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Hi all, When using my klarstein kettle last night it started smoking and giving off an acrid smell. Brew day over so I emptied the water out, unscrewed the base and had a look inside. It appears that the wiring to/from the timer has melted, I assume this means it has overheated by overloading? I...

I am sure that when I first got my RO filter I tested the output water and it was pH 6 (cheap pH meter). I have recently tried to be a bit more scientifically accurate with my water treatment and have invested in a more expensive HM pH meter. Tested my RO water yesterday and it was 4.9. Checked...

Following discussions on another thread I took the plunge and invested in a booster pump from Vyair for my 50gpd RO filter. Tested it yesterday and found that the output has doubled from 6L/hr to 12L/hr which is great. The only problem I found is that once the push-fit fittings supplied are...

Hi all, I'm getting fed up with the residual water in my RO filter draining out of the tubing as I'm trying to put it away etc. I understand that the membrane should be stored wet so I want to try to limit this but something always runs out as I coil up the tubes and then they invariably spring...

Thought I'd do a proper write up with photos from today's brew. In fact as I did an overnight mash it started yesterday. This was an attempt at @foxbat's Fuggle Duck bitter but adjusted to use up some ingredients I already had. Trying out my new pump for the first time, it's small but does the...

Hi all, I've just had a disappointing introduction to the world of corny kegs. Everything seemed to be working fine when I cleaned and sanitised the keg at the weekend. Tonight I have filled it with beer which was a revelation compared to bottling. I connected the gas and turned up the pressure...

Hi all, I'm preparing to use a corny keg for the first time. I've done a lot of reading but there's one thing I'm confused with... If you need to reduce the gas pressure - eg. when reducing the serving pressure or reducing from burst carbonation to serving pressure - do you need to disconnect...

https://www.vyair.com/en/reverse-osmosis/ro-systems/4-stage-systems.html 4 stage RO filter currently under £40

Hi all, I have a chocolate stout which has been in the fermenter for 18 days now. OG was 1.065, after 7 days SG was 1.030 and today it is 1.028. I am using the CML Beoir yeast and it's been at a steady 20 degrees C. The recipe included 200g lactose in the 16L batch and I was expecting a FG of...

For my next batch of ale I am planning on racking a few litres into a separate fv after a week onto the spent sloes from a sloe gin I bottled recently (they have been in the freezer since). The intention is to give some sloe gin flavour to the ale and is a bit of an experiment. I am assuming...

Hi all, I have a stainless steel mash tun which I usually wrap up with various items to keep the temperature as consistent as possible during the hour mash, however I'm losing about 2-3 degrees during that time and it's a bit hit and miss so I was thinking of creating something better. Has...

So santa would like to know what I would like for Christmas and I really need a decent bottle capper. But I don't know whether to ask for a bench capper or a wing type one. So what is the general consensus as to which is best? Or is it just a case of personal choice? Or is either style good as...

Hi all, I'm interested in trying a lager using some rice in the mash along with my usual pilsner malt. I understand that in order to mash rice it has to be pre-gelatinised and this is usually done through cooking it first. I have read though that 'easy cook' rice has already been par boiled to...

I recently made my first attempt at a low alcohol beer and thought that it may be a good idea to write up the method that I used if it may be of help to others. This is of course a bit of an experiment and I will post updates as it goes along. The basis of my method was to use the second...

I am planning on having a go at making a low alcohol brew from the second runnings of another mash, so 2 brews for the price of one. I was planning on cold steeping some speciality grains to add to this to give more colour and flavour. However I don't want to add any more fermentables. This is...

Hi all, I recently made a porter which finished at 1.022, a bit higher than expected but I did mash at quite a high temperature and the reading was steady for a week so I bottled it. My question is whether I can take a gravity reading from a bottle when I open it now a few weeks later because I...

After a bad experience with our carbon monoxide alarm going off during my stove top brewing at the weekend despite having the patio doors and windows open, I have decided that I no longer want to brew indoors on our gas stove. So I am looking for an electric boiler to heat my strike and sparge...

I have an Inkbird ITC308S controlling my brewing fridge and have noticed a recurring annoying issue. It seems that the thermometer keeps reading inaccurate temperatures momentarily which causes the fridge to turn on unnecessarily. For example, if it is set to 20.0 deg with a differential of...

Hi, Chris from Kent here. I'm still reasonably new to home brewing having taken it up after being given a half size extract kit for christmas by my in-laws as a bit of a gimmicky present - I was totally hooked and inspired to take it up as a hobby. I am currently doing partial mash brewing and...