Ass!! WAH Haha!

This link gives some good guidelines. You will get a feel for it over time. I always hit my kegs with a small maintenance charge after pulling a few drafts. Just 10 lbs to maintain. http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/Kegging.pdf Oh ya, the CO2 will form smaller bubbles over a period of...

Smell might be diacytal sulfur? Rotten eggs? Mixed with Co2. If you got an infection from a wild strain all bets are off. I would let it finish and check gravity and sample. I had to toss a batch of IPA a month ago that I blame on myself. My re-use of a culture from another batch got infected...

In the end Evan, I just don't worry about it...run it dry and replace with another. Bottom line is buy a spare tank. I keep a 50lb bottle for charge and purging and a small 10 lb for portability.

I never tried salts until my last batch of Dunkel...it was the 5.2 buffer. The jury is out as to whether or not I picked up any efficiency. The brew did come in close (73%) but I attribute that to the 90 min boil giving me a higher OG? I guess I just splitting hairs trying to get the last few...

Be carefull ..I hope there's no preservatives in it that could kill a yeast culture?

Fair enough...I should have said I find them useless as I run my tanks dry and don't bother paying attention to them. When its empty I switch it out. The following is a quote from another thread, very good info. "The pressure inside a closed cylinder containing a volatile non-polar liquid like...

How big is your system Larry?

Holy CRAP BATMAN! What a system!! My partner and I got rid of all the big gear years ago. I started brewing in the early 80's shortly after the laws changed. We had a friend that did stainless fabrication and built a 15 gallon system out of Bud kegs. Sadly he moved and we ended up selling the...

I understand your urgency, but I would leave them in the secondaries till you have an available keg. Otherwise you could rack them as long as you purge them with CO2. I wouldn't recommend priming in a keg. Too many variables and lots of sediment and wasted beer. Storing is not a problem till you...

Ales are quick mike, about 4-7 days average in my primary and conditioning should be at least 3 weeks. My ales are there best at 4-6 weeks. Watching the krausen is a fairly good way to know your ferment is winding down. The best way is a wine thief and check the gravity. You will get a feel for...

The gauges are useless as CO2 maintains a constant till the tank empties. I have two and don't bother watching the high pressure gauge. When one empties, switch it out and I head to my gas supplier to get 'em refilled.

I'm going to start checking my mash pH on a regular basis. When I can get some money together I want to send off a sample of my water to be tested. I have been using a distiller to make H2O, but its time consuming. I have to resort to buying spring water; but its worth the money. Yes, I use the...

I think I found the answer? I am trying 5.2 buffer in the mash and as I type I'm chilling a Dunkel. My pre-boil came in @ a 1.043 for 7 gallons, this appears to be around 73% for 12 lbs of grain. Just checked my OG from boiler and came in @ 1.054. Not to bad. Finished a 90 min boil and got 5...

I have been keeping extensive records of my past brew sessions. Using the 5 gallon Igloo mash system I'm trying to get my brew house efficiency close to text book. I seem to a average 68-70%. I may be answering my own question; it appears the marginal results are due to over-crushed grain (more...