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   1. Is there a cheaper alternative to Starsan?

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      by Crusader 83, 13 years ago in Cleaning and Sanitisation

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      First, Let me start by saying I am a tight wad; With that said, I recently discovered two things 1) Avery inexpensive alternative for Iodophor in the form of teat dip at a local farm store. 2) Starsan; I like this product over Iodophor because I don't care for the iodine stains although given the cost difference I can learn to live with them. I was wondering if there are any inexpensive products out there that are similar to Starsan?
      
      Thanks for any feedback.

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      Yeah, I could....
      
      But I really need the three litres on brew day because I sanitize 4 cubes at once, any left over goes into a soak bucket which I then use to refresh my kegerator spray bottle.
      
      I could keep the sanitizer around but i toss it as storing a bucket of sanitizer is something I don't need to do and I have a toddler and my water chemistry means it goes cloudy quickly.
      
      On brew day I don't need that much, but again WTH and Keg day I sometimes use less.
      
      So I guess worst case...
      53 Replies
      67399 Views
      stux
      12 years ago
   2. Worst Brew day Ever?

      by Crusader 83, 12 years ago in From Mash to Lauter (Water to Sweet Liquor)

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      The day started out fine, but the weatherman's forecast was off and incomes a storm during the mash; Temperature dropped about 20 degrees and it rained pretty hard. We got everything moved to relative safety, but not completely. When I was opening the cap on the yeast it fizzed like a shook up pop bottle and when I went to dump it the vial slipped right into the carboy :headhit: :angry: So, now I have a two week wait to see if I will be throwing away a batch of beer.
      
      Anybody have any worse...

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      Mordantly Stuck mash? A thing of the past with BIAB. :thumbs:
      
      i can see an issue with >40# grains in the bag. im making a bag to line my 17.5gal cooler to see if i can get the finest crush and not stick.
      10 Replies
      11431 Views
      mordantly
      12 years ago
   3. Pumpkin Ale - Let me know what you think

      by Crusader 83, 12 years ago in BIAB Recipes

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      Below is my recipe for a pumpkin ale with a kick at the end. Let me know what you think. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
      
      9.75lbs of American 2row
      3.00lbs of Munich II
      0.50lbs of Crystal 75
      0.25lbs of Crystal 60
      
      HOPS
      1.0oz of Cluster (60min)
      1.0oz of Cluster (30min)
      
      YEAST
      WLP001 California Ale
      
      1tsp each of nutmeg, alspice, clove and cinnamon at 5min.
      
      IN SECONDARY
      Add 1-2 habanero peppers (to taste)
      
      At bottling - 1.25 tsp of Pumpkin Pie spice was added per 5 gallons as well as
      4 oz...

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      Crusader 83,
      
      Dry hopping can be done anyway you like. After fermentation (a couple of weeks or so) I dry hop right in the primary! I may use a secondary if I want to reuse the old yeast? I just dump in the ( berries, spices, hops, fruit ) right into the vessel. I may use a sanitized muslin bag weighted down with sanitized marbles or a tea holder (stainless steel wire ball).
      3 Replies
      5258 Views
      BobBrews
      12 years ago
   4. Pumpkin Ale with a kick??

      by Crusader 83, 13 years ago in BIAB Recipes

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      I am trying to come up with a pumpkin ale that has a nice spicy/hot finish, but one that does not over power and maintains the integrity/taste of a conventional pumpkin. Any suggestions of what kind of peppers to use, how much and when to introduce; Mash, boil, primary, secondary etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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      Crusader 83,
      I researched pumpkin beer last year and came to the conclusion that it is not the pumpkin itself but the spices. The pumpkin itself weather fresh and roasted or canned lends very little taste. Rather it is the spices used to make a pumpkin pie that people expect. My beer last year was great. I used two cans of pureed pumpkin and grain to make the sugars. I put a tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spices (from a jar) in a secondary and dry hopped with that. Here is a link to the recipe.
      2 Replies
      4897 Views
      BobBrews
      13 years ago
   5. 1st AG batch under my belt, used BIAB Couple??

      by Crusader 83, 13 years ago in Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

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      I brewed an AG kit saturday using the BIAB method and everything wen great until my thermometer broke with 10 minutes left in the mash Admittedly I panicked a bit, but not having lost any temp in 50 minutes I let sit for 10 more to finish the mash, then I proceeded to add heat, on medium, Theorizing that if I gradually take it to a boil I will hit something relatively close to mashout. I pulled the bag and let drip when I thought it was approaching the too hot point.
      
      I calculated my pre-boil...

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      Congrats on your first brew crusader, 83% is a fantastic result for your first go.
      
      You can determine mash and mash out temperatures by looking at the surface of the liquor (if I can find a link, I'll throw it in later). It does take a bit of practice but it is obvious once you start looking for it. Definitely get a new thermometer though!
      1 Replies
      3458 Views
      hashie
      13 years ago

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