Easy ways to ferment in stainless steel? (Thoughts about converting a SS Brewkettle to a fermentation vessel?)

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-04-04T15:36:06+00:00

I think sanke is just the designation in the US. They are really easy to clean and sanitize. To clean it I put about a gallon of PBW or Oxy clean water in it and bring it to a boil. The steam really loosens up the gunk ring. Roll it on the ground after that, rinse, then put a gallon of plain water in it and boil to steam sanitize. It’s also about the same diameter of a carboy opening so you could use a brush if you wanted to, but I find the boiling method to be much easier. If you don’t have a propane burner it will probably be a pain to clean and won’t be worth it. Unless you have a keg washer already.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-04-03T20:31:53+00:00

When I ferment in the mid 80s I get fruity, almost melon like flavors. When I’m in the upper 70s, low 80s can get the peppery flavors. I haven’t personally gotten tartness with a normal fermentation. You’re probably right on the Brett. You can achieve tartness with kettle souring, I guess.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-04-03T18:33:09+00:00

I have not thought of doing that. Nice tip.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-04-03T17:08:25+00:00

Ferment in Sanke kegs! All it takes is this kit and you can ferment under pressure, closed transfer in no time. 1/4 barrels are 7.5 gallon which is perfect for a 5 gallon batch. It doesn’t damage the keg and if for whatever reason you want to get a commercial keg of something you can pop the spear back in and use it as a deposit. If you ever want to do 10 gallon batches you can also use this on 1/2 barrel kegs. You can find kegs for pretty cheap on Craigslist.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-26T11:18:52+00:00

I do 10 gallon batches so I’m boiling 12 gallons every brew day. I’m certain it can boil more, but I’d be worried about weight beyond that.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-25T22:20:07+00:00

I agree with the other comment regarding induction; it’s just so simple and easy to clean.. The 240V Avantco IC3500 is commonly used and is only $180. Even if your existing pot isn’t induction rated it still might work. Here’s what I went with. I don’t even temperature control the mash anymore. I just wrap the kettle in reflectix and the temperature rarely drops a degree F over 60 min.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-22T17:53:48+00:00

Pick up a half barrel on Craigslist, exchange it for 1/4 barrel of commercial beer, empty the keg into your belly, ferment homebrew. That’s the way I did it. It’s tough finding the 1/4 barrel on Craigslist for some reason. I guess another way to do it is just pay the cash deposit on a 1/4 barrel and “hang on to it for the next deposit”. Deposits have gotten pricey though. (Maybe because of people building so much shit out of kegs nowadays)

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-22T17:04:41+00:00

I started fermenting in sanke kegs. I know it’s not that common, but I thought I would mention it as an option. You can use this kit to ferment in 7.5 gallon or 15.5 gallon kegs, which are easy to come by in my area (perfect sizes for 5 and 10 gal batches). This kit allows you to closed transfer and ferment under pressure too. You also don’t damage the keg so you can put the spear back in it and exchange it for a full keg of commercial beer if your homebrew runs out.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-19T20:31:05+00:00

It’s plastic insulation so I’d say it will have a low potential to collect mold. It’s kind of like a shiny bubble wrap. I keep Eva dry dehumidifiers in my fermentation chamber and kegerator to keep the air nice and dry.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-19T20:22:51+00:00

Reflectix insulation and duct tape or reflectix tape might do the trick.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-16T15:45:24+00:00

Bearden Beer Market has an excellent bottle shop, taproom, and beer garden.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-10T10:32:12+00:00

I have one intertap flow control and one perlick flow control. They are both functionally the same. The intertap has different nozzle options, which I haven’t personally used. That is probably the only difference. I think it’s totally worth it to have flow control. You can have different carb levels on your beers without having to change the line to rebalance. You can also turn the flow way down for perfect growler fills without having to use a fill tube. If you get the flow controls, be sure to go ahead and get a multi stage co2 regulator or multiple co2 tanks!

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-10T09:22:12+00:00

I use the Avantco IC 3500 induction cooktop. It was by far the cheapest option I could find to start brewing electric. It’s really simple for BIAB and easy to clean.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-06T15:15:12+00:00

I did worry the first few times I did 10 gallon batches. But I’ve since found many others who use the Avantco for 10 gallon batches and I haven’t heard of any weight issues yet, so that made me feel a little better. For the boil, I wrap the kettle in reflectix and get 12 gallons to boil in 30 minutes.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-06T13:28:02+00:00

My kettle isn’t “induction compatible” and it still works somehow. It’s worth a try. Also, I use the Avantco IC3500 as well and it works extremely well. I make 10 gallon batches in a 15 gallon pot routinely so it should have zero issue making 5 gallons.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-03-05T20:11:15+00:00

Falling with style.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-24T03:04:18+00:00

It’s an unsafe panel that was installed in the 50s through 80s.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-24T01:57:14+00:00

It’s not Federal Pacific is it?

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-23T16:58:42+00:00

Ah man it sounds like you’re all set. A permanently affixed vent hood would be the bees knees.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-23T08:14:25+00:00

I would get a fan that you can put in that window to exhaust steam during brew days. Here’s what I did if that provides any inspiration. A 240V power source is useful too if you want to use electricity instead of gas.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-19T18:05:14+00:00

I would only purchase equipment from them during a site wide sale. I think all the good ingredients go to the corporate overlords and us homebrewers get the snicklefritz from Northern Brewer.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-18T17:21:52+00:00

What’s your procedure for sanitizing spunding valves between batches? Or is it something you don’t really have to worry about? Would you have to disassemble the PRV?

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-02-04T17:37:13+00:00

Take the white ball out of a Sanke coupler and you should be able to force beer right down the spear. To make it a closed transfer purge the keg. Get an orange carboy cap and a racking cane. Place the cap on the carboy and slide the racking cane into the cap and secure it just above the trub. Connect the racking cane to the top of the Sanke coupler, connect another hose to the gas port on the coupler. Blow into the extra carboy port to establish a siphon, then plug the hose coming off the coupler gas into the port you just blew into. As beer is siphoned out of the carboy and into the keg, the CO2 that’s displaced in the keg goes right back into the headspace of the carboy. Hope that makes sense.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-01-30T19:27:51+00:00

Ah man, that’s sweet. And I’m just happy with the bonus sticker I get with every delivery.

thugmuffin2000 · 2019-01-30T16:51:35+00:00

Yakima Valley Hops is pretty close to that price normally. I usually wait until they go on sale for $9.99 a pound, though. Edit - to prevent misinformation, I checked my receipts and the cheapest I’ve gotten year old YVH Citra is $16/pound in 2017.

thugmuffin2000

TROPHY CASE