The Official Home Brew Thread

[Hairless Cat]

Ive been thinking about this problem- I have a little fridge that I coudl uyse but it will only stay at 45 degrees max- I dont want lagered beer- do wine coolers stay at warmer temps say about 60 to 70 degrees?

what is a johnson a419?

[Kettle]

It is a digital temperature controller. It will cut off the freezer when the set temperature is reached, and let it come back on when needed. I got a wired one, but you can get them unwired, and do it yourself to save ten or twenty bucks. They also come in analog versions and different companies make them.

[Hairless Cat]

Interesting about the temp controller- I was wondering if there was a way to do it - does the one you bouught work on refridgerators too or just freezers? What do you mean by a " wired" one? I took a look on e bay and amazon and there are several models of the a419 - is one better than another for using it to control a freezer or fridge?

[Kettle]

wired arrives ready to plug in. with an unwired one you have to chop an extension cord in half, and wire it up yourself. It doesn't appear to be that hard, but I figure by the time I've bought the cord and wire nuts, and then taken the time to do it, I really haven't saved anything.

the device will work on a fridge too, but you lose the freezer capability that you have.

the different models are all equal in what they do. there are different electric ratings on them though for volts and amps. that's another reason I got one already wired. I don't want to get the wrong diagram, and burn money basically as soon as I plug it up.

This is what I got. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00368D6JA/ref=pe_175190_21431760_C1_cs_sce_3p_dp_1.

edit: if you don't see a plug in the picture then it probably isn't wired.

[Hairless Cat]

Got you - thanks - I may invest in one of these.

[Hairless Cat]

Anyone made any good brews lately -? I started a wheat beer last week - it will be interesting to see how it turns out - I added 3/4 cup of honey to the batch along with the DW/BME and hops.

I also visited that new brew store in Wilmington -on Kerr Ave and bought some stuff - I hope he can keep it up and running - seemed pretty slow in there althugh it was a weekday.

[Kettle]

I hope my newest one will be good. It is a pale ale that should come in at 7%. When I moved it to secondary I split it into two buckets, and added some fresh jalapeno to one half. I've had some pepper beers, and am just interested to see how much heat I'll be getting from two peppers in ~2.5 gallons.

[mmmbeans]

did you keep the seeds?

[Kettle]

Yes. I sliced the length of them, sanitized with vodka, and put in everything but the stem.

[mmmbeans]

nice.

[Kettle]

Hopefully. I'm definitely tasting during bottling.

[Kettle]

so it definitely hits your tongue with jalapeno flavor, but it doesn't linger to the point of burning your mouth even a little. I think I got it right the first time.

[Kettle]

My pale ale is pretty good. The jalapeno version is better.

Got a new pot. 9 gallon SS with two welded fittings for a ball valve and a thermometer. I used it for the first time this weekend to brew an Octoberfest. It made brewing so much easier. Its a gallon bigger than my old pot, and I came no where near a boil over because of it. Having the thermometer and valve built in made things very simple too. It was the easiest brew night for me ever. Lager ready in ~2 months.

[Rip Saw]

Is anyone doing anymore brewing? I was in Wilmington at the Homebrew Supply this past week - loaded up on the makings for about 3 batches of beer. Both malt and hops seem expensive to me where ever you get it.

Any of you guys do grain only brewing? Is it a huge pain in the but?