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Jo3sh posted:Seems like keg prices are stabilizing, although I'm sure that changing metal prices will continue to affect them. There's not much difference now between used and new kegs - to the point where I'd recommend that brewers watch for sales and buy new ones like these rather than used, just to avoid having to fiddle with possible leaks, etc. I'm hoping that price sticks around for a little while, I'd really like another one, but I REALLY need to either purchase or put together a wort chiller in the next few days. The main problem with the pre-made ones seems to be that they're intended for smaller kettles. Mine is 18" tall and most chillers are topping out at 15" tall. But at the same time, the copper tubing around here costs so much that with all the fittings, it'd pretty much be a wash. Scarf fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 16:48
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What do you guys think about a concept like this? 5lb 2 Row 1lb Rye Malt 0.25lb Chcolate Malt 0.25lb Caramel 120 Mash ~150? Pitch Lacto for ~1.5 days then boil, hop, pitch US-05. Obviously going for a light, tart, but darker beer. It is my concept for my family homebrew contest over Christmas, but I want to do a trial run soon. I am not really sure about the grist though haha. Just kind of tossed stuff at the wall.
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Jul 20, 2015 17:37
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Products Ordered: ------------------------------------------------------ Item Description: Brew Bucket 7 gal Stainless Fermenter 
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Jul 20, 2015 19:20
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mad.radhu posted:Products Ordered: Conical?
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Jul 20, 2015 19:22
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Scarf posted:Conical? yeah, one of these things. 
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Jul 20, 2015 19:23
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mad.radhu posted:yeah, one of these things. Waaaaaaant. Does it have a dump valve for the yeast?
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Jul 20, 2015 19:25
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Scarf posted:Waaaaaaant. I believe the full on product page will probably answer your questions: http://www.ssbrewtech.com/collections/fermenters/products/brewbucket
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Jul 20, 2015 19:30
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Super jealous. I will never have such things. Yay for city condo living!
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Jul 20, 2015 19:34
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Scarf posted:Waaaaaaant. It doesn't. I'm fermenting my first batch in mine right now. Should make transferring easy though. I'll post back with how the racking to secondary goes when I do it this weekend.
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Jul 20, 2015 19:35
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ChiTownEddie posted:Super jealous. I will never have such things. Yay for city condo living! they're stackable during fermentation, so technically they save space!
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Jul 20, 2015 19:35
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mad.radhu posted:yeah, one of these things. 
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Jul 20, 2015 19:39
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I am super jealous of that thing. It beats the hell out of my closet full of random carboys.
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Jul 20, 2015 19:39
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HatfulOfHollow posted:I am super jealous of that thing. It beats the hell out of my closet full of random carboys. I justified it by saying "now I can put some of my glass ones on craigslist". This may or may not happen. Anyone in the SF bay area need 7 gal glass carboys? 
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Jul 20, 2015 19:41
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mad.radhu posted:I believe the full on product page will probably answer your questions: http://www.ssbrewtech.com/collections/fermenters/products/brewbucket Dear Santa...
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Jul 20, 2015 19:43
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Any must-visit beer destinations or brewgoons in the Durango, CO area?
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Jul 20, 2015 19:46
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Thats a sweet piece of equipment, and reminded me I had this in my bookmarks: http://www.gourmetimportshop.com/Sansone-Stainless-Steel-NSF-Fusti-50-Liters-p/sa0050-sl.htm Anyone have any experience turning these into fermentors?
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Jul 20, 2015 19:57
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mad.radhu posted:they're stackable during fermentation, so technically they save space! oh wow, it is actually much smaller than I expected based off that image. Hmmmmmmmm.
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Jul 20, 2015 19:59
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Umm... I just realized that beersmith does estimated vs. actual OG/FG/alcohol % on a recipe overview. What's the difference and what am I really shooting for here? I assume estimated since I've never brewed this beer before, but I'm trying to figure out what the difference in the two is. No clue. Also, the place I went for grains and hops had Citra hops cheaper than Cascade. 
LaserWash fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Jul 21, 2015 |
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Jul 21, 2015 01:20
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Estimated is what it calculates based on the recipe, the brewhouse efficiency you input, and the general attenuation that the chosen yeast strain is known for. Actual is based on the numbers you input for OG and FG - and actual ABV is calculated from that.
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Jul 21, 2015 01:45
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Can somebody explain to me why I should use BeerSmith over a website like Brewtoad to create recipes? I understand they have some more advanced features like equipment profiles, but does BeerSmith do something that BrewToad can't do?
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Jul 21, 2015 02:29
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I get all I need from Brewtoad, myself. In fact, I find I prefer Brewtoad because (1) it's simpler, (2) the UI doesn't make me crazy, and (3) all the recipes are online by default. Beersmith does have an online component, but it's very limited (5 recipes?) unless you pay extra. People who like Beersmith like it a lot, and there's no doubt it's a capable product. It makes me crazy, though, so I just prefer not to use it.
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Jul 21, 2015 03:02
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Brewtoad has been getting steadily worse though with respect to custom ingredients. Originally they were there, then you had to check a box to make them show up, now they seem to have disappeared, plus the search is crap. Also they're missing a lot of things, eg. No danstar Windsor, but danstar Belle and Nottingham are there. I'm only still using it because it's free. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks they've done it just to make their instant order feature easier to implement. Also you can't force it to display other people's recipes in grown up units (without pulling the beerXML from the site but that's another story)
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Jul 21, 2015 05:18
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Brewtoad is nice looking, but there's a lot of weird stuff going on with that site. It hides a lot of the parameters used, and a lot of the calculations are way out of whack compared to other calculators even if I've got it set up the same way.
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Jul 21, 2015 12:03
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j3rkstore posted:Thats a sweet piece of equipment, and reminded me I had this in my bookmarks: Yes, I've used one a few times. I started with just drilling a 3/8" hole in the top to hold a standard airlock stopper, but even with filing the edges of that hole, it tends to slice the stopper and not make a perfect seal. I'm likely going to put something like this on it with washers, a nut, etc instead to make a lower profile blowoff tube style airlock. I also have only used the stopper and not the spigot because I haven't decided how to do the pick up tube on the inside yet. May have to drill that threaded port out and use a traditional spigot. E: it works well and is easy to clean though, so I am definitely a fan. It should work for pressurized transfers too, but I have to solve both of the above issues first. let it mellow fucked around with this message at 12:26 on Jul 21, 2015 |
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Jul 21, 2015 12:24
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I'm a moron when it comes to getting mash temps and batch sparge temps correct. It's way too much math to do for a guy that has a graduate degree in math (me). I like the BrewToad mash temp calculator because it tells you exactly what to do to accomplish X temperature for mash, then Y temperature for sparge. It gives a super nice layout for how much I'm supposed to be getting for first and second runnings. It seems to be the most accurate of anything I've ever found. Otherwise, I've found the calculations that BrewToad does to be wildly off from what other systems use. Beersmith's fault is that it sometimes can be way too technical and give you way too much info. It is very accurate though and does have lots of buttons and levers to push. With that said, I've come up with a system where I use the BrewToad Mash/Sparge calculator and put my recipes together in BeerSmith (I have mobile and desktop). I then use this information to write up brewday notes document that contains all the information I need from my brewday until the time that I take the last pull from the keg.
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Jul 21, 2015 12:32
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I like Brewer's Friend -- it seems a little more technical than BrewToad, not as crazy as BeerSmith. Also, BeerSmith's "cloud" thing is awful. I also like Brewer's Friend's "snapshot recipe" feature for brew sessions, that way I can keep my base recipe up to date while maintaining the different tweaked versions I've done, and without having to name them ridiculous things like "Hefeweizen 3".
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Jul 21, 2015 16:31
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Old-school legacy ProMash users represent!
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Jul 21, 2015 16:45
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more falafel please posted:I like Brewer's Friend -- it seems a little more technical than BrewToad, not as crazy as BeerSmith. Also, BeerSmith's "cloud" thing is awful. I also like Brewer's Friend's "snapshot recipe" feature for brew sessions, that way I can keep my base recipe up to date while maintaining the different tweaked versions I've done, and without having to name them ridiculous things like "Hefeweizen 3". I don't mind the cloud. I have both the full desktop and full iphone app and it's nice being able to have access to all my recipes quickly on my phone and be able to edit them on the fly. I adjust hop calculations at the shop when I'm buying ingredients based on the AA%, especially if they're way different which helps me better control my recipes. The app is nice on brew day too.
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Jul 21, 2015 17:02
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more falafel please posted:I like Brewer's Friend -- it seems a little more technical than BrewToad, not as crazy as BeerSmith. Also, BeerSmith's "cloud" thing is awful. I also like Brewer's Friend's "snapshot recipe" feature for brew sessions, that way I can keep my base recipe up to date while maintaining the different tweaked versions I've done, and without having to name them ridiculous things like "Hefeweizen 3". I'm leaning that way myself, but having an online calculator be a subscription service does not sit right with me. 10$ a year is a lot to charge when there are so many cheaper (and free) alternatives out there. I would not want my recipes being held hostage if I missed a payment.
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Jul 21, 2015 18:13
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Scarf posted:AiH's new ball-lock corny kegs that were previously "on sale" for $75 are now even "on-saleier" for $69. Figures, since I just bought 2 of them. Oh well, $10 is basically zero in homebrewing dollars. For what it's worth, the kegs seem pretty great. My current keg arsenal consists of 1 old actual Cornelius keg, 2 new Morebeer Italian-made kegs, and now 2 of these new AiH Indian-made kegs. The AiH kegs have the most sturdy feeling and nicest looking lid and rubber assembly, although the Italian kegs are also nice. The AiH kegs have more visible welds on the side, but it's nothing that concerns me. Overall I'd say they are a great deal.
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Jul 21, 2015 18:38
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Glottis posted:Figures, since I just bought 2 of them. Oh well, $10 is basically zero in homebrewing dollars. Yeah, I've had no problems with my AiH keg (other than me being dumb, leaving a picnic tap attached while carbing). I may have to spring on another one. Sale supposedly ends at midnight btw, and they'll likely go back to being $75.
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Jul 21, 2015 19:03
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Sorry for the double-post, but it looks like perlick (and other) faucets are on sale too. What is the difference between a perlick faucet and a regular stainless steel (http://www.homebrewing.org/Stainless-Steel-SS-Beer-Faucet-_p_898.html) one? Is the extra $10 for the perlick warranted? Scarf fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jul 21, 2015 |
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Jul 21, 2015 20:53
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Scarf posted:Sorry for the double-post, but it looks like perlick (and other) faucets are on sale too. What is the difference between a perlick faucet and a regular stainless steel (http://www.homebrewing.org/Stainless-Steel-SS-Beer-Faucet-_p_898.html) one? I've only ever had perlicks, but my understanding is that non-forward sealing faucets drip and stick a lot more because the pressure is working against the seal, whereas with a Perlick, the keg pressure keeps it sealed. They're generally fine in bars because they never sit for very long.
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Jul 21, 2015 21:01
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Scarf posted:Sorry for the double-post, but it looks like perlick (and other) faucets are on sale too. What is the difference between a perlick faucet and a regular stainless steel (http://www.homebrewing.org/Stainless-Steel-SS-Beer-Faucet-_p_898.html) one? The "regular" kind have a flat spot inside where beer tends to pool. Some people report that this can make the faucet stick, in some cases badly enough that trying to open it can break the lever that connects the handle to the internal mechanism. It's not a problem for a bar that pours more than a couple of pints a day, but for homebrewers, it's not a good bet. Yes, I'd say the extra  is worth it. I have Ventmatics, not Perlicks, but the basic concept is the same - forward-seal faucets don't stick near as much or as badly.
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Jul 21, 2015 21:26
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Jo3sh posted:The "regular" kind have a flat spot inside where beer tends to pool. Some people report that this can make the faucet stick, in some cases badly enough that trying to open it can break the lever that connects the handle to the internal mechanism. It's not a problem for a bar that pours more than a couple of pints a day, but for homebrewers, it's not a good bet. Yes, I'd say the extra We have those sticky ones in the office keg and most people assume it's broken/locked because of the amount of force you need to unstick it. I have issues with the o-rings in my Perlicks going south faster than I'd expect them to, but other than that they're extremely easy to clean and reassemble and (if the o-ring is good) won't drip on you. I've got four and if I wanted to expand I'd buy more of them before considering any other brand. PROTIP: In a pinch, the o-ring that goes on a gas or liquid keg post will work as a sealing o-ring on a Perlick faucet. You're welcome.
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Jul 21, 2015 21:55
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wattershed posted:the office keg Tell me more about how awesome south west America is compared to the puritan north east.  Edit: Or are you talking about soda?
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Jul 21, 2015 21:59
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I have office kegs, too. I work from home, so there's always beer within a few steps of my desk.
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Jul 21, 2015 22:07
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A friend of mine works for a startup and they have an office keg. Another friend of ours just brewed an IPA for them that they tapped a few weeks ago. He named it "HR Approved"
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Jul 21, 2015 22:27
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So, hop-steeps and whirlpools have become a popular technique and I mostly hear people recommend letting them soak for 30 min+ (opinion is very divided on whether you should add at flame-out or cool below isomerization temperature before adding). I was listening to John Kimmich of Alchemist speak about their techniques and he was lamenting the long whirlpool and cooling process he and other pro-brewers have to go through with their systems. He said if it were up to him he'd add the hops, let them settle in the whirlpool and then have them instantly chilled if he could, which sounds a lot like adding the hops at flame-out and starting your cooling right away from a home-brew perspective. This seems like a step back. Are we not exploring these techniques because flame-out additions are basically useless if we instantly chill (say, with a plate chiller). Am I misunderstanding something? Could there possibly be some truth in the middle, say a short hop-steep after adding at flameout (10 minutes?).
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Jul 21, 2015 23:36
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yamdankee posted:Tell me more about how awesome south west America is compared to the puritan north east. It's pretty cool, we have low humidity and everything. We have "a guy" who works the local businesses and does pickups/dropoffs and maintains the tap/co2 for the company so it's very low-maintenance for us. We got a round of funding recently so a guy in the office named the next beer I'm bringing in "Series B Porter." Gave me motivation to build a little jockey box & everything, I'll post pics when it's all put together since I took a different route than a lot of folks do with it.
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Jul 22, 2015 01:25
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