother when I gravity fed but with time I'm sure I'll smooth this out too.

The electric HLT is a bit underpowered so I've been heating the strike water in the keggle and transferring straight to the mash tun and then heating sparge water and transferring into the HLT and use the heater to keep the water hot. This frees up the keggle for the first running and I have pleny of strike and clean up water available.

Not the most efficient system but at least using less propane than before. And it's kind of fun.

 

[bottlebomber]

Here I am. Probably a bit older than you thought. Oh, you wanted pics of my wife? Dream on.

That's ok, not everyone feels comfortable putting pictures up for all to see. I know she's a looker though, because she thought her lost cellphone buzzing in the car door pocket was an automobile problem. That's something only a cutey would do

 

[Stauffbier]

It is exciting. Now don't screw it up by overcarbonating. I was really excited when I started kegging and kept trying to rush it and then drinking foamy beer.

There are lots of things that cause that, you'll see all of them eventually I'm sure.

Try filling your keg with it closed. Fill through the beerside post. If you get a beer-side quick disconnect and attach it to your siphon hose, you can close your keg, fill with CO2, open the pressure relief valve, snap the QD onto the beer-out post, and fill that way. It really doesn't take any more work and is a much better way to fill that keg. No O2, no splashing.

For the QD, get the kind with the separate barb that screws onto the QD. That way it's easy to disassemble for cleaning.

Will that work on pin-locks? I don't have a pressure relief on my pin-locks, but I do have a little plastic depressor that I can put on the gas post to relieve pressure.

FWIW I did a very gentle transfer without splashing, and I had purged the keg first. You could see the "fumes" of co2 in the keg when I racked. Then I purged about 4-5 times after closing it up. The way you mentioned does sound a lot better, though.

Hopefully it won't be over carbed. I'm using a method that NordeastBrewer uses.

purge it and set co2 to ~30-40 psi. Leave it on high pressure for 2-3 days, then kill the gas overnight. The next day, set it to serving psi (~1 lb per foot of line) and you're good. Whatever you do, don't shake your kegs to carb, kills the aroma.

I figured I'd only do the 30lb for 24 hours to be on the safe side.

 

[Dan]

Sure Mike, it works the same with pinlocks. You'll know if there is to much backpressure in the keg when the beer stops transferring, release more CO2. Like anything, just takes a little practice.

I do about 30 PSI for 24-36 hours and then vent and reduce to 12 for a week or so. Seems to work okay.

How long are your beer lines?

 

[passedpawn]

I quick charge them sometimes. I do exactly what Dan said above. I've got a dual regulator, so I can do one fast and leave the other kegs at serving pressure. The dual body regulators cost more of course, but give you some options (root beer!).