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Tag: beer making

4th of July Homebrewing Sale at Homebrew Supply

July 2, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Save $20 on Orders of $150 - Homebrew Supply Coupon Codes

Save $20 on Orders of $150 – Homebrew Supply Coupon Codes

HomebrewSupply.com Coupon Codes
Limited Time Sale Coupon For Homebrew Supply – Home Brew Supply
Promo Code for the Month of  July 2016
Coupon Code: 7-2-2016 to 7-4-2016
Promotion Details: Save $20 on Orders of $150+
Promo Code: Brew Supplies
Coupon Description: Homebrew Supply currently has a 4th of July Home Brewing Sale going on.  When you purchase $150 or more in home beer brewing supplies you get $20 off your order! So save big on your homebrewing purchases this independence day!

 

Click Here for this Home Brew Supply Promo Code

 

Home Brew Supply Coupon Found At: Homebrewingcoupon.com

Adventures in HomeBrewing Sale on All Grain Beer Stands

September 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

If you are looking to transition from extract brewing to all grain homebrewing and want to do it as inexpensively as possible; Adventures in Homebrewing is currently running a sale on All Grain Homebrewing systems that might be perfect for you.

Adventures in Homebrewing Coupon Code

Adventures in Homebrewing Coupon Code

Promotion Details:  Complete 15 Gallon All Grain Brewing System for $1299

Here are the details on this Homebrewing.org All Grain Brewing System.  Adventures in Homebrewing Brewing Rig \ 15.5 gallon all grain brewing system allows you to brew up to 12 gallon beer batches. This homebrew system even comes with one pump to be used on your mash tun. This all grain homebrewing kit comes with everything you need but you can also upgrade your Hot Liquor Tank and Boil Kettle to a 2 weld pot, for installing items like a thermometer instead of a long stem clip on thermometer. This all grain homebrew setup also comes with a 3 burner system.

Here is what this all grain homebrewing system comes with:

  • 1-Two Weld Mash Tun
  • 1-False Bottom and Legs
  • 1- 1/2″ NPT 2″ Thermometer
  • 1-One Weld HLT Kettle
  • 1-One Weld Boil Kettle
  • 1-10″ Flat False Bottom
  • 1- 1/100th March Pump
  • 3 Burner System w/ Regulator and Hoses
  • 1- Stainless Steel Braided Hose
  • 50′ Copper Immersion Wort Chiller
  • Homebrewing Mash Paddle
To take advantage of this home brewing promotion, use the coupon code listed above if applicable and click on the following promo code link:

Click Here for this Homebrewing.org Homebrew Rig Promotion

 

If you are looking for a slightly higher end version of a 15 gallon home brewing rig, they also have a sale going on for their 15 Gallon Ruby Steer brew rig for $2850!

 

Ruby Steet Homebrewing Rig

Ruby Steet Homebrewing Rig

Here are some of the features of the Ruby Street Homebrew Rig:

  • Steel tube frame construction with powder coated finish on frame
  • Includes 15.5 Gallon 304 Stainless Steel Kettles w/ Lids
  • 3 piece ball valves included on all kettles and pump
  • Stainless steel flexible gas lines
  • Propane regulator including 4′ stainless braided hose included
  • Magnetic drive pump included with stainless steel drip shield and stainless outflow control valve
  • All sanitary tri-clamp fittings on mash tun, boil kettle, and pump.
  • Both boil kettle and mash tun include 18 gauge perforated false bottoms and 1/2″ stainless steel dip tubes.

 

 The Ruby Street Homebrewing Rig Sale is available here

 

 

Boosting your home beer brewing burners efficiency!

July 8, 2014 / / 2 Comments
How to improve your burner efficiency

How to increase your propane burner efficiency

 

About a year ago I upgraded from my previous low output propane burners to these larger 210,000 BTU Banjo Burners.  These new burners were literally about 4 times larger, heavier and produced about 4 times the BTU’s as my previous propane home brewing burners and I had high expectations of them.  When it finally came time to test them out on a batch of beer I was left somewhat disappointed.  Did they heat my kettles more quickly?  Yes they did.  Were they terribly inefficient and double by propane expenses?  Yes, they did that too.

 

I was please with how much time they were saving, but was very let down by how much propane I was blowing through.  In the past I was able to get about 4, 10 gallon batches from each propane tank.  With these new banjo burners I was getting less than 2.  Based on what I could tell from observation, much of the heat was being reflected off of the bottom of the kettles and pushed out of the sides burner housing.  My plan was to create 2 metal baffles to help better direct the heat where I wanted it to go.  I bolted the first baffle around the internal burner housing about 1 1/2 inches bellow where the kettle sits.  I welded the second baffle near the outside of the burner housing, just slightly larger then the approximate diameter of my kettles.  The top of the second baffle was approximately 1/2 inch beneath the kettle.  I left a small area of space for me to pass through my igniter.

 

Improving Banjo Burner Efficiency

Improving Banjo Burner Fuel Efficiency

 

After testing these baffles I was very pleased with the efficiency gains to my home brewing banjo burners.  I was back to getting about 3 1/2, 10 gallon batches per propane tank and was heating my kettles about twice as fast as I was with my previous burners.  If anyone else has been experiencing similar issues with their propane burner efficiency, hopefully this will help you out.

 

Home Brewing Cleaners

September 16, 2013 / / 1 Comment

Cleaning and sanitizing your home brewing equipment is perhaps the single most important step in the home brewing process. Without proper cleanliness, your home brew is almost certainly going to suffer off flavors caused by organic compounds, residues, bacteria or fungus. In today’s blog entry, I am going to review some of the popular home brewing cleaners that are available on the market.

 

There are two typical types of cleaners available to home brewers, oxygen based and alkali based. Perhaps the most popular alkali cleaner is PBW or Powdered Brewery Wash. PBW was originally developed for Coors Brewing Company, but is now widely used in many large commercial breweries. PBW should be diluted to 1 to 2 ounces per gallon of warm water for cleaning kettles and chillers, and approximately 3/4 ounces per gallon of warm water for all other equipment. If time permits, it is best to soak equipment for approximately 12 hours in PBW solution and then rinse. PBW is capable of dissolving most organic brewing compounds without the need for scrubbing and is safe to use on all standard brewing equipment, including stainless steel. Powdered Brewery Wash is my cleaner of choice.

 

The most widely used oxygen based home brewery cleaners are Easy Clean and One Step. The main advantage to these cleaners is that no rinsing is required, but they are not typically as effective as PBW at removing tough stains or cleaning hard to reach areas.

 

It is important to keep in mind that cleaning is only the first step in preparing your fermentation, racking, and bottling equipment. You must also sanitize your equipment to insure that it is free of bacteria or fungus that could compromise the taste of your beer.

 

The above mentioned cleaners can be purchased here.

 

Home Brewing Cleaners

Home Brewing Cleaners

 

 

Blichmann Home Brewing Kettle Review

August 25, 2013 / / 1 Comment

Blichmann BoilerMaker Home Brewing Kettle Review:

 

I have been using 3 Blichmann BoilerMaker 20 gallon home brewing kettles to conduct my all grain brewing for about 2 1/2 years now. In that time I have not been dissatisfied with my purchase even once. The kettles are durable, rigid, versatile and problem free.

 

One of the things that I like most about the Blichmann brewing kettles is that they come ready to go out of the box with a sight gauge, thermometer, and draw tube/valve. The kettles are engineered beautifully so that you can easily break the parts down with a couple of tools for easy cleaning.

The 20 gallon kettles are very rigid, and I never have to worry that one of the handles is going to bust off while I am cleaning it. Blichmann also sells the kettles with easy add-ons like the hop blocker for the boil kettle, and the false bottom for the mash tun, which I both recommend. They also have an optional sparge arm, which I do not use but others speak highly of.

 

The only downside for the Blichmann home brewing kettles is the price. They are by no means the cheapest brewing kettle on the market, but in my opinion, a brewing kettle is not one of the items that you want to skimp on. If you treat them well, they should last you a lifetime and be well worth the extra money.

 

 Click Here to see a selection of Blichmann Home Brewing Kettles.

 

 

Blichmann Brew Kettle

Blichmann Home Brewing Brew Kettle

Single Tier Home Brewing Beer Rack – Brewing Sculpture

July 28, 2013 / / 2 Comments

A home brewing single-tier brewing sculpture or beer rack is a single level brewing configuration where all of the brewing kettles are at the same level. Single-tier brewing racks typically consist of a hot liquor tank, mash tun, and boiling kettle. One or two pumps are used to transfer liquid from one kettle to another.

 

A notable benefit of a single-tier brewing sculpture over a multi-tier one is ease of access to the kettles. On a single-tier platform, the kettles are all at one low height, so it makes it safe and easy to stir the mash, add water to the hot liquor tank, or transfer the wort from the boil kettle. If the single tier system is constructed high enough off the ground, gravity can still be used to transfer wort from the boil kettle to the fermenter. Single tier beer racks also tend to be more stable then a multi-tier rack; trust me when I say that one of the last things you want is 15 gallons of burning hot liquid pouring down upon you due to an unstable rack or earthquake.

 

Cleaning and unloading grain from kettles is also very easy with a single-tier design since no step stool is required to reach any of your kettles. I personally use a single-tier brewing rack that I designed and constructed myself. It was a good deal of work, but I also learned a lot while building it. If you prefer not to build your own, there are some really fantastic stainless steel models available for sale here:

 Click Here for turn key beer racks and brewing sculptures

Below is a photo of the brewing rack that I built. It uses 2 pumps, 3 burners, and 3 (20 gallon) Blichmann brewing kettles. If you have any questions on building your own, please feel free to drop me a line.

Beer Sculpture - Brewing Rack - Beer Rack - Single Tier

Beer Sculpture – Brewing Rack – Beer Rack – Single Tier

 

Here is a MoreBeer.com single-tier brewing sculpture.  You can click the photo to go to their site:

You can purchase them here

 

MoreBeer Single Tier Home Brewing Beer Rack

MoreBeer Single Tier Home Brewing Beer Rack

 

 

 

Active Beer Yeast Video – 400x Magnification

July 28, 2013 / / 0 Comments

The following video shows American Wheat Ale yeast in active fermentation. The yeast was taken from the krausen of a beer that had been fermenting for a week. If you expand the video to fullscreen and look closely at the 400x magnification segment of the video, you will see yeast activity where small black specs are moving around inside of the yeast cell walls.

The video continues on to show the yeast at 100x and 40x magnification to give you an idea of just how many yeast cells there are on such a small glass slide. An active 5 gallon beer fermentation should have well over 10 billion active yeast cells during primary fermentation.

 

Video showing active yeast during fermentation:

 

Here is a still shot of the yeast at 400x magnification:

Active Beer Yeast at 400x Magnification

Active beer yeast at 400x magnification shown under a microscope.

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