http://joshthebrewmaster.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/how-to-make-belgian-candi-sugar/
I heard about making one’s own candi sugar from a friend today, so this made my list as well. I’m pleasantly surprised at how straightforward it is, and another item on the seemingly endless list of things one can learn without half trying once introduced to the hobby of brewing.
Note: This document is a work in progress and will change frequently. It’s my kegerator scratch pad if you like.
I got at least a portion of the components for my keezer setup this afternoon, along with a 40 gallon boil kettle and several carboys. Now we can really make beer, as well as some mead and perhaps some wine in the near future as well. Making a few notes on the buildout for the keezer. I don’t plan to complete a final build just yet as I’m only doing four pin lock kegs at present, but I don’t want to have to replace core components such as tubing when I upgrade. I figure it’s best to just start with fresh o-rings and gaskets in the kegs from the outset.
Article that led me to Bev-Seal Ultra 235.
Forum thread discussing/recommending use of 3/16″ Bev-Seal to reduce foaming, especially on shorter runs and recommendations on how to install.
Dip tube insert that allows reduction of serving pressure or line length
http://www.mcmaster.com/#74695a58/=qe6iu6, discovered from thread at http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/cure-your-short-hose-troubles-100151/index2.html. Isopropyl alcohol and/or boiling only to clean due to delryn decomposition (highlighted in several posts in the thread).
BYO article on balancing your distribution system. And another post from a fluid mechanics expert that points the way if I decide to get into the technical details and calculations for accurate determination of hose lengths, though I’m not sure how readily the information about the Bev-Seal Ultra resistance characteristics will be, and as someone else had mentioned it’s also possible that variance/inaccuracy in our regulators could cause a lot of the variations people seem to experience with line lengths.
Adventures in Homebrewing
Complete 4-keg pinlock system (excluding kegs and tank) for $382.99; can add 10# tank for $60. Part/item 4470-7, $382.99
O-rings, 5 sets, post and dip tube, $4.50 shipped – http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Homebrew-Beer-BALL-or-PIN-LOCK-Cornelius-Keg-Post-Dip-Tube-RED-O-ring-Kits-/151173485689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2332a45479
Good deal on set of ten gasket/o-ring kits for ball/pin lock on eBay, added to watch list; somewhat up in the air as I understand pin lock o-rings to be slightly thicker than ball lock.
Measurements of remaining open space with a fill equivalent to six pinlock kegs.
After a false start getting an old work junction box that was only two gang, and both too narrow and too deep for the way I wanted to set up my temperature control unit, I was able to get it mostly put together on Friday (31-Jan-14). I still didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but I was able to make it work. Ideally I wanted a faceplate with a rectangular outlet opening on one end and the other two spaces blank. Unfortunately they didn’t have such a thing at the local big box store, so I got a three gang cover with a rectangle on one end and two regular switch outlets in the other spaces. I chose this option so I wouldn’t leave any random holes or partial cutouts on the faceplate when I made the hole to mount the controller; its mounting hole will consume both of the switch cutouts completely.
The keezer temperature controller in a “test fit” configuration. I still need to add a connector for the actual temperature sensor, and I think I’ll get a 1/8″ phono jack and plug to accommodate this.
You may or may not have noticed that the mounting holes for electrical cover plates vary with the component installed behind them. The mount points in the junction box/gang itself are consistent, as all devices mount into them; this is why I wanted the layout I did, so that the space where I make the cutout for the temperature controller itself will mount directly to the box and the outlet space will attach to the outlet. They don’t appear to make (or the store didn’t have) a mounting assembly that I could use to adapt the gang box mounting holes to fit the narrower spacing of the light switch holes, so I bought a pair of the cheapest generic light switches they had ($.54 each) and removed the actual switch part, then slightly modified them to make two different types of attachment points (see picture below).
After picking up a few additional parts from Radio Shack to make the temperature sensor modular/disconnectable, I did some wiring this evening. I can hear the controller relays kicking, but unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be firing the heating or cooling outlets, so I have some troubleshooting to do.
1/8″ stereo jack to allow quick disconnect for temperature sensor. I could have used a mono to match the plug, but Radio Shack didn’t have one.
Soldering the 1/8″ male mono plug.
The solder job was better before I had to remove and redo it because I forgot to put the housing on the wires first.
Temperature sensor disconnect in place and wired to the relay.
Front view of the finished temperature sensor disconnect.
Temperature sensor disconnect with sensor attached.
Wiring the outlet. Note the split outlets (the removable bridge between the screws is… removed).
Wiring the outlets into the STC-1000.
Hacked together for a test run with a pigtail I keep on hand.
Final view of the connections. Unfortunately not working, but I think it’s an issue with the controler.
http://woodcookstovecooking.blogspot.com/2011/07/pressure-canning-on-wood-cookstove.html
Neat read. This is some food for thought if I ever get around to building an outdoor oven/cooking area, or if I’m able to some day come up with a few acres and a small cabin. I would likely be using some type of rocket stove in that case (perhaps in either case), but the principal should be sufficiently similar to be equally useful.
I’m not far into my brewing journey, but I am already hooked on the process. It’s a terrible hobby for me to get involved in, given the endless minutiae that can change the essence or the entire character of a brew. I can lose hours and days reading about the steps in the process, thinking about the optimizations of the mash temperature rests to optimize alpha and beta amylase (which others have doubtless already optimized far better than I am likely to be able to do, since they have a significant monetary incentive to do so!), and re wording countless measurements and statistics for each batch. I’m definitely not retaining everything I read, hear, or talk about yet, and I’ll probably never achieve a perfect retention, but I certainly find it interesting.
Along with that, there seems to come a natural tendency among most of the homebrewers with whom I am acquainted towards process optimization and efficiency and consistency improvements – which naturally lead to fabrication. This is a hobby which it is incredibly easy to spend an enormous amount of money very easily; on more than one occasion I have found myself contemplating the purchase of a TIG welder in order to “repurpose” old restaurant fixtures into brewing sculptures of innumerate purposes. It’s an ongoing effort of the will to remind myself that I can accomplish a perfectly adequate extract or partial mash with just the 22 quart pressure cooker I use as a kettle and the Darkstar burner I got with my starter kit from Midwest Supplies. Though I will need to get a funnel at some point to support easier transfer into a carboy if my plastic pail primary is full, and a large sieve would prove helpful if I end up doing a partial mash oatmeal stout again, and if I’m ordering those things I should go ahead and get the parts to make a dip tube for my bottling bucket, and… well, it keeps going along those lines. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the desire to have a kit on hand if I have the time and motivation to brew!
Taking into consideration the equipment I already possess, improvements in my processes that could be achieved with small purchases, a promising opportunity to be able to keg my batches with minimal upfront expense through an offer to borrow/barter, and charges for shipping, I have come to the realization that it’s time to establish a plan, or at least an outline, so I’m better prepared and more focused in the face of inevitable future purchases. Otherwise it’s simply too easy to look at the daily deals on homebrewfinds.com and find myself building a cart that I ultimately won’t purchase because I have no realistic plan or goal established for the purchases.
My goal with this post is fourfold: To establish a list of purchases I can foresee making, and a potentially dynamic order for making those purchases based on a combination of need, funds availability, and maximal value; to centralize a list of products I have seen that provide potential improvements in efficiency, quality, or experience, and what purpose or return would be achieved through the purchase (potentially in comparison to similar products and establishing a reference for the superiority of a selection to a similar product); to establish a price history for use in determination of optimal valuation; and to facilitate the reduction of value loss to shipping charges by consolidating multiple items when feasible.
I checked out a few table and spreadsheet plugins that would facilitate this, but none seemed to be the fit I was looking for (all of them left me thinking about simple tie-ins to Google Docs or much more complex builds using Xataface). Instead I think what I’ll do is just maintain a list here, perhaps tied into a spreadsheet at some point in the future, with links to pages that house the details.
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2416987/Misc%20Links/Comparing%20and%20Selecting%20Hops.htm
Comparison and description table for hops and grains
http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter12.html
I had been thinking about this very question for the past couple of days and hadn’t yet specifically searched it out, so it was great timing to run across this section of Palmer’s book. I will probably have to buy this one at some point if for no other reason than I keep running into it as a resource or reference as I’m searching. I’ve probably already seen enough value from the book to justify the purchase price.
http://morebeer.com/articles/building_a_brutus_10_brewery
Quick read, saving in case I ever reach the point where something of this size makes sense.
You are currently browsing the archives for the Food and Drink category.
