outbreak wrote: Goodbye commercial beer its been great but you just don't understand me anyone, I've found someone else.

LOL outbreak and great pic!

Pleased to hear it all turned out nicely .

You wont regret it one bit OB, best move you can make, besides AG BIAB

Thanks for all the pics and updates OB .

If you are going to drill into a fridge to fit through gas lines, taps etc, open the door of the fridge and let it run for 15 - 30 minutes. The sides of the fridge will get warm where any cooling coils are. Any cool areas should be safe to drill. Even so, use a 1/8 " (3 mm) bit to drill a small hole in the outer skin to just pierce it. Then use a bit of bent coathanger wire to "feel" around the insulation to double-check you are not going to drill or holesaw through anything important. If using a holesaw, once the pilot bit protrudes through the outer skin (metal), stop drilling and then re-start drilling from the inside (plastic) to give you a neat hole.

The John Guest fittings are great. If you are using them for gas, like any fittings, keep a close eye on your regulator volume gauge after you install new fittings. A tiny leak can empty your gas bottle overnight so try and do your install in the morning so as you can check your gauge every hour or so through the day.

With the JG fittings, make sure you don't put them into really bendy spots - use a JG 90 degree fitting if you have to. Set up right, these fittings are amazing. I have disconnected a whole series of these fittings from the gas source (one way valve connected) and 3 or 4 days later pulled a fitting apart to hear the hiss of retained pressure escaping!

Cheers OB,
PP

Outbreak,
Welcome to the kegging club! When you get a few dollars ahead. Get an extra CO2 bottle. I have had a few problems (caused by me) with running out of CO2 at the worst times. The place where I get them filled is a fire extinguisher refill & repair shop and they are on the road a lot. They never seem to be there when I go to town. Fill a spray bottle with "Star San" (the sanitizer that foams) Spray it on the connections and kegs as you add them in to your system. You won't have leaks if you see it foaming and reconnect the fittings. Anyway congratulations. Let us know if you have any questions? I am full of advice. My friends must know that because they say "I am full of it"?

What sort of help do you need OB?

OB, nice sprayer - same as mine .

Re having your beers tasted, I'll PM you the name of a retailer who lives near you and who is a beer judge etc. He should be able to identify any problems and is happy to pass on a wealth of knowledge etc.

I'll also make sure I have a brew day here as soon as I get my kegs full again though this plan seems to get thwarted every weekend lately . Can't stand having such an empty fridge. Will look forward to a beer with you though when it is full .

PP.

Yeah, 87% sounds just peachy.

Splitting yeast sounds fine outbreak, that's the sort of thing Tony on AHB does, he uses just 30ml though. Obviously the receiving tube needs to be scrupulously sanitary, if not sterile. I never use just a whole pack of fresh liquid yeast in one batch, always split it up one way or another, usually a couple of starters and a heap of slants. I am a tight *rse but also want to share PC strains with fellow brewers, particularly when its out of season.

Slippery slope?!!

Actually, and I don't want to peg the enthusiasm, but yeast can get to be a bit of a drag when starting from a slant or small seed culture, needs daily attention, if not a few times a day, and a bit of organisation well before mashing grain and eventual pitching. If I possibly can, I'll start a batch from top crop or some yeast cake, only resort to a starter if I really have to. Obviously there's limits in the number of strains on the go at once, presently I only have two strains underway (Wy1768 and 2247, both seasonal PC strains), but will probably get a Brewlabs (UK) slant out of storage before too long for reslanting and a few starters.
Having said that, it does open up a whole other world of brewing that can't be achieved any other way, particularly with PC/ seasonal strains.
So, get stuck into it outbreak, you might have your hands full from time to time but the results are usually very rewarding.