I just bottled and kegged an amber ale last night. The last hydo sample I tried was great. I expect it to taste the same in a couple of weeks with the only change being it's now carbed.
The alcove I framed out under the bar allows for 4-5" on all sides of the fridge. So far no problems w/ventilation.
I used a 2' section of flexable pool pump hose I got at the hardware store to enclose the lines from the top of the fridge to the tower. I then bought some foam pipe...
Been brewing Kolsch beer for several years now and I've noticed that the 2565 holds on to its krausen longer than a typical 1065 yeast.
I have a washed 2565 that is 3 years old. It takes another day on the stirplate to wake it up but it has preformed great for me. In fact, the last Kolsch I...
Patience grasshopper....
I wouldn't worry about it. Keep that Kölsch yeast at 60º for another week then take a gravity reading to see where it's at. I also wouldn't worry about the bucket and lid. As long as you don't keep opening it, the headspace should be mostly CO2.
Lately I have...
I've been brewing beer since 1993 and use bleach and water for sanitation. I rinse all my carboys, tubing, racking cane, air locks, bottling wand, etc. with tap water before using it.
I've never had an infected batch.
RDWHAHB....
I was the same for a 5 year stretch. I would pass 1-2 two stones a year. Then, it went away and I haven't had one now going on 6 years.
I had been trying to pass a stone for a week by popping pain pills and drinking water. It just wasn't working. I went on the the web and found a found a...
That's all I used to drill my keg. Use some machine oil to help the bit cut and use enough pressure to let the bit do most of the work.
Also, a metal punch and a hammer helps make a starter dimple so the pilot bit doesn't walk around when starting.
I'd suggest going bigger on the brew kettle to a 15.5 gal converted keg or a 20 gallon kettle. That way you can do 10-11 gallon batches in the future when you decide you want more beer without having farted away money on a 10 gallon kettle. :D
+1 on all of that!
I also like software because I can keep detailed notes of a brew session from brew day through fermentation, bottling/kegging, and tasting notes. I like being able to compare with beers I brewed several years ago.