Recent content by chilitom

I went with a hybrid propane/electric setup for my HERMS rig, with 3 X 10 gallon kettles, for a couple of reasons: 1) it took me a long time to build the system, but once I had the frame and mounted 3 banjo-type burners I could keep brewing while slowly building out the rest of the system 2) I...

I use a thin-walled disposable plastic cup. I withdraw ~50 ml into the cup, then swish it around in an ice bath. It takes maybe 30 seconds to bring it down to room temperature. I use one of the handheld pH meters and find that if I SLOWLY move it back and forth in the sample I get the most...

I brewed Gordon Strong's recipe from Apr 2021 BYO, and it turned out really well. This recipe adds 1.8 g dried chamomile flowers, in addition to the coriander seed and bitter orange peel. I thought the chamomile added a nice character to the beer. I used 0.6 oz coriander (crushed the seeds...

I used to get RO water from a local WalMart, until I checked it with a TDS meter and got a reading of several hundred ppm. This, despite the machine having been recently "serviced". I switched to a different grocery store and never had a problem - it was always <5 ppm. I think it was a Primo...

(1) How about an improved method of separating wort from grain? The crush is always a compromise between a fine grind of the kernel, to improve extraction/efficiency, and not tearing up the husk, leading to impairment of the filter bed and a consequent stuck mash. We are dependent on this...

My first attempt at a Saison is going well so far. Successfully managed to get good attenuation with WLP565 (gravity = 1.005 after 7 days in the primary; Jamil's BCS recipe). I'm looking for advice on how to handle the beer from this point forward. I was going to give it another week or so...

It seems pretty clear that something is amiss with my measurements. That I accept. And thanks for the info about measurement & calibration -- I'll check the sticky. Not to belabor the point (although it's getting a little belabored by now anyway) ... but quite independent of any model, many...

Now you've got me worried about the meter, even though I was quite careful with the calibration and re-confirmed with pH 4 and 7 buffers after the mash was done. Does it matter whether there are bits of grain in the sample being measured, or is it necessary to strain it before taking a...

I did in fact keep the meter in the pH 4 buffer solution in between readings (with a quick swish in RO water before taking the mash readings). I use the little sachet buffer packets, which were opened fresh that day. I also cooled the samples down to room temp in an ice water bath before...

Well, I did wait 10 minutes before the initial pH reading, and about 5 minutes after the lactic acid addition. I stirred, but my arm was still pretty well attached! I stirred again before taking the sample for the pH reading. Maybe it wasn't enough. I was concerned with heat loss with...

Yep. Calibrated with pH 4 and 7 buffers, the same day.

I'm trying to get a handle on water adjustments and pH control when using RO water as a starting point. The RO water I used gave TDS = 1 with my meter, so it seems quite good. A recent batch of American Pale Ale mash had 12.6 lbs. grain and 16.1 qts water, for a ratio of 1.28 gts/lb. I adjusted...

I didn't realize that TDS meters are so cheap. That's a small investment worth making. Thanks for the help!

It looks like the WalMart RO water is the culprit. I made up some mini-mash batches with 100 grams of grain, of the same composition as the big batch, in an insulated coffee mug, and checked the pH. With the WalMart RO water (no adjustment salts added) I got pH 6.13. With my small home RO...

The RO water is from WalMart, so I can't vouch for its quallity! From your response, it seems that something is amiss here -- likely my water or the adjustment chemicals. I have some leftover grains and about a gallon of the RO water. I also have a small home RO unit (Kinetico). So maybe...