Anna's Brewdays

[RoomWithABrew]

Beer labelizer I think judging by the formats?

 

[DocAnna]

Beer labelizer I think judging by the formats?

Yes absolutely. I normally try to use their graphics as a basis and then build something myself but I was putting these together really quick. I've started playing with DALL-E-2 for graphics based on descriptions but so far haven't got anything out of it I could use.

 

[Lunesdale Brewer]

Hey @Lunesdale Brewer
Is that the keg from balliihoo? If so how is it? Any issues?

Hi,
Just spotted your question.
It is a King Keg top tap I have had for some years fitted with a Ballihoo valved cap with square section sealing ring.
I have used King Kegs for many years mostly with a bottom lever tap - they work well for me.
I naturally condition the beer in the Keg using a heater mat and top up with CO2 from a sodastream cylinder using an adapter for the S30 valve ( I have four empty S30 cylinders but switched to Sodastream when it became too difficult to get exchange refills).
A lot of the time I do not need to add CO2 - depends on rate of draw off.
I think It gives me something between a naturally conditioned cask ale and keg. When I need a new Keg I will buy one from Ballihoo as I think their cap with the ability to monitor pressure is an improvement.
The Brewgas deluxe sparkler tap is easier to use for guests but I would not start with that.
I like to pretend the lever tap is Lukr side-pour faucet inspired!

 

[DocAnna]

So I've been playing... After the comments above about my labels from labeliser, I thought I'd better come up with my own logo. Nods to Celtic knotwork and hops. I don't think it's too bad at least for now..

 

[Buffers brewery]

Liking your designs but not impressed with the name. Stirling Brewing Co. is a bit…… Thought you might have gone for something a bit more edgy like…..perhaps……Docanna Brewing with the emphasis on the first “a”….Da-Kaner
Good to see you posting again

 

[DocAnna]

The brew space has been properly tidied up now and the piping I'm going to consider finished after the reassuring replies received on this other thread, as I'd been anxious about pressure loss. I'm using second hand JG elbow fittings off ebay as I was a bit shocked at how expensive they were. Oh and the ones that arrived off Aliexpress turned out to be too small . Pressure dials when cylinder turned off- do I have a leak?

So the plan for the piping is above, and the cylinder is now attached to the wall properly as well: https://cdn2.imagearchive.com/thehomebrewforum/data/attach/80/80756-Brew-piping.drawio.png

...and the reality is not far off. The positioning of the manifolds was a bit different which reflected the entry points for the tubing and minimising the number of connections. I've used it for canning and it works well, but the pressure on line 3 needed to be higher than expected to get a decent flow with the can filler:

 

[DocAnna]

Zipperty do dah, zipperty day, my oh my it’s a brew day .

Oh it feels far far too long since I was last in this space. I’ve some yummy fresh MO grain but other than that, it is a bit of an experiment. I’m going for an English IPA style with English modern hops - and a bit of using up . I’ll post the recipe sheet later. For now it’s a fairly oomphing grain bill as I’m going for a 46litre batch.

This is 10kg of MO for the base!

Going for a 3 step mash 62-65-72 and I know it’s not really true to style but using Verdant IPA yeast - since I already had it. I suspect it’s going to end much more like a West coast IPA in flavour with Olicarna, Opus, Jester, and the outlier is Ella.
Feeling so much happier getting this going .

 

[DocAnna]

Here goes the sparge. - sheesh even with a pulley that grain basket is heavy

 

[jof]

Looking at the professionalism of your work, will you be opening your garden/outbuildings as a micro brewery tap room on your off shift days?
You seem a lot more organised & methodical than a few craft breweries I have been to (at least 2 of which didn't prosper with recent rising cost base)

 

[DocAnna]

Recirculating through the hop spider - my version of a hop rocket as an alternative to whirl-pooling . Interesting in the context of another conversation, I have a temperature prove in the hop spider - and when I added the hops , the base temperature was 81 but the hop spider was 62. The counter flow chiller had been turned off but it’s taken a good 10 mins for the temp to come up to 76 C…

Thanks @jof - I’ve felt a bit out of practice today and haven’t been testing gravity or ph as I go along, so not quite as ‘professional’ as I like to be! I have though been cleaning everything with caustic, rinsing twice and then sanitising- so lots of cleaning today

 

[DocAnna]

Doing something a bit different. I normally recirculate into the kettle for a while to bring the temperature down using the counter flow chiller, and then once low enough - fill the fermenter.

This time I’m using a high enough flow on the cooling water to transfer in a single circuit- 70 C to 28 in one pass - which is quite cool .. (umm oh dear that wasn’t meant as a pun )

 

[Agentgonzo]

This time I’m using a high enough flow on the cooling water to transfer in a single circuit- 70 C to 28 in one pass - which is quite cool

If you reduce the flow rate on your wort pump/valve, then you can drop it even further. It just takes a little longer to transfer.
In winter when the groundwater is cold, I go direct from boiling to 20°c in one pass with mine - transfer takes about 10-15 minutes. Summer I tend to drop the kettle temp to abour 70°, then transfer it out.

I have a wortometer on the output so it's dead easy to monitor the temperature, then tweak the flow rates to get the desired temperature

 

[DocAnna]

All tucked up. Numbers way off though - OG only 1.055 rather than 1.06. Volume a wee bit up but not that much. I have a feeling I should have mashed for longer. This is the first time using the ‘new’ Spiedel fermenter. Due to the weight I’ve had to upgrade the shelf support, but the air lock is so large I can suspend the thermometer through it .

 

[DocAnna]

If you reduce the flow rate on your wort pump/valve, then you can drop it even further. It just takes a little longer to transfer.
In winter when the groundwater is cold, I go direct from boiling to 20°c in one pass with mine - transfer takes about 10-15 minutes. Summer I tend to drop the kettle temp to abour 70°, then transfer it out.

I have a wortometer on the output so it's dead easy to monitor the temperature, then tweak the flow rates to get the desired temperature

A wortometer? Never heard of but I suspect I’d like one .

 

[Agentgonzo]

A wortometer? Never heard of but I suspect I’d like one .

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/grainfather-wortometer/?v=79cba1185463.
Temp probe goes in it - inline temperature readings

Gone up in price since I got mine. I think there is also a thru-mometer that does a similar job.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I bought a 1/2 inch T to fit on the counter flow chiller and that I can attach the camlock to it. In the side of the T fitted a short thermowell.
This allows me to measure temp at outflow of the chiller.
I was using wortometer but the tube is quite small and the hole through the middle is small.
I do use the wortometer inline on my recirculation tube to monitor wort temp at the top of the mash.
Quite a difference between kettle base thermometer and the temperature of the recirculated wort.

 

[DocAnna]

Just a ‘small’ dry hop of 410 g mix of Olicana, jester and opus. One of the nice things about this new Spiedel fermenter is that the hops can be added though the hole for the bung given how large it is.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

A wortometer? Never heard of but I suspect I’d like one .

Exhibit A: Wort-o-meter
Brilliant bit of kit. Basically it’s a little in-line chamber with a plate to create turbulent flow and a 6mm thermowell.
The ’ends’ of it are 3/8“ diameter so you can plug it straight into a JG fitting.
I put a bit of silicone heat transfer grease in the thermowell and then some heat shrink tubing over to hold in in place

 

[DocAnna]

Just a ‘small’ dry hop of 410 g mix of Olicana, jester and opus. One of the nice things about this new Spiedel fermenter is that the hops can be added though the hole for the bung given how large it is. View attachment 86421

I should admit this is for a 46 litre batch... so it really isn't quite as much as it seems.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Ooops! Forgot the photo …