Thanks! I agree, it'll be nice when it's full. I have 1 cornie keg full of American pale ale, and then i'll fill the other two with the West Coast Blaster. I pitched two different yeasts (Wyeast American Ale 1056 in one, and Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale). Should be interesting to see the difference between the two.

[Edited on February 27, 2011 at 8:47 AM. Reason : .]

2/27/2011 8:45:28 AM

*Fermentation update*

The Irish Ale yeast are MONSTERS! They blew my airlock off sometime last night and I just put a blowoff tube in the carboy. The 1056 American ale yeast is looking good too. Airlock is bubbling away. I put them in the upstairs bathtub and ran some water to help keep them cool in this heat. They're pretty happy at 68 degrees right now it seems.

2/27/2011 10:27:12 AM

way to go bobby, that is awesome.

2/27/2011 1:20:12 PM

Sorry all for my blog-style posts, lol. I've been quite bored this weekend other than while brewing

Any of you guys ever made a small beer from the 2nd runnings of your mash? I had quite a bit of wort left in my mashtun after it was all said and done. I probably miscalculated my water volume at some point, haha.

[Edited on February 27, 2011 at 2:04 PM. Reason : .]

2/27/2011 2:04:12 PM

care to give a rundown on your kegerator build? it looks solid, i like the black on mahogany stain.

2/28/2011 8:11:58 AM

I would like to revisit the aforementioned notion that this thread needs WAAAAAY more pictures

2/28/2011 9:20:58 AM

Sure, I can do a quick rundown of my build. As stated on the previous page, I started with the 3 keg standard ball-lock kit from KegConnection. I upgraded to a nicer dual face regulator & also upgraded the faucets to Perlick Stainless Steel. $458.50 for all this shipped.



I got the 7.2 Frigidaire from Lowes for $249



Next, I built a collar for the freezer so that I could fit another keg on the compressor hump inside. I bought two 8"x10' Cedar boards (~$10 each) (they were pretty much the cheapest boards at Lowes and looked/smelled better than the cheaper "whiteboard" pieces they had. Lots of people go for a nicer oak board, but these are MUCH more expensive at almost $30/board.

I put 2 coats of Minwax Red Mohogany stain on the collar and 2 coats of clear to help give it some shine. The 2nd coat really helped. In retrospect, the Red Mohogany on Cedar is a little bit darker than I would have liked...I was hoping for more of a red hue, but it still looks great!



Next, I took the lid/hinge off of the freezer. I put a layer of window weather stripping along the entrire top of the frezer walls. Then I sat the wood collar on top of this weather stripping.



Using small metal brackets, I secured the collar to the freezer with a few screws directly down into the top of the walls. I only used 1 metal bracket on the left and right sides (2 total). This seemed to hold it in place very securely. I suppose you could put a bracket on all 4 walls if you wanted.

Next I sat the freezer lid on the collar, making sure to line it up evenly. I drilled small pilot holes and then secured the lid hinges to the wooden collar using small wood screws. Surprisingly, they hold just fine.

Then I drilled the 7/8" holes in the front of the collar for my tap shanks. After this was complete, I was able to bolt my shanks right up to the collar and attach the taps to the outside.



The final step was to mount my temperature controller. I screwed my analog Johnson temp controller to the back of the collar and drilled a small hole through it to fit the temperature probe through and into the freezer.

This was basically it as far as construction goes. The final step is to put your kegs and CO2 tanks in and get all of the lines hooked up! I finished all of my screw holes with 3/8" wooden plugs that I stained to match the rest of the wood. These covered all of my screw heads and made it look MUCH better.

As I said, I started drilling the hole for the 4th tap that I plan to eventually get but then realized I hadn't bought it yet I finished drilling it through and bought a nice chrome hole cover from Lowes. It was in the drawers with all of the other misc. nuts/bolts.



[Edited on February 28, 2011 at 10:17 AM. Reason : .]

2/28/2011 10:12:23 AM

Great job! There's also a really good writeup on this months BYO magazine. Maybe i'll post some pics of my inferior keggerator sometime later this week. It's brand new, but after your post I already feel the need to replace it! I do take pride in the tap handle though, which I fabbed up myself.

On an unrelated note, what happened to all the dudes that were posting in the first pages of this thread? Did their livers finally give out?

[Edited on February 28, 2011 at 2:53 PM. Reason : .]

2/28/2011 2:27:14 PM

I agree, where is everyone?

I've got a few tap handles in the works as well...I just need to find a drill press as they're made of steel, lol.

2/28/2011 4:50:22 PM

I plan on making some tap handles out of White Lab vials. I just need to buy another one so I can get started. Looks pretty cool, I'll probably do one with malt and another with hops:




also, I was getting some crazy temp differential in my kegerator. Like 15 degrees difference top vs. bottom. My solution was just to add a computer fan to get air circulating in there. I'm waiting on a couple corney kegs and I'll be ready to hook everything up. Got a Hazelnut Brown and a regular Lager waiting to be transferred.

[Edited on February 28, 2011 at 5:01 PM. Reason : d]

2/28/2011 4:59:33 PM

awesome guys!


cracked open my first coffee oatmeal stout tonight after work. It turned out very well except there is little to no head retention. I have a feeling this was caused by the oils from the coffee grains. It's carbonated to style and tastes great, the mouthfeel is a little light but other than that and the head retention i'm very pleased.

2/28/2011 6:25:10 PM

Sweet! I'm looking forward to brewing a porter next.

2/28/2011 7:07:18 PM

Vanilla Porter is next on my list...

But that Coffee Oatmeal Stout sounds awfully good.

3/1/2011 7:28:50 AM

^^^probably just need a bit more crystal or wheat in the recipe.

I haven't brewed since December and it's getting to me. I think I'll have to do the Cascadian Dark Ale at the end of this month before Spring time hits.

3/1/2011 1:01:29 PM

Is it Cascadian Dark Ale or Black IPA?

I prefer Cascadian Dark Ale.

3/1/2011 1:24:28 PM

whatever it is it is definitely the new "it" thing for breweries. seems like last year it was bourbon barrel aged this and that and now it's black IPAs. I'm all for them, it's just funny to see how trends catch on and then are mimicked throughout the industry in no time.

3/1/2011 2:12:06 PM

^^American-style India Black Ale per BJCP

^actually the Black IPA started the year before the bourbon barrel I think, but yeah, the trends get picked up pretty quick.

I think this year it's the year of the fruit. I've seen tons of oak-aged in barrels with wine added and fruit like cherries and raspberries in like every unique ale so far this year.

[Edited on March 1, 2011 at 3:45 PM. Reason : .]

3/1/2011 3:42:02 PM

I'd never had a Cascadian Dark Ale, so I just stopped by Sams Quickshop in Durham (I live in Durham). They have the most ridiculous selection of beer I've seen.

Picked up 22oz. RJ Rockers Black Perle Dark IPA.

Tasting notes:
Very black in color. Has a nice piney/coffee and fairly malty flavor. Heavy roasty flavor as well. I really dont taste the hops in this.

Slight fruity/floral aroma. It has a very thick mouth-feel and a dry finish.

Overall, I like it, but it's a bit too bitter for me.

3/1/2011 4:00:46 PM

Reading this thread always make me jealous and excited.

Going to try home brewing myself this summer when I move into my new apartment.

Going to have to find a beginner's kit and a good guide.

3/1/2011 4:25:22 PM

^^Deschutes Hop in the Dark & Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous are both great examples and widely available. If you can't get that try Victory Yakima Glory, Odell's Mountain Standard, or Avery's New World Porter are all good as well. Good Black IPA's have roasted malt flavor but aren't as bitter as a stout or porter. If it was bitter it wasn't true to the style.

[Edited on March 1, 2011 at 5:17 PM. Reason : .]

3/1/2011 5:16:05 PM

what is the Black IPA that is brewed in Spartanburg SC? I heard its fantastic but can't remember

3/2/2011 11:38:33 AM

RJ Rocker Black Perle Dark IPA?

3/2/2011 12:11:19 PM

i think thats it. i want to try it...i hear its pretty solid. plus, the more local the better

3/2/2011 2:53:58 PM

^LOL, see my crappy tasting notes (the notes, not the beer) 6 posts up. I picked one of those up yesterday.

I stopped by Bull City Homebrew in Durham today. Tiny shop, but they have a pretty decent selection of the essentials. Their prices were pretty competitive with American Brewmaster. I did notice they're about $5 cheaper on their Star San.

I picked up a few 5 gallon better bottles for my West Coast Blaster.


[Edited on March 2, 2011 at 3:42 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2011 3:37:54 PM

^oh haha i am blind.


well i just picked up everything in my grain bill for my "watchamacallit" brew on pg 17. i upped the grain bill to 18lbs of 2 Row, and subbed Victory malt for Special Roast. also ditched the Fuggles. I'll figure out what i want to dry hop with when its time.

hope to get this started on Sunday!


*also used Crystal 80L instead of 20

[Edited on March 3, 2011 at 4:35 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2011 4:34:08 PM

^That sounds like it's going to be awesome!

I finally tapped my cornie keg of American Pale Ale (extract) that I brewed a few weeks ago.

I'm not impressed. At all. It's WAYYYY too bitter, and just doesnt have a good flavor at all. Pretty much all of my extract brews have turned out horrible, so I'm hoping my all-grain batch turns out at least drinkable.

3/3/2011 4:54:05 PM

good luck!

I think i'm going to brew a simple "lawnmower beer" this weekend. Just an american wheat to have on hand once that first real week of spring hits and everyone's outside grilling, playing cornhole, etc.

That and my 10gallon kettle isn't here yet so this will be an easy recipe to do partial boil and hopefully retire my tiny kettle



6lbs Wheat LME
1oz Willamette (60 min)
1oz Cascade (15 min)
2# Orange Blossom Honey (either at flame out or around 120 degree)
Wyeast #1010 American Wheat

OG:1040 but this will be bumped up with the added honey. Looking for an ABV of around 5.2%

3/3/2011 4:56:40 PM

n/m.

[Edited on March 3, 2011 at 5:27 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2011 5:25:41 PM

after thinking about it....

should i do this instead

6.65lbs Wheat DME (8.3 LME)
.5lbs Crystal 15 (steeping)
1oz Willamette (60 min)
1lbs Orange Blossom Honey


that might be a little better.

3/3/2011 6:40:35 PM

haha, yea, i edited it out, but i would put 0.5lb of steeping grain just to keep it from tasting too syrupy, Crystal 15L should be perfect. you read my mind.

and i think you left out the Cascade at 15min. but i'd keep that in there for some aroma other than malt

[Edited on March 3, 2011 at 6:52 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2011 6:51:32 PM

yeah i did. I will have an aroma addition. Trying to decide if I want to do Cascade or something else.

3/3/2011 7:02:34 PM

well if you had some left over Williamette you could throw that in at flameout, or maybe something like Centennial, I think that's what BCS uses.

3/3/2011 7:54:37 PM

So, I just poured another glass of my stupid bitter Pale Ale. I decided to add a bit of honey to the glass and stir...it actually tastes much better now...almost good

Is it a bad idea to add some honey to the corney keg? It's already chilled/carbonated in my kegerator....but if possible, I feel this could save my 5 gallons of bad beer.

3/3/2011 8:10:06 PM

Or should I use lactose?

3/3/2011 10:45:20 PM

no, please don't put lactose in a Pale.

i'd just mix it with different beers. you also need to determine if it's infected or not, if not, you can just try letting it age or try to re-ferment with honey and water, maybe add some coriander or orange peel to it. i dunno.. i wouldn't dump it tho.

so first, let it sit for another couple weeks to smooth out
second, if it's still bad, mix it with a good dark beer.

[Edited on March 3, 2011 at 11:20 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2011 11:18:13 PM

I think I'm going to use .5oz instead of 1oz of cascade at the 15 minute mark. Plugging this into the recipator it will keep the IBUs around 22 which is right in line with what american wheat should be. 1oz bumped it up over 30 and I don't want that.

3/4/2011 7:54:49 AM

Good call. So I can re-ferment a beer after I've already carbonated?

You think a pale would mix well with a porter? That's my next planned batch.

3/4/2011 10:54:34 AM

Just leave it sit for a couple weeks longer and see if it mellows out. If not, combine it with a stout or porter and make your own Black & Tan, that's what I'd do. So a porter or stout would be perfect. You could also reduce the carbonation a bit to help reduce the bitterness flavor. Sometimes if a beer is too carbonated it can accentuate the bitterness.

Reading your previous post it just sounds too bitter, which isn't an indication that it wasn't fermented completely, so I wouldn't try to re-ferment, and it gets very complicated once the beer is already carbonated.

[Edited on March 4, 2011 at 12:36 PM. Reason : ,]

3/4/2011 12:31:41 PM

well the girlfriend has spoken, and i'm glad she is interested as it was my plan to brew with her this weekend. She likes the recipe but wants to add fruit to it.

I told her no apricot or blueberry since Purple Haze and other blueberry wheats are widely available. So we're thinking either peach or rasberry. based on BCS a puree is the best method, added to secondary of course.

Peach is the winner. going with (1) 3# can of peach puree. pumped for this now!

3/4/2011 1:40:14 PM

 

[Edited on March 4, 2011 at 1:52 PM. Reason : .j.sjfjsdlgjl;dsjfjhsdl;gjsdl;fjs;dljgskf/sa/fm.s/f,m/s.dmf./sa;fla]

3/4/2011 1:51:39 PM

^^There's also Great Divide's Wild Raspberry Wheat that's widely available.

Peach should be interesting.

3/4/2011 3:26:06 PM

do you ever use Jamil's Mr. Malty yeast pitch calculator? It always seems to suggest making starters that seem way too big for a 5 gallon batch. What is your normal DME to Water ratio per Wyeast smack pack?

I think i'm going to do 1/2 Cup of DME into 1 Quart Water

3/4/2011 7:13:17 PM

and man did I luck out, my Wyeast culture was packaged Wednesday (3/2). Talk about fresh. This thing should propagate an insane amount. And the rain is supposed to stave off till Sunday, can't wait to get the burner going outside tomorrow

3/4/2011 7:49:22 PM

^^ROT for ales I use is 1/2 cup per 650ml, converted to quarts I think that's roughly 3/4 cup of DME per quart. I think lagers and high-gravity ales it's 1.5x the DME, so 1.1 cups of DME per quart.

3/5/2011 6:03:32 PM

^^^and yea, the Mr. Malty quantity of starter is really high, you can get 180billion in 1 liter or less, and it looks like as an example it's saying 1.8 liters..

3/5/2011 7:41:15 PM

I went with 4 oz (1/2 cup) in 1 quart. Had great starter activity.

Brew day went perfectly, hit all my gravities on the nose. (SG of 1.054 actually 2 points high). Chilled down to a perfect 70 and pitched the starter. Already had activity when I left tonight and put the blow off tube on bc I expect lots of activity. Will post some pics Monday!

3/5/2011 9:41:02 PM

^nice!

..and in response to yeast pitching, I used these two links from northern brewer to set up a spreadsheet that tells me how many cells are required and the best way to go about it (size and whether or not you've got to step it up. From different websites and books i've come across I've found some conflicting numbers on exactly how many cells/ml/P you really need though.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/YeastPitchingRates.pdf
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/YeastStarter.pdf

For the pilsner lager we brewed last weekend we needed like 600 billion cells according to the equations in the links above

3/6/2011 10:59:45 AM

Brew Day! happy brewing.

3/6/2011 1:10:09 PM

PICS?

3/6/2011 4:08:45 PM

Blow off tube was spewing when I swung by today, temp holding at 66 in the swamp cooler. This is going to be a beautiful beer I can already tell!

3/6/2011 5:24:00 PM