Recent content by benfarhner

Yeah, I've noticed that too. I give the hops a good punch down and stir when I add them to the filter. I'd rather just have the vigorous boil take care of that, though.

I have a custom stainless mesh brew filter from Arbor Fab, and it's a fantastic product. Very sturdy, large capacity, works great for pellet and whole leaf hops as well as other herbs and spices that I use. However, I've noticed that I don't get good boil vigor inside the filter. There's a...

Unfortunately I still haven't solved this problem. I can get by when I'm racking from a carboy, but if I'm racking from an open fermentor or a bucket, I have to ask my wife to give me a hand. I'm thinking about rigging something up with a stainless steel hose clamp for my upcoming bottling...

Yeah, that makes sense, like the root cellar idea. It would need to be heavily insulated to maintain temperatures above ~55 deg F, though.

It's not so much about the cost as it is about the challenge :) That's a good point about the volumes, though. I wonder how fast 5 or 10 gallons drops in temperature in a 55 deg F room with yeast actively working... I do that have book, so I'll have to study the style histories more closely...

Alright, this question might be a little bizarre, but does anyone have any resources on the history of fermentation temperatures? I haven't picked up a copy of Yeast yet, so I don't know if that has what I'm looking for, but I haven't had much luck with online research. Basically, I'm curious...

Which technical classifications are you referring to? I don't see "Chocolate Stout" or "Coffee Stout" listed as distinct styles in either the BJCP or GABF style guidelines, but maybe I'm missing something. In any case, this beer will defy classification :)

Yeah, I'm honestly not expecting any flavor contribution other than roastiness. I suppose it is more of a gimmick, but I figure, what's the fun in homebrewing if you can't brew a weird batch for kicks at least once? :)

I was leaning towards food grade (i.e. suitable for human consumption, not just pet consumption), just to make sure I'm getting a good quality product. That's why I was looking online. But if I can find a local pet store with good quality live crickets, that's also an option.

I'm alternating "normal" brews and experimental ones this year, and this is one of the experimental ones :) I'm a fan of thinking outside the box, though. If I did dry-hop, it would be after roasting, which would effectively pasteurize/sanitize them. I am leaning towards mashing, though. I'm...

Alright, I know this is a bit out there, but it's been done. There's a local nanobrewery that does a lot of experimental batches, and they did a small 5 gallon batch of "Cricket Stout" for their anniversary party last year. Unfortunately, I got there late and the keg was already kicked... But I...

Just wanted to follow up and post my results. I'm a bit surprised that I couldn't find anyone else making dip tubes like this, though I'm sure others have. I purchased a 1/2" OD tube bender from Amazon that has a 1-1/2" bend radius, and used sections of the 50' heat exchange coil for the...

That's good to know. However, I noticed the bottom 2" or so of my kettles curve slightly inward, which would put all my fittings at an angle, so I won't be drilling anything that low anyway.

Excellent advice. I'll be making a brace today and picking up more bits to finish the job.

Well, I feel like a dummy trying to use a hand drill now. I was definitely going too slow :o I set the drill press on the slowest setting, which is a lot closer to what the chart linked to above says, and it went through right away. Much easier pressure and direction control too, of course...