I've never even heard of something like that!
Homebrew Board - Recipes
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Last: 3 mo ago by Chipotlemonger
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/san-jamar-rcu128-rapi-kool-128-oz-rapid-cooling-paddle/27112871.html
Bet you can find it cheaper elsewhere but there ya go. I used to just add ice for my water which works great. Then I used gallon milk jugs filled with water and sanitized which is fine. Then I learned about these and it has more surface area and is easier to move around and retrieve
Bet you can find it cheaper elsewhere but there ya go. I used to just add ice for my water which works great. Then I used gallon milk jugs filled with water and sanitized which is fine. Then I learned about these and it has more surface area and is easier to move around and retrieve
That's crazy, I'd still look at an immersion chiller, they sterilize in the boil but hey, if it works don't knock it.
Seems like that ice would melt in that thing before it cools the wort much. Thermal mass and all. Plus you can't stick it in the boil for 5 minutes prior to sanitize, so it's another step with starsan and a potential source of infection.
Immersion chiller is pretty cheap if you DIY, and you throw it in boil 5 minutes prior to flame out to sterilize.
But definitely do what works for you and what your budget allows.
Immersion chiller is pretty cheap if you DIY, and you throw it in boil 5 minutes prior to flame out to sterilize.
But definitely do what works for you and what your budget allows.
They hold a half gallon of water and you can refill them with ice as needed. I usually have my primary full of starsan while brewing anyways so it's just a quick dunk and you're off. Combine with an ice bath in the sink it works well for me. Wort chillers seem like they waste a lot of water and being in south Texas our ground water is pretty warm as it is.
It does use some water.. I collect it in spare pots and use it to clean since it's pretty dang hot.
Yes south Texas ground water sucks especially in summer. My water here in CO does a way better job with my counter flow chiller.
Yes south Texas ground water sucks especially in summer. My water here in CO does a way better job with my counter flow chiller.
I do the same. During the boil I grain out the mash tun, depending on how much crud is in there I'll let it sit until chilling the wort. I line up all my grain buckets, MT etc...and the first and hottest water goes I to the MT then I clean everything going down the line.
I'll also drag the hose into the yard and set up a sprinkler and water the lawn with the warm water until I hit 90-100F, then I set up my recirculating super chill setup and get it down to 65. Or add another bag of ice and get it down to the 50's for a lager.
Even if your water is warm from the tap the temp Delta will get from 212F to close to 100 quickly, then use the ice paddle to get down closer to pitching temp. It's an idea and the best part of brewing is you can add the immersion chiller later when funds allow. In the end extra equipment is added for time savings.
I'll also drag the hose into the yard and set up a sprinkler and water the lawn with the warm water until I hit 90-100F, then I set up my recirculating super chill setup and get it down to 65. Or add another bag of ice and get it down to the 50's for a lager.
Even if your water is warm from the tap the temp Delta will get from 212F to close to 100 quickly, then use the ice paddle to get down closer to pitching temp. It's an idea and the best part of brewing is you can add the immersion chiller later when funds allow. In the end extra equipment is added for time savings.
I use ground water to get it to 100-110, and then switch to a sump pump in an ice batch. Typically i will reach temp by the time i have filled up a 5 gal. bucket for cleaning, and then just recirculate the ice bath water.
Finished my taps today. 2 630 perlick SS taps. Had to get creative on the design but it turned out great. Now I just need to finish my mash tun manifold and I'll be pretty much complete
Need some help. Got my mash tun finished and I'm ready to brew my next batch. Decided on this blonde ale https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall.42841/
Anyone have a recommendation on how much water to use for mash and how much for sparge? Also time lengths for each? Going to do a 5 gallon batch
Anyone have a recommendation on how much water to use for mash and how much for sparge? Also time lengths for each? Going to do a 5 gallon batch
Is your new mashtun batch sparge or fly sparge?
For batch sparge, use 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain for the mash in water, and rest of water for sparge. You'll need to figure up your total water as the sum of these:
Recipe total size (5 gallon?)
boil off loss (1.5 gallon?)
Loss to bottom of boil kettle and bottom of mashtun (0.5 gallon?)
Loss to residual grain moisture (usually like 0.1 gallon per pound of grain)
For batch sparge, use 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain for the mash in water, and rest of water for sparge. You'll need to figure up your total water as the sum of these:
Recipe total size (5 gallon?)
boil off loss (1.5 gallon?)
Loss to bottom of boil kettle and bottom of mashtun (0.5 gallon?)
Loss to residual grain moisture (usually like 0.1 gallon per pound of grain)
I do a 10 gallon batch, and use 13-16 gallons total for depending on recipes.
For time, mash minimum of 45 mins. 60 mins is better. Batch sparge time is very brief, 5 mins or less.
You should buy some tincture of iodine next time you're at the pharmacy, and use it to check for starch-->sugar conversion before you start sparging.
For time, mash minimum of 45 mins. 60 mins is better. Batch sparge time is very brief, 5 mins or less.
You should buy some tincture of iodine next time you're at the pharmacy, and use it to check for starch-->sugar conversion before you start sparging.
Shoulda specified, batch sparge
Thanks for the info. That really helps. So I need to shoot for 8 gallons total of water more or less (recipe is 10.75). My math shows about 3.5 gallons for a mash and 4.5 for sparge. Does that sound about right? Recipe says 70% efficiency, how do I know what my efficiency levels are? I realize as I get my methods down better I will know how to better tweak things. If I end up with more water than I need would it be better to boil off until I get to 5 or just leave some in the kettle? Figure extra boiling will mess up hop flavors some.
Thanks for the info. That really helps. So I need to shoot for 8 gallons total of water more or less (recipe is 10.75). My math shows about 3.5 gallons for a mash and 4.5 for sparge. Does that sound about right? Recipe says 70% efficiency, how do I know what my efficiency levels are? I realize as I get my methods down better I will know how to better tweak things. If I end up with more water than I need would it be better to boil off until I get to 5 or just leave some in the kettle? Figure extra boiling will mess up hop flavors some.
It will take you a few batches to get your efficiency down. Start at 70% for the first couple, see where you end up, and adjust from there.
70 % is a good first guess. I am always between 77 and 80.
I boil off if i end up with too much work. Waste not, want not.
I boil off if i end up with too much work. Waste not, want not.
Here is my water calculation equations, in excel.Seven said:
Anyone have a recommendation on how much water to use for mash and how much for sparge? Also time lengths for each? Going to do a 5 gallon batch
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/j8enkhzi8wui0pt/water%20calc.xlsx
Green are brew day variables. Blue are constants you can change.
It's basically working backwards from your desired final amount. I always start with a gallon more than my desired final amount, cause you always leave some behind in boil kettle and fermenter.
Here is what is going on visually:
You can easily boil some water for an hour and measure your evaporation rate.
For grain absorption; after you drain mash tun, weigh what's left, subtract initial grain weight, divide by 8.34 and figure out much water is left behind/absorbed.
Has anyone tried to make a Velvet Hammer clone? Recipe suggestions wanted.
This was my previous version. It was a little too dry, not quite malty enough, and maybe 0.005 off on the IG. And the hops were completely wrong. Not that it was over/under hopped, just not the right flavor profile. Suggestions needed.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/465021
This was my previous version. It was a little too dry, not quite malty enough, and maybe 0.005 off on the IG. And the hops were completely wrong. Not that it was over/under hopped, just not the right flavor profile. Suggestions needed.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/embed/465021
Anyone have access to HBC-438/Sabro/Don Mexico hops? More beer has it but for $5/oz.
You might see what you can get away with by just emailing Peticolas directly. Those guys are pretty cool and might help you out.
What do you guys use for water source? My local water has a pH of 8.2. I've used it for brew water with extract and it's turned out fine everytime. I was reading around on HBT and those guys are pretty hardcore with all the additives and such. Is that common practice? I'm sure I could tweak my water and make it a lot better but I'm not really there yet and don't want to make brewing a PITA. My goals right now are to learn AG brewing and make beer that I can enjoy with my friends, not looking to win any awards just yet. Would buying RO water or spring water from the store be better than tap? Messing with a spreadsheet looking at bicarbonate and nitrate levels is giving me a headache. I'll get there eventually I'm sure but just want it to be simple for now and focus on the process that turns out an enjoyable product
I use the spigot in my garage
Although I do run it through a carbon filter first to remove chlorine, and I use beverage line, not a garden hose.
Although I do run it through a carbon filter first to remove chlorine, and I use beverage line, not a garden hose.
Yes, brewing with better water is a big improvement. I buy reverse osmosis water that's sanitized with UV light (no chlorine or ozone), and add minerals back. The biggest difference between doing dechlorinated tap water (as 62Strat does) and going all the way to re-mineralized RO water is the ability to control the water chemistry in your mashtun. In order to hit a specific brewhouse efficiency, manage starch conversion, and highlight the malt or hop notes your after, you really need to be able to control the alpha and beta amalyse enzymatic action in the mashtun. I use BrewersFriend's water chemistry calculator to compute a combination of gypsum, epsom salt, calcium chloride, chalk, and baking soda to make sure my mash PH, sulfphates, and calcium are within the recommended ranges for my recipe, and then add those salts into the mash water.Seven said:
What do you guys use for water source? My local water has a pH of 8.2. I've used it for brew water with extract and it's turned out fine everytime. I was reading around on HBT and those guys are pretty hardcore with all the additives and such. Is that common practice? I'm sure I could tweak my water and make it a lot better but I'm not really there yet and don't want to make brewing a PITA. My goals right now are to learn AG brewing and make beer that I can enjoy with my friends, not looking to win any awards just yet. Would buying RO water or spring water from the store be better than tap? Messing with a spreadsheet looking at bicarbonate and nitrate levels is giving me a headache. I'll get there eventually I'm sure but just want it to be simple for now and focus on the process that turns out an enjoyable product
HOWEVER: you're on the right track. Focus on learning all grain brewing for a while. Dechlorinated tap water still results in good beer, it just won't be spot on for the BJCP guidelines. Yes, RO's a real pain. Add that step later
Just don't skip the charcoal filter as even 2PPM of free chlorine (which is standard for tap water) will really F up your mash chemistry, not to mention yeast nutrition.
What is the best way to dechlorinate tap water and is there somewhere easy for me to find the stuff? I don't gave a local brew store and I'd rather not wait on amazon unless I have to because I'd like to brew this week
A Brita filter (or any carbon filter) works great.
What about spring water from HEB or Walmart?
I also may be able to find aquarium water treatment stuff around.
I also may be able to find aquarium water treatment stuff around.
I have this;Seven said:
What is the best way to dechlorinate tap water and is there somewhere easy for me to find the stuff? I don't gave a local brew store and I'd rather not wait on amazon unless I have to because I'd like to brew this week
https://www.morebeer.com/products/water-filter-kit-10.html
hook it up to spigot, throw in a carbon filter.
Strat's right, that filter looks great. Saves tons of hassle too.
If you're gonna buy spring water, just buy reverse osmosis water instead. Same $, same PITA. If you need help with the water chemistry calcs, post the recipe here and I'll tell you what minerals to add.
If you're gonna buy spring water, just buy reverse osmosis water instead. Same $, same PITA. If you need help with the water chemistry calcs, post the recipe here and I'll tell you what minerals to add.
I have my own RO system and a 37 gallon "corny" tank as my reserve. I added a chloramine filter as well, you need to find out what's in your water. Carbon block can easily remove chlorine but chloramines require an extra filter.
Then I add salts back, it's really not that difficult.
Then I add salts back, it's really not that difficult.
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
0.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (55 min)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (35 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min)
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) (Hydrated)
0.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (55 min)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (35 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min)
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) (Hydrated)
I've got a carbon filter on my fridge. Just would take a bit to get 8.5 gallons. But maybe that would be the best way to go about it
To walk you through this, you need to 1)set the source water, then 2)pick a target profile for your recipe, 3)pick the salts to add 4)see how your water/salts affects your mash pH.Seven said:
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
0.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (55 min)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (35 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min)
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) (Hydrated)
Start here: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator. Input your recipe. You get this:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/652343/blonde-ale-seven-style
Toward the bottom of that page, you'll need to use the "water chemistry" calculator.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?recipeId=652343
So... step 1.
I don't know what your base water is, but lets assume for a minute that you live in Beaumont. Just google "Beaumont tap water quality report". You get https://beaumonttexas.gov/wp-content/uploads/pdf/water/water_quality_report_16.pdf
From that, we can get the mangesium (32), sodium (76), chloride (15), and sulfate (44). I'm going to guess that Ca is 30 and the alkalinity is 30. I think you said earlier the pH is 8.3.
If you were using RO water, a good guess is:
Ca 5
Mag 2
Sodium 10
Chloride 5
Sulfate 8
Total alkalinity 18
pH 7.2
(basically demineralized)
Step 2:
This looks like a sessionable blonde ale, so I'd go for a balanced profile. If you want more hoppy, go after more sulphates. If you want more malty, up the calcium and drop the sulphates. Brewersfriend's profiles are just a starting point, but by scrolling thru them you can see what does what.
Step 3:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?recipeId=652343
8 gals total water (3.5 mash, 4.5 sparge)
Starting with base beaumont water, this calculator shows that you need 6 grams of gypsum & 8 grams of calcium chloride to get to the "balanced #2" profile. Trouble is, that water already has too much MG in it, but NBD.
Step 4:
Adding those salts to the mash water only (while heating it) will get you an estimated mash pH of 5.26. That's really good.
That's the real point of this, is using the salts to ensure that your total alkalinity --> mash pH that's appropriate for your recipe. For stouts, I think 5.4-5.5 is preferred. For this blonde, 5.2 is a good target.
For RO water, you'd need more minerals. Again, adding salts to the mash water only, you'd need 12g gypsum, 3.5g table salt, 5g calcium chloride to get to the target profile.
This looks like a sessionable blonde ale, so I'd go for a balanced profile. If you want more hoppy, go after more sulphates. If you want more malty, up the calcium and drop the sulphates. Brewersfriend's profiles are just a starting point, but by scrolling thru them you can see what does what.
Step 3:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?recipeId=652343
8 gals total water (3.5 mash, 4.5 sparge)
Starting with base beaumont water, this calculator shows that you need 6 grams of gypsum & 8 grams of calcium chloride to get to the "balanced #2" profile. Trouble is, that water already has too much MG in it, but NBD.
Step 4:
Adding those salts to the mash water only (while heating it) will get you an estimated mash pH of 5.26. That's really good.
That's the real point of this, is using the salts to ensure that your total alkalinity --> mash pH that's appropriate for your recipe. For stouts, I think 5.4-5.5 is preferred. For this blonde, 5.2 is a good target.
For RO water, you'd need more minerals. Again, adding salts to the mash water only, you'd need 12g gypsum, 3.5g table salt, 5g calcium chloride to get to the target profile.
Awesome. I'm in Victoria and that water profile is pretty close. So even with a high ph water I wouldn't really need to add an acid to it, just some salts? Where can I buy these?
I put my water profile on there and played with the calculator and 2g gypsum and got all stars on the bottom. Is there a way to have this calculator tell me what a recommendation would be instead of me having to play with it? Still showing mash pH of 5.86
I put my water profile on there and played with the calculator and 2g gypsum and got all stars on the bottom. Is there a way to have this calculator tell me what a recommendation would be instead of me having to play with it? Still showing mash pH of 5.86
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