Hey,
Ive been lurking here for years! I love all the info on these forums.
I live in a small apartment, so all grain home brewing has been difficult. I started with the cooler mash tun and march pump. I made great beer but it took too long with cleanup and I couldn't get a hard boil on my stove top.
Here comes BIAB to save the day! I have a 20 gallon or so SS kettle and a propane burner. Now I just heat up my total water volume to strike temp (which I've realized needs to be only a few degrees above my desired mash holding temp because of all the extra thermal energy the large water mass has when compared to the typical 1 to 1.25 quarts per pound).
For wort chilling I use a immersion chiller with an added copper whirlpool arm. My god this is better than my old plate chiller. I chilled my wort down from boiling to 67 in about 9 minutes. I shut the pump off and let it settle for 15 minutes or so and drain straight into my fermenter. Everything seems much more simple, easier to sanitize and with less risk of clogging anything with an immersion chiller. I got the big boy, 50 foot - 1/2 inch with whirlpool arm. I love DIY stuff but Ive seen a lot of fussing with copper and its too expensive to kink and wreck your coil. So I snatched it up for a fair deal with free shipping online. Read up on how more hop aroma is saved with quicker chilling times in conjunction with the entire quantity chilling at once. , this red ale I brewed with centennial and cascade commercial quality hop aroma and flavor Ive never achieved before. Thanks new chiller! (and Jamil's whirlpool chiller design)
Now comes fermentation. I wanted temp control. I found this great little display fridge that perfectly fits my 8 gallon wine fermenting bucket. I use a Johnson digital temp control ( I debated wiring my own controller to save a few bucks but found a better deal on the Johnson online w/ free shipping and saved the hassle). I am currently cold crashing a red ale at 35F and that's about as low as it wants to go at the moment. Ill transfer bright beer to a keg in a couple days. I add gelatin after a diacetyl rest and then crash cool.
The pic of the west coast style red ale is day 8 or 9, grain to glass. When I use both whirlfloc and gelatin as finings, I get fast turnaround beer that is super fresh.
Ive been lurking here for years! I love all the info on these forums.
I live in a small apartment, so all grain home brewing has been difficult. I started with the cooler mash tun and march pump. I made great beer but it took too long with cleanup and I couldn't get a hard boil on my stove top.
Here comes BIAB to save the day! I have a 20 gallon or so SS kettle and a propane burner. Now I just heat up my total water volume to strike temp (which I've realized needs to be only a few degrees above my desired mash holding temp because of all the extra thermal energy the large water mass has when compared to the typical 1 to 1.25 quarts per pound).
For wort chilling I use a immersion chiller with an added copper whirlpool arm. My god this is better than my old plate chiller. I chilled my wort down from boiling to 67 in about 9 minutes. I shut the pump off and let it settle for 15 minutes or so and drain straight into my fermenter. Everything seems much more simple, easier to sanitize and with less risk of clogging anything with an immersion chiller. I got the big boy, 50 foot - 1/2 inch with whirlpool arm. I love DIY stuff but Ive seen a lot of fussing with copper and its too expensive to kink and wreck your coil. So I snatched it up for a fair deal with free shipping online. Read up on how more hop aroma is saved with quicker chilling times in conjunction with the entire quantity chilling at once. , this red ale I brewed with centennial and cascade commercial quality hop aroma and flavor Ive never achieved before. Thanks new chiller! (and Jamil's whirlpool chiller design)
Now comes fermentation. I wanted temp control. I found this great little display fridge that perfectly fits my 8 gallon wine fermenting bucket. I use a Johnson digital temp control ( I debated wiring my own controller to save a few bucks but found a better deal on the Johnson online w/ free shipping and saved the hassle). I am currently cold crashing a red ale at 35F and that's about as low as it wants to go at the moment. Ill transfer bright beer to a keg in a couple days. I add gelatin after a diacetyl rest and then crash cool.
The pic of the west coast style red ale is day 8 or 9, grain to glass. When I use both whirlfloc and gelatin as finings, I get fast turnaround beer that is super fresh.
