What I did for beer today

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Bottled the lager entries yesterday, and today bottled off the last of a Stout I brewed in January, and some Sabro/Citra IPA that ALSO kicked after bottles were filled, for two upcoming competitions (State Fair and Cascade Cup). So I killed two kegs in one day. Just waiting for the husband to come home and complain there's no room in the fridge with all the bottles in there. And I still have 13 more bottles to fill after the two currently in the ferment fridge get kegged, and one more gets brewed on Labor Day weekend....maybe I need another fridge.
 
Finished the glycol chiller build. Still need to fill it. I have heard two different recommendations: 1:2 or 1:1, glycol to H2O. Any ideas?

EDIT: the ProBrewer website recommends 33-35% glycol to distilled H2O, so a 1:2 ratio it is!

I am looking forward to chilling three fermentations at the same time, and one of my neighbors is harassing me for more PA/IPA. I guess I'm doing something right.View attachment 737458View attachment 737459

EDIT: Filled it, tested it, labelled everything. Ready for fermentation! Quiet, too! Now I need to tap the lids of the SS Brewtech Brewbuckets so they will allow for the Anvil cooling systems and make the neoprene sleeves for insulation and I will have received max efficiency (well, for my half-@$$ed construction).

View attachment 737509
Awesome!!
 
Lol, I worked on equipment, ie swapped gauges on some older regulators to get a couple more working properly. Rigged up a few quick connects for carbonating corny kegs. And added a quarter cup of orange blossom honey to a raspberry melomel to adjust sweetness. Then put two 5g cornys of melomel on co2 in the beer fridge to carbonate. Getting them ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.]
 
First time stewarding for the Santa Clara County Fair Homebrew competition. Had a lot of fun and learned I should think about becoming a BJCP judge. Also did a CO2 tank swap and started carbing my Cascade APA in the Flex+ so I can package tomorrow.
Go for it, I think all homebrewers should participate in homebrew competitions as a judge and Stewart. You learn more becoming a judge than you ever thought possible. Everyone should be a judge for about 10 years.
 
Started the pattern for the SS Brewbucket neoprene insulation sleeves. It's just a rough, but with some tweaks here and there, they should be done by in a few days.
IMG_1237.JPG


EDIT: I found the time to drill holes in the SS lids for the Anvil cooling systems. They ain't pretty, but it'll do.

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Almost 16 years of marriage should have taught me something. Today my husband decided to come with me when I went to the LHBS to get the co2 exchanged; I usually go to our local gas shop but they're closed on weekends, and I needed it today. After getting the new tank, and selecting some new bottlecaps, off to find the husband ogling brew kettles. We've talked about getting a new one for a while, since with the new NG setup the old 12g aluminum pot boils over a LOT. I found exactly the one I wanted, and had been looking at online (pictured below), for a very reasonable $279 as it included the valve and thermometer, and is welded not weldless. We go to check out after spilling a bit of drool on the floor, but me saying it can wait until later in the year. Gal at the counter asks if that will be all, and I very jokingly reply, "Yes, unless my husband says I can buy that kettle!" Laughs had by all. Then HE says: "Go ahead." I about dropped my teeth. After asking several times if he was sure, the purchase was made. Was so excited I left my debit card in the reader and have to go back this week to get it (already called and they have it safely put away). Come to find out on the drive home, with me twisting around every five minutes to stare at my new SS wonderful toy, that I got the kettle because he bought a new set of golf irons. THAT's the part I should have known. But I don't care. This thing is incredible, cannot wait to use it next weekend. Never fails, I always seem to get something new for the brewery at the end of the weekend!!

20210801_124847[1].jpg
 
Almost 16 years of marriage should have taught me something. Today my husband decided to come with me when I went to the LHBS to get the co2 exchanged; I usually go to our local gas shop but they're closed on weekends, and I needed it today. After getting the new tank, and selecting some new bottlecaps, off to find the husband ogling brew kettles. We've talked about getting a new one for a while, since with the new NG setup the old 12g aluminum pot boils over a LOT. I found exactly the one I wanted, and had been looking at online (pictured below), for a very reasonable $279 as it included the valve and thermometer, and is welded not weldless. We go to check out after spilling a bit of drool on the floor, but me saying it can wait until later in the year. Gal at the counter asks if that will be all, and I very jokingly reply, "Yes, unless my husband says I can buy that kettle!" Laughs had by all. Then HE says: "Go ahead." I about dropped my teeth. After asking several times if he was sure, the purchase was made. Was so excited I left my debit card in the reader and have to go back this week to get it (already called and they have it safely put away). Come to find out on the drive home, with me twisting around every five minutes to stare at my new SS wonderful toy, that I got the kettle because he bought a new set of golf irons. THAT's the part I should have known. But I don't care. This thing is incredible, cannot wait to use it next weekend. Never fails, I always seem to get something new for the brewery at the end of the weekend!!

View attachment 737590
Congrats!!!! Don't you love getting new toys when it's not your BD or Christmas!!!!! Blessed by the Beer God's in BrewVanna !!!!
 
I attempted to fix my beer sink. Started my repair work day by changing out a toilet valve in the travel trailer. This went pretty well, about the only hang-up was the screws for the valve were kind of close to the wall and I needed a really short flathead. But I got the screws loose, the valve installed, and it tested good 100%. (Well I didn't pee in it.) So I moved on to my beer sink. Said beer sink is a utility sink to which I added a second faucet for a dedicated bottle washer. First faucet has a center spout with a pull out sprayer with the second faucet installed on the right side. I thought I was getting water on the floor from the bottle rinser because the gasket doesn’t sit perfectly and if the sprayer is too close to the side, it shoots a tiny stream of water over the side. But I can move the faucet head to the left to account for the stream so I haven’t bothered fixing the gasket. But then I was getting water on the floor again when I wasn’t using that faucet. Today I was going to if not fix it, at least diagnose the problem. Well I climbed on under the sink which being the garage floor and occasionally wet is kind of grimy plus cobwebs. I found that water was running down the sprayer hose which runs up through the spout. I pull the sprayer head all the way out, no leaks in the hose. A second look underneath and the water is coming from the middle hole onto the hose, none visible up top. I decide to take the handles off the hot and cold to see if there is a leak at the top of where a valve stem might be. No leaks. I notice there’s a ring on the hot side that unscrews. Now you might be wondering at this point have I turned off the water? Well no I haven’t. Never crossed my mind, I just replaced the toilet valve on the travel trailer and it wasn’t necessary because it was on shore water plus the tank was empty. So I took that ring off and…there was no visible leak. I’d have normally taken the cold one off too being the too inquisitive soul I am but I figured that’s enough, I’ll have to replace it, no need to take it apart completely. I took the bottle sprayer off the other faucet, I filled my keg washer bucket up, I washed a mop out that needing rinsing, and I went upstairs lamenting the fact that I no longer had either a sprayer or a dedicated bottle washer but at least I can use the other faucet! The wife had some errands to run with my son and then she went to pick up Dairy Queen. Well there I was shopping Amazon for some pet stuff when she burst in to tell me “There is water running down the garage. It’s coming off the door.” This does not immediately compute as I have a home run manifold set up on the water supply and no lines running near the top of the garage door, so no individual shutoff presented as an option. THEREFORE CATASTROPHE! As I am shouting turn off the water (think Kirk and photon torpedos), she is providing more details about the tsunami in the garage while blocking the basement door. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE I say as I race down the steps to reach the main shutoff. I killed the main and proceeded to the garage.

It was a tsunami. There was an inch or so of water on the floor. The garage door was open and there WAS water dripping down from the door at the ceiling. My tool bucket (an old brewing bucket) was half full of water, the mop bucket on the floor was overflowing. The light fixture was dripping wet. My brew stand got a good rinse. I of course had to climb back under the sink to turn off the valves. I began to assess the damage. In case you weren’t sure, that last ring DOES hold in the valve cartridge. I mean friction will hold in for a few minutes on its own but eventually water pressure will shoot it on out of there. And the little hole left will shoot water right up into the ceiling so hard it will drill through the exposed r30 insulation. Said insulation will drop a few clumps and hang down like a wet beard. But OTHER than that bay, I was fortunate the door was open, as the door blocked the rest of the insulation. Also, in the quarter of the garage I inundated, most everything will survive being wet. I mean, I left the lawnmower out the rain before once. The water did not make it into under the laundry room door and most everything on the floor is not water soluble. Except maybe the weed and feed, but it is in a plastic bag. The 2x4’s will dry out and probably blocked some of the water anyway. I’m just going to let it dry out until tomorrow the water has already receded some as there is a floor drain but it was basically filled in when we bought the house. It drains slow to maybe osmosis.

And that’s what I did for brewing today.
 
Started the pattern for the SS Brewbucket neoprene insulation sleeves. It's just a rough, but with some tweaks here and there, they should be done by in a few days.

EDIT: I found the time to drill holes in the SS lids for the Anvil cooling systems. They ain't pretty, but it'll do.

👍
Nice! I did a similar thing for my Brewbucket. "Borrowed" the material from work. Used 2" wide velcro strips for closure. I did the bottom as a separate piece, but it's kind of a pain to setup. Especially when I forget to install the bottom piece before filling the bucket with beer! Good luck!
IMG-1695.jpg
 
Almost 16 years of marriage should have taught me something. Today my husband decided to come with me when I went to the LHBS to get the co2 exchanged; I usually go to our local gas shop but they're closed on weekends, and I needed it today. After getting the new tank, and selecting some new bottlecaps, off to find the husband ogling brew kettles. We've talked about getting a new one for a while, since with the new NG setup the old 12g aluminum pot boils over a LOT. I found exactly the one I wanted, and had been looking at online (pictured below), for a very reasonable $279 as it included the valve and thermometer, and is welded not weldless. We go to check out after spilling a bit of drool on the floor, but me saying it can wait until later in the year. Gal at the counter asks if that will be all, and I very jokingly reply, "Yes, unless my husband says I can buy that kettle!" Laughs had by all. Then HE says: "Go ahead." I about dropped my teeth. After asking several times if he was sure, the purchase was made. Was so excited I left my debit card in the reader and have to go back this week to get it (already called and they have it safely put away). Come to find out on the drive home, with me twisting around every five minutes to stare at my new SS wonderful toy, that I got the kettle because he bought a new set of golf irons. THAT's the part I should have known. But I don't care. This thing is incredible, cannot wait to use it next weekend. Never fails, I always seem to get something new for the brewery at the end of the weekend!!

View attachment 737590
With the cost of clubs you should get a new plate chiller and pump. 🤔
 
Checked in on my bottling experiment. We're 2 weeks removed from bottling day now. The bottle on the right was bottled normally. The one on the left has a shot of Private Preserve wine preserver under the cap. Not too much difference yet, but it's clearing up nicely.

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Did you find the bottle on the right or actually drink it?
 
Watched my fermenting beer.
Cleaned & sanitized kegs.
Watched my fermenting beer.
Cleaned and sanitized beer lines.
Watched my fermenting beer.

This is why I can never switch to stainless fermenters. I enjoy watching the yeast party!
I can stand and watch that for minutes on end, it's mesmerizing. Also why I won't go back to my bucket fermenters.
 
LOL, You guys obviously don't live on a beach. I love a vast array of beers, but there's just something special about a nice cold Mexican lager with a slice of fresh lime when eating good Mexican food on a hot sandy beach. Hard to beat them. And by the way, the Germans came to Mexico in the 1600s and brought with them their brewing ingredients and techniques to teach to the natives. And still today any Mexican lager blows the doors off the lame watered down main stream American offerings.
Nothing like a little guilt to keep a marriage strong!
 
LOL, You guys obviously don't live on a beach. I love a vast array of beers, but there's just something special about a nice cold Mexican lager with a slice of fresh lime when eating good Mexican food on a hot sandy beach. Hard to beat them. And by the way, the Germans came to Mexico in the 1600s and brought with them their brewing ingredients and techniques to teach to the natives. And still today any Mexican lager blows the doors off the lame watered down main stream American offerings.
Let us not leave out German 1st cousins, Austrians! Though some German and Austro-Hungarians had been coming to Mexico for some time, the first significant presence was the 1810s-1840s with most coming with the reign of Emperor Maximillian and coming in the 1890s under the direction of Bismarck. And you are quite right, because of Germans and Austrians, Mexican lager is a wonderful beer...at least their European style which is just as good as the original countries in Europe.
 
Refitted all the connectors on my water chiller and tank with stainless steel, camlocks, and 3/4 inch silicone tubing. Relocated the chiller to the other end of the garage and swapped it with my kegerator. Refactored all the code that runs my brewery sensors to increase wifi stability. Made a shopping list for my 7d Bitter, for Saturday we brew!
 
^burrs and cones. What variety are you growing?
Nugget, Centennial, Cascades, Columbus and Sterlings. I also planted Giggles and Chinook but they failed to come up. First attempt at growing hops in north Alabama. So far off to a slow start but I'm surprised these are doing pretty good. And it looks like I'm gonna get a few cones this year.
 
Nugget, Centennial, Cascades, Columbus and Sterlings. I also planted Giggles and Chinook but they failed to come up. First attempt at growing hops in north Alabama. So far off to a slow start but I'm surprised these are doing pretty good. And it looks like I'm gonna get a few cones this year.
Lol, Fuggles not giggles
 
Nugget, Centennial, Cascades, Columbus and Sterlings. I also planted Giggles and Chinook but they failed to come up. First attempt at growing hops in north Alabama. So far off to a slow start but I'm surprised these are doing pretty good. And it looks like I'm gonna get a few cones this year.
I have seen people growing hops in Florida and New Mexico so it seem like if you find a variety to grow for you then you should be OK. I think some of the people growing in more southern area have longer or multiple harvests compared to hops grown in the north.

I have cascade, chinook and columbus and a couple others that I lost the labels so not sure what type they are. The Cascade seem to do the best and chinook the second best. The Columbus stay sort of small and they seem to get oniony pretty easy.
 
I have seen people growing hops in Florida and New Mexico so it seem like if you find a variety to grow for you then you should be OK. I think some of the people growing in more southern area have longer or multiple harvests compared to hops grown in the north.

I have cascade, chinook and columbus and a couple others that I lost the labels so not sure what type they are. The Cascade seem to do the best and chinook the second best. The Columbus stay sort of small and they seem to get oniony pretty easy.
I'm disappointed with my Cascades, I expected them to out perform the others but the cascade Columbus are currently the smallest and least productive. The nuggets and centennial are doing the best. I live in the Florida panhandle so next year I will see what I can get to grow there. These are on our family farm in Alabama.
 
Stopped at our local Italian deli and picked up a selection of Italian beer I had not yet tried. Was particularly impressed by the Birrificio Angelo Poretti Bock Rossa. A faint whiff of banana way in the back (thankfully!), but mostly a nice red roasted malt, dry, with pronounced noble hop bitterness. I was going to do a search for some more details, but anyone know anything about this beer: hops, yeast, etc.?
 
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