Is that a hydrometer in your pocket or are you just happy to see me

how did you prime the bottles - add sugar to a bottling bucket?  or did you use carb drops (sugar "pills" added to each individual bottle)?

answer to this question is the former…thanks for the detailed reply, will noe for next time!

Space wrote:
Look at this cool guy. Word is he makes some great sours!

I've heard he's got a great wine collection….

in case anyone here is looking to get into homebrewing, wants to see what the local club is about, or just drink some (and possibly a lot) of homebrew.  free!

DC Homebrewers
Are you ready? Our October meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 17 at WeWork Wonder Bread in Shaw. This is for all our usual meeting attendees – but also the perfect month to join us if you've been thinking about coming but haven't made it yet or are considering starting to homebrew. We'll have food, beer, educational info aimed at new brewers and a raffle for some beginning brewing books and supplies!
WHEN: 6:00-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17 (Note: This one starts earlier than usual)
WHERE: WeWork Wonder Bread Factory (641 S St. NW) in Shaw
SPECIAL NOTES: We're focusing on new members and new brewers for this meeting – but we want all the regulars to come too! We'll have finger foods and a keg provided by WeWork in addition to the homebrew and commercial beer you all bring to share. Special educational information for new brewers – plus you'll be entered into a raffle for some beginning brewer basics just for showing up!
PLEASE RSVP: https://dchomebrewerstakeoverevent.splashthat.com/

sweetcell wrote:
in case anyone here is looking to get into homebrewing, wants to see what the local club is about, or just drink some (and possibly a lot) of homebrew.  free!

another opportunity to check out the local club, meet some really nice people, and drink a ton of free and creative beer (do NOT drive to this ;D).  i seriously can't think of a better way of spending a wednesday night.

DCHB OCTOBER MEETING – FOCUS ON NEW MEMBERS
This is our meeting focused on welcoming new members. That means everyone should come! If you're on the email list and have been seeking the right time to finally show your face, join us in October! If you have friends who might be interested in the club, invite them! If you already come every month, don't miss this one!

Plus, we'll have a bit of education from Michael Tonsmeire (DCHB member, Mad Fermentationist blogger, Sapwood Cellars co-owner, and genuinely nice guy)! (also author of "American Sour Beer", AKA the sour beer bible)

Our beer theme is autumn beers, but all homebrews (and ciders and meads) are welcome!

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Iron Horse Tap Room – downstairs (507 7th St. NW, Washington, DC)

If this is your first meeting, our meetings typically go like this: Please buy stuff (food/beer) from our hosts for the first 30 minutes or so of the meeting until we make announcements, and then we'll open up the homebrews. Please do not bring in outside commercial beer or food, and please tip your servers. Most people bring anywhere from two bottles to a growler of homebrew to the meetings. But even if you don't have beer that's ready to bring this time, you're welcome to come. Once homebrew tasting is open, it's pretty casual – just meet and greet and sip. If you have specific questions about brewing or about your beer, just ask! Members are glad to give feedback and suggestions. We have many BJCP judges among the membership if you're looking for a critical evaluation as well.

LEARN TO HOMEBREW DAY
The American Homebrewer Association's Learn to Homebrew Day will be celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 3 this year. We're set to do a brew demo at Atlas Brew Works in DC




More info about DC Homebrewers Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DCHomebrewers/

^ tomorrow night.  go drink some homebrew.

sweetcell wrote:
^ tomorrow night.  go drink some homebrew.

If I weren't coughing my lungs up and I didn't have homework and cooking duty and if it didn't mean a second trip into the city….ah, someday I'll go.

sous vide brewing!


So this is different…
Brewing beer tomorrow and I need to propagate 186 billion yeast cells for fermentation. This strain of yeast has to maintain 75 degrees minimum for 24 hours to get to that number of cells. I believe this would be much like creating a sponge for bread making. My Joule saves the day!

nice! 

some homebrewers are even using sous vide to mash (specifically, to maintain mash temps).  it can be rough on the - what do you call that contraption?  whatever the generic name for a Joule is… anyhoo, can be rough on it because mash liquid (liquor) contains sugars and proteins that can accumulate in the device.  they were designed for water, only, but some folks still use then in this off-label fashion with success.  personally, i would be sleeping on the couch for a week if the missus discovered that i dunked our Joule into wort…

ok sweets…looking to get back into homebrewing after taking some time off.

I really need to invest in some equipment, but not sure where best to focus my meager funds

What is your opinion of the BrewJacket could help a lot during fermentation
Saw this on CL for $100 https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/app/d/fredericksburg-chest-freezer/6865472867.html

Also looking at some conical options for the fermentor

Or should I be looking at an Electric kettle

If you were to invest in 5-10 gallon brewing where would you find the most bang for the buck
and then what should be the on-deck purchase that I should be saving up for next

Sïdehätch wrote:What is your opinion of the BrewJacket could help a lot during fermentation

if you need both heating and cooling, brewjacket is an excellent investment.  i was about to purchase some myself, until i figured out that i don't need cooling (my basement is a large walk-in fridge, year-round).  will definitely improve your beer.  an issue to keep in mind is that the brewjacket isn't compatible with all fermentors - glass carboys are a no-go.

Sïdehätch wrote:
Saw this on CL for $100 https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/app/d/fredericksburg-chest-freezer/6865472867.html

that's also a good setup.  however, it doesn't provide heat, and you want to be able to warm your beer in a controlled fashion:
- when fermentation starts, the beer heats up due to yeast activity (this is when you want cooling).  but as fermentation peaks and starts to wind down, you want to maintain temps lest the yeast go dormant prematurely - so you need to add a little heat.
- some beers, like belgians, benefit from slowly ramp fermentation temps (start normal/cool, then ramp up a few degrees a day starting on day 3, until you hit your target temp and hold there).  actually, i do a version of this for all my beers.  daily ferm temps might look like 66, 66, 66, 68, 70, 72, hold until end of fermentation.

solution in this case is pretty easy: get a heating belt (ex1, ex2) and a two-stage controller that does both heating and cooling.  plug fridge into cooling control, plug heat belt into heating control, and put fermentor in fridge.

the ability to add heat is a nice-to-have, so not a deal-breaker.  you can also "manually" add heat by opening up the fridge and letting warm air in, but air isn't the best transmitter of heat.  also requires staying in top of it, regularly checking temps to determine if more warm air is needed, etc. 

Sïdehätch wrote:
Also looking at some conical options for the fermentor

then maybe your funds are so meager after all… ;D

conicals are amazing, but get expensive fast - especially when you factor in heating and cooling.  but they are the cadillacs of fermentation… some day i'll win the lottery and get myself some.  until then, i'm really happy with these (which in turn are a cheaper version of these).

Sïdehätch wrote:
Or should I be looking at an Electric kettle

i'd get temp control first.

Sïdehätch wrote:
If you were to invest in 5-10 gallon brewing where would you find the most bang for the buck and then what should be the on-deck purchase that I should be saving up for next

top 3 priorities should be: sanitation, temp control and pitch rate.  i assume you have sanitation under control (all hail Star San), and you're working on temp control, so next up is pitch rate - which means getting an erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate.  then use a pitch rate calculator.

good stuff man…knew I came to the right place

in case anyone is looking for a kettle: this 14 gallon badboy is on sale today, $120 (instead of $150) with coupon code "BEERDEAL".  this is their deal-of-the-day, limited quantities, so jump on it not now, but RIGHT NOW.  great value.

sweetcell wrote:

Sïdehätch wrote:What is your opinion of the BrewJacket could help a lot during fermentation

if you need both heating and cooling, brewjacket is an excellent investment.  i was about to purchase some myself, until i figured out that i don't need cooling (my basement is a large walk-in fridge, year-round).  will definitely improve your beer.  an issue to keep in mind is that the brewjacket isn't compatible with all fermentors - glass carboys are a no-go.

sidehatch, if you're serious about the brewjacket, here's a very rare opportunity to save:

"As of this posting AHS is discounting most orders based on order size. Spend $50, get $10 off. Spend $150, get $30 off. Spend $250, get $50 off.  No coupon code is required, savings will be automatically reflected at checkout.  The BrewJacket qualifies for the full $50 off."

brewjackets never go on sale, it's one of those deals where the manufacturer makes retailers all sell at the same set price.  as i said, i seriously considered these devices and tracked their price for a while - never saw a sale.

another AHS deal to jump in is their Cereal Killer grain mill, if you're looking to get into all-grain. 

see this is why I'm broke…I let impulse take my credit card and swipe away
but free shipping and that beerdeal coupon made it feel like an offer I couldn't refuse

I've been looking for a decent kettle for a while….so this was coming regardless

sweetcell wrote:
"As of this posting AHS is discounting most orders based on order sizeThe BrewJacket qualifies for the full $50 off."

Welp…I had a $500 budget…and I pretty much just blew it
Hope I actually start brewing again!

the LHBS by me has a grain mill you can use after you buy your grain…

Damn you Sweets!

so..the Anvil fermetor…not out of the box compatible with brewjacket ;(

They make a lid for the SS one
https://brewjacket.com/collections/immersion-pro-for-flat-bottomed-fermenters/products/ss-brewing-technologies-flat-lid-7-gallons

So think I'm going to go with the
Big Mouth Bubbler® EVO 2 - Siphonless 6.5 Gallon Glass Fermentor
Brewjacket makes one that works with the Glass one

https://brewjacket.com/products/big-mouth-bubbler-lid-universal-glass-and-plastic

that anvil one was sexy tho…

So all said and done….
Brewmaster Brewing Kettle - 14 Gallon
Big Mouth Bubbler® EVO 2 - Siphonless 6.5 Gallon Glass Fermentor  (w/ carrying harness)
The BrewJacket Immersion Pro Temperature Control System  (w/insulator for carboy)
Big Mouth Bubbler adapter from BJ

I had a $500 budget on this project…came in at $465….almost enough to by one batch of grain and hops for 5 gallon batch

Sïdehätch wrote:
see this is why I'm broke…I let impulse take my credit card and swipe away
but free shipping and that beerdeal coupon made it feel like an offer I couldn't refuse

I've been looking for a decent kettle for a while….so this was coming regardless

you got a great deal on that kettle.  at it's full price it's a good deal.  and with a little help from FermCap, you can do 10 gallon batches.

Sïdehätch wrote:
the LHBS by me has a grain mill you can use after you buy your grain…

if you want to drive down the cost of a batch, you buy your grains in bulk (50 or 55 lbs sacks).  you can pay well below $1 for basic base malts, fancy stuff like marris otter might cost you ~$1.40.  to do that, you need your own mill, and enough space to store the grain.

easy savings to get into are bulk hops (source1, source2, source3, plenty of others).  use a vacuum sealer (which you already have for sous vide, right?) to store them without air, and keep in freezer.

Sïdehätch wrote:
so..the Anvil fermetor…not out of the box compatible with brewjacket ;(

sucks indeed.  i have a neighbor who's a metalsmith, he's got a damn foundry in his shed.  he had offered to cut my anvil tops while i was still considering the BJ.  ended up going the heat-only route.

Sïdehätch wrote:
Damn you Sweets!

just tryin' to help.


happy brewing, you definitely stepped up your equipment!

sweetcell wrote:
top 3 priorities should be: sanitation, temp control and pitch rate.  i assume you have sanitation under control (all hail Star San), and you're working on temp control, so next up is pitch rate - which means getting an erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate.  then use a pitch rate calculator.

So I'd like to work on my pitch….

What is your opinion of these fast pitch options?

Been hearing good things on quality, time savings and cost
So can I do this with out and Flask and stir plate? (eventually, I'll get there)

Can't I just put it in a sanitized container and then just give it a good shake it for 5 mins?

Sïdehätch wrote:
What is your opinion of these fast pitch options?

I still think more people have a problem hitting a good slider, to be honest.

Sïdehätch wrote:
So I'd like to work on my pitch….

What is your opinion of these fast pitch options?

Been hearing good things on quality, time savings and cost

i haven't used those, but
- quality: they look good.  be sure to sanitize the tops before popping 'em open so you only get the goodness inside.
- time savings: definitely.  between boiling and then cooling my own starter liquid, it can take 30 minutes or more (but i multitask, it's not 30+ minutes of constant work.  i will typically cook dinner or wash the dishes while making a starter).
- cost: eh, doesn't win this one.  looks like these cans come in at $13/4-pack, and allow you to make 4 liters of starter.  for the same price,  you can buy DME to make 15 liters (or more, if you buy it in bulk).

depending how often you brew, what your budget is, and how valuable your time is, these things can (!) make a lot of sense.

you need to add sterilized water to these cans (i wouldn't use direct from the tap).  cheap solution: if you have an electric kettle, put half a liter of water in there, boil it in advance, let it cool, mix with room-temp can, and boom.

Sïdehätch wrote:
So can I do this with out and Flask and stir plate? (eventually, I'll get there)

Can't I just put it in a sanitized container and then just give it a good shake it for 5 mins?

yes indeed, you can do that.  a step up would be the "intermittent shaking" method: shake it as often as you can (not just the first 5 minutes, but ideally many times, say once an hour, the more the better).  i have an old growler that i use for this method when my stir plates are full.  everyone in the house knows the drill: if the growler is on the kitchen counter, pick it up and give it a shake every time you walk on by.

the more you shake/agitate the starter, the more cell growth you'll get.  on that pitch rate calculator, there is a drop-down for Method of Aeration: none, intermittent, and stir-plate.  you'll note how when you shift between these methods, you'll get more cells for the same amount of starter.  essentially, shaking makes you more efficient, and stir plates are the most efficient (since it's continuous stirring).

so stir plate = need less starter.  depending on the beer and the age of the yeast, you might need more than one can to get the right cell count.  so you can save money by making sure your yeast is fresh = need less starter.