Allow me to be the first to say, “rookie move.”

I mentioned in a prior post that I have been chasing a mysterious loss of efficiency in my brew process lately. About a year ago, I acquired a bunch of new equipment and more or less completely changed my brew day process.  Around that time, I started using fly sparging instead of batch sparging. I started using BeerSmith 2 to design and track my brews.  I also acquired a refractometer that I began using to monitor my mash process.  It was about that time I also noticed that my efficiency seemed low for some reason.  It seemed reasonable to me that it probably had something to do with the process I was using around the new equipment, and I started to fuss over my gear.  Was the sparge arm really working out for me?  What a waste of cash!  Is the crush right?  Try a different brew shop, and another, and another!  Are my thermometers reading right?  Get new thermometers!  Calibrate all the things!  Then I started to obsess over the numbers.  I was always 15-20 points low on my gravities. I started to dread brew days.  I obsessed over little mistakes, which in my mind became the reason this particular brew fell flat.  I was making some great beer, sure, but I knew it wasn’t what it could have been.  That IPA of mine that you liked was really supposed to be an IIPA. It felt like I was serving lies, and it made me sad.

Continue reading →

Two kegs for conversion to kettle and mash tun!

I scored a pair of half barrel kegs from a friend and benefactor, and am working on two conversion projects. The first, my brew kettle, is more or less done. That was a quick 20 minutes’ work with a pencil, angle grinder and drill.  Next brew day will be conducted without any fears of boil over.

My other project is a mash tun conversion. In researching electric brewing, I came across a few electric RIMS mash tun designs that look interesting. There are also options to invert the Sanke fitting and use it as a bottom drain. Between that and the potential for future RIMS brew kettle conversion, I think I should start planning for indoor brewing.

Top of the new brew keggle. Notice the tapped hole for the fitting at the bottom

I wasn’t looking to scale up. Why do I always do this to myself?

It feels like you’re not a serious home brewer unless you’ve got at least one kegerator in your house.  I recently converted an old fridge.  This is my story. Continue reading →

I’ve been hearing a lot about fried turkey over the last few years. Mostly what I had been hearing was, “ZOMG you’ll burn your house down! Don’t do it!!” Naturally I was intrigued when I saw the turkey fryer kits at the local hardware store. I decided to throw caution to the wind and fry us up a turkey for Thanksgiving. I mean, how dangerous can it be, really? People down on the bayou have been doing this for a long time, and they don’t burn their houses down. Clearly I had fallen prey to the fear mongering in the nightly news. Yes, my manhood was being challenged.

I acquired the fry kit, and set about researching what would be needed to safely bring this bird home to roost. I watched a number of how-to videos using strongly-worded, dire warning about the dangers of accidental injury, property damage and even death. A wet or frozen bird would not be suffered. A common theme among all the videos was that this was not to be approached lightly, and would, in fact, require infrastructure. At minimum, it would require a fire extinguisher and safety gear in the form of aprons and heavy gloves. Construction of a gantry incorporating a system of rigging would not be uncalled for. Clearly, this project was taking on the overtones of a moral imperative. I set about acquiring my materials and got to work. My turkey gantry takes shape.

The recipe, then:

• 1 turkey, 14lb, thawed and rinsed
• Add to a large vessel: 2 gallons cold water, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1 cup of maple syrup. Stir to dissolve the ingredients.
• Immerse bird in the brine solution, and cover with ice. Top off with more cold water to cover the bird. Set aside for 8 to 18 hours.

For the fry:

• 5 gallons canola oil heated to 325-350 dF. Be sure not to overheat the oil.
• Dry the turkey inside and out
• Rub down with salt and pepper
• Lower the bird SLOWLY into the deep fryer
• Fry at 325-350 dF for approximately 45 minutes, or 3 minutes per pound.
• Remove bird when a thermometer reads 150 dF from the breast and thigh.
• Place bird in paper bag, and place paper bag in plastic shopping bag to absorb extra oil.
• Allow 30 minutes for carry-over to head the bird to 160 dF

This year’s turkey has to have been the most succulent, juicy turkey I’ve ever had. We didn’t even use the gravy that was on the table.