Home Brewing

[satanboy]

Forever is a long time. I'm sure it will be good for years to come. I don't need a shiny metal fermenter to impress anyone, I don't get visitors.

but you can see your reflection in it

 

[satanboy]

Fermentation: Glass or Plastic?

The debate over which is better is as old as the hobby itself.

beerandbrewing.com

 

[biometrics]

@GreGorGy how do you clean the corny keg with the brew wash? Water and a kitchen sponge?

And why do they call the ball lock a "disconnect"?

 

[GreGorGy]

@GreGorGy how do you clean the corny keg with the brew wash? Water and a kitchen sponge?

I have a pump like those garden irrigation systems. Fill it with water and pump it through the lines till it comes out the other side. Then, I cut ti out line and let it stay in the keg. I give it a good shake. Then I drain it.

I repeat this process with my brew wash if everything smells fine. If not, I grab my no17 spanner and take out the two posts (beer and gas) and clean the spears while soaking the posts. I bought a reusable straw kit and use the brushes they have (fuck the straws). Then I rinse it all again and start at the top to make sure the smell is gone/

If the brew wash has done its job, I send it through the line and let it sit there for about 10 minutes if it is DESANA or just rinse through if it is sodium percarbonate. Instructions vary per product.

Then I repeat with no-rinse and then fill with beer if I am kegging.

If I am not kegging, I rinse again with water. When I do keg, I rinse and then do the scene with the no-rinse.

 

[biometrics]

I have a pump like those garden irrigation systems. Fill it with water and pump it through the lines till it comes out the other side. Then, I cut ti out line and let it stay in the keg. I give it a good shake. Then I drain it.

I repeat this process with my brew wash if everything smells fine. If not, I grab my no17 spanner and take out the two posts (beer and gas) and clean the spears while soaking the posts. I bought a reusable straw kit and use the brushes they have (fuck the straws). Then I rinse it all again and start at the top to make sure the smell is gone/

If the brew wash has done its job, I send it through the line and let it sit there for about 10 minutes if it is DESANA or just rinse through if it is sodium percarbonate. Instructions vary per product.

Then I repeat with no-rinse and then fill with beer if I am kegging.

If I am not kegging, I rinse again with water. When I do keg, I rinse and then do the scene with the no-rinse.

Ok your setup is a bit different to me. I checked this video and seems what I'm missing is a mini brush.

 

[GreGorGy]

That dude obviously likes hard work for little reward.

 

[biometrics]

That dude obviously likes hard work for little reward.

Explain? Doesn't seem more complicated that your description. Remember I don't have a beer line. Nor a pump.

 

[GreGorGy]

Explain? Doesn't seem more complicated that your description. Remember I don't have a beer line. Nor a pump.

You make a very good point.
I should have given it better consideration.
Laziness fail.
as you were then...

 

[biometrics]

You make a very good point.
I should have given it better consideration.
Laziness fail.
as you were then...

Did you get something like this?

Buy Faithful to Nature Straw Cleaning Brush Online at Faithful to Nature

Put the planet first with Faithful to Nature’s Stainless Steel Straw Cleaning Brush.

www.faithful-to-nature.co.za

 

[biometrics]

What diameter and length is your brush?

 

[GreGorGy]

Did you get something like this?

Buy Faithful to Nature Straw Cleaning Brush Online at Faithful to Nature

Put the planet first with Faithful to Nature’s Stainless Steel Straw Cleaning Brush.

www.faithful-to-nature.co.za

Ja - very much like that.

 

[GreGorGy]

What diameter and length is your brush?

No idea. Will check on the weekend. Straw diameter I suppose.

 

[biometrics]

[)roi(], when you pop in again, how do you measure IBU?

 

[biometrics]

No idea. Will check on the weekend. Straw diameter I suppose.

Yeah, TA has a 6mm and 9mm.

In the mean time Robert from YB replied to say just pump the wash through, it will be fine. I assume he means using the CO2. So he doesn't seem to think it's necessary. But I'd like to get it anyway. The 9mm is 24cm long.

 

[[)roi(]]

Awesome, thanks! Droid was great with the brewing info, and your kegging info is helping loads! Thanks to both of you. This thread has gone beyond all my expectations...

Pleasure bud. Glad to hear the info was helpful.

Good to see that quite a few have taken up the hobby... Nothing quite like enjoying your own brews + good luck with the kegging.

 

[[)roi(]]

[)roi(], when you pop in again, how do you measure IBU?

This by in large varies based on the hops you use and at what stage of the process it's added.

For example:
Adding a hops at the beginning of the 1 hour boil will extract most of the bittering acids contained in hops. Manual computation is somewhat cumbersome, hence most brewers use an app like Beersmith, or a website like https://www.brewersfriend.com/

For unlisted hops
You'd need the published details for alpha acids, etc. and then you'd create a custom hops item and Beersmith or similar app would calculate the IBUs (bitterness) tied to when its added -- maximum bitterness is typically extracted during the boil; whereas adding it in the fermenter, keg, .... typically imparts other flavour profiles e.g. fruitiness, etc...

To calculate this yourself i.e. in your own app... there's a few methods to determine the IBUs, for example:

1. Rager
2. Garetz
3. Tinseth

I've provided a link to the Tinseth method as that's a popular way to compute IBUs; you can lookup the formulation for the other two if you prefer that.

Related References:

1. https://www.homebrewersassociation....-boilwhirlpool-hop-additions-bitterness-beer/
2. https://homebrewanswers.com/hop-bitterness-and-calculating-ibu/

 

[[)roi(]]

Started working on my home distilling kit just before my trip to Singapore... decided to build most of it to avoid the expense of buying a still and to take advantage of some customizations that some youtube videos have suggested.

If you want to understand the entire process behind home distillation then I suggest watching videos from this youtube channel:

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCatCieEI4cPNteKXzBomVMQ

I started with freeze distillation which has reliably produced a way to fairly easily make some strong booze without too much hassle, but it doesn't quite get to the level of store bought whisky, rum, etc. hence I decided to go down the path of building my own still.

I'm still missing a few things to wrap up the build; delayed as i'm travelling ATM... but I'm hopeful to produce something good before xmas; good thing is I have my own oak trees, so part of the experiment will be to use dried out cuttings from my own oak trees to impart some of the color and flavour to my distilled alcohols.

 

[GreGorGy]

No sweat - it is great to have a single resource with like-minded individuals.

I will also try and document the BenoniBrew stuff if I get a chance. This weekend though promises to be a huge one so god alone knows how it ends.

OK - just a word of warning: the fermentor needs work. The lid is sharp-edged and I cut myself 3 times trying to fit the gasket which is 0.5cm too small. FFS.

The brew kettle is great. No more BIAB for me. The weekend was rough (birthday weekend, spent Friday getting fucked and Saturday feeling sorry for myself and Polly, who would not leave my side after I got home Friday night till I left for work this morning. She hates being left alone. Shame.

She did not help at all during my attempts to brew.

 

[biometrics]

OK - just a word of warning: the fermentor needs work. The lid is sharp-edged and I cut myself 3 times trying to fit the gasket which is 0.5cm too small. FFS.

The brew kettle is great. No more BIAB for me. The weekend was rough (birthday weekend, spent Friday getting fucked and Saturday feeling sorry for myself and Polly, who would not leave my side after I got home Friday night till I left for work this morning. She hates being left alone. Shame.

She did not help at all during my attempts to brew.

Huh, did you buy one of those fancy expensive fermenters?

 

[GreGorGy]

Huh, did you buy one of those fancy expensive fermenters?

Ja - for now. May return it if the cannot sort out the gasket.