Recent content by markag

I started simple with the build. I'm focusing on the keg side to make sure that will work before I add any more into it. Total investment in this box is about $17 for a single sheet of 1-1/2 foam board. It can hold 2 corny kegs, or one keg + CO2 cylinder. The fridge was free, & I still need to...

I share the same concerns about the ability to keep both chambers cold with that counter-top mini fridge. I received the fridge from a former home brewer who said they used it to cool a single fermentation chamber, and it previously did it without issues. Not sure how it will hold up under these...

I put together a 3D model of my concept. Picture is attached below. The mini fridge supplies cold air to the keg side, and then there would be a temperature controller with a PC fan to supply cold air to the fermentation chamber side. The "son of a fermentation chamber" design uses a baffle to...

I just got my first corny keg for my birthday a week ago, and I'm currently planning out my kegging setup. I'm on a tight budget for this, but have a plan and wanted to share and document what Im thinking of doing, and get your feedback. I picked up a bar top mini fridge from a guy I work with...

Brewhouse efficiency is 68%. 24 hours in, and my fermerntation is going strong... Blew the bung off of my 7.5 gallon fermenter, even with a 3/8" blow off tube.

I got a bunch of new brewing equipment for Christmas to step up into 5 gallon batches. Previously, I had been making 1-2.5 gallon batches on my stovetop, all grain pseudo BIAB / batch sparge. Well, I got a 10 gallon kettle, propane burner, 52 quart cooler & I spent some pocket change...

I loved bamberg when I was there last year. I brought home a six pack from the schlenkerka brewery in Bamberg from my trip. I was somewhat surprised to find it in a local brew store. I'm also able to get kulmbacher pilsner and another variety locally, and I was in Kulmbach for a day when I...

I actually bought 4lbs extra grain (for a 2.5 gallon batch). I held them off to the side, and did the Westy like normal. Then i added in the 4 lbs to the mash tun, and did a second mash for 30 minutes with everything in there. I ended up with a 1.036 dubbel pre boil, and 1.072 post boil with 10...

Going back to the partigyle planning... I bought my grain today. For better or worse, this was my method in working out how much grain to get. In beersmith, I figured out how much grain I would need for a 2.5G batch (that's the size I'm limited to currently) of the 2nd beer I am aiming for...

My plan was to add some brown sugar to the 2nd batch. That would boost it up, but I also don't want to start with to little. I guess I can see what my pre-boil gravity will be.

Has anyone used addition runnings on the mash to make a low gravity version of this recipe in parallel with the Westy 12 batch? I thought I read somewhere that westvleteran does this to make their lower gravity beer. I'm brewing a westy 12 clone in a couple of weeks (2.5 gallon batch), and im...

wlp400 & Wyeast 3944 seem to be the same from what I've seen. My dad grows hops, and I think centennial is one of the strains that he grows. I could possibly swap them out and adjust the amount to maintain 15 IBUs. One thing I'm not certain of is when to add the raspberries. During Mash...

Hey guys. My dad and I are planning out our second annual Christmas season brew day. He's been home brewing for 2 years, and he got me started on it a year ago with a brew day when I was visiting him between Christmas and New Years last year. We both have been all grain brewing, BIAB style with...

I made a 2.5 gallon batch of this in June. It was my 3rd ever brew. I really jumped in with both feet with a temperature controller and shoestring budget water bath temperature control setup utilizing aquarium pumps and aquarium heater. My water calcs were way off, and when I checked my OG, I...

I've got a 5 gallon igloo cooler for my mash tun. In my previous batches, I've used my a secondary kitchen pot (or two sometimes) to heat my sparge water. I drain the mash tun into the boil kettle, then did a batch sparge with my heated water. I generally just pour it over the grains, and then...