My SL1 arrived and I love it. I picked up a poly push cart from Harbor Freight and a on/off foot pedal (dead man). For sanitizing cans I purchased a cheap fountain pump and a second foot switch (use with a 2 gal bucket). For filling from the keg I use the Last Straw (northern brewer). It’s...

Clever but evil.

I started with an 8 gal kettle thinking I would never need a larger kettle. The next was a 15 gal (blichmann) and the follow up was 20 gal. It never ends. Take a look at the "all in one" brewing pots like the Grainfather and the couple of clones. I picked up the...

I have an excellent recipe for Gluten free beer. My friend loves IPAs but developed severe Celiacs in his 40s. Here's the base recipe for 5 gal: 6 lb White Sorghum Syrup - Gluten Free 24 oz Honey 1 lb Rice Syrup Solids 4 oz Maltodextrin White Sorghum Syrup...

I ordered a tub of KegWorks no-rinse beverage system cleaner and got to work. I re-tasked my Blichman QuickCarb and sourced a 1/4 MFL to 1/4 MFL adapter to hook up the keg line. I'll run each line through the pump for 20 min. As an aside, the Blichman Quickcarb is a great piece of gear for...

For a 12 gallon batch I use 4 oz of chips soaked in enough makers mark to cover all of the chips. I pour the chips through a strainer and start the second batch soaking and take the strained chips and add to primary. When I rack from the conical to the aging vessel I add the second batch of 4...

Good info, thanks again!

Good copy Bob. Would Oxyclean do the trick?

I have mixed in the cherry puree (49 oz can) in the boil kettle after chilling (I whirlpool through a counterflow chiller). This yields a good blending of the puree with the wort. You could do the same by pouring the puree into the conical prior to pitching the yeast and stirring with a...

I keep a 2.5 gal keg pressurized with star san. When I kick a keg I hook up the sanitizer keg and flush the lines.

I take the bourbon chips and soak them in Makers Mark for two weeks prior to tossing them into the primary (conical). After secondary I add a fresh batch of chips soaked in Makers for an additional 3-4 weeks of oaky bourbony goodness. After 4 or 5 months in the keg or bottle I start to get...

For bottle conditioning I use the conditioning tabs (size of a cough drop) and have great results. For kegging I use the Blichmanm Quickcarb. I keg, pressurize the keg, chill for a day, and then quickcarb for 45 min at 10-14 psi. The beer is perfect. The trick for bottle conditioning...

The guy who taught me how to brew is the Walter White of beer (high school chem teacher). He talks about the absolute science from the boil through the chill and into the ferment. I just make beer that doesn't taste like it has been drank once. And I brew IFR (I follow recipes). Naming...

I started brewing in early 2014 with a brewing lesson from a friend. My first solo batch was in my kitchen and I soon built a sculpture to boil out in the driveway. After about a year of being outside I designed a brew kitchen in my basement and upgraded to a 20 gal 240v electric Blichmann G2...

I routinely add filtered water after fermentation. For instance, I have a grain bill for 15 gallons but want to use two 7 gal fermenters. My OG is 1.08 and the yeast will take it down to 1.01 (9.19 abv) or below. If I end up with say 11 gal of finished beer, I add 4 gallons of water (11/15 *...