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My wife and I are finishing up on buying a house, and I've hit the jackpot with the garage. It's a 3 car garage and is heated by a natural gas furnace (a huge luxury in Minnesota). I've been using a propane burner to heat my 8 gallon BIAB kettle, but I'm wondering if I should hook up a natural...

Well, my BrewJacket just arrived today, and I'm excited to get my next brew going! Now, I know I have to use a method other than Star-San to sanitize the immersion rod. I was originally thinking of just boiling the rod with the wort, but I'm now thinking that it might just be too unwieldy of a...

I've been having some woes with a leak somewhere in my keg system. I replaced the distributor with a new Taprite system (which is wonderful) and with it new lines for both gas and liquid sides. However, what was left in my C02 tank still seemed to drain very quickly. I'm taking the...

I just bought my first BrewJacket off of AIH so I could use their coupon code. The unfortunate thing is that they don’t sell the lids. I don’t really want to pay to ship a lid, plus I just bought a new lid for my bucket fermenter, so I’m thinking I can maybe use a hole saw to cut a hole in the...

A couple years ago, I bought a used kegerator off of Craigslist. It's a nice Kenmore fridge, but the counter top was warped and cracked, and the tower was a simple one-tap with a sanke connection. So, I cut a piece of thick MDF board to replace the top and built a tap tower using the plan...

I'm thinking of replacing my CO2 regulator for a few reasons. 1) There's a slow leak somewhere in my system that I haven't pinpointed yet, but I suspect it's somewhere in the regulator. 2) The pressure valve requires a screwdriver, and I'd like something with a knob. 3) Along with the other two...

I have a 30 plate chiller with a march pump set up for the wort side. I was thinking of hooking up a submersible aquarium pump on the water side so I can put it in a bucket of ice water and recirculate the water back into the bucket (thinking green - less water waste). I ordered a pump, but...

I'm planning on brewing a Honey Rye Porter. I have my basic recipe set, but I've never brewed with honey before. My research has led to all sorts of options, including adding at/near flameout, adding to the cooled wort, adding in secondary, or adding to the keg. From what I understand, if the...

I'm going to be hosting a beer tasting party and need a scorecard to handout. The invites for the party were auctioned at our church auction, so I anticipate most people will be craft beer newbies, so something that won't be too intimidating but still help guide through the process would be...

I'm going to be hosting a beer-tasting party soon and was hoping from some advice from people who have hosted a tasting before. The party was auctioned at a church auction, so I'm going to be getting a variety of people tending with different experience and different tastes. I think the best...

I've been having lots of trouble with leaving trub behind in the kettle. Before I launch into it, I wanted to have one disclaimer: I know that it is not harmful to have trub in the fermenter. I know it will fall out of suspension during fermentation. What I do worry about is pumping a bunch...

I decided to use gelatin for the first time to clear a kölsch I brewed recently. I put the fermenter in my keg fridge to cold crash, got it down to about 40 degrees F, and added the gelatin. About 24 hours later, I have a sediment clinging to the sides of the fermenter (see photo). Is this...

I use an 8 gallon kettle with a ball valve with bulkhead. I hook the valve up to a pump and plate chiller. I've been having trouble getting the last bit of wort out if the kettle without picking up break material (which is especially problematic with all the material from BIAB brews ). After...

I'm trying to come up with a layout for my brew log (I like to keep a paper nearby to take notes, but want to be consistant and organized). So and I thought it might be fun - if a little self-serving - to start a thread of what everyone notes in their own brew logs! So, feel free to post what...

I'm going to be brewing this Saturday morning, but I just realized I won't be home on Friday until at least 11pm. This has made me consider my options for timing my yeast starter. In order to pitch at noon on Saturday, is it better to getting the starter going late on Friday night (and...

I clearly have a CO2 leak somewhere, as the last two times my canister has run out before finishing two kegs. After the first time, I redid all the Teflon tape on the regulator, manifold, and lines and did the "soapy water" test and had no bubbles. I noticed while I was picking up more Teflon...

For my next batch I was hoping to make an extract Tangerine Saison. The concept came to me and I like the idea, but I've never brewed with peels. What do you guys find is the best way to utilize Orange or Tangerine peels? What I'm finding from searching recipes are two basic ideas: 1) 1-2 oz...

My current setup includes a boil kettle with ball valve that I connect to a pump that pushes the wort through a plate chiller and into the fermenter. I use muslin bags for hops and any steeping grains. I mostly extract brew, but just completed my first BIAB. No matter what, I always end up...

A while ago I inherited some used equipment, including this older Megapot. I've been thinking about transitioning to BIAB, and I'm wondering if it is big enough to handle the full volume. I've calculate the measurements and it is 8 gallons right up to the rim. I usually do 5 gallons into...

I bought a couple Corney Kegs (along with a bunch of other gear) and started kegging for my last two batches, and it's made my life so much better. I'm wondering how often I should replace the poppets on these kegs. The former owner had put print-out labels on the sides of the kegs with the...