http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2014/05/update-building-recirculating-draft.html
Have to build one of these, especially since I’m finally getting around to purchasing some real faucets.
Be the first to comment
Food and Drink Archive
Homebrew Finds: Update: Building a Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump
Posted May 15, 2014 By Landis VAdvanced Mashing Techniques | MoreBeer
Posted May 2, 2014 By Landis Vhttp://morebeer.com/articles/advancedmashing
Up way too late reading and trying to get ready for a brew day tomorrow in a short time window. I thought I had my partial mash recipe set, but I did not. Nice article here, a good compliment to Palmer’s How To Brew.
A few open tabs
Posted April 3, 2014 By Landis VTime to close some browser tabs that I’ve finished reading and either found interesting or might want to come back to in the future.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/brilliant-outdoor-ideas A few handy garden and outdoor enjoyment tricks for little money.
http://johnwilsonbach.com/2014/03/24/gubmint-cheese/ Just an interesting read, struck a chord.
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php Mr. Malty, starter process I used for my Wyeast 1388 for my BOMM mead (starter recipe came from the BOMM as well).
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/refractometer-correction-325828/ Thread on refractometer calculation adjustments after fermentation has begun.
Filed in Food and Drink, Government, Lawn & Garden, Links, Mathematics | Tagged: brewing, reference, tips and tricks
CraftBeer.com | Current Issues
Posted February 23, 2014 By Landis Vhttp://www.craftbeer.com/breweries/support-your-local-brewery/current-issues
There’s a lot of room for improvement in laws surrounding craft and micro-scale brewing. This link will allow you to quickly sign up for email notifications pertinent to legislation in your state with implications for the craft/micro brewing industries.
Bray’s One Month Mead – Home Brew Forums
Posted February 12, 2014 By Landis Vhttp://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/brays-one-month-mead-429241/
After making my mead this past weekend, I still have around 12lbs of honey left. I ran across this recipe in the past and thought I had bookmarked it; I hadn’t. Doing so now, as this seems like another interesting possibility to try out with my remaining honey.
DIY Stir Plate Build
Posted January 25, 2014 By Landis VI recently posted a link to a DIY stir plate build and needed to get started on my own list to keep track of supplies I have, supplies I need, and where I’m at in that task. (Note: As of 2/5, I completed this mostly with equipment I had on hand.)
Part List
List of parts and prices for the build.
- 120mm Computer case fan
- Had on hand, typically available for <$5 if you look (techbargains.com, slickdeals.net)
- Erlenmeyer 2000ml flask
- (Purchased) Amazon $14.25 (10-Jan-14)
- Epoxy
- JB Weld, had on hand, Menards $4.67/Amazon $6.64/Wal Mart $4.67
- I was surprised to discover that this stuff apparently does actually contain steel. While affixing the washer to my fan, I observed a small finger of the blended epoxy creeping out from under the washer and towards my magnet. I’d suggest marking the position of your magnet(s) and centering based on your marks, and not attempting to assemble with the magnets in place. Otherwise, you may find them epoxied in place!
- JB Weld, had on hand, Menards $4.67/Amazon $6.64/Wal Mart $4.67
- Misc hardware (nuts/bolts/washers for table attachment/standoff)
- Had on hand. Used rubber anti-vibration pads that came with the case fan I replaced with the one I had on hand. I just set the table on top of the fan on the side with the rubber pads protruding and approximately center it.
- Neodymium/rare earth magnets
- (Purchased) Amazon Qty 10 1/2″ x 1/8″ disc $7.89 (10-Jan-14)
- Stir bars
- CHI
- 1″ (500ml to 2000ml containers) $4.25 (25-Jan-14)
- 1.6″ (recommended for 1000ml to 1 gallon) $5.00 (25-Jan-14)
- (Purchased 26-Jan-14) 2″ (recommended for 1-2gal containers) $6.65 (25-Jan-14)
- CHI
- Table to support Erlenmeyer flask above fan
- Had on hand/made from a ~10″ square piece of plastic, probably about 1/8″ thick, that came from one of those old lights that uses the heat from the bulb to turn an impeller (propeller? should look this up I guess) to cast a rotating image on walls/ceiling through a cellophane medium.
- Washer (large)
- Had on hand; if you don’t, less than a buck at the local hardware.
- 12V Power supply
- I had one of these on hand that already had a power switch, and had the quick wiring disconnects so I could just tie it right onto the red and black leads from my fan.
- Potentiometer
- I picked up a potentiometer from Radio Shack to allow me to control the speed, but I’m not sure I’m going to need it.
Build Process
The build process is more or less as described in the original article I linked to. I simply centered the large washer on the hub for my case fan and glued it in place with J-B Weld epoxy. As I noted, J-B Weld does appear to actually contain some steel, so I recommend mounting the washer without having the magnets stuck to it. Once the epoxy hardens, gently place the magnets on the washer approximately across from each other, spin the fan, and try to balance it as well as possible. I found that you can place the stir bar across the magnets directly and it helps to visualize how well it will be centered above the fan hub, and ultimately how efficiently and quietly the stir plate will operate.
Below are a few build/post build pictures.
Video of initial test
Bev-Seal Ultra 235 Notes
Posted January 24, 2014 By Landis VReason and Purpose
When I first started to consider the process of fabricating my own keezer, there was a great deal I didn’t know and many components with which I was unfamiliar. I did know that vinyl tubing has a tendency to influence the mediums it transports, and I wanted to get an idea how much influence “beer line” typically has upon its subject. It was this threadHBT60380 which first introduced me to Accuflex’s Bev-Seal Ultra Series 235, and from there I was off to the races. I’ve reached the point where the amount of information I’ve accumulated on this product is worthy of its own post, which will hopefully allow me to take a little bit of noise out of some of my other marginally related posts, instead substituting a link back here.
Description and Characteristics
Bev-Seal Ultra Series 235 tubing hoseThomasnet is a flexible barrier tubing manufactured by Accuflex. They describe it as a truly flushable dual barrier product allowing quick flavor changes, even for pungent flavors. It utilizes their trademarked Glas-Flex polymer inner barrier liner, which they claim is “flushable, glass-smooth, non-porous, non-absorbent, non-reactive, taste-free, FDA sanctioned, and NSF51/NSF61 accepted.”Accuflex Kal on the Homebrew Talk forums vouches for these characteristics with independent testing of water left sitting in distribution lines. HBT60380 At the time that thread began, this product was unavailable in 3/16″ ID – which tends to be highly suitable for the short runs commonly found in home built distribution systems – and apparently remained that way for several years.
Forum thread discussing/recommending use of 3/16″ Bev-Seal to reduce foaming, especially on shorter runs and recommendations on how to install.
For 3/16″ ID tubing, 2PSI restriction per foot (necessary for balancing the distribution system), and volume of .18oz per foot (nice to know so I can tell how many ounces of flat beer I might get in a pour after a long rest) per CHI 24-Jan-14. At least one source indicates this is far higher than the restriction rate they have found, reporting restriction of .45PSI.
Part number for 3/16″ID series is 235-05620-XX, where XX represents line numbering and/or color on the tubing.
A typical Part Number is 235-08620-XX for a 500 ft. spool of 3/8” size tubing, where “XX” indicates the number to be imprinted (use “00” for unnumbered tubing). The color coding is in the form of colored strips 120° apart, and number and color coding is as follows: XX = 01 – Blue; 02 – Black; 03 – Red; 04 – Green; 05 – Yellow; 06 – Orange; 07 – Brown; 08 – White; 09 – Pink; 10 – Purple; 11 – Blue; 12 – Black; 13 – Red; 14 – Green; etc. Thomasnet
Footnotes
Accuflex: Accuflex Bev-Seal Ultra product catalog, retrieved 24-Jan-14, LV
HBT60380: Homebrew Talk forum post documenting testing of a variety of tubing types and their impact on flavor, retrieved 24-Jan-14, LV
Thomasnet: Thomasnet spec sheet for Accuflex products, retrieved 24-Jan-14, LV
