beer What type of brewing do you do?

What type of brewing do you primarily do?

  • Extract Only

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Extract with Steeped Grains

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Extract with Partial Mash

    Votes: 3 33.3%

  • All Grain

    Votes: 6 66.7%
  • Total voters
    9
Steve973

Steve973

I am just wondering what type of brewing everyone does here. I would also like to hear about your equipment and any techniques or tips that you swear by.
 
I am an all grain brewer. I started brewing with a guy who had a lot of experience, so we began to do all grain brewing about a year after I started brewing with him.

I have a simple brewing setup. I use a round beverage cooler as a hot liquor tank, and another for my mash/lauter tun. I have a 10 gallon polarware pot for boiling. I have added just a few things to my setup for convenience, too. Both coolers have "kewler kit" ball valves, and I use a rotating sparge arm. I built a simple wooden stand so that I can take advantage of gravity: the HLT sits on the top level, the mash cooler sits on the middle level, and the boil pot sits on the bottom. I use a simple immersion chiller when the boil is done, and I have an inline oxygenator to give the yeast a kick. Everything is currently fermented in glass carboys.

I have found a few things that I swear by. I like to buffer my mash water and sparge water with Five Star ph 5.2 stabilizer. When my mash is done, I like to pull a "thin decoction" and boil it to raise my mash to 170 degrees for mashout. And I make sure that when I add my strike water and grains to the mash tun, I add them gradually and stir thoroughly througout the addition to make sure everything is very well mixed to avoid dry pockets of grain. A good yeast starter, oxygenation of the wort, and daily (or twice daily) agitation of the yeast in the fermenter are also really helpful.
 
Hello Steve, I never realized how much I didn't know about the subject until I read your post. I have no clue what you said.... I'm trying to find someone who knows how to make sake. I've always wanted to make my own to enjoy with my "sushi night". It sounds like you're a real pro at what you do.
 
Steve973 said:
I've never made sake, but this guide looks like it will at least put you on the right track:

http://www.taylor-madeak.org/index.php/2008/02/29/how-to-make-sake-at-home-a-taylor-made-g
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Thanks Steve. I just did a quick read of it and it looks easy. I'll have to figure out the temperature control, but the rest, I can do.

I live in Florida, in a one level house and the temps in my house only get to 50 degrees in the winter if I isolate a room and control it with a heater. I might use one of my rooms like that this winter.

That's a very good find!

Thank you for your search on my behalf.
 
If you can get your hands on a chest freezer, you can add a temperature controller and keep your sake at whatever temperature you like, and at any time of the year. The temperature probe goes inside the freezer, and the freezer plugs into the temperature controller, so it turns the freezer on and off to maintain your desired temperature. It adds the type of accuracy that you need for fermentation that the freezer's built in dial for temperature control cannot provide.
 
I'll have to put the Chest Freezer and Temperature Controller on my list of things I wish were sitting in my house. I do some shopping and see what I can find for a controller and I'll start looking for a chest freezer.

Also, I'm wondering if a Harsch Crock would work as the fermentation container instead of the bucket with a pressure valve. Seems like it would work. That way, I could use the crock for other veggie lactic acid fermentation during the times I need no sake made.

I could shop for a small freezer that an 8 gallon Harsch crock would fit in comfortably.
 
This is the type of controller you might choose for lagering or fermenting in a chest freezer:

http://www.kegworks.com/product.php...+controller"&gclid=CKfCs6LSiJsCFQdN5QodsXxIoQ

I would be careful about using a container in which you use "wild" stuff for fermenting anything else. If any lactic bacteria remains, it would ruin whatever else you try to ferment in it. It's worth having separate fermention vessels. Carboys work quite well (either glass or better-bottle brand plastic). And Oxyclean makes it super easy to clean them.
 
Steve973 said:
This is the type of controller you might choose for lagering or fermenting in a chest freezer:

http://www.kegworks.com/product.php...+controller"&gclid=CKfCs6LSiJsCFQdN5QodsXxIoQ

I would be careful about using a container in which you use "wild" stuff for fermenting anything else. If any lactic bacteria remains, it would ruin whatever else you try to ferment in it. It's worth having separate fermentation vessels. Carboys work quite well (either glass or better-bottle brand plastic). And Oxyclean makes it super easy to clean them.
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Steve, you are a wealth of information! I did a search on the controllers and found nothing as good as what you've shown me. I kept finding really expensive ones. The one you've shown me is the winner!

Now I'm on the hunt for a used freezer...

(If you send me a link to one my neighbor is selling, I'm going to freak out) :)

Thank you again for all your help. You've made this quick and simple. You've also shown me a way to stop paying so much for my sake!

That's a cool hint on the Oxyclean also. I've never used the stuff and it's good to know it actually works. I picked up a box of it at the store the other day and read it. I put it back because I thought it might be a "gimmic". I'll pick some up and use it now.
 
While I am at it, here is a link for both kinds of carboys I mentioned:

http://morebeer.com/search/102270/beerwinecoffee/coffeewinebeer/Carboys_and_Buckets

From the same site, some more temperature controllers can be found:

http://morebeer.com/search/102282/beerwinecoffee/coffeewinebeer/Temperature_Control

When you use oxyclean, just let it sit for a while, and it will do the work for you. But I would use this to clean stuff afterward, and not as a sanitizer or cleaner beforehand. Some options for that are on this page:

http://morebeer.com/search/102376/beerwinecoffee/coffeewinebeer/Cleaning_Chemicals

I particularly like StarSan and the iodine-based cleaner.
 
Steve, here's a question that will help me pick the freezer to use; The recipe calls for 3 gallons. Would I use a 3 gallon carboy filled right to the top or would it be better and safer to use a 5 gallon and have the remaining two gallons of space be there for bubbling or expansion or whatever? I have no idea of what to expect, so I don't know if a 3 gallon batch should be made in a larger container.

I'll need two carboys to allow for the 21 day brewing cycle. So I need know how much height and width I'll need for my containers in the freezer I'll buy. Perhaps it would be a good idea to buy a freezer that 3 of the carboys would fit in, just in case. Wheather it's height is good for a 3 gallon or larger is the question.

Is there a size of freezer that works really well? Maybe a certain cu ft?
 
imaguitargod said:
I would use the 5 gallon carboy, that way you won't need a blow off tube for the krausin.
Click to expand...
Krausen
Definition: Noun - The foamy, rocky head of yeast that forms at the peak of fermentation.

Thanks iagg, I had to look that one up. Yeah, that's what I was wondering about. I didn't want the foam to come out of the top and make a mess every time.

I still have a ways to go before starting a batch, so I'll post the parts I don't quite understand before starting one.

So I guess I'll look for a used chest freezer that has about 35 inches of inside height? Would that be enough for the 5 gallon carboys?
 
Steve973 said:
That will be more than enough clearance for the carboys and airlocks.
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Thanks Steve. I kind of pulled that number out of my hat. What would be the minimum height I would need to have the 5 gallon carboys with the airlock, (with whatever extra space is needed)? I can take my measure along with me when I look at them.
 
Dimensions can vary a bit from carboy to carboy. I would get dimensions from whichever vendor you will be purchasing your carboys from (online or local homebrew store) and add 4 or 5 inches for the airlock. If you buy your carboys at the local store, you could attach airlocks to the fermenters and get an accurate measurement yourself.
 
Thanks Steve, I'll PM you when I've found a freezer and have my equipment ready. I'll probably need some more advice from you as a seasoned brewer.
 
Is there a particular racking cane that is preferred for 5 gallon carboys? I found quite a few, but there are some major differences. Also, what size of tubing would be most suitable for sake? Half inch or larger?

Thanks again!
 
Just get whatever type of tube fits on the racking cane. I would also get the shortest racking cane that reaches the bottom of your carboy. Taller ones make it harder to start the siphon. To make things easier on you, get a siphon holder that fits into the top of the carboy and holds the racking cane, like this:

http://www.mdhb.com/popup_image.php?pID=3677
 
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