What are you doing with homebrew today?

Ordered some #7 corks and a hop basket from Amazon today. Should have done so a couple days ago. Hope it gets here by Friday so I can dry-hop the LA Mud Puddle. If not, I've got a nylon bag that'll do the trick. Don't wanna put the hops in loose in the conical because I'll have a ton of sludge in the bottom if I do. I wanna scavenge the SAF-33 off this batch which will give me 3 different directions to go on the next batch. Getting to be great brewing weather here, so wanna build up my stocks some.

We've nearly wrecked a brand spanking new wine bottle corker with #8 corks. It came with #7's so not quite sure why the missus bought #8's Error resolved on this order.

Beginning to look like we're a couple alcoholics around here.
 
Checked on the LA Mud Puddle and the Pear wine last night before going to bed. Both happily bubbling. Hoping my new hop basket comes in today. I need to pull the collection ball and clean it and then put it back on to capture the good slurry. I DO LIKE the cleaner slurry with this thing. I think this will let me ramp up a little production and get my stocks built back up because I'm thinking that it ferments a lot faster than the bucket fermenters. If I can do a batch ever 10 days for a while (assuming I don't need more dry-hop time) I should get some summer stock built up. My son-in-law is a BMC kinda guy, but my step-son and son both like my brews. I'm a generous soul, and appreciate the feedback, too, so I usually share with them when I get a new batch conditioned enough to drink. Close to full retirement and fixed income now, so gonna have to start begging for funds, LOL. Think I could start a GoFundMe site for my crisis?
 
I went for a taste yesterday and found an empty CO2 tank and both of my kegs sitting with 0 pressure. :( So tonight, I'll be trying to fix a leak.

A little soapy water pointed out that the leak is at one of the gas disconnects and thankfully has nothing to do with the dual regulator. But I have to pinpoint exactly what the problem is. Is it a bad connection where the hose meets the barb, where the swivel nut screws onto the disconnect, or could it be a leak from the disconnect itself? I was not in a troubleshooting mood last night, so I'll get on it tonight, with a beer.

Just a reminder to regularly check your connections and keep a spare CO2 tank around at all times. :)
 
New 300 micron hops basket came in. Got the kit with the included cleaning brush. No place to tie the basket in the fermenter yet, so I had do a little adapt and overcome. I had a float for a GoPro camera that I've NEVER used. It fit very nicely in the basket, and I tested it to see how well it would float the basket by filling my bottling bucket with water. With nothing but the float in it, the basket floats with the top about 1 inch or so above the surface in water. So, I sanitized it, put the hops in it, then the float, screwed on the lid of the basket. Removed the collection ball and collected the first slurry, though it will likely get tossed depending on how much yeast falls out again. Cleaned and sanitized the ball, then reinstalled it. Left the ball valve closed until I removed the lid from the fermenter to drop the hops. Put the hops basket in, sure enough, floating a little higher because of the bouyancy of the hops pellets. Opened the ball valve to refill the collection ball, and screwed the lid back on the fermenter. WIll check it in a few hours to see if it builds positive pressure again.

I think I'm going to get something I can put through the upper portion of the fermenter away from leak possibility, and then try to seal it so I can attach the basket with monofilament fishing line or something. I'm not keen on the idea of something being between the sealing surface and the o-ring on that lid. That's beggin for bugs, so I want something to keep it floating, or suspended from the top somehow, so that the much larger holes (~1/16"/1 mm diameter) don't get below the surface of the batch and let hops come floating out of the basket.

This is my first dry-hop with the conical. I hope it has as much improvement on the LA Mud Puddle as it has on everything else I've done with it. My last batch (Rapier Wit) looks like it might even be a little too clear for the beer style (Belgian Wit). It's crystal clear in the bottles but gets a little haze when I pop the top and pour it. Not much though. Might be time for a growler. If I only had one in the fridge. Hang on, I have a large mug in the freezer that should do nicely for chilling down a growler.
 
Megary said:
I went for a taste yesterday and found an empty CO2 tank and both of my kegs sitting with 0 pressure. :( So tonight, I'll be trying to fix a leak.

A little soapy water pointed out that the leak is at one of the gas disconnects and thankfully has nothing to do with the dual regulator. But I have to pinpoint exactly what the problem is. Is it a bad connection where the hose meets the barb, where the swivel nut screws onto the disconnect, or could it be a leak from the disconnect itself? I was not in a troubleshooting mood last night, so I'll get on it tonight, with a beer.

Just a reminder to regularly check your connections and keep a spare CO2 tank around at all times. :)
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As long as they didn't go negative pressure and suck in air/bugs, she'll be right mate. Won't take long to recarb with bottles, and as long as they didn't go negative (vacuum), should be no worries for infection. Most likely just equalized with atmosphere, but still covered with CO2 blanket. That should keep aerobic critters at bay.
 
Zambezi Special said:
You've been busy Bulin ;)
I've been looking at websites of brewing shops. Quite keen on buying a(nother) little fermenter:cool:
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I'm not sure if I'm getting stuff done with the beer, or avoiding my workout mat. Really should get THAT out again and stop "forgetting" where it is.
 
Brewing that Pesties Pale looks like it's got special B in it didn't quite have enough dark crystal.
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It's got a nice nutty aroma with a little smoke from the wheat malt.

Oh I just spied 40g of centennial I'll dry hop this now thatll just round this brew out I think :)
 
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Temp Twister coil arrived today, decided to install it in the Brewcraft Genesis fermenter. Taller/thinner than the Speidel or the Catalyst. Probably try it out on my next brew.
 
Bulin's Milker Bucket Brews said:
Going to use a water tank in the freezer I use for lagering. I figure 34 oF water should work. Have a spare Inkbird and a small self priming pump.
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Bloody ripper I rekon I'd go this route if doing the glycol thing again.
Keeping ferm temps is easy but I found my system leveled out around 7 c

I think the freezer just couldn't chill the large volume quick enough to keep up with the fermentation.
I think I gotta better insulate my fermenter so it's not demanding the glycol so much.
 
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Trialben said:
Bloody ripper I rekon I'd go this route if doing the glycol thing again.
Keeping ferm temps is easy but I found my system leveled out around 7 c

I think the freezer just couldn't chill the large volume quick enough to keep up with the fermentation.
I think I gotta better insulate my fermenter so it's not demanding the glycol so much.
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Should only need to hold 8-12 degrees below basement temp. Can always add some reflectix or more water volume if it doesn't keep up.
 
notty has always been super active when I’ve used it.

decided to go ahead and brew my Irish stout for St. Patty’s day. As I got grains ready I noticed an issue….no flaked barely. So this one got oatmeal in place of the flaked barley. Everything else will be the same. Guess I’ll call it Irish breakfast.

67% MO
23% oatmeal
10% roasted
38 ibu of EKG at first wort
Wyeast Irish ale yeast.
 
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