What I did for beer today

[Oceantendency]

Put the Finishing touches on my larger Brew Paddle and more work on the smaller one. Fabricated a SS grain loading piece for my Phil Mill and now works like it's brand new (the guy I bought it from lost the piece that protects the grain to load into the correct side of mill over the grinder -but got it cheap, and I fixed it with stuff I had at home). Poured my first batch of Old Ale, turned into 3 large mugs-damn that stuff is GOOOD and smooth and also 8.6% ABV !! And made a batch of my first Belgian Candi Syrup (I have the candi sugar down to a science, but this stuff is really gonna rock up my Belgians!!)

 

[Trippel-A]

Is the lid or walls dead air space?? Mine was, I fiilled the void in the lid with a can of foam insulation, now I can hold mash temp within a degree for two hours!!!

The walls shouldn't be. I used the amateur-standard Rubbermaid 10 gallon coolers. From what I've read, I should have heated my mash water about 10 degrees higher, let some of the heat be absorbed into the cooler walls and head space, and then just waited until it reached the strike temp.

Makes me think i should definitely add a thermometer to my mashtun with one of these methods.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/rubbermaid-cooler-thermometer-171517/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/remote-probe-thermometer-wort-proofing-26905/

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

The walls shouldn't be. I used the amateur-standard Rubbermaid 10 gallon coolers. From what I've read, I should have heated my mash water about 10 degrees higher, let some of the heat be absorbed into the cooler walls and head space, and then just waited until it reached the strike temp.

Makes me think i should definitely add a thermometer to my mashtun with one of these methods.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/rubbermaid-cooler-thermometer-171517/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/remote-probe-thermometer-wort-proofing-26905/

Yeah, the walls of mine were insulated, but the lid wasnt, so I insulated that. Ive jus been using a floating type food grade thermometer, a cany thermometer I think. Real tight +/- tolerances in the 170 deg range. I mash in this big cooler. Can easily hold 30 lbs of grain.

 

[Nightshade]

Brewed 3bbl of Amber
Refrained from beating the idiot that keeps slamming the walk in cooler door

 

[Trippel-A]

Yeah, the walls of mine were insulated, but the lid wasnt, so I insulated that. Ive jus been using a floating type food grade thermometer, a cany thermometer I think. Real tight +/- tolerances in the 170 deg range. I mash in this big cooler. Can easily hold 30 lbs of grain.

A floating thermometer sounds easy, but I want to avoid opening the cooler. Also, how deep does the probe go when it's floating?

My boil kettle is really an aluminum turkey fryer, and above 7.5 gallons or so, wort leaks out the handle rivets, runs down, and gives the burner cause to flare up and around the sides... I'm going to have to do something about that.

But anyway, even the 10 gallon coolers are more than I need until I get a bigger kettle.

 

[Yellowirenut]

Its what beer did for ME today. Was a rough day no breaks, 10 min lunch and OT but we got the work done. Came home and had a nice glass of beer to recharge the body. Will have another one to relax with wile I am eating supper.

 

[uatuba]

Got the bottle filled up and kegged the other half of my Octoberfest With A 'C' Ale...we will see how it tastes in two weeks

 

[Dave37]

Its what beer did for ME today. Was a rough day no breaks, 10 min lunch and OT but we got the work done. Came home and had a nice glass of beer to recharge the body. Will have another one to relax with wile I am eating supper.

Nothing better than that first beer after a long day of hardwork. Especially when you feel it in your bones that you earned every drop.

 

[unionrdr]

I did a screen capture for a new avatar. Got some more bottles to clean after this past weekends drinking. Just remembered I need to go out & get 2 bags of demerara sugar for the two PM IPA's I'm waiting for cooler weather front to brew. Still not smoking,feelin a tad better,senses gettin a bit sharper too.

 

[BrewYoke]

I bottled my Oberon clone...holding on to summer as long as I can. I hope to brew my next batch tomorrow or Thursday. I've tweaked my house IPA to have a deep red hue for the start of my Wolfpack's football season.

 

[uatuba]

I put coat 1 of stain on my stir plate because I've run out of beer stuff to do at the moment. Don't have a big enough chunk of time to brew until this weekend...so I'm just biding my time.

 

[KZE80]

Spent all afternoon bottling a wheat and an APA. It sucked. Operation keezer begins soon.

 

[Cathedral]

I bottled my Oberon clone...holding on to summer as long as I can. I hope to brew my next batch tomorrow or Thursday. I've tweaked my house IPA to have a deep red hue for the start of my Wolfpack's football season.

Stupid autocorrect. I'm sure you meant a deep scarlet hue for the start of the Buckeyes football season. Good thing were on the same page. Go bucks!

 

[winvarin]

Perhaps he meant crimson.

Boomer Sooner!

 

[BrewYoke]

Stupid autocorrect. I'm sure you meant a deep scarlet hue for the start of the Buckeyes football season. Good thing were on the same page. Go bucks!

Ha. NCSU, as I thrive on low expectations, but somehow still end up disappointed year in, year out.

Good luck with your season. I enjoyed our series with you a few beers, err, years back. Didn't make it to Columbus but went to the game in Raleigh.

 

[seph]

I got this off of Craigslist yesterday. The capper was $20, and everything else was $20. So for $40, I think I made out pretty well.

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

For you to get that, it means someone stopped homebrewin. And thats sad

 

[Haputanlas]

Yesterday: started first sour mash
Today: testing/tasting mash
Tomorrow or Thursday: brewing the batch

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

A floating thermometer sounds easy, but I want to avoid opening the cooler. Also, how deep does the probe go when it's floating?

My boil kettle is really an aluminum turkey fryer, and above 7.5 gallons or so, wort leaks out the handle rivets, runs down, and gives the burner cause to flare up and around the sides... I'm going to have to do something about that.

But anyway, even the 10 gallon coolers are more than I need until I get a bigger kettle.

My cooler is so big and flat, the thermometer goes usually all the way to the bottom and I can move it around to get readings from diff areas. Jus simple.
Loose rivets can be tightened up by using two hammers. Have someone hold the item, place the flat part of one hammer on the mushroomed side, and strike the other side with the head with the other hammer. Ball peen or claw hammers work fine. Good and hard. Should only take a few hits.

 

[Trippel-A]

For you to get that, it means someone stopped homebrewin. And thats sad

Yeah, but if they were going to stop anyway, it's better somebody use the gear than let it sit in a box in the garage.

 

[Trippel-A]

My cooler is so big and flat, the thermometer goes usually all the way to the bottom and I can move it around to get readings from diff areas. Jus simple.
Loose rivets can be tightened up by using two hammers. Have someone hold the item, place the flat part of one hammer on the mushroomed side, and strike the other side with the head with the other hammer. Ball peen or claw hammers work fine. Good and hard. Should only take a few hits.

The rivets hold the handles to the kettle snugly. They just aren't water tight. I'm thinking high-temp silicon sealant or something, applied liberally to the outside. It will be a while before SWMBO will be OK with my spending a few hundred on a kettle and burner, since I just bought the coolers for all-grain.

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

Yeah, but if they were going to stop anyway, it's better somebody use the gear than let it sit in a box in the garage.

Very true

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

The rivets hold the handles to the kettle snugly. They just aren't water tight. I'm thinking high-temp silicon sealant or something, applied liberally to the outside. It will be a while before SWMBO will be OK with my spending a few hundred on a kettle and burner, since I just bought the coolers for all-grain.

JB Weld??

 

[Trippel-A]

JB Weld??

Now there's an idea! I don't want to remove the handles, though, so I'd need to sort of trowel it on over the rivets on the inside or around the handle on the outside. Will there be any problem with that?

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

Personally, Id try to beat em into submission first. The JB weld em on the outside. Helps if the surface is roughed up. If u can.

 

[The10mmKid]

Ordered 9 back issues of BYO.
They were on sale for $2.50ea
The 10th one increased shipping from $8 to $14
(what the **** Man)

I'm a newbie, so I'm reading everything I can get my hands on.

'da Kid

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

Those back issues can be worth their weight in gold!! Cheap tuition!!

 

[SnakeHandlerIIPA]

Ordered some custom labels, beer thief and new hydrometer jar. Also started cold crashing my IPA.

 

[NewWestBrewer]

Will be brewing up a White IPA with motueka hops.

 

[uatuba]

Filled my mash tun lid with spray foam, then put the second coat of stain polyurethane on my stir plate and it has horrible runs on it. This product sucks. I've ever had this issue with a two step process.