Recent content by sibelman

fwiw, the built in tower cooling in my Kegco, which may have worked as @BryanEBIAB envisions, was of marginal effectiveness if any. (Of course, this could be a defect in my unit -- don't know for sure). I added a "ColdTower" unit and got much better results.

Reading this anthology of essays now, with something lighter to follow: Le Carre's Silverview

@betarhoalphadelta , I've recently read both the Stephenson and KSR books you described. Good stuff. I think I've read all of Stephenson's books. I'm not given to repeat reading, but I've read his Snowcrash and Baroque Cycle trilogy twice. Based on what you wrote, I've now reserved the Ariely...

Like @Clint Yeastwood, I enjoy beer over a range of temperatures. But there is such a thing as too warm, and too cold. My kegerator keeps all four beers at about 36°F even though each might have its own "ideal" temp. The beer in my room-temperature glass gradually warms as I sip (okay...

I've spent more at brewhardware.com than any source of brewing stuff, except for my long time favorite LHBS in Portland, OR where I get most of my ingredients. There are other fine suppliers, but Bobby's simply the best.

Perhaps not too much. It seems to me that oxygen, time, and temperature all change beer. But if any two of these factors are ideal, perhaps the third matters less. My experience is that beer changes over time -- even with good oxygen avoidance and low storage temperature. Also, some of those...

@Duffmyer, @IDMaynard's post suggests the possibility of skipping figuring out your current setup, and instead reusing its components in a new design. Perhaps a fork in the road... a substantial project either way.

Unexpected, for sure, though not shocking.

Not only is @dmtaylor right, but I understand there's wide variation in the intensity of various peated/smoked malts, making it harder to dial in the right amount. I've only used one type, once, years ago, in a porter. Side note: When I first developed an affection for single malt Scotch, I...

@Duffmyer, a solid state relay (SSR) switches power without a mechanical relay's physical contacts. When a mechanical relay opens or closes on a high-current circuit, arcing occurs that can quickly damage/destroy the contacts. SSRs and other solid state devices are thus strongly preferred for...

True, that.

This could be wisdom. Since beginning recirculating years ago, I have not seen any need to change yeast handling. However, that proves nothing except that this concern isn't big.

Or, maybe clean your compost bucket. Not everything in the natural environment should be ingested. Open fermentation with wild whatnot is one thing. But those Belgian monks didn't put spoiled food waste in their fermenters.

All joking aside, random food spoilage organisms may not be sensible things to deliberately ingest. If any animal products are part of your compost, I strongly urge you to drop this, erm, creative idea. And even if not, it seems highly dubious. Should you proceed, use greater caution than...

Yes, it's good if one can get the desired amount of (clear) beer at the end of the process. But this begs the question: does recirculating wort significantly reduce the trub in the kettle? in the fermenter? It could, unless the amount of material captured by recirculation is quite small as I...