South Carolina SC midlands area brewers

[TravelingLight]

Yes im looking into getting one. What is an easy way to connect a closed transfer system to the lid? I know you have a nice setup but just getting started what do you suggest for me on a budget? I know its a #10 stopper and morebeer sells a double hole stopper for it i was thinking that might work but idk

I use a solid lid, and added a bulkhead/ball lock gas post to the lid:

This serves double duty for me. I just it as a blowoff during fermentation. Then, when I am ready to rack out to the keg, I use the spigot on the fermenter, but I connect my gas line to the post on the lid. This way as the beer drains out the bottom spigot, I can slowly bubble in CO2 so the volume is being replaced with CO2 instead of O2.

 

[SHAIV]

Yeah so im not exactly sure i want to get a fermonster with a valve. How do you like yours? I mean i have this nice stainless racking cane i could use for closed transfer and some people have had issues with the valve leaking and im kind of weird about that. I mean i know many people use them without issues. I just hate trusting a plastic valve with my beer.

 

[TravelingLight]

Yeah so im not exactly sure i want to get a fermonster with a valve. How do you like yours? I mean i have this nice stainless racking cane i could use for closed transfer and some people have had issues with the valve leaking and im kind of weird about that. I mean i know many people use them without issues. I just hate trusting a plastic valve with my beer.

Understandable. I was on the fence for a while about valve vs. no valve. Ultimately, I am thrilled I got mine with the valve. I've never had a leak ever. And after soaking the fermenter full of cleaning solution, I usually take the valves off and soak those as well. Super convenient. I never use racking canes anymore (except for bottling off the keg).

 

[carpathia]

I had a fermonster. It melted from my heat lamp (since replaced with a cool-to-touch space heater). It also was a bit of a PITA to move because you needed the straps. I haven't used it in a while (since we're drawing down stocks in preparation for moving in a month or two), but I cannot recommend a speidel with valve enough. The carry handles can pick up a full fermenter much more easily, and having a valve means you don't need to screw with siphons any more, and makes gravity checks easy peasy. If your cleaning/sanitation is decent, there is no real marginal increase in chance of infection.

 

[TravelingLight]

I had a fermonster. It melted from my heat lamp (since replaced with a cool-to-touch space heater). It also was a bit of a PITA to move because you needed the straps. I haven't used it in a while (since we're drawing down stocks in preparation for moving in a month or two), but I cannot recommend a speidel with valve enough. The carry handles can pick up a full fermenter much more easily, and having a valve means you don't need to screw with siphons any more, and makes gravity checks easy peasy. If your cleaning/sanitation is decent, there is no real marginal increase in chance of infection.

I have straps on one of mine and it's not ideal. I don't prefer the straps because when you pick it up full, if it has an airlock on it, it creates a brief vacuum and sucks in sani. This isn't as big of a deal to me anymore since I no longer use air locks. The other Fermonster though is in a plastic crate which doesn't create a vacuum when you pick it up.

 

[SHAIV]

Yes. I was actually looking at getting a speidel! I was like man if i get a fermonster and straps and a bung for it and/or a solid lid and a gas post connector. I was like ill probably spend the same amount if not less with the speidel. I have a glass big mouth bubbler with straps. Its pretty nice and im working on a way to closed transfer with it but i think the speidel would be a good one and they sell a metal upgrade valve for it. Not sure if i wanna get that or a larger kettle first

 

[carpathia]

I saw it partly as a capacity issue: my process tends to be over efficient, producing more wort than my bottling bucket can easily handle (1st world problems, I know).

an 8 gallon speidel is $60 at morebeer, with oversized airlock and spigot. I added a $30 thermowell and standard-sized grommet that goes in the top that I used for temperature control. The only real downside is you can't see the beer fermenting, not that you actually need to anyway. I threw in a 3.2 gallon one for overflow if needed (I had to use a hole saw to drill an opening in the top cap for a stopper). I know I saw that they can take some pressure, and I see a Ball valve adapter with PRV (https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions....l-Lock-Gas-In-with-Pressure-Relief-Valve.html) but there's also this thread for DIY:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...out-of-speidel-fermenter-demonstrated.410919/

I guess the follow up question for deciding which to do first: if you got the bigger BK, do you actually have the fermentation space to use it?

 

[SHAIV]

Well i could borrow a second big mouth bubbler from my friend. I also have two 5 gallon glass carboys and a 3 gallon carboy. Im really into starting 10-11 gallon batches. I have plenty of ferment chamber space! Lol

Also if i get grains hops and some other stuff from morebeer and a speidel i could get 25$ off for american craft beer week

 

[TravelingLight]

We've probably discussed this before, but I will never ever buy CO2 from Airgas again. Every time I switch out a tank at Airgas, it's anywhere from $23-30, and it fluctuates with no rhyme or reason. Been this way for years. I finally went one road over to Praxair and it was $16 (5# tank) out the door. And he said that price never changes, or may change a few cents at the end of each year. Airgas is a ripoff.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

I usually get mine refilled at PyeBarker Fire over in Irmo. I have a shiny new 20# tank and didn't want to exchange it so they just refill it for me. Going from memory it was less than $40 for my tank.

 

[TravelingLight]

I usually get mine refilled at PyeBarker Fire over in Irmo. I have a shiny new 20# tank and didn't want to exchange it so they just refill it for me. Going from memory it was less than $40 for my tank.

It's definitely cheaper the bigger you go. I've just always preferred exchanging tanks so I don't have to deal with paying the recert fee or whatever has to be done every few years on tanks. I still want a bigger and/or extra tank though.

 

[SHAIV]

Ive been going to arc 3 ever since someone here suggested it to me. Its the closest to me and i can go before work and still make it to work on time. Oh yeah! And it was $21 after tax i think.

So on another note. Im planning on brewing tomorrow! Im trying to get my water chemistry stuff together. I got some gypsum, calcium chloride, chalk and epsom salt and i have kosher salt on hand at the house. Im planning to build my water from distilled. Anyone have any preference on brewers friend or brun water? I feel like i get two different things from each
Like if i balance out the water on brewers friend then plug the same numbers in on brunwater it works but brun water then says the numbers are per gallon. Brewers friend doesnt say that

 

[SHAIV]

Also this

Is different from this

So im kind of confused as to what my target should even be

 

[GammaRay4130]

I use brewers friend and mainly just worry about getting my calcium over 50, my chloride and sulfite ratio where I want it and my mash ph. I don't have a ph meter so I can't say how accurate it is but I haven't been having any issues with my beers. I use tap water that I got a lab report on and pretty much only use gypsum and calcium chloride and don't worry too much about magnesium or sodium as long as it says I am in the normal range.

 

[SHAIV]

Yeah. I got a ph meter last year for mash and star san ph. I just tried to calibrate it this morning after a few uses and during calibration it started saying 7.00 all the time and recalibrating doesnt help. I think its toast. Some people say they used to use a ph meter and dont anymore. But im like both those target profiles are for hoppy beer styles and from brewers friend. One from my app where the recipe is and the other from the website. Maybe i should go for the one on the app it may be accounting for the grain bill

 

[TravelingLight]

I use Bru'n Water religiously but just because that's what I learned to use so it's easy. I also use my tap water that I got tested at Ward Labs. I pretty much only use gypsum, CaCl, and lactic acid. Sometimes for darker beers I have to work in baking soda or pickling lime.

I have a ph meter but I only use it for my sour beers. I've found the numbers in Bru'n are pretty damn accurate and my tap water is very consistent, so I never check ph on brew day, mash, etc.

 

[SHAIV]

So i ended up going with the brewers friend mash water calculator. I got my new kettle last weekend on brew day and brewed that night. It was a pretty busy brew day drilling my new boil kettle while my mash water was heating up! but it was good. I learned a lot for next time and i now have the capability to brew 10 gallon batches! I definitely had some clear wort thanks to my wort pump.

 

[carpathia]

So on another note. Im planning on brewing tomorrow! Im trying to get my water chemistry stuff together. I got some gypsum, calcium chloride, chalk and epsom salt and i have kosher salt on hand at the house. Im planning to build my water from distilled. Anyone have any preference on brewers friend or brun water? I feel like i get two different things from each Like if i balance out the water on brewers friend then plug the same numbers in on brunwater it works but brun water then says the numbers are per gallon. Brewers friend doesnt say that

I got a good, dialed-in brunwater for Columbia water that I'd be happy to email you.

 

[carpathia]

Yeah. I got a ph meter last year for mash and star san ph. I just tried to calibrate it this morning after a few uses and during calibration it started saying 7.00 all the time and recalibrating doesnt help. I think its toast. Some people say they used to use a ph meter and dont anymore. But im like both those target profiles are for hoppy beer styles and from brewers friend. One from my app where the recipe is and the other from the website. Maybe i should go for the one on the app it may be accounting for the grain bill

I have a decent enough PH meter that I could let go of if you're looking for one. That being said, I've only ever used it to confirm that I haven't screwed up something bad, because if I did, I'm not entirely sure I actually know how to make an accurate adjustment.

 

[SHAIV]

Thanks man. I got cayce water though. And i guess im just going to continue without a ph meter. Most people say they dont really need it because the water calculators are pretty good. I basically got mine for free so i guess its not a big deal. Ill see how this batch turns out and decide then if i feel like i need one

 

[SHAIV]

Hey everyone. Im brewing a 10 gallon batch wheat ale tomorrow. Im so excited to try out my new toys. Ive used a few things and tested stuff. So i got a larger wort chiller and im going to be using my old stainless wort chiller as a drop in herms coil. That way i can control mash temp while recirculating

 

[SHAIV]

Got my new pickup tube and whirlpool tube from brewhardware.com installed

 

[TravelingLight]

Hey everyone. Im brewing a 10 gallon batch wheat ale tomorrow. Im so excited to try out my new toys. Ive used a few things and tested stuff. So i got a larger wort chiller and im going to be using my old stainless wort chiller as a drop in herms coil. That way i can control mash temp while recirculating

How did the recirc mash go? I've wanted to try it, but I worried that it would be a pain in the ass to get the flow right with the valve on the pump.

 

[SHAIV]

Man it went very well! The only problem i had was with my “herms” coil. I think it got partially clogged toward the end of the mash probably because i stirred the mash every 15 minutes and got some small particles through my false bottom which got caught in the crazy bend at the top of my chiller herms coil. So maybe next time i will do something about the bend like cut it off or i wont stir the mash next time. Idk but i also underlet the grains and that worked beautifully! I ended up doing a two step batch sparge and ended up with about 83% efficiency! Which is way higher than i expected. So yeah im so excited and i think i got the water chemistry right or at least close enough with bru’n water. With recirculating the mash you dont have to lauter and you get super clear wort! Its awesome. Also when transferring to boil kettle i just let gravity push it through the pump. I tried turning the pump on and it sucked a couple pieces of grain in. So turned the pump off and let it go on its own. So you dont really have to mess with the valve too much if you do it that way

 

[RevFrank]

I'm cold crashing a 5 gallon batch of Space Dust clone I call "Cosmic Dirt". Yesterday, I brewed my first hazy IPA. I missed the OG by 20 points ... I may be drinking a lite beer instead of an IPA. We will see how it turns out.

 

[SHAIV]

Maybe a session ipa? Mmm i love those. Isnt space dust like 8%? So maybe itll only be like 6% or so? Lol not too bad

Also what hops go in that? Like galaxy, comet and falconers flight? Lol

 

[RevFrank]

My space dust clone was put to forced carbonation today at 9.85% ABV. The hazy IPA, some call a milkshake IPA, just started fermentation. It's the one with the 20 point drop. I think it would have worked out better if I had milled the grains finer.

 

[RevFrank]

My space dust clone was put to forced carbonation today at 9.85% ABV. The hazy IPA, some call a milkshake IPA, just started fermentation. It's the one with the 20 point drop. I think it would have worked out better if I had milled the grains finer.

Hazy IPA is supposed to come in at 7ABV. Hops are Bravo for bitterness and lots of citra and mosaic

 

[SHAIV]

My space dust clone was put to forced carbonation today at 9.85% ABV. The hazy IPA, some call a milkshake IPA, just started fermentation. It's the one with the 20 point drop. I think it would have worked out better if I had milled the grains finer.

Oh ok that makes more sense. I was kinda like space dust isnt a hazy ipa is it?

 

[SHAIV]

Hazy IPA is supposed to come in at 7ABV. Hops are Bravo for bitterness and lots of citra and mosaic

Ah ok that sounds good. I meant for the space dust though cuz they are all space named hops