Long time no see (Return to homebrewing)

[Ramjet]

I have a friend who brews in his kitchen with an Anvil foundry. He sets the Anvil foundry and the pump in large pan ( I assume a large sheet cake pan) in case of spillage. He brews by his stove and uses the exhaust fan when boiling.

 

[worlddivides]

What is your tap water like, mineral wise?

Although I had been planning on just using RO water or maybe even mineral water instead of tap water, I've always been aware that Japanese water is pretty soft compared to almost anywhere I've lived in the US, but I wasn't sure about chlorine. I looked online and the average chlorine levels in tap water in Tokyo is around 0.4mg/liter, but can be as low as 0.1mg/liter or as high as 1.0mg/liter.

I didn't expect to be able to find water profile data like I was easily able to in the US, but I did. And for the exact several block neighborhood I'll be moving to from 3 separate periods in 2023.

The basic mineral data:
Residual chlorine: 0.3mg/l (April to June), 0.4mg/l (July to September), 0.3mg/l (October to December)
Sodium: 10mg/l (April to June), 18mg/l (July to September), 19mg/l (October to December)
Calcium hardness level: 34mg/l (April to June), 55.6mg/l (July to September), 57.9mg/l (October to December)
Magnesium hardness level: 10.7mg/l (April to June), 19.6mg/l (July to September), 21.3mg/l (October to December)
Potassium: 2.4mg/l (April to June), 3.2mg/l (July to September), 3.2mg/l (October to December)
Trichloramine: Less than 0.02mg/l
pH: 7.5

The data is 3 pages long, so if there's anything else I should know about, I could find it in there, but I thought that was the most relevant to brewing.

 

[mashdar]

Do you live with anyone?

I brewed in the kitchen one time while my wife was sleeping. Helles recipe had very light pilsner malt and long boil (lots of DMS). She complained about the smell despite being across the house.

I moved outside for the time being (I use a 35L brewzilla) and that solved it. I actually love brewing outside.

But another fix would be a steam condenser, which requires a distilling lid and a water line. The parts cost 2/3 what the brewzilla did, plus a bunch of water per batch, but it would also spare your ceilings from tons of steam.

What volume do you want to brew? Sticking with pale malt and darker? I brewed ales on the kitchen stove in an 8 gallon pot for years with no complaints.

PS it's becoming SOP to not heat your sparge water if it's convenient. Makes stovetop that much easier!

 

[IslandLizard]

The lower readings of combined Calcium and Magnesium hardness are still considered "soft" water (lower than 60-75 ppm total), and very suitable for most brewing, except the lightest beers perhaps.

When the higher levels prevail you will need to add a little acid to keep the mash pH around 5.4 with lighter color grists. And especially the pH below 5.4 during sparging.

Strange that the data for January through March is missing, but we can interpolate that.

Depending on the cost of RO water you can use it any time instead of tap water, and add some minerals if needed.

I'd probably stay away from "mineral water" for most brewing unless you have the associated mineral data. It's probably just RO water with minerals added back into it for a better taste, which likely makes it less suitable for brewing (and sparging).

Bru'n Water is a site with a downloadable spreadsheet that contains information and calculators for brewing water:
https://www.brunwater.com/
The free edition is fine and does everything.
There are others...

Chlorine (and Chloramines) can be removed with a "good pinch" of Sodium (or Potassium) Meta Bisulfite powder, also called "meta."
1/16 of a teaspoon (1/4 of a 1/4-teaspoon) of "meta" is plenty to treat 5 gallons (19 liters) of water. Just add and give it a good stir.
Meta also comes in the form of Campden tablets, but they are usually hard to dissolve, so crushing and powdering it before adding would be advised. 1/4 tablet treats 5 gallons (19 liters) of water.

 

[worlddivides]

Do you live with anyone?

I brewed in the kitchen one time while my wife was sleeping. Helles recipe had very light pilsner malt and long boil (lots of DMS). She complained about the smell despite being across the house.

I moved outside for the time being (I use a 35L brewzilla) and that solved it. I actually love brewing outside.

But another fix would be a steam condenser, which requires a distilling lid and a water line. The parts cost 2/3 what the brewzilla did, plus a bunch of water per batch, but it would also spare your ceilings from tons of steam.

What volume do you want to brew? Sticking with pale malt and darker? I brewed ales on the kitchen stove in an 8 gallon pot for years with no complaints.

PS it's becoming SOP to not heat your sparge water if it's convenient. Makes stovetop that much easier!

Brewing outside isn't an option. Other than the legality issues, I don't have a backyard or a frontyard in my new house (also don't have a garage or a driveway). Behind my new house, there's an apartment building maybe 5 feet from the back of my house. And to the left of my new house, the next house is maybe 2-3 feet from the edge of my house. My new place has 3 floors, but I can just imagine the smell going all the way from the kitchen on the first floor to the third floor. I actually expect it to smell just as strong as when I brewed out of a two-bedroom apartment. And for that matter, when I used to live in a two-story house, when I brewed in the kitchen, the second floor smelled just as strong. So yeah, the smell is something I've considered a potential issue.

Oh, and yes, I'll be living with my girlfriend. She likes beer and all, but I'm 99% sure she's never smelled mashing, sparging, wort boiling, or any of that kind of thing before.

Planning on sticking to 5 gallon (20 liter) batches. I was considered maybe trying a few 2.5 to 3 gallon batches too, but I'll probably stick to the 5 gallon. Don't see any reason to go more than that.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Sticking with pale malt and darker?" I plan to use unmalted grains too, some adjuncts, and so on. I already made 4 recipes of beers to make once I get back to brewing, one of which uses 300 grams of dark brown sugar along with Maris Otter, roasted barley, crystal 120, flaked barley, chocolate malt, and Carafa Special Type III (just to mention the fermentables).

It's becoming SOP to not heat your sparge water? That's the first I've heard of it, though admittedly I've been out of homebrewing for a while.

 

[worlddivides]

The lower readings of combined Calcium and Magnesium hardness are still considered "soft" water (lower than 60-75 ppm total), and very suitable for most brewing, except the lightest beers perhaps.

When the higher levels prevail you will need to add a little acid to keep the mash pH around 5.4 with lighter color grists. And especially the pH below 5.4 during sparging.

Strange that the data for January through March is missing, but we can interpolate that.

Depending on the cost of RO water you can use it any time instead of tap water, and add some minerals if needed.

I'd probably stay away from "mineral water" for most brewing unless you have the associated mineral data. It's probably just RO water with minerals added back into it for a better taste, which likely makes it less suitable for brewing (and sparging).

Bru'n Water is a site with a downloadable spreadsheet that contains information and calculators for brewing water:
https://www.brunwater.com/
The free edition is fine and does everything.
There are others...

Chlorine (and Chloramines) can be removed with a "good pinch" of Sodium (or Potassium) Meta Bisulfite powder, also called "meta."
1/16 of a teaspoon (1/4 of a 1/4-teaspoon) of "meta" is plenty to treat 5 gallons (19 liters) of water. Just add and give it a good stir.
Meta also comes in the form of Campden tablets, but they are usually hard to dissolve, so crushing and powdering it before adding would be advised. 1/4 tablet treats 5 gallons (19 liters) of water.

Appreciate the detailed info. I still have a very old version of Bru'n Water. I downloaded it maybe in 2016 (and only used the free version). I only used it on maybe 4 or 5 batches, so water treatment and profiles is arguably the part of homebrewing I have the least experience in. When I did extract, I just used tap water, but once I started doing things like BIAB, I started caring about the water profile. I'm pretty sure I didn't care as much about the water profile as most people, but the beers tasted good in the end (with the exception of stuff that didn't have anything to do with the water profile such as a contamination in my first kettle sour causing butyric acid and having to dump the whole thing. My next try at the same recipe ended up great, though).

After looking at that data, I also thought that I could probably get away with just Campden tablets and some cheap mineral additions, but I didn't know about "meta." That's an option I'll also keep in mind.

At the end of my homebrewing, I mainly used RO water (with some minerals according to what Bru'n Water gave me). The end-result beer tasted good, but I was severely lacking on the testing side and a lot of it was guesswork based on Bru'n Water and brewing software.

 

[IslandLizard]

Thank you for giving us your more detailed brewing history. It helps to know experience level.

I'm pretty sure I didn't care as much about the water profile as most people

My emphasis^
You may be surprised to know you're in the small 1% (est.) of homebrewers who are aware of that and actually care.

but the beers tasted good in the end

That's the important part!
Then at some point you may start to think: Can they taste better, and if so, how do I get there?

(with the exception of stuff that didn't have anything to do with the water profile such as a contamination in my first kettle sour causing butyric acid

Ouch! (Unintended) infections can bring out the worst. And occasionally the best.
Butyric acid, at least to me, is among the most putrid scents a beer can throw at one. Perhaps on par with Isovaleric acid.
I can't drink through "sulphur" wafts (Hydrogen Sulfide) either. It always takes me back to that embarrassing moment where some homebrewer wanted me to taste his cider...

After looking at that data, I also thought that I could probably get away with just Campden tablets and some cheap mineral additions

Yeah, I'd say so. Since you're already familiar with Bru'n Water, enter those hardness values and you'll see, adding a little acid goes a long way during the "heavier" mineral seasons.
Aside from cost, it's quite inconvenient to have to go out to buy and schlepp water.

If you brew often enough, buying a TDS meter will keep you quickly informed what the status of your water is at any time. They're fairly cheap, and don't require much (or any) maintenance.

I didn't know about "meta."

I just offered the option, as many brewers don't seem to be aware "Meta" is the active ingredient in "Campden." And in many ways much easier to apply (use) as it dissolves instantly.

The best thing is, as long as you add at least the minimum amount necessary of either "Campden" or "Meta," it will do its job. When adding a little more, for all security (even at twice or quadruple the standard amount of 1/16 teaspoon per 5 gallons) I doubt anyone would even notice (taste).

 

[IslandLizard]

Of course I forgot to ask the obvious but very important question:
"What does your tap water smell and taste like?"
Water may look good "on paper," but still smell or taste horribly.

 

[mashdar]

I'm not sure what you mean by "Sticking with pale malt and darker?"

I mean pilsner malt will generate a lot more DMS than pale. That's what caused issues in my house re smell.

It's becoming SOP to not heat your sparge water? That's the first I've heard of it, though admittedly I've been out of homebrewing for a while.

That's why I mentioned it! A bunch of people on the forum that don't have 3V setups are not heating sparge water. I've yet to hear anyone say it didn't work out. (It doesn't seem to cause stuck sparges, lower efficiency, etc.)

 

[worlddivides]

My emphasis^
You may be surprised to know you're in the small 1% (est.) of homebrewers who are aware of that and actually care.

That's the important part!
Then at some point you may start to think: Can they taste better, and if so, how do I get there?


Ouch! (Unintended) infections can bring out the worst. And occasionally the best.
Butyric acid, at least to me, is among the most putrid scents a beer can throw at one. Perhaps on par with Isovaleric acid.
I can't drink through "sulphur" wafts (Hydrogen Sulfide) either. It always takes me back to that embarrassing moment where some homebrewer wanted me to taste his cider...


Yeah, I'd say so. Since you're already familiar with Bru'n Water, enter those hardness values and you'll see, adding a little acid goes a long way during the "heavier" mineral seasons.
Aside from cost, it's quite inconvenient to have to go out to buy and schlepp water.

If you brew often enough, buying a TDS meter will keep you quickly informed what the status of your water is at any time. They're fairly cheap, and don't require much (or any) maintenance.


I just offered the option, as many brewers don't seem to be aware "Meta" is the active ingredient in "Campden." And in many ways much easier to apply (use) as it dissolves instantly.

The best thing is, as long as you add at least the minimum amount necessary of either "Campden" or "Meta," it will do its job. When adding a little more, for all security (even at twice or quadruple the standard amount of 1/16 teaspoon per 5 gallons) I doubt anyone would even notice (taste).

Thanks. Improvement is definitely a very important thing to have.

I also agree. Out of all the scents I've created in brewing, I honestly think that butyric acid is THE WORST I have ever smelled (or tasted for that matter). What blew my mind a couple years later was when I tried a kettle-soured Berliner Weisse from a really small local brewery and it had a very slight but noticeable butyric acid smell and flavor to it. It wasn't as bad as the one time I got the infection, but it made me wonder how they could justify selling it. The first beer I ever made, I fermented too warm and got isoamyl acetate in my beer. And I've never liked that character in commercial beers. It's one of the reasons I've never liked hefeweizen as a style. But I drank the entire batch to teach myself a lesson. With the butyric acid infection, though, I dumped the entire batch relatively quickly.

I was surprised at how cheap TDS meters are. Supposedly they're only around $5 or so. If they're that cheap, I might as well pick one up.

Good to know about "meta" since I've always thought it was interesting that you don't even need a full Campden tablet. Just 1/4th of one for 5+ gallons.

 

[worlddivides]

Of course I forgot to ask the obvious but very important question:
"What does your tap water smell and taste like?"
Water may look good "on paper," but still smell or taste horribly.

I won't know that until I move to the new place. If it smells and tastes like my current apartment (which is about 2.5 miles from where I live now), it should make pretty good beer.

I've never had water that smelled or tasted horribly in a big city, but I have in the countryside. One place I lived in Michigan had a lot of sulfur and sulfur bacteria in the water, so my family called it "egg water."

The water in my current apartment tastes and smells pretty good. I'd imagine, even if the actual mineral content is slightly different, the flavor and smell should be about the same.

 

[worlddivides]

I mean pilsner malt will generate a lot more DMS than pale. That's what caused issues in my house re smell.

That's why I mentioned it! A bunch of people on the forum that don't have 3V setups are not heating sparge water. I've yet to hear anyone say it didn't work out. (It doesn't seem to cause stuck sparges, lower efficiency, etc.)

I'd say that across all the beers I've brewed so far, I've used pilsner malt in maybe 5% of the recipes? So I use it sometimes but nowhere near as often as, say, two-row or Maris Otter. For example, in the 4 recipes I recently made for beers to try, 1 of them uses 1.7kg of Bohemian Pilsner Malt (it's a Berliner Weisse recipe).

To be honest, I'm glad you mentioned it because the idea of not heating the sparge water never even crossed my mind. It just seemed like something you just had to do. If I think about it, though, I'm not sure why using room temperature water wouldn't work.

 

[Hermit]

One of the best pieces of equipment I bought is a 3500W countertop induction plate (Avantco IC3500), and installed a matching 240V outlet. It's wonderful and used for more than brewing!

I've moved and haven't brewed in a while. I've been looking at this. It says it takes a 10.5 inch pot and there looks to be a raised lip around the edge that my pot would sit on. This hasn't been a problem?

 

[tdf]

I lived in central Tokyo for a few years and brewed there. I only did extract but never had any trouble getting supplies. The water is fine with the exception that there is usually a lot of chlorine in it. Campden tablets were a necessity.

 

[worlddivides]

I lived in central Tokyo for a few years and brewed there. I only did extract but never had any trouble getting supplies. The water is fine with the exception that there is usually a lot of chlorine in it. Campden tablets were a necessity.

I'm in the western part of the 23 Wards (been living in Nakano for the past 5+ years and moving to Koenji next month). The chlorine here seems slightly less than where I lived in the US, but it does seem like it's enough that I'll want to use Campden tablets or the "meta" IslandLizard mentioned to be on the safe side. You never want to risk getting that band-aid character, after all.

I considered starting with extract before getting a full-on system, but I've always preferred LME to DME, and I haven't found anywhere that sells LME. It's only DME, and it tends to be pretty limited too. Not that I have anything wrong with DME exactly, but I've mainly used it when my numbers were off.

The three sites I'm aware of are Sakeland, Advanced Brewing, and The Malt Shop. Were there any other places you bought from when you lived here? I've noticed that other than those three sites, you can also find stuff like StarSan, PBW, and so on on Amazon, Rakuten, Yahoo Auctions, and places like that, but it's generally not a one-stop shop kind of thing and you really need to look for specifically what you want.

 

[IslandLizard]

I've moved and haven't brewed in a while. I've been looking at this. It says it takes a 10.5 inch pot and there looks to be a raised lip around the edge that my pot would sit on. This hasn't been a problem?

There's no raised lip. The bezel is flat with the ceramic glass insert. IOW, the top is flat.

I have a 14"wide, 8 gallon and a 17" wide, 15 gallon Tri-bottom Heavy Duty kettles. Both are used on the IC3500, as well as a variety of other kettles and smaller pots for yeast starters, small batches, soup stock making, general cooking, wokking, etc.

The 14" wide kettle overhangs all sides by a tad, and only leaves the very corners of the stainless bezel exposed.
The 17" one overhangs all sides (including the front) by a good 1-1.5" inches.
I've been using that setup for over 11 years, without any issues. Kettle overhang does not seem to be a problem at all.

I did burn out one plate, though,* about 3 years ago... glad having a backup on standby.

I open the unit about once or twice a year, depending on usage and how much dust had been clinging to the fan inlet over time. Once open, I clean out the (greasy) dust inside. The fan gets removed to clean and receive a drop of oil in the sleeve bearing.

* I think the power chip gave up the ghost. I have not been able to find a schematic.
Aside from vacuuming around it's impossible to clean the narrow space between the heat sink and the main circuit board, without desoldering the power chip and a few other power-related chips. There may well be heavy duty (and greasy) dust nests build-up in that narrow space, reducing effective cooling (by the fan).

 

[IslandLizard]

I'll want to use Campden tablets or the "meta" IslandLizard mentioned to be on the safe side.

Yes, you absolutely need to, to remove the chlorine or chloramines. Most, if not all water companies use one of the two to keep their water sanitary during distribution, it's a requirement.

Sodium (or Potassium) Metabisulfite (aka "Meta") is a fine white powder generally used by wine, cider, and mead makers to sanitize their musts and prevent oxidation during racking and bottling. I've measured levels of sulphite in bottles of wine as high as 320 ppm.

We're not getting anywhere near those levels to remove chlorine or chloramines from our drinking water, we're probably not even in the single digit ppb (parts per billion) range with our application.

In the U.S. "meta" powder is sold in small 1 oz jars/plastic bottles or in bulk (plastic bags) usually 1 pound or larger. Store dry in well-closed jars/bottles.

 

[tdf]

I'm in the western part of the 23 Wards (been living in Nakano for the past 5+ years and moving to Koenji next month). The chlorine here seems slightly less than where I lived in the US, but it does seem like it's enough that I'll want to use Campden tablets or the "meta" IslandLizard mentioned to be on the safe side. You never want to risk getting that band-aid character, after all.

I considered starting with extract before getting a full-on system, but I've always preferred LME to DME, and I haven't found anywhere that sells LME. It's only DME, and it tends to be pretty limited too. Not that I have anything wrong with DME exactly, but I've mainly used it when my numbers were off.

The three sites I'm aware of are Sakeland, Advanced Brewing, and The Malt Shop. Were there any other places you bought from when you lived here? I've noticed that other than those three sites, you can also find stuff like StarSan, PBW, and so on on Amazon, Rakuten, Yahoo Auctions, and places like that, but it's generally not a one-stop shop kind of thing and you really need to look for specifically what you want.

It was quite awhile ago - I was in Aoyama. There was a tiny shop in Shibuya that sold dry malt extract and a few hops. I can't remember the name or find it - I wouldn't be surprised if it was gone. I also ordered from Sakeland. It looks like hops are a lot less expensive than they used to be (and the current exchange rate certainly helps). I would often bring back hops when I traveled back to the US.

 

[JAReeves]

There's no raised lip. The bezel is flat with the ceramic glass insert. IOW, the top is flat.

I have a 14"wide, 8 gallon and a 17" wide, 15 gallon Tri-bottom Heavy Duty kettles. Both are used on the IC3500, as well as a variety of other kettles and smaller pots for yeast starters, small batches, soup stock making, general cooking, wokking, etc.

The 14" wide kettle overhangs all sides by a tad, and only leaves the very corners of the stainless bezel exposed.
The 17" one overhangs all sides (including the front) by a good 1-1.5" inches.
I've been using that setup for over 11 years, without any issues. Kettle overhang does not seem to be a problem at all.

I did burn out one plate, though,* about 3 years ago... glad having a backup on standby.

I open the unit about once or twice a year, depending on usage and how much dust had been clinging to the fan inlet over time. Once open, I clean out the (greasy) dust inside. The fan gets removed to clean and receive a drop of oil in the sleeve bearing.

* I think the power chip gave up the ghost. I have not been able to find a schematic.
Aside from vacuuming around it's impossible to clean the narrow space between the heat sink and the main circuit board, without desoldering the power chip and a few other power-related chips. There may well be heavy duty (and greasy) dust nests build-up in that narrow space, reducing effective cooling (by the fan).

I would never have thought to open this and clean it out. Thank you for the Pro Tip!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

[worlddivides]

It was quite awhile ago - I was in Aoyama. There was a tiny shop in Shibuya that sold dry malt extract and a few hops. I can't remember the name or find it - I wouldn't be surprised if it was gone. I also ordered from Sakeland. It looks like hops are a lot less expensive than they used to be (and the current exchange rate certainly helps). I would often bring back hops when I traveled back to the US.

So you lived only a few miles east of where I do, then (I live not that far west of Shinjuku, while Aoyama is not that far east of Shinjuku). I do remember that I occasionally found the really simple beer kits sometimes sold at places like Tokyu Hands, but I haven't seen them in forever.

But yeah, beer equipment in Japan is WAY more expensive than in the US (even when the exchange rate was better for those of us living here), but depending on where you buy from, hops and grain can be comparable or even cheaper (yeast is a lot more expensive, though). The main problem is that the selection is really lacking. You basically only have access to dry yeast. Some liquid yeast is available through The Malt Shop (because the guy who runs that regularly buys stuff from the US that gets shipped over), but I've never seen any bacteria or wild yeast anywhere.

I did a comparison of the prices just for reference:

Citra pellet hops:
Sakeland: 390 yen for 30 grams / 719 yen for 100 grams
Advanced Brewing: 630 yen for 30 grams / 1,300 yen for 100 grams
The Malt Shop: 750 yen for 50g / 1,500 yen for 100 grams

Marris Otter crushed malt:
Sakeland: 1,640 yen for 4kg / 2,160 yen for 3kg (4kg+ is actually much cheaper)
Advanced Brewing: 2,360 yen for 4kg / 2,070 yen for 3kg
The Malt Shop: 3,520 yen for 4kg / 2,640 yen for 3kg

You'd think they'd be more expensive here, though, since the yen is so ridiculously weak now. I think when I moved back, it was something like 108 yen to $1, while now it's 157 yen to $1. Just abysmal.

 

[agentbud]

I can't speak to the Brewzilla, but as someone that has been allergic to the notion of home ownership for decades, you can certainly brew cleanly and with very minimal clean up in a small kitchen. I've been doing it for decades, brewing 6gal fly sparged AG batches in a small apartment kitchen.

Here are some rules that I've learned over the years:

1) Absolutely no drinking until the yeast is pitched and the fermenter is in the fridge. To brew disaster-free requires a clear head. You'll also find that your brewdays go way quicker...and not just because you're motivated to pour a pint. Not saying the motivation isn't there, though.

2) Make a habit of saying out loud "Check your valves" prior to making any liquid transfer. This will prompt you to actually check your valves, averting many boneheaded mistakes.

3) Buy a quality metal rolling cart with large caster wheels and lots of storage space--I'm currently on my second plastic cart, don't be like me. The bulk of what you need should be on that cart. It takes a lot of the " Oh ##(%*% where is my!!!" out of brewing. It's there and you know where it is, making the day much quicker and recovery from stupidity much easier and quicker.

4) Remove the useless aerator from your kitchen faucet and replace it with a garden hose adaptor. This will allow you to roll your brewing cart over to the sink and run a CIP program and allow you to attach corny ball lock adapters to your sink's faucet. Game changer.

5) Use valves. They allow you to say "Check your valves" and affirm that everything is as it should be prior to starting a transfer.

6) Use a pump. We live in an amazing world in which brewing pumps are cheap and ubiquitous. Pumps can be more easily shut off than gravity.

7) Use your smart phone as a timer. Your phone keeps you from overfilling/running dry vessels and causing a mess, use it.

8) Use brewing software to its full potential. Take copious notes so that you can learn from those notes! At first this may seem like a drag, but as you learn your new system, you'll find that your notes become shorter and shorter over the years. One of the key points of note-taking is to train yourself to optimize your system. The more you learn your system, the more laconic your notes will become. Notes are ab investment in yourself and your rig. Do it.

9) This'll get me in all kinds of trouble... QDs are a leaky waste of money. I've brewed for decades without them and I've never had a hose pop off a barb. Just make certain that your hoses and barbs are compatible sizes and properly seated. Having seen QDs in action in agriculture and industry, I don't want to introduce that kinda mess into my kitchen, thanks. Nekkid barbs are clean, cheap, and easy to use. Hate me!

10) Go to the home improvement store of your choice, buy a 5-gal bucket and a sack of microfiber rags. Empty the rags into your 5-gal bucket and keep this bucket in your kitchen on brew day. Way cheaper than paper towels and you have an army of absorption with its own containment vessel standing by if you do happen to become intimate with the pooch.

11) At kegging time, this thing is really good. Having optimized the cleanliness of my brewday, this thing fixed the messiest part of my process, closed transfer kegging.

12) Get a cheap bathroom scale to monitor the progress of a keg fill and note its full weight in your notes at the end of the transfer. This will allow you to avert any overfills on kegging day.

That's all the stuff that I can think of right now. I'm sure there's room for improvement. I hope you've found this useful and I hope you soon have full kegs!

...and a spotless kitchen.

Bullet point #1. Good advice but I just can't follow it. Brew night is much more fun with the guys over and some great beers. Unfortunately, it has led to many occurrences of waking up at 3 am wondering what I forgot to do during the brew. Fortunately, so far nothing so bad that it couldn't be rectified the next morning (or afternoon as the case may be).

 

[Hermit]

Against my better judgment I bought this one. I'm not sure this one is properly packaged/labeled for sale in the US. No amp rating on the documentation or the plate! Even after getting it I was kind of iffy about it but finally plugged it in and I'll say it works and boiled a few 'unmeasured' gallons of water in about 4/5 minutes. This was just a test to make sure it works. (price drop since I bought it )

Power = Voltage X Current so 5000W/240V≈21 amps

I had a 30 Amp dryer outlet in the inside wall I'm not using so I moved it to the outside wall (garage). I used to do appliance repair. The GE dryer used about 23 amps and was circuited for 30 amps. I had a 30 amp extension cord I pulled off of an old range I used previous for brewing. (I had a dryer outlet available for the stove and knew I'd be using no more than 2 burners so I didn't want to go through the time and expense of doing a 50 amp circuit) I added a 20 amp 240V outlet to it. That is what I have on my table saw and the outlet is more designed to only fit certain receptacles. In and of its' self the plug is basically a buss bar. The cord on the unit is certainly not built to take 30 amps.

Consider this post for informational purposes only. I can't say I'd recommend it to the general user but thought I'd pass it on just in case someone else sees the same unit and is tempted.

 

[mashdar]

The product photo shows 2 wire + ground. Not needing the neutral makes the dryer outlet an option on a 6-30R. (Is the extension cord locking-type?)

Can you get a 30A GFCI breaker for your panel?

esit: Oh, and you're right that a 30A circuit is fine for 5kW at 240V.

edit 2: I'm assuming dryer was a 10-30 outlet, but I might be showing my age.

 

[Hermit]

I'm assuming dryer was a 10-30 outlet,

If you mean 10 gauge wire, then yes.

I thought about splitting it into a sub panel but decided to just do the easy and not over think it for now. If I move I'll just pull the socket and and put a solid face plate over it. The original wire is 10/2. Two leads plus neutral/ground.

 

[Hermit]

Can you get a 30A GFCI breaker for your panel?

As a former appliance repair person I'm not keen on adding a GFCI circuit to an induction burner. Sounds like a nuisance tripping headache.

 

[IslandLizard]

Against my better judgment I bought this one.

What are your concerns? The way the unit is build perhaps?

Consider this post for informational purposes only. I can't say I'd recommend it to the general user but thought I'd pass it on just in case someone else sees the same unit and is tempted.

Thank you for posting your experience with that unit. A 5000W induction plate is surely tempting, about 40% more power than a 3500W one.

 

[Hermit]

What are your concerns? The way the unit is build perhaps?

Documentation was the main one. Not sure what translator they used to publish the manual that came with it but standard 'Chinglish' would be an improvement. I couldn't find a reference to it on the current manufactures web site. Seeing the cord I had wonders if it was even proper/legal in the US. Once getting it and not seeing circuit information on the rating tag kinda confirmed this in my mind. Seems to work fine so at this point, longevity will be the key thing going forward.

Bottom line, it seems to work fine and as long as it holds up, I'll be quite happy. The price drop after I bought it makes it even more attractive if you don't mind the support/longevity risk.

I also haven't done a current test to confirm a ballpark power usage but it looks like it will do what I need it to do from my one limited test.

I have Jenn Aire grill I don't use in the kitchen. It is on a 20 amp circuit. I'm tempted to by pass it that circuit and get the Advantco with probe as a back up and for general use in the kitchen.

 

[mashdar]

You do you, but IMO brewing is an activity that requires GFCI for safety. You're mixing electricity and water, and probably some alcohol on occasion. Modern GFCIs are pretty good with high frequency appliances.

Commercial kitchen 240V receptacles have required GFCI since 2017 NEC, and I haven't heard of any issues. (A lot of kitchens use these for boiling water etc to avoid a Type 1 hood, so there are a lot floating around in commercial use.)

 

[Hermit]

You do you, but IMO brewing is an activity that requires GFCI for safety. You're mixing electricity and water, and probably some alcohol on occasion. Modern GFCIs are pretty good with high frequency appliances.

Commercial kitchen 240V receptacles have required GFCI since 2017 NEC, and I haven't heard of any issues. (A lot of kitchens use these for boiling water etc to avoid a Type 1 hood, so there are a lot floating around in commercial use.)

My reply to this brought down the website! I'll try to reply again and hope I don't crash the site this time.

I'm looking into some Type CH 30A GFCI. Kinda hard to see through the tears looking at the prices.

 

[mashdar]

I saw the earlier answer! I think they had to roll back or lost some cache or something.

Ouch. I would have assumed CH were cheaper than my BR breakers : ) I dream of a plug-on-neutral homeline upgrade some day. (Also not cheaper.)