Welcome to the Homebrew Happy Hour,the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrewing questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
On Today’s Show:
A last minute change due to James having to help a customer of his led to me frantically hitting up my short list of folks who could hop in and help for this week’s episode. I wasn’t even thinking about bothering Todd with this but, funny enough, he happened to text me so I asked and he obliged! It was great catching up with Todd as he’s wrapping up his family vacation in Hawaii and it was even greater that he was able to help me address your questions since it would’ve been super scary for me to try and take them by myself. I’m a much better moderator that helps keep the conversation going between the three of us than I am an actual knowledge bank of homebrewing FAQ. Regardless, this week’s show is pack full of great info and we hope you enjoy it!
We want to hear from you!
If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor!
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
We are the Homebrew Happy Hour,the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrewing questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
On Today’s Show:
School is out for most kiddos so that means vacations are starting to take place. Specifically, Todd’s kids are out of school so he took off with his family to Hawaii for a lovely two week vacation where he’s been sending us lots of pics and describing the delicious beers he is enjoying. I haven’t been jealous at all (I’m lying). With Todd gone, that means you have the pleasure of listening to me ask James for his help as we tackle your questions on this week’s episode including a question on the German purity law for beer as well as a question about how James modded our in-house Mash & Boil unit. It worked out great because the questions on today’s show are right up James’s alley and we ended up having a real fun time!
We want to hear from you!
If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor!
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
There are a number of keg couplers (Sanke D, S, G, A and U), with Sanke D being the most common for American domestic beers, but they all basically function the same way. It is important to clean your couplers on a
regular basis, but it is also very important to lube your couplers O-rings and
seals before returning to service. Most
couplers consist of the main body and a probe of some sort. By far the most
popular coupler in the United States is the Sanke D coupler and the photos and
procedures we will cover in this Guide will focus on this coupler.
This is a “D” system coupler for sankey style kegs with a black lever handle, also referred to as an American Sankey, which is the most common system used in America. It’s used by all the major and micro breweries along with a lot of home brewers. Both compatibility and durability are unmatched!
Q- How do I hook up my coupler to a keg?
A- This is very simple.
Just make sure the handle is in the up position, line up the coupler
with the two lugs on the kegs (see “A” on photo below) with the two slots in
the coupler (See “B”). Push down the
coupler and then pivot the coupler to the right until it stops. Make sure you twist it as far as it will go
to the right or leakage can occur.
Then pull out the handle and push
it down until it locks into place. Q- How do I clean my coupler?
A- Your coupler can just be cleaned using hot soapy water and
then rinsed with clean water. It should
always be lubed after cleaning. Failure to keep you coupler lubed will result
in leaks! Q- How do I lube my coupler?
A- Couplers have O-rings and seals. The seals on on the bottom, there are
two. One is on the bottom of the body
and the other is on the bottom of the probe (see E in images) Put a light coat of food grade O ring lube on
these. There are also two or three O
rings on the probe, depending on manufacture of probe (see image D on
photos). This will need to be removed
from the body. Just unscrew long nut
holding on the handle, pull handle from side away from the coupler and then
pull probe up and out of the coupler, lightly lube the O rings and replace the
probe. Q- My coupler is leaking air or beer from the bottom where it connects to keg or from the top of
the probe and I have done all the things suggested above?
A- Is your hose pulling on the coupler or something pushing
on the coupler? This can push the
coupler out of alignment and cause leaks.
Be sure there is nothing external touching or pulling on your coupler. Q- My coupler is leaking beer or gas from where hose
connects?
A- Make sure your beer nuts are tight and you have a washer
inside the coupler (on some couplers the one way rubber valve (called a duck
bill valve) also acts as a washer to seal.
***One other thing that will ofter cause a coupler to leak
is the keg itself! Inspect and lube the
large rubber washer where the coupler connects to the keg. If you see a tear,
cracks or other defects this could be your issue. Sometimes the metal part is bent as well and
this causes issues. Contact the company
that sold you the keg in these situations.
This is the Homebrew Happy Hour,the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrew questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
On Today’s Show:
Todd is back from Minnesota! He, James, and myself discuss the upcoming National Homebrew Convention (aka – #HomebrewCon) and the delicious beers we’ll have at booth #719. We also small talk about our recent brew days, my latest trip up to HQ (go follow our Instagram if you aren’t already to see the progress of our production studio), Todd’s upcoming trip to Hawaii, and lots more… PLUS we discuss your questions this week which are all about yeast. We had a blast!
We want to hear from you!
As always, If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor! Easy-peasy, right?
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
As you probably already know, we are the Homebrew Happy Hour. This is the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrew questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
On Today’s Show:
Todd is out of town on business (believe it or not, sometimes we get work done!) so James hung out with me to discuss the upcoming HomebrewCon, what’s been brewing, and we took some of your questions on hops and cereal mashing. It was a blast, as always, to hang out with James and I know you’re going to love this week’s show!
We want to hear from you!
As always, If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor! Easy-peasy, right?
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
CO2 cylinders are necessary for drafting beer (or whatever beverage you’re running through your kegerator/keezer) because they provide that wonderful beer gas to push the lovely beverages into our glass. Maintaining them isn’t difficult yet understanding them can seem overwhelming – at first. We’re here to help you navigate and understand what all those weird looking signs, symbols, and characters that are stamped onto your cylinder actually mean. So, whether you end up buying a brand new CO2 cylinder or maybe you find a great deal at a garage sale, you can be sure that you know whether or not your cylinder can be serviced or filled without having to spend additional money getting it up to date.
DOT-3AL1800: “DOT-3AL” is the US Department of Transportation’s specification for seamless aluminum cylinders with a minimum service pressure greater of 150 psi. “1800” is the service pressure rating of the cylinder in psi.
CC357769: This is the serial number for the cylinder
M5659: This is the “M number” or manufacturer’s number issued to Metal Impact South by the US DOT.
11A16: The “11” represents the month of manufacture, November, and the “16” represents the year of manufacture, 2016. The “A” in the middle is the mark of the independent inspector. The manufacturing and testing of DOT-3AL cylinders must be witnessed by an approved independent inspector. The “A” is actually an arrowhead symbol identifying Arrowhead Industrial Services as the independent inspector. All CO2 cylinders have a manufacture date. Re-certified CO2 cylinders also have a certification date. The most recent date on the cylinder is the currently active date. The most important date to know when purchasing a cylinder is when the cylinder was last re-certified. Re-certification includes hydro-testing. The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that most portable CO2 tanks, both new and used, be re-certified every five years. Nitrogen and other high pressure inert gas cylinders generally have a 10 year re-certification requirement (although there are exceptions). Certification must be performed by a DOT-licensed facility.
M with line coming down through it vertically: This is a symbol for Metal Impact. The vertical line is a capital i.
5#: This is the maximum mass in pounds of CO2 that can be filled into this cylinder.
T7.40LB: Tare weight of cylinder and valve in pounds.
TC-3ALM124: “TC-3ALM” is Transport Canada’s specification for seamless aluminum alloy cylinders with a minimum service pressure greater of 1.0 Mpa. “124” is the service pressure rating of the cylinder in bar.
T3.36KG: Tare weight of cylinder and valve in kilograms.
and we thank you for joining us once again for the Homebrew Happy Hour show! This is the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrew questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
Tuesday of this week was “National Homebrew Day” and last week I had solicited from you all to leave us a voicemail or a text message at 325-305-6107 telling us what you love about homebrewing. The only issue was that our voicemail inbox wasn’t working and I only found out because a handful of you guys reached out to let me know! I was able to get your messages via text and also email so we did get to include you guys and I appreciate every one of you who did submit input. I’m sorry I couldn’t include but a handful of your messages but, good for you, Todd was still OK with me giving EVERYONE who messaged a Kegconnection gift card… so, there is that!
On Today’s Show:
Alongside your messages for National Homebrew Day, we also took a question that was about our brewing experience. It’s always nice for me to hear Todd and James remissness about their brewing past and I genuinely enjoy hearing their stories and how far they’ve come in their brewing styles.
We want to hear from you!
As always, If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor! Easy-peasy, right?
Let us know what you think and enjoy the show!
cheers,
joshua
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
With multiple choices of solid all-in-one brewings systems on the market, a lot of people are choosing these as their option when making the jump to all-grain brewing, and for good reason. They are compact and easy to store, making them an excellent choice for people with limited space. Most of them are electric, so you can easily brew indoor and avoid harsh weather conditions. They are reliable systems with a fair amount of automation, and are capable of making a consistent product. The majority of these systems use a basket within a kettle for the mash, and then you rest the basket above the kettle to perform the sparge. Some of the options include a pump giving you a RIMS system (Recirculating Infusion Mash System) which helps increase your efficiency and consistency. In this article I will break down some of the options we offer and go through some of the pros and cons of each system. We can talk about what each system includes and their price points.
The Grainfather is one of the first of its kind on the market and offers some of the nicest accessories. The newer, current version, called the Connect has Bluetooth capability so you can control the unit from you phone. It allows you to set up programmable step mashing temps, and features delayed heating so you can fill your Grainfather with water the night before and wake up to your water at strike temperature. The graphic display is waterproof and allows you to use it in manual mode or with the app. It also gives you alerts when your attention is needed for the next step of your brew so you can easily multitask or relax in between steps of your brewday. The unit itself is constructed of 304-grade stainless steel and has a total capacity of 8 US gallons. The grain basket can hold up to 20 lbs. of grain, so you can certainly get away with brewing some monster beers. The US version runs off of 110-120V and puts out a whopping 1,600 watts. Some of the available accessories include a Conical Fermenter, Hop Spider, Insulation Jacket, Sparge Water Heater, Fermenter Cooling Kit, Glycol Chiller, and all of the replacement parts you may need. The Grainfather Connect includes a counterflow chiller, making one less item needed for the entire process. This system is on the high end of the price range, but from personal experience I really think it’s the best in class. The company provides fantastic support and a 24-month warranty should anything go wrong with your unit, and the machine produces some really tasty results – $998.98 MAP (Minimum advertised pricing) .
The Robobrew V3 is another option that’s becoming more popular with their new release. It mirrors the Grainfather in some aspects, as in the stainless steel construction, inclusion of a pump and chiller. The stainless steel immersion chiller is a bit different, but serves the same purpose as the Grainfather’s counterflow chiller. Once again, the only thing you really need other than the brewing unit itself is a vessel for fermentation. The Robobrew also has the function of programmable stages, allowing you to set up 6 different temperatures and durations for step mashes or delayed start to heating of up to 23 hours in advance. This way you can have your water hot and ready to go when you get home from work or wake up in the morning. The Robobrew is slightly larger with a total capacity of 9 US gallons, but they recommend not going over 18 lbs. of grain. Much like the Grainfather it contains dual heating elements that run off of a single 110 volt plug and have individual switches allowing for more control over the heating process. You can use both elements for rapid heating at a combined 1500 watts, or individually to maintain a boil or mash temperature. You won’t get quite as many selections for accessories on this system, but some of the obvious choices are still available like the Insulation Jacket and replacement parts. This system comes in at a lower price while not lacking too many of the benefits of the Grianfather, so some are considering it a better bang for your buck – $449.99 MAP (Minimum advertised pricing).
The Mash and Boil from Brewer’s Edge is more similar to the Robobrew, but offers the system both with and without a pump for recirculation. This flexibility is nice, especially if you’re already in possession of a brew pump, or want to create your own recirculation set-up. Most of the other mechanics will work the same, but it is a bit smaller of a system overall. It has a maximum capacity of 7.5 US gallons and a recommended limit of 16 lbs. of malt. It also runs off the same 110V plug and bolsters a 1600 watts heating element. Similar to the other units, it features a delayed start timer, so you can program the Mash and Boil to turn on up to 24 hours after setting. Again, this allows you to wake up or come home from work with your water already heated to strike temps and ready to brew.
The unit itself is double-wall constructed with stainless steel and includes most of the features that our previous two systems have. One thing it is missing is a chiller, as neither counterflow or immersion is included. This sets our price down some making it the most economical option of the bunch. The standard Mash and Boil system runs $299.99 MAP and the version that includes the pump sits at $419.99 MAP (Minimum advertised pricing).
Whether you or someone you know is considering making the plunge into all grain brewing and looking for a compact, easy to use unit – these options should most certainly be considered. If you have any questions about some of the specifics of the units please feel free to email them to [email protected] – you can also check out more details on these and other all-grain brewing systems on our site anytime at – https://www.homebrewsupply.com/brewing-equipment/all-grain-brewing-equipment/all-grain-brewing-systems.html
About the Author
Ladik Joe Ermis is the Director of Operations for HomebrewSupply.com ! He has been brewing for many years and has been creating many of the recipes for our site.
Thank you for joining us once again for the Homebrew Happy Hour show! This is the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrew questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
Next week is “National Homebrew Day” and we want to hear from YOU! Leave us a voicemail or a text message at 325-305-6107 telling us what you love about Homebrewing and, if we use your message on the episode, we’ll send you a $20 gift card for Kegconnection.com!
ALSO: This is a heads up that we finally have our HomebrewCon booth number! Come visit us this year in Providence, Rhode Island during the 2019 National Homebrew Convention from June 27-29th at booth # 719. We’ll have more info coming soon on how you can sign up for some freebies from us and we may even organize a meetup with you all while we’re hanging in Providence. We’re VERY excited and can’t wait to meet you all in person and share our booth’s beer with you.
On Today’s Show:
Todd (Kegconnection) and James (CMBecker) join me again on the show to help answer all of your homebrewing questions! The first question asks about what exactly might happen if you mash at warmer or colder than recommended temperatures. Also, what should be expected if you mash for longer or shorter than the recommended amount of time? It’s a great question that we (and by we, I mean James) had a great time discussing. Also, there was a question about how to choose hops when crafting a recipe and I actually learned a lot listening to Todd and James (and by “Todd and James” you know I really only mean James) discuss what they do for recipe building. All-in-all, we’re very excited to present this week’s show to you!
We want to hear from you!
As always, If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor! Easy-peasy, right?
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
Thank you for joining us once again for the Homebrew Happy Hour show! This is the podcast where we answer YOUR homebrew questions and we discuss all things related to craft beer!
We hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend last week with lots of time with family and delicious homebrew. I was lucky enough to have LOTS of homebrew on tap – my aunt & uncle brewed a California Common and it was ready by Easter Sunday and then my pop and I also took our homebrewed IPA with us to the family gathering and it was a big hit too. Too much fun, friends!
On Today’s Show:
I’ve been spoiled rotten lately having both Todd (Kegconnection) and James (CMBecker) on the show to help answer all of your brewing questions. On this episode, we received two questions recently regarding yeast. One asks about what to expect when you ferment a beer near the lower temperature spectrum recommended by that yeast company versus the higher temperature end of the spectrum. The other question asks very plainly – how do you know which yeast to choose when there’s so many options?! It can be overwhelming but, hopefully, we provide some clarity for you today.
We want to hear from you!
As always, If you have a question that you’d like us to discuss on a future episode, please click on the “Submit a Question” link at the top of our website or you can now call in your questions via our questions hotline @ 325-305-6107 and leave your message after the beep. This is a friendly reminder that, if we choose your question for a future episode, we give you a $25 gift card to that episode’s sponsor! Easy-peasy, right?
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
Today’s show is brought to you by Kegconnection.com! Check out Kegconnection’s brand new “Brewer’s Club Rewards” program which gives you points for every purchase and the ability to earn FREE points simply by sharing content or participating in various activities. You can redeem your points for discounts on future orders, FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS, and a whole lot more so go to Kegconnection.com for more information. Homebrew Happy Hour listeners who shop at Kegconnection.com can use the promo code “HHH” to receive 5% off your order.
