homebrewing

[skookum]

Hi,
Made some beer yesterday.
100 liter brew kettle with stainless valve and insulated with welding blanket.
7,5 kW propane burner.
Final gravity just a tad over 14 brix = specific gravity about 1.057
Used Hallertauer with 5,8% alpha acid for 90 min bittering hops
Herkules with 14% alpha acid for last 15 min
Made 70 liters
Run through 30 plate chiller right into carboy one pass
Safbrew S-33 yeast - 4 packs in canning jar that had been filled with malt/water, gone through the pressure cooker to sterilize before hand and made starter on stir plate stirring for about 5 hours
Will use 50 liter stainless keg for final product.

prost
skookum

Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[skookum]

Hi,
I sterilize all components to be used on cooled wort with an iodine bath - same goes for the carboy.
It gets swiched with 2 liters of iodine solution.
This gets dumped out befor filling.
Cleanliness is the name of the game.
As a brewer be prepared to do a lot of washing - and buy a pressure washer to clean carboys.

prost
skookum

 

[skookum]

7,5 kW burner has about 25 600 BTU which you need at least for a kettle this size to keep up a rolling boil with no lid on.

 

[skookum]

Using a stir plate to create a healthy yeast population before pitching gets fermentation going within about 2 hours - at least it takes that long to get the cap of the airlock moving noticeably.

 

[skookum]

Hi,
A tip on cleaning plastic carboys:
Fill the carboy 1/4 with water.
Add a pack of washing soda(soda ash) and disolve latter by rocking the carboy back and forth
Hot water makes this task easier.
When all is disolved fill carboy to brim.
Let sit for a few days.
Empty to half or less.
Scrub insides thoroughly with stiff bristled palstic or natural brush.
DO NOT USE SCOTCHBRITE - it leaves many tiny scratches in the surface that could later house bacteria.
Empty completely and blast insides clean with pressure washer - do this on your patio and not in your basement.

The spent washing soda solution is also very good for making grungy grill grates look like new before you finaly dump it..
Simply leave the grate in solution for a couple of days, remove and blast clean it with the pressure washer.
No scrubbing needed what so ever.
I use a big mortar tub as soaking vessel because my grill grate is big and round.


cheers
skookum

 

[senda]

Uhmmmm Making your own beer .... that sounds good. You have shared a good job. If one day I decide I have to do it tell you with advice.

 

[mudpuppy]

Wow! I had no idea it was so involved! Guess I'll appreciate it a bit more from now on! nice set up and heres to you!
Mud