Recent content by Porcelon

4 Wheels. I built a wood stove with 3 wheels and it can get tippy when moving it.

Beano IS alpha amylase, from asparagus I believe. Just a different package for a different purpose. From what I read, corn was mashed up and pressed into patties in the mouth, giving it the protein shake needed for starch break-up. Everything was denatured and sterilized in a boil later, of...

It turns out I was using a busted thermometer for about a year and my mash was actually done 18-20F LOWER than I thought. So this whole time the enzyme action was all one-sided (beta I think). I could never get the FG down where it should be, always 4 points high. Im' sure my OG was low due...

you sir, are a thief. a lucky, lucky , lucky oh nevermind. Awesome find!

I brew 3 gallon batches with a 4 gallon pot. It's enough to make a case, and small enough that I don't have to drink a lot of so-so experiments.

I've added it to a batch and it definately has an extra bite to it. Don't use a ton though, I think mine was 9% of the bill.

You're an idiot. There, feel better now? Matt :D

I'm in Madison and my water is pretty similar: Ca=61 Mg=47 Na= 3 SO4=9 Cl= low (less than 10) HCO3=344 With lower numbers it's easier for your mash to control the pH. If I'm brewing something lighter I boil water first to precipitate CaCO3, then I add some gypsum, partly for taste...

What about making a sleeve over the smooth roller, like cheese cloth or silicone? Duct tape? the non-sticky side may be sticky enough. how about a condom? The non-lubricated ones. I'd try this but I don't have a pasta maker, or condoms like that^. Matt

You could try sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). There might be a slight taste difference but I doubt you'd notice in a stout. Don't use too much, and don't boil the water before you mash, or the carbonate will turn to carbon dioxide and disappear (CO2 and H2O from -CO3). Matt

Right, the material is the same (ie. HDPE, PET etc.) but the little extras they use to produce the bucket are not guaranteed safe. If you can pick up bottled water, the bottle would be ok to use, and sometimes infomation is written on the bottom of the item. You just have to be aware of it's...

Wrong. It means that all the extra compounds they put into plastic to make it pliable, extrudable and set up properly are safe to eat. So with non-food-safe plastic these random molecules are melted in, you can't wash them off and they will leach out of the plastic for as long as you use it...

Hey I made your recipe, but I modified it to be more "swill drinker" friendly: Christmas Light – 2.5 Gallons 3 lbs. Pale 2-Row .25 lbs Cara-Pils .5 lbs. Turbinado Sugar .5 oz. Cascade (45) .5 oz. Cascade (15) Spices added at end of boil: 3/8 teaspoons Cinnamon 1/8 teaspoons...

I've used sanitizer and oxyclean and they are virtually the same. Oxyclean has a bit of detergent in it, so it's harder to rinse out. I started to use it when I ran out of sanitizer. When I sanitize bottles I use a scoop per 5 gal. (about a tablespoon) It takes about 3 rinses to get the...

I'm no mash expert, but from a simple chemistry standpoint the extraction is right. The more liquid in the mix the more room for sugars to dissolve. I don't think this takes into account sparging though. So any kind of sparge would effect this property. The high fermentability in a thick...