Beer Here

Heck I drink a 1/2 gal just from checking the gravity and sampling after kegged lol. 
 
The glass is nice to see the activity and calm the nerves.  I use the 6.5 gal buckets so there is lots of head space.  Then you can't see whats going on.  The blow off tube will not show any activity sometimes.  I like to start with a 3 piece airlock until I see bubbles.  Then switch to a blow off tube.  Waiting to see bubbles as a newb will drive you nuts. 
 
grantmichaels said:
Totally!
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So when should I swap out tube for the airlock? Thinking Wednesday night maybe? Also I did not save any sanitizer for the airlock....is there anything else I can do other than mixing another batch? Seems like a waste to make gallons of sanitizer for an airlock.
 
tctenten said:
So when should I swap out tube for the airlock? Thinking Wednesday night maybe? Also I did not save any sanitizer for the airlock....is there anything else I can do other than mixing another batch? Seems like a waste to make gallons of sanitizer for an airlock.
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to avoid the sanitizer mess, don't bother and just leave it w/ the blow-off tube ...
 
i am not bothering with air locks myself, these days ... i was happy to rid myself of them to be honest ...
 
i've had one freeze up w/ krausen, fail, and then the cap blew ...
 
i've had both sanitizer and vodka get sucked back into the beer already ...
 
the blow off is fine for the next week or two, in my opinion, and then you don't have to bother making sanitizer ...
 
it's easier to not get hypervigilant about bubble-counting w/ the blow-off assembly too, compared to the air-lock - at least it is for me ...
 
I don't understand how in all hell you get sanitizer or anything else sucked back into a fermenter. Although I always use a blow off tube, except mine are usually w inches in diameter and in a 55 gallon bucket so....
And on another note, you should ALWAYS have a spray bottle filled with sanitizer handy at all times. If you keep it in a spray bottle it shouldn't go bad for a week or two. I keep 3 or 4 bottles of iodophor based sanitizer around the brewery at all times.
 
wheebz said:
I don't understand how in all hell you get sanitizer or anything else sucked back into a fermenter. Although I always use a blow off tube, except mine are usually w inches in diameter and in a 55 gallon bucket so....And on another note, you should ALWAYS have a spray bottle filled with sanitizer handy at all times. If you keep it in a spray bottle it shouldn't go bad for a week or two. I keep 3 or 4 bottles of iodophor based sanitizer around the brewery at all times.
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I actually bought a spray bottle for this...but forgot to fill it while I had the sanitizer mixed.
grantmichaels said:
to avoid the sanitizer mess, don't bother and just leave it w/ the blow-off tube ...
 
i am not bothering with air locks myself, these days ... i was happy to rid myself of them to be honest ...
 
i've had one freeze up w/ krausen, fail, and then the cap blew ...
 
i've had both sanitizer and vodka get sucked back into the beer already ...
 
the blow off is fine for the next week or two, in my opinion, and then you don't have to bother making sanitizer ...
 
it's easier to not get hypervigilant about bubble-counting w/ the blow-off assembly too, compared to the air-lock - at least it is for me ...
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Ok. Sounds fine to me and is easy enough to just leave it.
 
wheebz said:
I don't understand how in all hell you get sanitizer or anything else sucked back into a fermenter. Although I always use a blow off tube, except mine are usually w inches in diameter and in a 55 gallon bucket so....
 
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D/C'd air-lock's here ...
 
If the temp of what you put it in the freezer is too much higher than the temp in the chamber, the liquid/gas condense and suck in whatever's up there and then the outside air =)
 
Happened when I crashed the saison I was doing out in the room w/ the ferm wrap and forgot to change the air-lock lid for a regular corny lid ...
 
Terry, if you are using star san you can mix 1/4 tsp to a standard 32 oz/ 1 lt spray bottle.  I have never made a large batch.  I  just spray everything after cleaning and before using. 
 
I get blow back from airlock when I remove/replace lid on 6.5 gal buckets while peaking at krausen or dry hopping.  I take the airlock off now and refill with spray bottle before removing lid.  You can get blow back when moving bucket if not done smoothly.  I also get fruit flies in the airlock otherwise I wouldn't worry about a little star san getting sucked back.  
 
Rairdog said:
Terry, if you are using star san you can mix 1/4 tsp to a standard 32 oz/ 1 lt spray bottle.  I have never made a large batch.  I  just spray everything after cleaning and before using. 
 
I get blow back from airlock when I remove/replace lid on 6.5 gal buckets while peaking at krausen or dry hopping.  I take the airlock off now and refill with spray bottle before removing lid.  You can get blow back when moving bucket if not done smoothly.  I also get fruit flies in the airlock otherwise I wouldn't worry about a little star san getting sucked back.  
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This.
 
One caveat, though ... you *can* detect an airlock's volume of StarSan in only 3/4 gallons of beer, IMO ...
 
I say that because in one early batch, the foam collapsed and formed liquid while I was wort-chilling (30 mins) and I didn't realize until after I'd created the siphon and right as it was splashing in I noticed what was probably 1-1.5 oz in the bottom =/
 
I think I tasted it.
 
Maybe not, but I still think I did then, which means I probably did ...
 
Or it's reality distortion field =)
 
So, now you'll have to get w/ Ozzy, RM, Wheebz, or Bumper about bottling ;)
 
I was unsuccessful at bottling, and transitioned to kegs immediately ...
I'll leave you with this ... don't use carbonation tabs ... little units of compressed sugar or whatever ...
 
You'll be doing something along the lines of mixing up some dextrose or syrup or agave nectar or honey or table sugar and water until the sugar is in solution, and then siphoning the beer from the fermenting jug into the bucket, and finally releasing it through a siphon/spigot and through a bottling wand into the sanitized bottles (oven, sanitizer, dish washer even, I've heard) ...
 
I sent the swing-top's so it would be easier ... it's just 3x bottles to fill that way, and you could do it w/ a kitchen funnel in a pinch (and just take on the oxidation with doing so) ...
 
CHEERS!
 
grantmichaels said:
So, now you'll have to get w/ Ozzy, RM, Wheebz, or Bumper about bottling ;)
 
I was unsuccessful at bottling, and transitioned to kegs immediately ...I'll leave you with this ... don't use carbonation tabs ... little units of compressed sugar or whatever ...
 
You'll be doing something along the lines of mixing up some dextrose or syrup or agave nectar or honey or table sugar and water until the sugar is in solution, and then siphoning the beer from the fermenting jug into the bucket, and finally releasing it through a siphon/spigot and through a bottling wand into the sanitized bottles (oven, sanitizer, dish washer even, I've heard) ...
 
I sent the swing-top's so it would be easier ... it's just 3x bottles to fill that way, and you could do it w/ a kitchen funnel in a pinch (and just take on the oxidation with doing so) ...
 
CHEERS!
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I will check with them before I do it. That pretty much lines up with the instructions from the kit.
 
3/4 cup corn sugar with 1 cup of water to a 5gal batch. So divide that down to 1gal. Boil it and stir until clear and let cool. Put it in your bottling bucket and then rack the beer onto it. You'll want to put the hose in a somewhat circle in the bottom so it will swirl the beer/sugar to mix it without sloshing it around and oxidating it.
Sanitize your bottles and fill them within about an inch of headspace. I usually fill about 6 at a time and have my caps sitting in no rinse sanitizer. After I fill each bottle I just set the cap on top of it until I fill the 5-6 then cap them and put them in my box. Put them in my dark basement and wait.
 
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Coming attractions. Doesn't look like the bubblers will be here for this weekend so looking at a Halloween brew maybe.
 
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Just wrapped up my first batch.   Final gravity was 1.027 so I used about a third of the recommended priming sugars when I bottled.   It tasted similar to beer and after resting for 2 weeks we will hopefully pour a glass.   Waiting for different yeast for my next batch, which will hopefully brewed next weekend.  
 
Since I will be ordering some things needed for the next round, can any of you guys recommend a good mash thermometer?
 
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