What I did for beer today

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I finally got the poles and lines installed for my hop trellis.
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lol, i've fried quite a few turkeys in my brew kettle.....
😳😳😳😳😕😕😕😕😕😣😣😣😣 I couldn't do it. I won't even let the wife boil potatoes in my kettles. I worry enough about nasty beasties hiding out in minute cracks already without adding to the worries. If I ever saw her put any raw meat in one of my kettles I'd pass out. Just thinking about it gives me the Willies!!!!
 
Seriously, we're talking about a high quality stainless steel pot on the hot side. I definitely wouldn't serve gravy out of my PET fermenter. But then again, it does have spout...
😂😂😂😂 your thinking like my wife....she eyes my Chapman and Avil brew kettles and fermenters with such envy and jealousy...licking her culinary chops, dreaming of the boiling veggies and pot roast she could fit inside. I guard my equipment with love and vigilance. Her Cusinarts will just have to do thank you very much!!!!
 
Got this little baby installed today; line to natural gas so no more propane!! It's a safety valve that you have to push down before it will turn so no risk of leaks. HVAC guy ordered the wrong thermostat so until later this week we only have AC, not heat; yah like THAT is an issue in July! Hardware to hook up to brewstand won't be here until Tuesday, so tomorrow is my absolute last brew on propane. Already have the grain milled and super stoked to finally use my finished mash tun.
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Bottled my amber yesterday (not as amber as I expected; could've used a bit more Crystal 90).

Bottled directly from the fermenter spigot, with corn sugar added to each bottle. The bottle on the right I bottled as normal. The bottle on the left I sprayed a shot of Private Preserve wine preserver under the cap (shoutout to @Taket_al_Tauro) prior to capping. Will compare in the weeks ahead looking for oxidization darkening. I have a few others available for taste tests but these are the only 2 clear glass bottles I have (prefer brown bottles).


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Up until the MegaPots I now use with induction, my HLT was a 5G stockpot from my cheffing days.
So was mine. I still use it. A 20 quart Tramolina triple steel pot that I drilled for a weldless spigot. But I've ONLY ever put water in it. After I finish with my new HLT, the wife can have the Tramolina and boil meat and veggies to her hearts desire! 😂
 
Took inventory of my equipment after a 5 year hiatus & two moves. Also checked BIAB BK thermometer calibration and new boil-off rate.
I’ll probably order a water quality test kit later tonight.

Also finalized a revised dampfbier recipe for brewing in the next 2 - 4 weeks
 
Took inventory of my equipment after a 5 year hiatus & two moves. Also checked BIAB BK thermometer calibration and new boil-off rate.
I’ll probably order a water quality test kit later tonight.

Also finalized a revised dampfbier recipe for brewing in the next 2 - 4 weeks
You know you can ask your town or county for a local water analysis and a lot of LHBS also have them posted.
 
Mine is a small water district with maybe 200 connections. I’m certain whatever water reports they have aren’t detailed enough for brewing.

The rest of the water districts on the island are similar sized, so I can’t approximate from anything.
 
Kegged the bulk of my rye Saison and transferred some to a secondary to condition on blueberries as a test batch.
Nice! I love saisons. It was my first summer time light beer that I brewed. And now I have my recipe down to a good repeatable set up. Maybe next time I will incorporate some fruit
 
Hose and hardware for the NG conversion arrived! Since I can't split it I ordered another kit to be here on Tuesday, so all I have left to get is a 1/2" to 1/2" male elbow so I can install the quick disconnect on the house side. This way I can still use both burners. Very very carefully drilled out the orifices on the burners, per a lot of research only had to go up to 5/64 drill bit. Won't know if it works until I can get the whole thing set up but I am super stoked. YES I have plenty of yellow gas tape, and a working fire extinguisher.
 
Nice! I love saisons. It was my first summer time light beer that I brewed. And now I have my recipe down to a good repeatable set up. Maybe next time I will incorporate some fruit

Saisons of all types are my favorite. It's only been a couple days and the fermenter smells amazing. I'll post some updates once the time comes to get it out of the fermenter. I may start using fruit more often if this turns out well. Give it a go, too!
 
I am just sitting here amazeballs at what I can do with a lot of research, help from a stranger at HD, and my own ingenuity. Brewstand is now fully natural gas, or will be once the second hose and adapter gets here tomorrow. Thought I had plenty of yellow gas tape but it went somewhere in the wind when cleaning the garage; had plenty of blue monster tape though. Standing in the plumbing aisle at HD with a handful of brass fittings, stranger comes up and asks what I need; I said I have all the fittings I need I just need to know where the yellow gas tape is in this place. He asked what I was working on, and I fibbed a bit and said converting propane burners to natural gas. He said, Barbecue? I said, Kinda. Same concept but for brewing. He's apparently a contractor and said he only ever uses the blue monster tape, I said I have plenty of that, and he said you're good to go. $55 later with my handful of brass, and home to put it together. Fully tested for leaks with soapy water, connections tight but not too since I know brass can crack if you crank on it too hard. Took ten minutes after I had it together to work up the cojones to actually turn on the gas an give it a go. We have blue flame! Not as high as propane, but if I have to take a little longer with a brewday I do not give a sh*t if I don't have to run to the corner store for propane every couple of weeks. Ran a test with 4 gallons of cold water from the tap, went from 75° to 163° in about 10 minutes so I am one happy brewer tonight. Cannot wait to put it to the real test this weekend!!
 

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me either! looking forward to a report back, then a second one on your gas bill...betting this will save you around $4 a batch or, 90 cents a twelve pack! :mug: ;)
At least that! I figure I go through 1.5 propane tanks a month; at $24 a pop at HD after tax (I hate going to the corner store, if I get there and only one person is working I may have to wait up to 15 minutes before they can come out and exchange the tank), not to mention the time and gas getting there, I'm going to save at least $200/year on fuel alone. And the times I've put off a brewday because I just didn't feel like schlepping empty tanks to get exchanged...who knows what could have happened. Also there's the ultimate satisfaction of upgrading my brewery by myself. OH yes my arms are tired tonight from patting myself on the back!
 
Ok so today, gathered all the tools to drill my new kettle, last item I needed was the auto punch for the pilot hole. Was stoked! My 1st kettle drill ever! ☺......Not! Wife kept poking her head in the garage, shaking her head, warning me if I mucked it up, it's a waste of a good kettle...great confidence booster.😳😳😳....😕😕😕....after several of these barbs launched at my no experience drilling a kettle self...heavy sigh...i crumbled. Yet again I was forced to swallow my brewing pride and call my old HS buddy who works in a machine shop who is gonna do it Saturday for a 6 pk Guinness Blonde. Oh the shame...😣😣😣
 
Ok so today, gathered all the tools to drill my new kettle, last item I needed was the auto punch for the pilot hole. Was stoked! My 1st kettle drill ever! ☺......Not! Wife kept poking her head in the garage, shaking her head, warning me if I mucked it up, it's a waste of a good kettle...great confidence booster.😳😳😳....😕😕😕....after several of these barbs launched at my no experience drilling a kettle self...heavy sigh...i crumbled. Yet again I was forced to swallow my brewing pride and call my old HS buddy who works in a machine shop who is gonna do it Saturday for a 6 pk Guinness Blonde. Oh the shame...😣😣😣

Have your freind teach you how so you can do the next one on your own. Give him a second 6-pack for the lesson.
 
Ok so today, gathered all the tools to drill my new kettle, last item I needed was the auto punch for the pilot hole. Was stoked! My 1st kettle drill ever! ☺......Not! Wife kept poking her head in the garage, shaking her head, warning me if I mucked it up, it's a waste of a good kettle...great confidence booster.😳😳😳....😕😕😕....after several of these barbs launched at my no experience drilling a kettle self...heavy sigh...i crumbled. Yet again I was forced to swallow my brewing pride and call my old HS buddy who works in a machine shop who is gonna do it Saturday for a 6 pk Guinness Blonde. Oh the shame...😣😣😣
I felt the same way when I did both my HLT and my BK. Scared to death I was going to mess them up, but take heart my friend; that's why they make plugs. It is really easy to do, and if this old lady can do it so can you! Instead of using a punch for the pilot hole you might want to consider getting a hole saw, that has the punch integral to it. That's what I used and it worked a treat.
 
Up at this crazy hour on a Wednesday because I decided to call out so I can finish my NG build. Nobody here from work so I'm safe. Ran a test last night and while I did have good flame, it just wasn't powerful enough to get my HLT up to strike in less than 30 minutes. I don't mind a bit longer brewday, but it also wouldn't get to a boil no matter how long I waited. So this morning I took it apart again, and increased the hole in the orifice to 7/64. Just started it up again, and THIS time I've got beautiful blue flame just as high as it was with propane, with no "blank" spots on the burner, and the temperature of the water has risen 76° in 15 minutes! Folks, I think we have a winner!
 
I felt the same way when I did both my HLT and my BK. Scared to death I was going to mess them up, but take heart my friend; that's why they make plugs. It is really easy to do, and if this old lady can do it so can you! Instead of using a punch for the pilot hole you might want to consider getting a hole saw, that has the punch integral to it. That's what I used and it worked a treat.
Im not afraid I was ready and stoked!!! And I already had the plugs picked out and on standby on Ama Almighty Zon if I needed them 😂. But the wife didn't want me to. So I deferred. But I do have an old pot or 2 I can practice on. It's so much easier for my friend to do it with all the shop amenities available to him. Next time 😎heh heh heh
 
And the brewstand is...complete. Husband ran to hardware store for me for the oil drain pan I wanted as a heat shield for the mash tun, and a little use of the sawzall and some brute strength got it configured the way I want it (could not completely cut out the flap I made with the sawzall since I don't have a vise, so folded it underneath and used a mallet to pound it flat). Here's the completed view, with the gas lines coiled neatly underneath waiting for this weekend's first brew on natural gas (yes I know my BK on the right is gross on the outside but nice and clean on the inside):

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I am just sitting here amazeballs at what I can do with a lot of research, help from a stranger at HD, and my own ingenuity. Brewstand is now fully natural gas, or will be once the second hose and adapter gets here tomorrow. Thought I had plenty of yellow gas tape but it went somewhere in the wind when cleaning the garage; had plenty of blue monster tape though. Standing in the plumbing aisle at HD with a handful of brass fittings, stranger comes up and asks what I need; I said I have all the fittings I need I just need to know where the yellow gas tape is in this place. He asked what I was working on, and I fibbed a bit and said converting propane burners to natural gas. He said, Barbecue? I said, Kinda. Same concept but for brewing. He's apparently a contractor and said he only ever uses the blue monster tape, I said I have plenty of that, and he said you're good to go. $55 later with my handful of brass, and home to put it together. Fully tested for leaks with soapy water, connections tight but not too since I know brass can crack if you crank on it too hard. Took ten minutes after I had it together to work up the cojones to actually turn on the gas an give it a go. We have blue flame! Not as high as propane, but if I have to take a little longer with a brewday I do not give a sh*t if I don't have to run to the corner store for propane every couple of weeks. Ran a test with 4 gallons of cold water from the tap, went from 75° to 163° in about 10 minutes so I am one happy brewer tonight. Cannot wait to put it to the real test this weekend!!
Serious Mad Fermentationalist stuff !!!
 
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