5 Corny Kegerator Build
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 1999
Kegerator
It didn't take long to realize filling bottles was infinitely less enjoyable than emptying bottles. There are a lot of intermediate options available to the homebrewer but by far the most practical is using defunct soda kegs. There are plenty of them out there which makes it relatively cheap to get into kegging. There are a few equipment requirements and most of it can be bought online.
The Leak-Free Weldless Bulkhead
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 1434
I personally don't care much for weldless bulkheads in metal vessels but if you HAVE to use a weldless setup, this design is for you. Of course, when you're converting a cooler for use as a MLT, you have no choice but to use weldless. This design is similar to all the kits you'll find online with a couple nit-picky details that I think are absolutely important to keeping it from leaking. Brewing by the Books
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- Written by Michael J. Slocum
- Hits: 218
Brewing by the Books:
The Regulation of Brewing throughout American History
By: Michael J. Slocum (July 2011)
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In December 1620, the Mayflower laid anchor at Cape Cod in modern-day Massachusetts. While several of its crew gave chase to a band of Indians, the pilgrims aboard ship debated whether to press on – as had been their original intention – or to establish a settlement where they were. Among their more immediate concerns was the rapidly depleting store of beer: “We had yet some beer, butter, flesh and other victuals left, which would quickly be all gone; and then we should have nothing to comfort us. … So in the morning, after we had called on God for direction, we came to this resolution – to go presently ashore again and to take a better view of two places which we thought most fitting for us; for we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December.”
Thus did beer (or, more precisely, the lack of beer at hand) play a role in the birth of America. In the centuries to come, brewing would take its place as one of the pillars of American industry. And the regulation of that industry would provide fertile ground for political and legislative debate. This article provides a brief history of that regulation.
Single Tier Brew Sculpture
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 5058
I needed a way to hold my various brewing vessels over the burners and have it be somewhat portable so I could tuck it away in the corner of the garage or wheel it out back onto the deck when I decide to brew out there. My requirements also included a mount for at least one March pump and external heat exchanger for chilling. I needed the materials to be inexpensive, because I'm cheap and would rather spend the money on ingredients.
Home Brewery Safety Review
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 639
**Originally presented at the March 15, 2011 Meeting***
This is not a fun topic but it beats a visit to the ER. It’s hard enough to justify our crazy hobby to many people including spouses etc. Think about how much harder it would be if you were injured doing it. Closed toe shoes, some gloves and a pair of safety glasses go a long way towards safe brewing and harmonious relationships.
There is a long list of dangerous activities that go on while brewing and the risks are increased if we sample while we brew. Let’s review some of the more common ones and what we can do to reduce risk.
Counterflow Chiller Build
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 1874
If you're using a large kettle and doing 10+ gallon batches at one time, a nice efficient way to cool is to drain through an external heat exchanger. The two typical implementations are the plate chiller and counter-flow "coil" design. In both designs, a small amount of wort is put into near-direct contact with a small amount of coolant at any given time. As always, the rate of cooling is directly affected by the desired output temp and the coolant's input temp.
Off Flavor Focus - Diacetyl
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 744
This is the presentation Bobby gave at the May 2010 meeting during the Siebel kits tasting. The pdf document attached has better formatting, but the text is pasted here so that the website search can get to it.
Off Flavor Focus: Diacetyl
Presented by Bobby M
Sounds like : Dahy-uh-SEET-l, Dahy-uh-SET-l, or Dahy-AS-etl
Webster: a compound (CH 3 CO) 2 that has an odor like that of quinone, that is chiefly responsible for the odor of butter and contributes to the aroma of coffee and tobacco, and that is used as a flavoring agent in foods (as margarine) called also biacetyl.
Mash Tun Infusion Temperatures
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 877
I've noticed quite a few questions about strike temps, MLT preheating, and general complaints about some coolers not living up to temp holding expectations. Rather than repeat some of the same thing over and over, I wanted to spend a little time writing some of this stuff out in detail and providing what I hope are a few clear illustrations.
First, the basic idea here is that when you brew partial mash or all grain, you have to be concerned about mash temps and it's not easy because heat moves from your water to the grain and also from your water/mash to the mash tun.
New Jersey Brewing Water
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- Written by Bobby Mierzejwski
- Hits: 1740
NEW! Added water test results for Middlesex Water Company covering Carteret, Woodbridge, and surrounding areas.
This article is meant as a workspace for everything related to brewing water, membership/brewer water chemistry research and data. Many cities are served by the same water system. If water is tested once or twice a year in a given system, the test data should be made available to other members on the same system to save effort and money. If you find that your city is on a system that has already been tested and included in the table below, feel free to use the data. If the test is more than 6 months out of date, it would be great if you can have a sample of your water tested to keep this database up to date. Note, if you are not a member but live in NJ and would like to contribute to this database, send an email with your water system # and test data to webmaster _at_ whalesbrewclub _dot_ com.
Click "read more" to see more. Some instructional videos have also been embedded.
Beer Blending Presentation from June09 Meeting
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- Written by webmaster
- Hits: 480
Mead Basics
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- Written by webmaster
- Hits: 475
Beer Brewing Helpers
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- Written by webmaster
- Hits: 519
All About BJCP
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- Written by webmaster
- Hits: 450
Subcategories
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DIY Workbench
What did you build to support your brewing habit?
- Reference Documents/Presentations