FOUND THE KEG LUBE!! Under the ferment fridge. Still good. Yay!!!Nope. That damn tube (which I've been using since I started kegging three years ago) has flown the proverbial coop. Had to use vaseline on the last keg, yes I know it's pretty much the same thing, but that crunched up tube has some memories in it.
I would say your approach shown is better than shaking a glass carboys which can be dangerous. I would be a little worried about the aerator slipping out and having to mess around to get it out of my wort.Alright friends, it’s MacGyver time again! I’ve got an idea, and I want to know what you think. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I ran out of O2 last time I brewed, and had to resort to shaking the crap out of the carboy. That fermentation seems to have gone well, and I’ve read conflicting things on whether my O2 wand is even that useful for standard gravity ales and such.
That got me thinking... the silicone hose coming from my brew kettle just happens to fit perfectly through the top of the plastic caps that come on 5 gallon water jugs from Wal Mart. Those plastic caps just happen to fit perfectly on top of glass carboys. Here’s the fun part. I can jam an aerator made for dry red wine into the hose. If you’ve never used an aerator on a dry red, try a side by side with/without aerator.
I wonder if this would be a decent way to do closed transfer from my brew kettle to my primary glass carboy while also aerating the wort. Would be easy enough to vent the cap w an airlock. If the gravity/pressure didn’t work out I suppose I could just leave the cap out of it. I think it would take forever, but I use an immersion chiller to quickly get down to pitching temp, and could close up the whole thing and let it take it’s time. Thoughts??View attachment 701946View attachment 701947View attachment 701955
Brewed my Red Rye. Plate chiller got the wort down to 90F on its way into the fermenter. I am sure it can do better, especially because the water goes through an ice bath before the plate chiller. I may have to basically drip the wort from the kettle, as I thought I had a really slow flow this time.
Other brewers make this work, not sure why I can’t.
Chilled to pitch temp, O2’d it and added yeast, so I have high hopes for the beer even so.
Dudadiesel 12. I’m following the instructions, so there will be another chance this coming weekend to see if I can throttle back the wort even more. Los Angeles groundwater is warm, but I would think that the prechill ice bath would help more.I haven't picked up a plate chiller yet, just use immersion, but from what I've read that sounds off. Which plate chiller do you use? Wondering about orientation, flow direction, etc.
RIP old friend and welcome to the gates of beer heaven.I put my dying keezer to rest today. My second keezer, it didn't quite make it to its 9th birthday.
It was a great machine, reliable as hell (until it wasn't), always good pours...
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Hoping the next build will be a little bit cleaner in the back...
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...but it's definitely going to be much less cramped inside.
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Totally stripped it clean of parts for the new build.
I'll eventually stuff the carcass in the back of my Durango and haul it to the same store that sold me its replacement for disposal.
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Meanwhile...K3 gets ever closer to "done"...
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Cheers!
Yep chilling water running fast wort running very slow. You can put the plate chiller in ice too.I haven't picked up a plate chiller yet, just use immersion, but from what I've read that sounds off. Which plate chiller do you use? Wondering about orientation, flow direction, etc.
Yes! Throw it right into the ice water.Yep chilling water running fast wort running very slow. You can put the plate chiller in ice too.
Yes! Throw it right into the ice water.
My plate chiller will get warm/hot out of ice or cold water. Just make sure your fittings are secure. Use clamps or whatever. I pump it all through with one of these: it is a 12 volt solar circulation pump for hot/boiling water 2.1 gallons per minute. From Amazon 26.50. I added a 12 volt dimmer from Amazon $6 and I can adjust the flow anywhere that I want it. I did chsnge out the fittings to stainless steel. The pump is submersible to 123F, but transfers boiling fluid with no problem. You also have to prime it (easy).Well, all right then! Looking forward to seeing if I can do this without screwing it up. Is there an issue with leakage on the wort hoses when submerged? They don't leak now, but new system, new rules, sometimes.
If you’ve never tried it. I recommend Holly’s Christmas ale. Bottled mine today .Sipping on some homebrew while I ponder on this year's Holiday Ale recipe. Planning on bottling the whole batch this year so I need to get going on it in the next two weeks. I've done the last three years Holiday Ale with an american strong base beer while playing with the spice additions. This year I might add a touch of chocolate malt with some flaked barley to up the mouthfeel, and up the spice additions to a full 22oz bottle filled with capn morgan rum and a TON of spice, this year to include our usual cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie spice, and what I have left of dried orange peel. This year going for something close to Old Fezziwig but with a knock-your-ugly-holiday-socks-off spice kick, just for the heck of it. Also too much fun to sit here and think about it. Also want to amaze my perfect sister who never fails to find a holiday ale at the local store to challenge my brewing skills.
Pulled FG samples of the Bullwinkle Brown and Amber Blonde that were brewed a couple of weeks ago.
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Mine are straight suicidal.I am impressed that you have two hydrometers functioning at the same time...they seem to not make it too long....
If you have good connections there will be no problem. I had a leak one time and spotted it quickly when the ice water turned yellow. I brewed 13.5 gal of Scottish Export today. Came in at 1.065 so I'll add adjusted RO water to bring it down to style at 1.047.Well, all right then! Looking forward to seeing if I can do this without screwing it up. Is there an issue with leakage on the wort hoses when submerged? They don't leak now, but new system, new rules, sometimes.
I really like your pump setup I might have to do something like that under my counter. Plus, you have a great set-up thereIf you have good connections there will be no problem. I had a leak one time and spotted it quickly when the ice water turned yellow. I brewed 13.5 gal of Scottish Export today. Came in at 1.065 so I'll add adjusted RO water to bring it down to style at 1.047.View attachment 702268View attachment 702269View attachment 702270
If you have good connections there will be no problem. I had a leak one time and spotted it quickly when the ice water turned yellow. I brewed 13.5 gal of Scottish Export today. Came in at 1.065 so I'll add adjusted RO water to bring it down to style at 1.047.View attachment 702268View attachment 702269View attachment 702270
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