Recent content by bcales

I sold the Harley! Now, I'm planing an upgrade to my system (basic/intro setup). I am anxiously awaiting SS Brewtechs Electric setup, but figured I can work on upgrading post boil I am also looking at using the Glycol Chiller for cooling wort post boil. I know I can't use it directly, but I...

Just wanted to share what I've done. My freezer is in the garage and the outside temp has been ranging from 29 to 45 over night. Well my Johnson Control only works to kick the freezer on and cool, but how was I going to keep my carboys warm. I've read several posts about lamps, heaters...

What temp do the ceramic elements bring it up to?

I thought I'd share this...I was transferring my Stout into secondary and saw the cool marble look in the trub You can see more about it on my latest blog post http://tapthishomebrew.com

I wanted to get the oxidization higher on my 25gal but didnt want to waste propane. Im too nervous to fill it more. 25ga would be over 200lbs of water. I got far enough to hang my candy thermometer. I figured out an approx 1.47 gal per vertical inch. So that makes me at 147lbs and 17.5ish...

My test results... •Started with 7.5gal of 68deg water. •Hit boil temp at 43min a started 60min countdown. •5gal remain at flameout My plan... •Start with 8gal and once i boil down to 5.5gal-ish flame off...cool down will lose another 1/4-1/2gal Notes... •20"...

It is really big. I can just about sit in it. yeah....I'm going to test 5 gal batches - with adjustments, should work well. I do plan to do 10 gal and maybe 15 gal batches at some point, and then split it off with different secondary steps.

Well...I ended up with a 25gal Aluminum - very nice looking. I will be testing the boil off this week and will post my results. It is a 20" wide pot, so from the calculations I've seen, I'm expecting about 2.2 gph. Picture shows the pot with a 1 gallon jug and 16oz bottle for comparison

I just finished my chalkboard tap handle tonight....I think it came out awesome...Now to finish the set.

I too am looking at a 80qt or 100qt aluminum for my starting out on 5 gal batches. I plan to put a weldless valve on it too. 10 gal is roughly 15" dia with a 20 gal at 19" and 25 gal at 20". The only thing I can think is that it has more surface area to the burner and may have more boil off?

I built this from misc items. I say built because until i have my own lathe, piecing together is all i can do. There are two kinds of wood (oak and something). It fits a standard kegerator tap. Not sure if i should paint or stain, or if i am going to keep or sell. Just thought i would share. I...

I wanted a chalkboard tap handle, but after seeing the price of ~$39, I figured I'd try and make one. It took me about 45 minutes total, including the time it took me to figure things out and fix a few errors with the block top. I ended up using a router on the block, but it came with a design...

I'm looking at kettles from homebrewstuff on Amazon as well, specifically the 15 gal and 20 gal (Link Here). I am curious if anyone is using the large pots and if the thermometer is low enough if I wanted to do 5 gal batches for now.

My lowes and home depot don't carry it - best they have is red oak. I had to go about an hour away to an actual lumber yard.

Thanks. Yeah, I first cut length and width out of 1" maple. I made sure my board was long enough to make a second, just in case. I drew the basic shape (36" long, 4" paddle, 2" stick, 4" handle). I used a peanut butter jar lid to get the curves. Jigsaw cut it all out - I broke my fine blade, so...