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What I did for beer today

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Sampling brews from my Beer Advent Calendar. My daughter gave me my Christmas present on December 1'st, 24 German brews until Christmas. My kid buys me beer! Ok, I'm a little out of sequence. One a day, takes discipline. She knew I'd like it!
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Sampling brews from my Beer Advent Calendar. My daughter gave me my Christmas present on December 1'st, 24 German brews until Christmas. My kid buys me beer! Ok, I'm a little out of sequence. One a day, takes discipline. She knew I'd like it!
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You are a lucky man. If I tried to drink a beer every day, my wife would be raining down missiles on my basement man cave like Stalins Katyusha rockets on the Reich Chancellory
 
Used my new most excellent beer line cleaning gizmo to clean and flush out all four taps. And promised myself that from now on, even if I'm immediately tapping another beer, to flush out the lines as soon as a keg kicks. Also tackled the backbreaking task of unloading the truck from yesterday's adventure, cleaned all the equipment and put it away, and did the monthly flush of the plate chiller (both ways) with boiling water.
 
Worked on an attempt to make an apparatus to use a pond pump to clean and sanitize equipment. Got to compile a materials list and start
Used my new most excellent beer line cleaning gizmo to clean and flush out all four taps. And promised myself that from now on, even if I'm immediately tapping another beer, to flush out the lines as soon as a keg kicks. Also tackled the backbreaking task of unloading the truck from yesterday's adventure, cleaned all the equipment and put it away, and did the monthly flush of the plate chiller (both ways) with boiling water.
What are you using to flush your lines? I'm attempting to devise a way to use a pond pump to flush beer equipment. I don't want to waste C02 or compressed air.
 
OMG it is the easiest thing in the world. Get yourself a 1 gallon pump garden sprayer from your local home/garden store, the kind with a wand. Take the nozzle off (mine comes apart where the trigger is) and then use a LOT of teflon tape on those threads, and attach a spare liquid-out post from a keg to it. Done! All you have to do then is fill it with your cleaning solution of choice, pump it up, hook it up to your line, and let it rip. I ran hot oxyclean solution through mine and let it sit for about 15 minutes, then flushed it out with a lot of clean hot water. Then reattached the keg. Simple as anything. Bonus, for me anyway, was running hot water through the lines let me straighten them out from the tangle they'd gotten into.

*edit Here's a photo:

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Used my new most excellent beer line cleaning gizmo to clean and flush out all four taps. And promised myself that from now on, even if I'm immediately tapping another beer, to flush out the lines as soon as a keg kicks. Also tackled the backbreaking task of unloading the truck from yesterday's adventure, cleaned all the equipment and put it away, and did the monthly flush of the plate chiller (both ways) with boiling water.
How were the eggs?
 
Gee @seatazzz how cool is that. That is indeed simpler than what I was thinking about doing. Thanks for the info. That's a great way to clean and sanitize a lot equipment quick and easy.
And relatively cheap, too. I spent less than $20 for the whole setup. I clean & sanitize the heck out of my brewing equipment, but sadly have neglected keeping my lines clean, mainly because I didn't want to waste the co2, and the hassle of filling a keg with cleaning solution; then having to rinse that out, and fill with hot water to flush. This way is SO much easier.
 
Brewed a blonde on kveik a couple weeks ago, and probably cold-crashed it a bit too early, or the yeast stalled out; only came down to 1.029 from 1.051. But I was antsy. So this morning I pulled the keg out of the kegerator, let off the gas, and put it in my warm spare room with a blowoff. Tonight I dumped about a 1/2 cup of yeast slurry in it, and gave it a good few whirls around; going to let it sit until the weekend and see what happens. If it doesn't come down any more, or turns into yuck, I'll dump it.
 
Keg my IPA today. Been a while since I used wlp007 and it was nice to see cleared beer on kegging.

I was able to remove the blowoff tube on my strong ale, I think I lost a good pint of beer. I normally brew smaller beers and can get away with filling the fermentor quite full and still not use a blowoff tube. Just glad I caught it before it made a big mess.
 
Yesterday ordered the eva barrier line & duotight fittings to re-do the beer lines in the kegerator this weekend; yes I just cleaned them, but they could stand being changed out since I haven't done it since I bought the thing. Also I'm jonesing for a DIY project. Eventually I'll do the gas lines as well, but this weekend just doing the beer side. Should be fun.
 
Drove 55 miles one way to get co2. Swapped out an old 20lb for a good like new one and had 5er filled. I'm learning quickly why other north Alabama brewers say the have a hard time getting things. Been here 2 months and already miss Alabrew.

Big shout out to J&M Gases in Decatur. They were Johnnig on the spot taking care of me. Very polite and helpful folks. And they welcome everyone from the brewing community.
 
Gave my older sister some pointers on her very first attempt at mead; to use her words, "what does a housewife do with a huge bottle of crystallized honey, a gallon jar, and and a pinterest account?". I think she may have pitched the yeast too hot, but as of this morning she had some bubbles going and is quite excited. If this one turns out well, I may yet create another monster. She and I have been competitive all our lives (she's 57, I'm 54) and back in the day it was me, the kid sister, trying to emulate what she did; I'm quite chuffed that she's now taking up the gauntlet and seeing what she can do with fermenting beverages. I didn't do it this year, but for the last four I've brewed a holiday ale with her in mind, as she loves them. I may have to loan her my copy of How to Brew...but will I get it back???
 
BIAB brewed the morebeer.com Strata Gem Pale Ale recipe. Idaho gem and Strata hopped Pale. Tasted sweet after brewing and should setup nicely. Safale us-05 and into the fermenter.

This is a simple recipe I was able to knock out as I have 2 empty Fermenters now after bottling my pre Christmas GRINDCORE clone Stout and jalapeno Kama Citra IPA.

Focused on water quality a bit more on this one and general deep cleaning of all equipment before. It was worth it.
 

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