Recent content by laughingboysbrew

Thanks! I know I'm over thinking this... I'm thinking I might as well skip the fining and crashing steps since second fermentation/conditioning will need to be warmer anyway. Most basic homebrew instructions don't include a crash until it's already bottled and conditioned. Usually hop/trub has...

Our current large batch process works great for carbonating in brite w/stone. Ferment out, cool to 60, dry hop (if required), crash to 32/35, adding finings and then transfer to brite for CO2 conditioning I also do traditional cask conditioning, but I rack beer to cask off of the fermenter...

I've been using some mid-range WineXpert kits with mixed results. For the most part my whites are excellent, but the dry reds are, IMHO, super acidic. They burn going down. I haven't been measuring pH/TA since I assumed it was "good to go" from kit. However, I'm going to be measuring now...

I think it depends a lot on your false bottom as well. If it's really good, you won't run into stuck mash, so you can run more through the pumps without worry. Lots of people stir during recirc as well. I am using Blichmann kettles with their false bottom and it's awesome. Nothing gets...

Thanks all. The BK/HLT heating separate got me thinking. I only have a 30A system, but can do this easily. What I plan to do now is: 1. Heat/Hold HLT at ~6 degrees above mash temp (3F loss over time, 3F higher than mash) 2. Pump strike water to BK 3. Heat BK to dough in (higher) temp 4...

Curious other peoples kwirky processes to handle hitting their mash temps. For example: 1. Heat HLT to 1-2 degrees above strike temp 2. Transfer to MT (1-2 degree loss) 3. Mash in, heat absorption...results in mash temp 4. (now my HLT is ~10F above mash temp). I've also thought about...

just an update... I soaked 15 gallons of StarSan in the BK over night. I drained and the stainless was sparkly clean. The remaining grub was minimal and came right off of the element with a light brush of my hand. A buddy of mine soaks PBW in his MT and BK overnight. I might do the same next...

Just out of curiosity, if you continue to slow the wort down to almost nothing, is 90F the coolest it will ever get? Also, do you know the temp of your cold water? Is it ground temp ~50F ? If I slow my flow down to a trickle, it'll get down into the low 60F high 50F range. Even at a...

Agree 50%. :) Slow down wort, but have as much new cold water coming through as possible. Otherwise, slow cold water will heat up as it travels and will transfer less heat out over its distance.

Love it. Yes 3/8" or similar size. I run hose from outside full blast and then adjust ball valve on kettle (gravity) while watching the output temp. From 200F+ to 60F, 10 gallons takes about 30 min

Brewed my first batch on my new 20gal system (Blichmann kettles) Everything went great, except for underestimating my efficiency. (87%) :) Any tips on cleaning? I recirculated my sparge water through my HEX so to flush any sweet wort out. Otherwise, don't think the HLT needs any...

Doing a test run on my new 20 gal E-HERMS system...sitting in the driveway...havin' a brew...so I thought I'd share my set up. Most of the brew equipment is based off Kal's setup (bought the HEX coil from him) The brew panel runs off BCS and is based on EBrewSupply kits with some tweaks...

Thanks! Here's my brief summary/confirmation (I'm new to ladder logic): 1. Set configuration to force BCS Alarm to Reg10 2. Via Ladder Logic, wire Reg10 to Output5 3. Via Ladder Logic, wire DIN0 to Reg10 *OUT5 is my buzzer *DIN0 is my input Then, anytime I "alarm on state change"...

I've got the input button wired, just like you mentioned. My biggest 'challenge' is that there just are not enough states to get through some of the hop profiles I have. I'm also programming similar "Heat to Boil" and "Maintain Boil" states. 100% and 75% respectively. Did you find the...

I've got my BCS box all set up and I'm working through the configuration. Curious how others have done their boil/hop workflow. I have a buzzer hooked up to an SSR/output that I'd like to leverage to alert me (in case the computer goes to sleep). If I have a process called Boil/Hop and it...