Discussion:
Returning Brewer Needs Assist
(too old to reply)
DAsh
2016-10-13 23:52:24 UTC
Permalink
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been a
long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again! Except---

In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my brewing
journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly perfected, and much of
my old equipment, have disappeared. I am working up the necessaries to brew
again, but the most needed bit would be recipes. I am currently somewhat
limited in that I can only utilize dry extract with specialty grains. But
that never held me back in the past. If any of you good ladies and
gentlemen have some extract recipes you are willing to share publicly,
please, please, share them here!

The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
Joerg
2016-10-14 00:13:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been a
long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again! Except---
It's been over 30 years for me. Glad you are also back into brewing.
Post by DAsh
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my brewing
journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly perfected, and much of
my old equipment, have disappeared. I am working up the necessaries to brew
again, but the most needed bit would be recipes. I am currently somewhat
limited in that I can only utilize dry extract with specialty grains. But
that never held me back in the past. If any of you good ladies and
gentlemen have some extract recipes you are willing to share publicly,
please, please, share them here!
I can't provide recipes but I started by using kits. So far mine are all
from here:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/recipe-kits

For each beer you can click on "Details & Instructions", then on the PDF
file. That has the details, the hop schedule and all.

I found that the prices for most beers there are unbeatable compared to
buying local ingredients separately. Even their $20 "Simply Beer" kits
are great. We really like the IPA.

As for gear I bought their Platiunum kit and it cost me $99, plus some
other things here and there. Hydrometers, spoons, better caps, et cetera.
Post by DAsh
The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
At least you have a name for your brew, I have to work on that :-)
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
DAsh
2016-10-16 15:57:13 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been
a long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again!
Except---
It's been over 30 years for me. Glad you are also back into brewing.
Post by DAsh
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my
brewing journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly
perfected, and much of my old equipment, have disappeared. I am
working up the necessaries to brew again, but the most needed bit
would be recipes. I am currently somewhat limited in that I can only
utilize dry extract with specialty grains. But that never held me
back in the past. If any of you good ladies and gentlemen have some
extract recipes you are willing to share publicly, please, please,
share them here!
I can't provide recipes but I started by using kits. So far mine are
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/recipe-kits
For each beer you can click on "Details & Instructions", then on the
PDF file. That has the details, the hop schedule and all.
I found that the prices for most beers there are unbeatable compared
to buying local ingredients separately. Even their $20 "Simply Beer"
kits are great. We really like the IPA.
As for gear I bought their Platiunum kit and it cost me $99, plus some
other things here and there. Hydrometers, spoons, better caps, et cetera.
Post by DAsh
The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
At least you have a name for your brew, I have to work on that :-)
Howdy, Joerg--

Thank you for the reply and kind words! But, I've never resorted to
kits. I formulated my own recipes and improved on them with each
successful batch for years. Then there was a move, then water damage to
things in storage, then another move, then can't find my recipe journals
anywhere. Good news, however-- since I posted the original plea, I have
found my old copy of BrewSmith and have successfully upgraded to the
current version which works with my current OS, so I think I'll be back
in the brewhouse as soon as I can relocate or replace equipment. I've
already reformulated my basic pale ale from which I can branch out again
with experiments and fruit beers.
Cheers, and thanks again.
--
DAsh, Foggy Daze Homebrewing
Joerg
2016-10-16 16:18:13 UTC
Permalink
[...]
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
At least you have a name for your brew, I have to work on that :-)
Howdy, Joerg--
Thank you for the reply and kind words! But, I've never resorted to
kits. I formulated my own recipes and improved on them with each
successful batch for years. Then there was a move, then water damage to
things in storage, then another move, then can't find my recipe journals
anywhere. Good news, however-- since I posted the original plea, I have
found my old copy of BrewSmith and have successfully upgraded to the
current version which works with my current OS, so I think I'll be back
in the brewhouse as soon as I can relocate or replace equipment. I've
already reformulated my basic pale ale from which I can branch out again
with experiments and fruit beers.
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain there
for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons but a
lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to schlepp
the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the pool
where I let it float around.

I looked into BIAB but it would be almost impossible to rig some sort of
gallows above the stove to hold the bag. Some day I might run 240V
two-phase out downstairs and buy a >2kW electric burner from Europe.
Then I'd have to brew outdoors but I do not mind cold weather much. Of
course, the real manly thing would be to boil the wort over wood fire
like I do for cooking but that requires some construction for proper
temp control and reload.

My first boil was outdoors on the usual 1kW burner. Never again, that
took forever.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-10-16 23:53:03 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
I looked into BIAB but it would be almost impossible to rig some sort
of gallows above the stove to hold the bag.
The easiest way to do BIAB I've found is to steep in two pots with two
bags. That way there's really no need for any kind of pulleys or any of
the other equipment you see people use to wrangle bags.

And to the original poster, I'd strongly urge looking into Brew in a Bag
(BIAB). One place to start is http://www.biabrewer.info

It's only a bit more work and time than going with extract plus steeping
grain, and you get a ton more options as far as making a lot of styles.
It's all grain brewing but in a much more stripped down fashion than the
older methods.

Descriptions make it sound more complicated than it really is, but all
you're doing is putting well-ground malt in a mesh bag, soaking it for
an hour or so in about 7 gallons of 150ish Farenheit water (specifics
all depend on the recipe) then pulling the bag out of the wort and doing
a regular boil with hops and anything else you're adding. No special
mash tuns, multiple runnings, or any of that. You can use any all grain
recipe with no additional modifications.

The only other thing you might want is a corona-style grinder you can
get for $25 or so from Amazon, if you don't already have a grinder. Or
a homebrew store may be fine with grinding your malt extra fine.
Joerg
2016-10-17 14:57:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
I looked into BIAB but it would be almost impossible to rig some sort
of gallows above the stove to hold the bag.
The easiest way to do BIAB I've found is to steep in two pots with two
bags. That way there's really no need for any kind of pulleys or any of
the other equipment you see people use to wrangle bags.
Good idea and has the advantage that on electrical cooktops you now have
twice the power. So the water heats up faster. Not so much an issue for
me since my wife turns it on while I walk the dogs.

Maybe one could also use a (large) single pot but two bags, with one or
two pieces of wood or metal across the top to secure the otherwise
flopping rim sections of the bags to.
Post by baloonon
And to the original poster, I'd strongly urge looking into Brew in a Bag
(BIAB). One place to start is http://www.biabrewer.info
This looks like a nice instruction set:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/How-To-Brew-in-a-Bag.pdf

Question: They write "... and let drip dry". How long does this dripping
take?

The boil-off rate in there seems excessive. On 60min boils I never lost
even close to 15% of the water. Erring too high on the water volume
could result in "light" beer.
Post by baloonon
It's only a bit more work and time than going with extract plus steeping
grain, and you get a ton more options as far as making a lot of styles.
It's all grain brewing but in a much more stripped down fashion than the
older methods.
Descriptions make it sound more complicated than it really is, but all
you're doing is putting well-ground malt in a mesh bag, soaking it for
an hour or so in about 7 gallons of 150ish Farenheit water (specifics
all depend on the recipe) then pulling the bag out of the wort and doing
a regular boil with hops and anything else you're adding. No special
mash tuns, multiple runnings, or any of that. You can use any all grain
recipe with no additional modifications.
The only other thing you might want is a corona-style grinder you can
get for $25 or so from Amazon, if you don't already have a grinder. Or
a homebrew store may be fine with grinding your malt extra fine.
Where do you get your BIAB bags? There is one guy on the web who sews
them customized to your pot size but I think it's expensive. Unless they
last nearly forever.

Muslin bags for steeping seem to hold for only 2-3 sessions until they
develop torn loops. But those are cheap.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
baloonon
2016-10-18 02:35:41 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Question: They write "... and let drip dry". How long does this
dripping take?
I put a colander over a spare pot or bowl and drop the bag in. I push
down a bit with a spoon or pot lid to squeeze out some excess, let
gravity do its bit, and by the time everything is boiling I dump that
into the pot.

Some people go hardcore and do a second steep or really work to squeeze
out as much as possible, but I never have a problem with efficiency.
Post by Joerg
The boil-off rate in there seems excessive. On 60min boils I never
lost even close to 15% of the water. Erring too high on the water
volume could result in "light" beer.
I think it's fine to go a bit conservatively until you get a sense of
how much boil off you have. I've never had a serious problem getting to
the target gravity even after topping off the fermenter to get the
targeted volume. If anything, the gravity tends to run a little high.

There are people who get really scientific calculating how much steeping
water to use based on the quantity of grain, the diameter of their pot,
length of boil and other factors, but I've found that steeping in seven
gallons of water split between two pots works fine for anywhere from
eight to fourteen pounds of grain. I just top off with some water in
the fermenter if necessary to get to fiveish gallons when the boil is
done.
Post by Joerg
Where do you get your BIAB bags? There is one guy on the web who sews
them customized to your pot size but I think it's expensive. Unless
they last nearly forever.
Muslin bags for steeping seem to hold for only 2-3 sessions until they
develop torn loops. But those are cheap.
I use what a lot of people use -- five gallon mesh paint strainer bags
you get from either a paint store or a big box hardware store. They're
something like $4 each and last for a lot of brews as long as you don't
do something careless like let them touch a hot burner.
Joerg
2016-10-18 14:52:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Question: They write "... and let drip dry". How long does this
dripping take?
I put a colander over a spare pot or bowl and drop the bag in. I push
down a bit with a spoon or pot lid to squeeze out some excess, let
gravity do its bit, and by the time everything is boiling I dump that
into the pot.
That method is much easier on the back than holding it all.
Post by baloonon
Some people go hardcore and do a second steep or really work to squeeze
out as much as possible, but I never have a problem with efficiency.
I'd have no problem buying an extra pound of grains if needed, that's
not expensive.

More of a concern is the electric range burner in the kitchen. I have to
find out how much weight it can hold before its "foundation" would
collapse. Our stove won't take standard heating elements so I can't
replace it with a canning element. European electric burners are more
sturdy because they have no coils and thus no sheet metal stilts. Some
day I'll get one from there.
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
The boil-off rate in there seems excessive. On 60min boils I never
lost even close to 15% of the water. Erring too high on the water
volume could result in "light" beer.
I think it's fine to go a bit conservatively until you get a sense of
how much boil off you have. I've never had a serious problem getting to
the target gravity even after topping off the fermenter to get the
targeted volume. If anything, the gravity tends to run a little high.
There are people who get really scientific calculating how much steeping
water to use based on the quantity of grain, the diameter of their pot,
length of boil and other factors, but I've found that steeping in seven
gallons of water split between two pots works fine for anywhere from
eight to fourteen pounds of grain. I just top off with some water in
the fermenter if necessary to get to fiveish gallons when the boil is
done.
I'd do the same. Topping off is better than ending up with beer that is
on the thin side like what happened when I goofed on a Koelsch Style two
weeks ago. So now we have "Koelsch Lite" :-)
Post by baloonon
Post by Joerg
Where do you get your BIAB bags? There is one guy on the web who sews
them customized to your pot size but I think it's expensive. Unless
they last nearly forever.
Muslin bags for steeping seem to hold for only 2-3 sessions until they
develop torn loops. But those are cheap.
I use what a lot of people use -- five gallon mesh paint strainer bags
you get from either a paint store or a big box hardware store. They're
something like $4 each and last for a lot of brews as long as you don't
do something careless like let them touch a hot burner.
I read about those but it sounded iffy to use painter's supplies for any
edible or drinkable stuff. However, since you and other brewers use them
it seems to be ok.

Unfortunately our neighbor no longer has chickens (foxes and coyotes had
them for dinner) to eat spent grains. One brewpub owner told me that his
spent grains are used by someone who dries them and then adds them to
some special bread for a crunchy taste.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
DAsh
2016-10-17 17:27:53 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems! Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Post by Joerg
I looked into BIAB but it would be almost impossible to rig some sort of
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'll be sticking with tried-and-true
methods. They worked so well years ago, I can't think anything has
changed so much. Just have to dig out the memories, dust 'em off and see
if they still know how to brew. It will happen! --
Be happy-- Have a Foggy Daze!
Joerg
2016-10-17 19:09:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.

A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.

Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I looked into BIAB but it would be almost impossible to rig some sort of
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'll be sticking with tried-and-true
methods. They worked so well years ago, I can't think anything has
changed so much. Just have to dig out the memories, dust 'em off and see
if they still know how to brew. It will happen! --
Be happy-- Have a Foggy Daze!
It's amazing how fast one can forget. I brewed over 30 years ago as a
student in Europe and didn't remember a thing. What I do vividly
remember is the one time where we became impatient with fermentation
(the usual, a party was coming up) and bottled too early. That night ...
*KABOOM* ... *POOF* ... *KABLAM*

Now I try to be very conservative and have set up a computer database
that tells me what needs to happen and when. Carbonation is now very
consistent. But this whole extract brewing method was new to me.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-10-18 20:50:08 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.

Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
Joerg
2016-10-18 21:06:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-10-18 22:03:21 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Joerg
2016-10-19 13:32:03 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.

The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-10-19 22:34:44 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Joerg
2016-10-20 14:49:27 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-10-21 03:17:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky path to the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube to, and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since she is the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
Joerg
2016-10-21 14:08:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky
path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a CPA told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since
she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can swing the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied by a
municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is so
expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched to a wood
stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we had 15 years ago
was $709. For one month! That triggered the switch for us.

The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-10-21 16:43:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky
path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a
CPA
told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since
she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can
swing
the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied by a
municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is so
expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched to a wood
stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we had 15 years ago
was $709. For one month! That triggered the switch for us.
The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
Yes, I am in a city with natural gas easily available. Brewing helps
you conserve energy? There's an advantage few would consider.
Joerg
2016-10-21 18:47:57 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I
have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky
path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a
CPA
told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon the cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant drought so water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is optimum for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since
she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a month the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can
swing
the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck -> tube from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied by a
municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is so
expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched to a wood
stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we had 15 years ago
was $709. For one month! That triggered the switch for us.
The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
Yes, I am in a city with natural gas easily available. Brewing helps
you conserve energy? There's an advantage few would consider.
Our electricity bill will go up a bit now that I am brewing again.

The real manly thing would be to boil over wood fire. I'll have a fire
going tomorrow for baking bread and pizza but I don't have a derrick or
tripod with pulley for temperature regulation of a heavy kettle (yet).
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Bob F
2016-10-21 19:09:12 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8
gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I
have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky
path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get out of bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a
CPA
told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the
plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon
the
cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the
pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant
drought so
water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in the game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is
optimum
for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since
she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a
month
the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW electric burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can
swing
the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From
there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck ->
tube
from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied by a
municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is so
expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched to a wood
stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we had 15 years ago
was $709. For one month! That triggered the switch for us.
The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
Yes, I am in a city with natural gas easily available. Brewing helps
you conserve energy? There's an advantage few would consider.
Our electricity bill will go up a bit now that I am brewing again.
The real manly thing would be to boil over wood fire. I'll have a fire
going tomorrow for baking bread and pizza but I don't have a derrick or
tripod with pulley for temperature regulation of a heavy kettle (yet).
It's pretty standard procedure to use a "crab cooker" propane powered
gas burner for brewing. They show up often in craigslist or freecycle
where I live.
Joerg
2016-10-21 19:20:49 UTC
Permalink
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably will
remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can hold 7-8
gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I
have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a rocky
path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get
out of
bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray. However, a
CPA
told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately, it won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I asked the
plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then siphon
the
cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the
pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant
drought so
water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil discharge
outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere in
the
game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is
optimum
for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative. Since
she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least a
month
the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW
electric
burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I can
swing
the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard. From
there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck ->
tube
from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only adds
40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated hot tub is a
different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied by a
municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is so
expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched to a wood
stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we had 15 years ago
was $709. For one month! That triggered the switch for us.
The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
Yes, I am in a city with natural gas easily available. Brewing helps
you conserve energy? There's an advantage few would consider.
Our electricity bill will go up a bit now that I am brewing again.
The real manly thing would be to boil over wood fire. I'll have a fire
going tomorrow for baking bread and pizza but I don't have a derrick or
tripod with pulley for temperature regulation of a heavy kettle (yet).
It's pretty standard procedure to use a "crab cooker" propane powered
gas burner for brewing. They show up often in craigslist or freecycle
where I live.
Yes, or a turkey cooker which can be had cheaply after Thanksgiving.
After the first owner found out it's too cumbersome or made a huge
greasy mess and landed in the doghouse.

However, then you either have to have two propane bottles on hand (so
you don't run out mid-boil) or have to plumb it into the propane tank
line. The latter would be tricky here. People who own a travel trailer
would have an edge here because those usually contain two propane
bottles and a connector bridge for quick on-the-fly swap.

However, it's not that bad. So far I am doing partial boils and to get 3
gal to boil takes about 1.5kWh (with steeping) and then another 1kWh for
the boil. About 50 cents worth of electric power.

What I do think about is run 240V downstairs and then get a European
230V portable burner. Or two. Those have 2kW or more.

Really nice are wireless meat thermometers. I have one sitting here in
the office right now and I can see the pot temperature inch up. At 155F
I'll walk over to the kitchen and start the steeping.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
DAsh
2016-10-22 15:16:20 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably
will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can
hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it fast I
have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a
rocky path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get
out of
bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray.
However, a CPA
told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike
trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately,
it
won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I
asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then
siphon the
cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the
pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant
drought so
water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil
discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that
would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere
in the
game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I
rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is
optimum
for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as
fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative.
Since she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least
a month
the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW
electric
burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I
can swing
the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard.
From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck
-> tube
from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only
adds 40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated
hot tub is a different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water
circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied
by a municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is
so expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched
to a wood stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we
had 15 years ago was $709. For one month! That triggered the
switch for us.
The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the
downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
Yes, I am in a city with natural gas easily available. Brewing
helps you conserve energy? There's an advantage few would consider.
Our electricity bill will go up a bit now that I am brewing again.
The real manly thing would be to boil over wood fire. I'll have a
fire going tomorrow for baking bread and pizza but I don't have a
derrick or tripod with pulley for temperature regulation of a heavy
kettle (yet).
It's pretty standard procedure to use a "crab cooker" propane powered
gas burner for brewing. They show up often in craigslist or freecycle
where I live.
Yes, or a turkey cooker which can be had cheaply after Thanksgiving.
After the first owner found out it's too cumbersome or made a huge
greasy mess and landed in the doghouse.
However, then you either have to have two propane bottles on hand (so
you don't run out mid-boil) or have to plumb it into the propane tank
line. The latter would be tricky here. People who own a travel trailer
would have an edge here because those usually contain two propane
bottles and a connector bridge for quick on-the-fly swap.
However, it's not that bad. So far I am doing partial boils and to get
3 gal to boil takes about 1.5kWh (with steeping) and then another 1kWh
for the boil. About 50 cents worth of electric power.
What I do think about is run 240V downstairs and then get a European
230V portable burner. Or two. Those have 2kW or more.
Really nice are wireless meat thermometers. I have one sitting here in
the office right now and I can see the pot temperature inch up. At
155F I'll walk over to the kitchen and start the steeping.
Wireless meat thermom-- Yes! Thank you for sharing that tip. I have one
boxed up now following a great grilling summer, so you've given me the
perfect excuse for digging that box out of storage and saving a lot of
steps once I've revived the brewery. It's coming back together
gradually, but that saved me some $ for a brewpot thermom as well as for
the fermenter and small, dedicated closet space. Most excellent!
--
Be happy-- have a Foggy Daze (v.2.1)
Joerg
2016-10-22 19:12:53 UTC
Permalink
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by Bob F
Post by Joerg
Post by DAsh
Post by Joerg
I am still in the extract and steeping phase. Probably
will remain
there for a while. I could buy a larger pot that can
hold 7-8 gallons
but a lower back problem limits me. In order to cool it
fast I
have to
schlepp the whole pot downs tricky stairs and then a
rocky path to
the
pool where I let it float around.
Back problems-- oh, boy, do I know back problems!
It used to be bad, with attacks that would not let me get
out of
bed.
Ok, the discs in L4-L6 don't look good on the x-ray.
However, a CPA
told
me I might also have a magnesium deficiency (the docs
never figured
that). Since I take supplement and started mountain bike
trail riding
which builds back muscles I can lift a pot with 3 gallons of wort
without much risk. With 5 gallons I sometimes feel warning signs.
Post by DAsh
... Fortunately,
it
won't
be difficult for me to rig a cooling copper coil. We just
had the
'fridge plumbed for the icemaker/water filter, and I
asked the plumber
to rig a quick-connect water source that I could connect a tube
to,
and
the sink drain is just to the left of the stove. Then
siphon the
cooled
wort to the fermenter. A small moving dolly to transport to the
pantry,
freshly started liquid yeast and Bob's your uncle!
Not as easy here. We are in an area of almost constant
drought so
water
down the sink isn't cool. Can't easily run the coil
discharge outside.
Also, the kitchen is too warm in summer because we do not
use A/C,
meaning that the fermenter must go downstairs and that
would require
schlepping a whole 5 gallons. In winter it goes somewhere
in the
game
room down there, in summer into an old fridge which I
rigged with an
external temperature controller set to 67F or whatever is
optimum
for
each yeast strain.
A aggravating factor is that I use white 6.5gal buckets as
fermenters
and my wife does not find those things very decorative.
Since she is
the
super-planner and has the meals scheduled out to at least
a month
the
pantry is always full.
Some day I either have to run 240V two-phase for a >2kW
electric
burner
down there or I'd have to rig a hoist on the deck where I
can swing
the
pot over the deck railing and then lower it into the yard.
From there to
the pool it's only two shallow steps and no rocks.
You could use plastic tubing and a pump from the pool to operate an
immersion cooler.
Tube from pool -> pump -> tube to immersion cooler on deck
-> tube
from
immersion cooler back to pool
I could do that but this would require a whole lot of hose :-)
HAve garden hoses?
Yes, and I could buy longer ones to reach the pool. But it'll be a huge
mess. It has to go through several flower gardens and the whole thing
will be messy with the rain soaked soil. Plus I would have to
occasionally do the wort cooling in driving rain.
The pump would need some oomph because we live on a sloping property
(pool way down from the house). I always wished we had no pool because
of little use and lots of maintenance but now that I am brewing again it
is really handy. Letting the whole wort pot float around in the pool
cools down the wort in about 20 minutes.
I use my hot tub to process yogurt. I put the cultured milk in gallon
milk jugs, and hang them using a wire into the tub for a few hours.
Sound like the same idea, just in reverse, to gently bring things to a
higher temperature. Hot tubs are pricey to operate here in California.
Many folks use them for exactly one month. Until the first electricity
bill arrives. We now have to pay close to $0.20/kWh. That only
adds 40-50c to brewing five gallons but even a well-insulated
hot tub is a different story.
My tub is very well insulated, and heated with hot water
circulated from
my gas water heater. My minimum gas bill the last year was about $31, my
maximum bill was less than twice that.
You probably live in an area with natural gas, maybe even supplied
by a municipal utility company. Out here it's propane and that is
so expensive that we stopped using our central heat and switched
to a wood stove and a pellet stove. The highest propane bill we
had 15 years ago was $709. For one month! That triggered the
switch for us.
The pellet stove will see less use this winter since the
downstairs room
must remain cooler ... for brewing.
Yes, I am in a city with natural gas easily available. Brewing
helps you conserve energy? There's an advantage few would consider.
Our electricity bill will go up a bit now that I am brewing again.
The real manly thing would be to boil over wood fire. I'll have a
fire going tomorrow for baking bread and pizza but I don't have a
derrick or tripod with pulley for temperature regulation of a heavy
kettle (yet).
It's pretty standard procedure to use a "crab cooker" propane powered
gas burner for brewing. They show up often in craigslist or freecycle
where I live.
Yes, or a turkey cooker which can be had cheaply after Thanksgiving.
After the first owner found out it's too cumbersome or made a huge
greasy mess and landed in the doghouse.
However, then you either have to have two propane bottles on hand (so
you don't run out mid-boil) or have to plumb it into the propane tank
line. The latter would be tricky here. People who own a travel trailer
would have an edge here because those usually contain two propane
bottles and a connector bridge for quick on-the-fly swap.
However, it's not that bad. So far I am doing partial boils and to get
3 gal to boil takes about 1.5kWh (with steeping) and then another 1kWh
for the boil. About 50 cents worth of electric power.
What I do think about is run 240V downstairs and then get a European
230V portable burner. Or two. Those have 2kW or more.
Really nice are wireless meat thermometers. I have one sitting here in
the office right now and I can see the pot temperature inch up. At
155F I'll walk over to the kitchen and start the steeping.
Wireless meat thermom-- Yes! Thank you for sharing that tip. I have one
boxed up now following a great grilling summer, so you've given me the
perfect excuse for digging that box out of storage and saving a lot of
steps once I've revived the brewery. It's coming back together
gradually, but that saved me some $ for a brewpot thermom as well as for
the fermenter and small, dedicated closet space. Most excellent!
Depending on the probe you might want to bend some wire to slightly lock
it to a handle so it won't slide into the wort. On mine the end of the
probe is angled enough so I don't need the wire.

The temperatures for medium, medium-well, well-done coincide quite
nicely with our usual steeping temps. That way the alarm goes off at the
right moment. On mine it's tough to silence the alarm though if I later
want to use it to gauge how close the pot gets to a boil. Mainly so I
can keep working in the office (I am self-employed) without risking a
boil-over. Some day I'll hack the thing and install a switch instead of
all this burron-pressing through half a dozen menues.

Thermometers like this aren't very accurate and some temps in our
brewing processes may need to be with a few degrees Fahrenheit. However,
you can look up the temperature for water to boil at the altitude of
your location and then see what the thermometer reads at boiling. I
lucked out, mine is accurate to about 1F. It reads 3-4F high at room
temperature but I don't use it there.

In case a reader is interested and doesn't have one yet, I bought mine here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5PG3UY9508

Visibility of the LCD display is poor but if you set the receiver unit
at a particular angle it can be seen from a work place or something
similar. 40-50 meters range is, ahem, optimistic :-)

While we are on the topic of temperature monitoring and control this is
what I use to control an old fridge so it can regulate to typical
fermentation temperatures (internal thermostats often don't go that high
and are less precise):

https://www.amazon.com/WILLHI-WH1436A-110V-Temperature-Controller/dp/B00V4TJR00

That allows me to brew through the summer albeit with only one fermenter
as the fridge won't hold both. Just keep in mind that it's not a PID
controller so +/-2F is quite normal. For that price I sure don't mind.
--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Tom Biasi
2016-10-14 01:44:41 UTC
Permalink
Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been a
long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again! Except---
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my brewing
journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly perfected, and much of
my old equipment, have disappeared. I am working up the necessaries to brew
again, but the most needed bit would be recipes. I am currently somewhat
limited in that I can only utilize dry extract with specialty grains. But
that never held me back in the past. If any of you good ladies and
gentlemen have some extract recipes you are willing to share publicly,
please, please, share them here!
The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
Welcome back. It doesn't seem that long since you were here.
DAsh
2016-10-17 17:16:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been
a long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again!
Except---
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my
brewing journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly
perfected, and much of my old equipment, have disappeared. I am
working up the necessaries to brew again, but the most needed bit
would be recipes. I am currently somewhat limited in that I can only
utilize dry extract with specialty grains. But that never held me
back in the past. If any of you good ladies and gentlemen have some
extract recipes you are willing to share publicly, please, please,
share them here!
The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
Welcome back. It doesn't seem that long since you were here.
Howdy, Tom! Thank you for the welcome. Don't think I've posted here
since sometime in '01. Was looking for upscaling my old Jumpin' Java
porter recipe from 5 gal. to brewhouse size. Got lots of assistance
here, then the brewery decided they weren't going to let the brewer be
as experimental as he wanted to be, so the project shriveled and died.

As for my plea for help now-- No more entries, please! I've found my old
version of BrewSmith, upgraded to current, and am all good for
experimenting once again. Haven't brewed a batch since 2000. But I'm
certain it will all come back to me as I go along.

Foggy Daze Homebrewery shall surely rise again! Lift your tankards high
and drink with me! Cheers to all.
Tom Biasi
2016-10-18 22:23:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by DAsh
Post by Tom Biasi
Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been
a long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again!
Except---
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my
brewing journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly
perfected, and much of my old equipment, have disappeared. I am
working up the necessaries to brew again, but the most needed bit
would be recipes. I am currently somewhat limited in that I can only
utilize dry extract with specialty grains. But that never held me
back in the past. If any of you good ladies and gentlemen have some
extract recipes you are willing to share publicly, please, please,
share them here!
The Foggy Daze Homebrewery is trying to make a come-back.
--
Good times require good beer-- Have a Foggy Daze!
Welcome back. It doesn't seem that long since you were here.
Howdy, Tom! Thank you for the welcome. Don't think I've posted here
since sometime in '01. Was looking for upscaling my old Jumpin' Java
porter recipe from 5 gal. to brewhouse size. Got lots of assistance
here, then the brewery decided they weren't going to let the brewer be
as experimental as he wanted to be, so the project shriveled and died.
As for my plea for help now-- No more entries, please! I've found my old
version of BrewSmith, upgraded to current, and am all good for
experimenting once again. Haven't brewed a batch since 2000. But I'm
certain it will all come back to me as I go along.
Foggy Daze Homebrewery shall surely rise again! Lift your tankards high
and drink with me! Cheers to all.
Wow, 2001. I guess I've been around here for a while.
Whirled Peas
2016-10-14 18:38:48 UTC
Permalink
On 10/13/2016 04:52 PM, DAsh wrote:
(snip)
Post by DAsh
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my brewing
journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly perfected, and much of
my old equipment, have disappeared. I am working up the necessaries to brew
again, but the most needed bit would be recipes.
(snip)

The Cats Meow collection of over 1000 homebrew recipes can still be
found at:

<http://hbd.org/brewery/cm3/CatsMeow3.html>

That page has a link to a newer collection of slightly over 900 recipes
at Gambrinus' Mug.

Should be good for a start.
DAsh
2016-10-17 17:09:50 UTC
Permalink
Post by Whirled Peas
(snip)
Post by DAsh
In the many, many years that have passed under the bridge, all my
brewing journals and the recipes I had developed and nearly
perfected, and much of my old equipment, have disappeared. I am
working up the necessaries to brew again, but the most needed bit
would be recipes.
(snip)
The Cats Meow collection of over 1000 homebrew recipes can still be
<http://hbd.org/brewery/cm3/CatsMeow3.html>
That page has a link to a newer collection of slightly over 900
recipes at Gambrinus' Mug.
Should be good for a start.
Howdy, Whirled--
Thank you! I'd forgotten all about that! Most excellent source for ideas
and great information. (that's not all I've forgotten; I'm just hoping
it's the most important (chuckle))
Whirled Peas
2016-10-17 17:53:20 UTC
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Post by DAsh
Howdy, Whirled--
Thank you! I'd forgotten all about that! Most excellent source for ideas
and great information. (that's not all I've forgotten; I'm just hoping
it's the most important (chuckle))
Losing your memory is the second thing to go as you age. I've forgotten
what the first thing is. :-)

If you're up to doing a bit of research, use Google to search for the
recipes used for National Homebrewing Day over the last 10 or so years.
They're all excellent recipes. Each recipe was published in an all-grain
version and a hybrid extract/specialty grain version.
baloonon
2016-10-17 01:28:28 UTC
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Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been
a long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again!
Good luck and good beer. One thing I'd note is that a number of the old
commandments about brewing have happily fallen by the wayside, making
brewing a bit less nervewracking than before.

Things like freaking about bits of husk getting in the wort, worries about
squeezing steeping malt, and hot wort aeration have been largely shown to
be unnecessary. Experiments have shown that you can ferment lagers a lot
faster and at somewhat higher temps than previously thought without any
differences showing up in blind taste tests.

There are still things that matter, like good sanitation, but the long
daunting list of thou shalt nots has been whittled down a fair amount.
There are more yeast strains available, especially dry yeasts, and I think
there's a more relaxed attitude about brewing styles than maybe a decade
ago -- I think more people are willing to accept recipes that don't fit
strict guidelines, which I feel is a healthy development.
DAsh
2016-10-17 17:14:30 UTC
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Post by baloonon
Post by DAsh
Howdy, one and all! It's been YEARS! since I was last here. It's been
a long time since I've been able to brew. Now I can once again!
Good luck and good beer. One thing I'd note is that a number of the
old commandments about brewing have happily fallen by the wayside,
making brewing a bit less nervewracking than before.
Ahhh, yes-- the worries. Never had any after the third successful batch
I ever brewed. That was back in the late '80s. I'm not new to brewing in
the slightest, but your words brought back many fond memories. My wife,
who loves the brew I made, was more than happy to let me have the
kitchen one Sunday a month. It was always cleaner when I was finished
than when I'd started. Homebrewing in the kitchen-- cleans like an ale
tornado!
--
Be happy-- Have a Foggy Daze!
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