Bonny Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 Also, I finished off that keg of beer already. Picked up the ingredients for that recipe you sent me, so if you can figure a time to come up and visit, just let me know. I came to the rescue to help Tentacles finish that keg and was quite impressed. Tasty stuff. Can't wait to help out again.
Mumbles Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 Yeah, I did my math wrong. I divided by 1.8 when I should have multiplied. Well, looks like I need to go pick up a plastic spoon at the brew shop when I gather supplies, and a lagering carboy. Fuck it, the outdoor brew may have to wait until spring. I just remembered I have to go buy a propane tank, and that is a bit too much money for the time being. We are charcoal only in our grilling so I can't just leech some. The shiny factor of the SS just gets me distracted. As far as wine yeast, it depends on what style you want. It's like me, as a beer maker, asking where is it good to get Ale yeasts? It greatly depends if I want a stout, or a hefe-weizen, or double IPA or something like that. Figure out what you want to make, and shop around. Most places are pretty comparable price-wise. Probably no more than 50 cent price fluctuation. Styles guides for yeasts: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/strains.asp
tentacles Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 Mumbles: so why not boil it over a charcoal fire? Your pot may get a little black, but nothing that would damage it. Don't give up so easily, your beer needs you!
Mumbles Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 Eh, I'll just do it on the stove and blame it on my roomate turning the heat up while he was home alone. Charcoal is a bit hard to control for my 2nd batch of beer. I bet the guys at the brew store are going to be thinking I'm stupid for trying a partial mash on my second batch. I really should have started with a style I know well so I knew what it was supposed to taste like.
pyro6314 Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 So is aluminum alright to use or is there a myth that its bad for you? I dont want to take any chances...Although SS 2" pipe is about $25/foot at my local metal shop. Copper is nearing 30/foot for two inch. God damn expensive! Damn you all in your expertise in brewing. My goal is just to distill some neutral spirits...
asilentbob Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 I trust you have seen this:http://homedistiller.org/IMHO the best site out there for distilling information. I have some 1" copper pipe and some fittings in addition to enough 1/4" copper tubing to make a good stillhead... I could readily make it and put it on whatever container... but I'm holding out on the slim chance that I come into the possession of a SS keg... If its a Cornelius keg I'll try to clean it out and use it for homebrew... or if for some other reason it isn't suitable I'll make it into a fermenter or long term storage... (to experiment with toasted oak cubes?) Recently got a variable transformer for controlling the heating element(s) of a still.
tentacles Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 pyro6314: Not sure If I'd use Aluminum for a still, but it's safe to boil wort in. If 2" copper is that price at a metal shop, try a scrap yard. Some places will sell you scrap copper, although they may charge you double what they pay for it (which would make it like $4.50/lb). Otherwise try a plumber, or plumbing supply shop. 2" copper should be like $6-9/ft Silentbob: You could try finding a SS fire extinguisher for a still vessel. Maybe call a place that refills them and ask about ones that fail hydrotest. Offer them like $1/lb for one. Going to make my beer tommorow, hopefully Frank will be able to get up here for the day.
asilentbob Posted January 11, 2008 Posted January 11, 2008 Actually I have a 2.5gal SS one (5gal total volume). But I need it myself to be that much safer. But, that is an excellent idea!
pyro6314 Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 I did ask at the pluming shop for 2" copper. I asked for stainless at my local metal shop and it was just a little cheaper. I think I will go to the same metal shop's recycling yard to look tomorrow. What should I use for a thermometer adapter? Im hoping I will come across a used pressure cooker or turkey fryer for my boiler. I already built a nice copper condenser. Would it really be viable to turn it into a vacuum distillation rig? Is a valved reflux worth the extra effort to build or should I just use a packed column? Thanks
hst45 Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 What should I use for a thermometer adapter?Get a digital meat thermometer with a probe. At the top of your reflux head drill a hole and put in a rubber gromet, into which you insert the probe. Works sweet.
FrankRizzo Posted January 12, 2008 Posted January 12, 2008 One of these works great as well. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/Pr...spx?ProdID=5424http://www.brew-winemaking.com/productimages/5424.jpg
FrankRizzo Posted January 18, 2008 Posted January 18, 2008 Any brewing updates, guys? I just transferred a batch of English bitter from secondary to keg on Monday. It didn't clarify quite as well as last time, but it's definitely improving now that it's cold. Very tasty as well. Tentacles: How's that bubbling bucket o' goodness?
asilentbob Posted January 18, 2008 Posted January 18, 2008 I'm thinking about starting a few 1 gallon "pilot" batches of things this weekend. Perhaps go up to the brew supply. I rather liked a sassafras/sarsaparilla root beer soda we made before and carbonated via yeast. Thinking of upping the roots for more flavor/twang and adjusting the sugar to get I suppose 5% or 12% ABV. And well... Instead of white table sugar use molasses and dried malt extract. If it ends up horrible... I'll bottle it anyways and set aside... never know might age nicely. And its just a gallon.
crazyboy25 Posted January 18, 2008 Posted January 18, 2008 Root beer beer, interesting tell us how it goes.
tentacles Posted January 19, 2008 Posted January 19, 2008 Frank: It's been smelling like bananas while fermenting, and I decanted it Thurs night, it was at 1.011. Looks like it's at about 7.5% ABV right now. It was pretty cloudy when I decanted it, and my dumb ass started siphoning before draining the 2 cups of iodophor solution out, so I poured out a good liter and a half. There's still about 18L in the carboy, and in a week or so I'll decant into the keg and chill. I used a liquid yeast culture this time, the Belgian Ale (1214) from Wyeast. It's listed as sometimes starting slow, but it was fermenting within 1 1/2 hours! I'm going to be getting my hands on a small chest freezer in the next few days, to put the keg in. If the thermostat doesn't go high enough, I have a mini fridge that I can steal one out of. The plan is to get a chest freezer big enough for my pop machine gear and 2 kegs. And I have to mention, FrankRizzo's English Bitter is a damned good beer!
Mumbles Posted January 19, 2008 Posted January 19, 2008 So I had been reading about some beers for the past few weeks. IPAs sounded pretty good. I went looking for a few commercial examples to get what the taste should be like before attempting it. I had read about a commercial Imperial IPA from a local(ish) company that I really wanted to try, but had a hell of a time finding. It's called Big Eddy Imperial IPA. So I was at the store the other day and saw the words "Big Eddy" on a box, and it was in my cart before I could even think twice due to the higher price. So I get home, and I find out it's Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout, not Big Eddy Imperial IPA. If I wasn't such a fan of Imperial Stouts, and it wasnt so delicious, I would have been mildly dissapointed. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/710/39334
pyro6314 Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Well my water cooler bottle full of wash has been bubbling away for almost a week now. It's starting to slow down alot so now I need to get my ass in gear and build a still. WTF can I use a a boiler? A SS stock pot doesnt seem that sturdy and a pressure cooker is proving hard to find. Got myself a digital meat thermometer from Canadian Tire for $12 that goes up to 250*C and is accurate to 0.1*F/C. I went to the Metal Wrecking Yard and got myself 3 feet of 2" copper pipe for about $4 a pound (foot=about a pound) so $12 total. Just a little cheaper than almost $60 at the Plumbing Shop. How could I attach the column to a flat SS surface like the top of a pot or something. It would be nice if it was removable but apparently you can tig weld Copper to SS?
hst45 Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 How could I attach the column to a flat SS surface like the top of a pot or something. It would be nice if it was removable but apparently you can tig weld Copper to SS?It's pricey, but since you did so good at the salvage yard you should have some cash left for a brass flange. It'll be around $8.00 or $10.00. It's a plumbing professional store deal, not available at a homecenter, but you can get a cast brass 2" flange that you can solder to the 2" copper that has eight holes on the base. Cut a piece of rubber gasket material to seal between and boiler and the reflux head, bolt together with compatible nuts and washers, and you're in business.
Mumbles Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 You know pyro6314, generally these are the kind of issues that are tackled before beginning to ferment. It's obviously the more difficult task between throwing stuff in a bucket, and making a good distillation apparatus. I wouldn't start making a 12" shell, and then later ask how to make stars.
pyro6314 Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Well I am overly eager and optimistic that I would get my still done in time. Im not too worried about it. How well will a reflux column work without your water delivery lines for the condenser passing through the column?
tentacles Posted January 21, 2008 Posted January 21, 2008 I just placed an order for a 2 tap draft tower from simgo, $102. I'll be getting my freezer hopefully tommorow. Found a guy who will sell me another keg for $30!
markx Posted January 21, 2008 Posted January 21, 2008 How well will a reflux column work without your water delivery lines for the condenser passing through the column? You don't want to pass your cooling water lines through the column. It will disturb the equilibrium of the system and reduce the separation efficency of the column. What you want is an insulated column with a reflux head on top of it.
tentacles Posted January 23, 2008 Posted January 23, 2008 I picked up a chest freezer today, Its a 10cf unit by Danby. It should hold my 3 kegs and my wunder bar(soda wand) plus a box of syrup and the CO2 tank. I tore the carbonator and all out of it's mini fridge tonight in preparation. The 2 tap draft tower should be here soon!
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