What I did for beer today

[balrog]

discovered a pellical.

Ouch.

 

[balrog]

shop is barely 15 x 12

"LUXURY!"

All "Four Yorkshiremen" aside, that is nice setup. My shop area is longer but more narrow and all operations must be painfully planned out in advance.
(not a great shot of the shop)

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Ouch.

Luckily a small batch, but yeah, not happy.

 

[JAReeves]

"LUXURY!"

All "Four Yorkshiremen" aside, that is nice setup. My shop area is longer but more narrow and all operations must be painfully planned out in advance.
(not a great shot of the shop)
View attachment 697757

"Ah, but we had it rough..." Love Monty Python!
Anyway, this picture and discussion got me thinking, so here it is, another zombie thread reborn...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/pic-of-your-homebrew-workshop.44958/
Cheers!

 

[seanjwalker1]

Went to bottle a dunkels weissbier, but discovered a pellical. Soooo, Dopplebock was bottled.
View attachment 697483

All good Hoppy. I transferred what was supposed to be my British Golden but color suggest more a British Brown...Its got English malt, English hops so I'll just be hoppy..ah, I mean happy....to settle on English style type beer....ale....as long as it's drinkable!

 

[day_trippr]

Tuesday was "Vaccination Day" - in the afternoon I got whacked with both this year's flu shot in one shoulder and the second round of Shingrix in the other, both IM. Woke up Wednesday morning, both shoulders unhappy. Did what I could but it wasn't a lot. Much better today, thanks

First to-do was cutting openings for the electronics drawers in the back. Made a template and routed them out. Big fan of 1/4" MDF for templating - basically cut a rectangular frame sized for the largest opening, then fill it in with custom symmetric size pieces to match the task. I used this template four times so far on this job and it'll get used at least three more times before the build is done.

Et voila.

I've been a huge fan of the Kreg pocket screw system since Rockler first carried it forever ago. It's so freakin' handy.

I used it on the cross-members with full-extension drawer slides attached and used my backup system controller to check the fit.

Next, corner-bracing and casters...

Finished the day cutting and gluing plugs to fill in end gaps from the various rail routings. Tomorrow I'll sand and prime the beast and probably get one finish coat on it before the day is done. Then it'll be on to building the lid...

Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, y'all have only seen my shop from the door end, so here are a few shots from the other end.
Including the wood racks and air scrubber mounted to the ceiling there isn't much unused space...

Yeah, that's all pretty OC right there

Cheers!

 

[Knightshade]

just looking at that second shot, I feel like I could be in a local hardware store...yeesh!!

 

[duncan.brown]

just looking at that second shot, I feel like I could be in a local hardware store...yeesh!!

That's definitely a fine selection of grollings and fleeling wire that @day_trippr has there*.

*

 

[day_trippr]

My motto is "If you can name it and I have one I can find it in less than 60 seconds"

 

[jcav]

Looking great so far trippr, keep the project pics coming! Lots of luck with the rest of the build!

John

 

[day_trippr]

Thank you, John

Normally I'd batch up the blow-by-blow and pour it into a build thread, but that's kind of a one-and-done paradigm. I figured rolling it out here as I go along instead would breathe some extra life into the HBT daily news

Nothing very exciting to show today, I had other tasks to deal with in the morning then spent the afternoon sanding, filling and priming.

Contrary to Zinsser, their primer isn't always ready for top coating in two hours, and it didn't feel "ready" by Beer-Thirty. Priorities
I wasn't going to get both top coats done today anyway, but I can tomorrow, so it's a wash.

Cheers!

 

[Bramling Cross]

[T]hen spent the afternoon sanding, filling and priming.

I wasn't going to get both top coats done today anyway, but I can tomorrow, so it's a wash.

As someone that makes a living repairing musical instruments, I can assure you that time spent on finish prep work is never time squandered.

It's looking great!

 

[Bramling Cross]

I made a Helles today and thankfully returned to the loving embrace of 34/70 after my disastrous dalliance with Diamond Lager.

 

[day_trippr]

I love fabrication. Doesn't matter the material, purpose or design, I just like building stuff. Always have, from scale modeling in my early yute through various cabinetry and furniture pieces to the 4 BR 1500sf salt box my dad and I built in the mid-80s, with a myriad of diverse projects in between and since. Explains the collection of tools, most of which weren't in any of the pictures (stashed in the bench drawers). I even have a plate joiner and actually use it - who does that anymore?

But I do not enjoy finishing. Especially with modern, low VOC/water based finishes. They're a pita.
Life was easier with oil based primers and paints that actually leveled, these days in the era of 100% acrylics everything flashes so fast they have a scant chance of laying flat.

Fortunately, as has surely been evident on HBT, when it comes to keezers I'm all about function over form - "High Tech/Low Art"

I did get the two coats of white paint on the dolly today - on either side of a lovely 5 mile hike through our neighboring conservation land - and it'll do fine, just like its two predecessors. I have to caulk the inside of the new freezer carcass next, then I'll set it on the dolly and move on to the lid...

Cheers!

 

[JAReeves]

Dry hopped the Blonde Ale. I just tapped the keg on the last one so this seems really quick for 5 gallons, but I need to bring beer to the teachers/coworkers on Friday for a socially-distanced-blow-off-some-steam-because-teaching-by-video-sucks-and-is-stressful gathering. I don't think the first keg will last very long.

Made an Icewine kit, shooting for bottling by Thanksgiving.

Tasted the Port that is aging in barrel. Very strong vanilla flavor, but really tasty. I am looking forward to how this changes over the next month or two. Also want to bottle this after Thanksgiving.

The plan is to give everyone in the family two 375ml bottles, 1 each port and ice wine.

 

[NoCornOrRice]

Picked my 2020 hops and put a West coast medley of 2019 hops in a Randallizer with a Blonde Ale.

 

[day_trippr]

Got the freezer insides all caulked tight, then managed to get it on the dolly without trashing the paint job.

Been finishing up the fine design details tonight wrt where all the ins-and-outs in the lid perimeter will be located.
In the back there will be five 1/4" MFL bulkheads for gases, water and venting for the rinser system, an AC bulkhead, and a small FR4 panel with a DB37, 2x 3p Tiny XLRs, and a 4p Mini XLR, all for control and monitoring.
In the front there's an MH1210 single stage temperature controller - the backup to my BrewPi controller for the keezer - and the IR motion sensor that wakes the system console (with my Raspberry Pints tap list) from sleep.

Lots of templating for the router...

Cheers!

 

[Joshua Hughes]

I made a Helles today and thankfully returned to the loving embrace of 34/70 after my disastrous dalliance with Diamond Lager.

My first 3 lagers I used Diamond Since it’s what was in stock. What didn’t you like about it? Any comparisons? i have 34/70 for the next few. I have onlt been able to drink the first of those lagers and really liked it. The second is ready to drink Tuesday and Third was just bottled

 

[luizartur]

Brewed a Session APA with lemon grass.

 

[Bramling Cross]

My first 3 lagers I used Diamond Since it’s what was in stock. What didn’t you like about it? Any comparisons? i have 34/70 for the next few. I have onlt been able to drink the first of those lagers and really liked it. The second is ready to drink Tuesday and Third was just bottled

If you look at page 7043 of the What Are You Drinking Now thread, you'll see a more detailed post outlining my struggles with Diamond. Bear in mind that my lager recipes are established and have a reliable track record with 34/70. Working on the assumption that Diamond is just a more reasonably priced version of 34/70, I treated it as such. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to perform that way on the series of beers that I brewed with Diamond.

In short: 1) At identical pitching rates, Diamond was very sluggish below 55F. In fact, it didn't do much of anything until I raised it to 55F. 2) It posted noticeably and consistently lower attenuation rates than 34/70, even when I strongly encouraged it to consume the last few points by raising it into the mid-60s, then left it for an extended D-rest at 70F. On the plus side, when it's done, it's done and it flocs hard. 3) The beers produced by Diamond aren't terribly crisp and they drink more like a mock lager (Pacman strain at 55F sorta thing). Diamond produces a beautiful roundness and softness that I think would be exceptional in a cream ale or American wheat, but that's not what I want in a lager--and that's not what 34/70 does.

My experience with Diamond seems to be way, way outside the norm. So much so, in fact, that I'm starting to wonder if my packages may have been mis-labeled, or perhaps one of the sachets that I pitched was mis-picked, I was too stupid to notice the error, and I inadvertently pitched a hybrid strain of Diamond and a packet of something else. My results are so far outside the norm that something bizarre like that must've happened.

 

[camonick]

Labeled some bottles.

 

[NicholasWatson]

Camonick, great job! I like these bottles.
day_trippr, your freezer looks good!

 

[seanjwalker1]

If you look at page 7043 of the What Are You Drinking Now thread, you'll see a more detailed post outlining my struggles with Diamond. Bear in mind that my lager recipes are established and have a reliable track record with 34/70. Working on the assumption that Diamond is just a more reasonably priced version of 34/70, I treated it as such. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to perform that way on the series of beers that I brewed with Diamond.

In short: 1) At identical pitching rates, Diamond was very sluggish below 55F. In fact, it didn't do much of anything until I raised it to 55F. 2) It posted noticeably and consistently lower attenuation rates than 34/70, even when I strongly encouraged it to consume the last few points by raising it into the mid-60s, then left it for an extended D-rest at 70F. On the plus side, when it's done, it's done and it flocs hard. 3) The beers produced by Diamond aren't terribly crisp and they drink more like a mock lager (Pacman strain at 55F sorta thing). Diamond produces a beautiful roundness and softness that I think would be exceptional in a cream ale or American wheat, but that's not what I want in a lager--and that's not what 34/70 does.

My experience with Diamond seems to be way, way outside the norm. So much so, in fact, that I'm starting to wonder if my packages may have been mis-labeled, or perhaps one of the sachets that I pitched was mis-picked, I was too stupid to notice the error, and I inadvertently pitched a hybrid strain of Diamond and a packet of something else. My results are so far outside the norm that something bizarre like that must've happened.

Stick with 34/70! Tried and trusted

 

[day_trippr]

Moving along...yesterday I built the basic lid frame, dry-fitted the big pieces together and plopped it atop the freezer to check the fit.
It sat perfectly flat around the entire perimeter, a good start.

I went with 1x4 hard maple, doubled at the hinged side for strength. And as the flat top of the freezer chassis rim is exceptionally thick (2") I'll add 1x1 strips (shown, but not attached yet) to the other three sides to double the width at the interface allowing for a wider gasket than a single 1x4 edge would allow.

After the test fit I took the framing apart to get ready to make holes. First transferred the important dimensions from my plans to the front and back pieces, which immediately caught a couple of problems that required design revisions.

Revisions in place, I modified my router template for the recess around the electronics interface panel and did a test cut on a scrap of MDF...

Green lighted, cut the recess into the rear stretcher...

Modified the template yet again, this time for the deep relief for the connectors on the interface panel...

Next to the drill press to knock a couple of holes the rest of the way through for the cables to pass.
Also drilled the five holes for the 1/4" MFL bulkheads.

Tomorrow I'll finish up the back stretcher - I have to carve out a hole for the AC bulkhead - then start on the front...

Cheers!

 

[MikeInStillwater]

Aerated my first-ever batch of mead this morning. Earlier this evening, I took a hydrometer reading (1.041). I will aerate again before bed. This is its third full day in the fermenter. I welcomed some new members to HBT after posting about my first experience with mead. I also read several HBT articles.

 

[kmarkstevens]

@day_trippr That's some pretty awesome beer porn

 

[kmarkstevens]

Picked my 2020 hops and put a West coast medley of 2019 hops in a Randallizer with a Blonde Ale.

What's your high level process for fresh hop batches? I have two Northern Brewer fresh hop ales going to try out #1. 1) boiled with pellets for an BU/GU ratio of about 60%, then dumped in 1.5 pounds of fresh hops at flame out and let cool naturally, and 2) BU/GU ratio with pellets to ~60% then fresh hops 1/4# at 15, 10, 5 and 0 minutes and chilled. Both in fermenters now.

Also, still have a few N Brewer cones on the bine. mulling over how to dry hop with fresh hops

 

[day_trippr]

Thanks, I was actually hopeful this hasn't been boring folks

Lost a bunch of time dealing with a tire that went down on the Big Road. Put the full-size spare on and when I got home took a close look at the tire and realized the whole set was definitely passed it's "Best Used By" date. Oh well...

Anyway, it was the final "router and template day" as I finished cutting both lid frame stretchers...

Put the frame back together and perched it on the freezer. Still lays dead flat. Tomorrow I have to run out and pick up a sheet of 3/4" cab-grade plywood to make the top, and a sheet of 1" foil-backed polyiso foam board...

Cheers!

 

[bobeer]

Kegged a beer, washed some yeast, and put another beer into primary. Also got a big box of grain in the mail to get me through the next few months. Today was a good day.