re: Homebrewing Thread: Volume II

Mine is literally just a hose that lays on top of the grain bed. As much as I like to over-engineer things, I don't think you need anything fancy for this.

Merry Christmas to my fellow Homebrewers. I hope your stockings are filled with hops, yeast, malt, kettles, and fermenters!

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Merry Christmas to my fellow Homebrewers. I hope your stockings are filled with hops, yeast, malt, kettles, and fermenters!

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Merry Christmas!

I'd be happy if I could just find the leak in my tap system.

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My spruce Gose being the most recent example. Tastes great out the fermenter. Now it’s been in the keg, not getting nearly as much spruce. Thinking I’m allowing too much O2 exposure when I transfer to keg. I’ll need some O2 free transfer advice before my next brew in a couple weeks.

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You ferment in carboys, correct?

Here's what I used to do. I got a carboy cap (the kind that fits over the lip of the carboy and has two nipples sticking out the top). I put a 1/4" flare fitting in one of the nipples (the smaller one) and a SS racking cane in the larger one. First I put a layer of CO2 into the receiving keg. Then I connected the CO2 to the flare fitting and ran a hose from the racking cane to a QD on the OUT side of the keg so that I'm filling from the bottom. Then I simply push the beer out of the carboy with CO2. Careful with the pressure or it will blow the cap off the carboy and scare the bejeezus out of you.

After it's all transferred, I connected the CO2 to the QD and blew CO2 up through the beer and out the pressure relief.

I think spruce is pretty volatile and has a tendency to fade quickly. So dry sprucing might be a good way to go. You could also consider bottling that one. If you're losing aroma to the headspace in the keg, bottling might keep the aroma in better.

Well, I’ve done this beer 3 times and added spruce 3 different ways. First was a tincture of spruce added to the keg. 2nd was dry spruced plus a tincture, and this past attempt was spruce added at whirlpool. I liked the whirlpool the best, but my poor transferring messed it up. But I may just boil a cup of water with some spruce and dump it all in the keg and give it a little bit.

I got enough gift cards that I am going to buy all the equipment I need to start kegging my beers... Do y'all use pin lock kegs or ball lock kegs? Does it really matter which one I get? I have an old Parish keg, but I am assuming I can't trade that in anywhere for a Corny Keg, right?


Also, as I want to try another stout after this one. I've read for high ABV beers its a good idea to get a blow-off tube instead of an air-lock. Is that what y'all use?

I'm going to check my gravity today. Hopefully this last batch of dry yeast has brought it down to where I was looking to get.

I still think I am going to keep some bottles, especially some bombers in case I want to give some to family/friends. What do y'all do if you want to bring some homebrew to a party or tailgate or something? Fill growlers from the keg?

We have a 20 gallon “igloo” type cooler that’ll fit a corny keg and ice. We brought a beer we brewed up to Ky with it. We also use it for a mash tun for higher gravity beers.

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I just read up on what you posted. This seems to be the route I need to take. May have to dry spruce this current batch to get back some of the spruce....or I’ll save the spruce for another batch.

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ive done this with NEIPAs. and gotten a longer shelf life out of a keg. I have read The Alchemist uses CO2 to push their neipas through their system rather than pumps to prevent oxygen intrusion.