Category Archives: Top Post Updates

Bulk Keg Orings and Keg Repair Part Numbers + Limited Time Deal

homebrew keg parts

You can save a bunch by buying homebrew keg o-rings in bulk.  Here are some part numbers, background and tips on keg gaskets along with part numbers and sources for everything related to your homebrew kegs.

Limited Time Deal on EPDM O-Rings!

Keg Lid O-Rings - FDA Rated EPDM

Valuebrew offers a lineup of food grade keg replacement o-rings in bulk quantities.  Choose from silicone, buna-n and even EPDM.  Everything they carry is food grade, more info below.  They have some unique offerings like bulk pin lock size post o-rings, replacement universal poppet o-rings, bulk internal QD o-rings and Custom Color Coded Post O-rings – available in two colors schemes, gray & black (matches QD colors) and blue & green (blue for beer, green for gas),

Some of these offerings are detailed on our recently released Keg Rebuild How-To

10 Pack Special…

Valuebrew has always offered these in 5 count packs. They are running a limited time 10 pack deal. This allows you to purchase 10 EPDM o-rings at a lower price and you only have to pick 2 add-ons. To get 10 via the standard offering, you’d need to purchase a total of 4 add-ons.

Coupon code 10pack takes another 10% off

Limited stock available for this deal, VB says… “Note that we’ve set aside a limited amount of our stock for this promo. When those are gone, they’re gone.”

Note: You must use this link. The 10 pack special doesn’t show on the standard product page or by searching…

Keg Lid O-Rings – FDA Rated EPDM – 10 Pack

This is a extensive resource post. Here’s what’s covered…

  • Replacement Keg O-Rings
  • Keg O-Ring Materials Selection – EPDM, Silicone and Buna-N
  • Keg Dip Tube O-rings
  • Keg Post O-Rings
  • Keg Lid O-Rings
  • Internal Ball Lock Quick Disconnect O-Rings
  • Ball Lock Keg O-Rings vs Pin Lock Keg O-Rings – are they the same?
  • Universal Poppet O-Rings
  • Universal Poppets – 304 Stainless + Food Grade Silicone & Reliable O-Ring Replacements
  • Food Safe Materials for Keg O-Rings?
  • Shelf Life and When Should I Replace My Keg O-Rings?
  • One-Off and Metric Sized Keg O-Rings
  • Other Keg and Kegerator Rebuild & Replacement Parts
  • Replacement Lids
  • Poppets
  • PRV Valves
  • Keg Posts
  • Post Thread Sizes
  • Keg Lid Feet
  • Keg QD Replacement Parts
  • Replacement Dip Tubes
  • Faucet Repair Parts and Resources
  • Replacement Keg Handles and Bases
  • Keg Quick Disconnects
  • Racetrack Style Keg Parts
  • Tools for Removing Keg Posts
  • Odds and Ends
  • Keg Parts Landing Pages
  • Keg and Draft Related Reviews
  • Rebuild Your Kegs
  • DuoTights
  • Our Curated List of Keg Deals

Replacement Keg O-Rings

Continue reading →

Are Used Kegs Running Out??… AIH has just de-listed used ball lock offerings!

The containers we call Ball Lock and Pin Lock Kegs come from the soda industry.  Also called Cornelius Kegs, Corny Kegs and Corney Kegs, they were originally intended to store and distribute soda pre-mix.  The big soda companies decided on different style containers for their pre-mix.  Pepsi landed on the Ball Lock style while Coke uses the Pin Lock style.

Homebrewers have since re-purposed these as homebrew beer kegs.

Are Used Kegs Running Out?

Continue reading →

BIAB Brew Day Spreadsheet – Water Calculations + Narrative Step by Step Directions

biab homebrew spreadsheet

Why BIAB?

Brew in a Bag (BIAB) is a quick, easy and economical way to brew all grain batches of beer.  I released my brew day spreadsheet some time ago along with a version of that to be used for small batch beers.  See below for links.  Either of those could be modified to work with BIAB by changing variables,  This version is specifically designed for full size BIAB batches.

Main Page (click to enlarge):

homebrew brew in a bag biab spreadsheet

Related:

Bellamei Brew Bags...image
Bellamei Brew Bags Extra Large Reusable 2 Pack 250 Micron Fine Mesh Bag for Fruit Cider Apple Grape Wine Press Drawstring Straining Brew in a Bag (2 pack-22"×26")
$9.68
Jillmo Brew Bag,...image
Jillmo Brew Bag, Extra Large (31”X22”) Reusable Brew in a Bag, 2 Pack, New Version
$9.99
The Weekend Brewer...image
The Weekend Brewer FBA_COMINHKG083814 Brew Bag, 26" x 22", White
$11.28
Brew Bag, 26
Brew Bag, 26" x 22", 2 Pack, 100% Unbleached Cotton Bag for Homebrewing, Fine Cheesecloth Bag for Fruit/Cider/Wine/Beer, Resuable Drawstring Straining Brew in a Bag
$11.95 ($5.98 / Count)
Hobby Homebrew MESH...image
Hobby Homebrew MESH GRAIN BAG BIAB Brew-in-A-Bag Grain Mash Straining Bag with Handles (27.5 x 32.5 in) BAG29 Size HUGE From KegLand fits 10 Gallon Igloo Water Cooler
$23.94

Need More?

My brew day spreadsheet helps you calculate water volumes and temps and helps you do simple tracking.

If you’re looking for a powerful, full featured solution for building recipes, brew day tracking and loads more, consider Brewfather.

How I Use Brew Day Spreadsheets

How do I use brew day spreadsheets?  First, I do use recipe formulation software.  Some of those programs have brew day components.  I’ve just never gotten into using those features.  For better or worse, I use a spreadsheet.  I make a copy and name it using the batch number and beer name and then quickly plug in the basics.  This creates a one sheet printable page that I can use on brew day.  That gives me a single piece of paper with all of my numbers and a spot for brew day notes.  Notes can go back into the spreadsheet for archival.

Continue reading →

Homebrew Storage Options! – Base Grain, Specialty Grain and DME

When it comes to storing grain and DME, we’re concerned about keeping ingredients fresh minimizing oxygen and moisture exposure.  We’re also interest in keeping Grain and DME away from possible pests.  Beyond that convenient access and efficient use of space are issues to consider.  This post also includes some tips and general sizing guidelines.

Buckets for Grain Storage – Pros and Cons

Pictured: Food Grade Buckets via Amazon

Buckets are one of the most basic and popular options out there and for good reason.  They are generally easy to source, well made and cheap.  Food safe options are also easy to find.

Search Food Grade Bucket on Amazon

Grain Storage Capacity Estimations

My rule of thumb for grain storage capacity is about 5 lbs per gallon for unmilled malt storage.  That’s a rough estimate, actual storage capacity will vary.  A 5 gallon bucket holds about 25 lbs Two buckets = a 50 lb bag.  Two 6 gallon buckets would comfortably hold a 55 lb bag.

Continue reading →

Building a Simple Ball Lock Draft Line Flushing Setup

I use a recirculating draft line pump for cleaning my draft lines. That’s worked well for me (and many others) for years. See: Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump

The issue I ran into was the desire to periodically do a quick flush to rinse, clean or sanitize lines.

When a keg kicks, there’s residual beer in the line. The beer at the end of a keg is also more likely to contain gunk – hop and yeast trub. Rather than leave that sitting in the line, shank and faucet, I like to flush is out.  Also, when putting on a new beer I wanted to be able to easily sanitize.

Of course, I could get out my complete keg line cleaning pump, but setting that up and cleaning afterwards is a bit of work. What I wanted was an easy solution for a quick rinse or flush.

v1 of this build dates back to 2013. A little about that, for comedic and nostalgia reasons, at the end of this post. This write-up walks through a much improved v2.

This build is super easy, works great and can be made from a few items you probably already have around or can easily obtain.

The components – a 2 Liter PET bottle, a carbonation cap and a short length of tubing. My build uses a Kegland DuoTight Compatible Cap and EVABarrier tubing.  DuoTights and EVABarrier are outstanding [Hands on Review], but I want to stress that these exact components are not required. Any suitable carbonator cap and a length of compatible tubing should do the trick.

Carbonation Caps:

Step 1 – take off the label. Or… leave it on. 🙂 Whatever you want.Step 2 – attach tubing to carbonator cap. I like the idea of using EVABarrier because it’s stiff and I thought it would work well.Step 3 – Trim the tubing to fit. That’s it… you’re ready to change the world by quickly and easily flushing ball lock lines!

Flushing Lines

This photo shows pretty much all the players. The left side is the gas line that I use for charging the cleaner assembly. The right line is liquid line with ball lock QD. You can also see the other side of the liquid line terminating in the right-most shank. My setup is all DuoTight/EVABarrier and you’ll see DuoTight Compatible Locking Clips used throughout. If you are a DuoTight user, the locking clips are something I recommend as they provide a more secure connection.

This is powered by CO2 pressure. It’s important to underfill the bottle to leave some head space for CO2 pressure. I found that about half full, or 1 liter works well.  I used about 30 PSI of pressure. Make sure to choose a pressure that’s compatible with all components in your setup.

In Action!

This works really well. 1 liter (half full) along with a 30 PSI initial charge would be enough to briefly flush all four of my tap lines. Alternatively, less than 1 liter could be used to minimize chemical use.  A “quick clean” could also be accomplished by filling lines with PBW and letting them sit, followed by a round of water and finally Star San.

The pitcher I’m using for collection is a 2 Quart Rubbermaid Commercial Pitcher. This is a smaller version of the one gallon pitcher I’ve used and recommended for years. Although I got this half gallon size for the kitchen, it’s worked it’s way to my brewing area and is the perfect size for this task.

But Will it Flush Two Lines??

Here’s the key piece of hardware to clean two ball lock lines at the same time. It’s a ball lock  jumper from Valuebrew. There are only a couple similar offerings out there, to my knowledge. This one is unique because it uses their custom color, food grade post o-rings AND… it works with both liquid and ball lock jumpers.Here it is installed. This is connecting two 10′ EVABarrier tubing runs.If you look on the right you’ll see my Intertap faucet is equipped with a ball lock nozzle. This would work the exact same way with a NukaTap faucet. If you have another brand, you’d just make a jumper that fits over the spout of your faucet.Complete Setup for Two Line Test

The plumbing for my test is as follows

  • Flushing Assembly – 2 L bottle/carbonation cap/dip tube (on left) >
  • Ball Lock Line Jumper – 2 ball lock QDs with a short length of EVABarrier tubing >
  • Intertap ball lock spout on right faucet >
  • 10′ EVABarrier tubing with ball lock QD >
  • Ball Lock Jumper Fitting >
  • 10′ EVABarrier tubing with ball lock QD >
  • Intertap faucet (second from right) >
  • 2 Quart collection pitcher

In Action – 2 Lines!

I was actually quite surprised at how well this worked. It’s over 20′ of tubing, four QDs and a jumper.  All being driven by the head pressure in half of a 2L bottle.

Super Size It

Kegland makes a 2.5 Liter PET Growler Bottle Growler that gives you some additional capacity.

Alternative for Pin Lock Systems

The setup outlined here is for ball lock systems.  I know of no similar Pin Lock carbonator caps or fittings.  You could build as outlined and make a small jumper to go from Lock to Pin Lock

Related: What’s the Difference Between Ball Lock Kegs and Pin Lock Kegs?

Draft Line Cleaning Solutions and Sanitizers

All Our Builds & Related Resources

Related Reviews:

Keg Deals!

keg deals

Rebuild Your Kegs!

For Fun, Here’s More about V1…

This setup also uses a PET bottle to store solution, but gets more complicated and… harder to use from there.The cap was modified by installing a Shrader valveInside of the converted capFrom there, I put together a bunch of relatively expensive parts to form the ball lock connector

To make it harder to use… there’s no dip tube. The bottle had to be oriented so the top faces down.

More Homebrew Finds!

Recent Deals!

10 Most Recent Homebrew Resource Posts & How-To’s!

We are Homebrew Review HQ!  Our 10 Most Recent Reviews

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds

Our Top Draft Resources!

Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions. tag:lnksfxd  toppost:lineflush tag:tpru

Use Heat Resistant Gloves for Minding Yeast Starters & On Brew Day

G & F 1689L Dupont Nomex® & Kevlar® Heat Resistant Oven Gloves, for BBQ, Fireplace,and Grilling. Commercial Grade, Large, Sold by 1 Piece

Pictured: G & F Heat Resistant Oven Glove via Amazon

Part of Our Homebrew Tips and Tricks Series.  Check out the complete list – Homebrewing Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts! This is a Top Post! See: All Top Posts

G & F...image
G & F 1689L Dupont Nomex® & Kevlar® Heat Resistant Oven Gloves, for BBQ, Fireplace,and Grilling. Commercial Grade, Large, Sold by 1 Piece
  • Same material used by fire fighters
  • Maintains integrity and strength at high temperatures
  • Thermal regulating
  • Ambidextrous, fits right or left hand
  • Soft and pliable for easy grasp
$9.34
G & F...image
G & F 1683-1 Dupont Nomex & Kevlar Heat Resistant Gloves, 13-Inch Extra Long Cuff Oven Gloves, BBQ Gloves, Large, 1 Piece
  • Made of DuPont Nomex and Kevlar
  • Both side silicone palm provide extra heat resistant and griping
  • Quality cotton and poly lining for perspiration free
  • One piece fits either right or left hand
  • Extended 13.5" Extra Long cuff for extended protection
$13.99
The Ove Glove...image
The Ove Glove - Superior HEAT & FLAME Hand Protection - 2 Pack Glove
  • THE 'OVE' GLOVE: Comes with 2 machine washable, hot surface handler The 'Ove' Glove.
  • FLAME RESISTANT: Made from heat & flame resistant material used by firefighters. Withstands extreme heat up to 540 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • FIVE FINGER FLEXIBILITY: Made with full finger mobility and can be used with your left or right hand. Each glove contains a silicone non-slip grip to protect against dropping pans.
  • MULTI-FUNCTIONAL: Great for barbeques, kitchen, rearranging fireplace logs, car repair, welding, light bulb changes and more!
$18.90 ($9.45 / Count)
Ove Glove Hot...image
Ove Glove Hot Surface Handler Oven Mitt Glove, Perfect for Kitchen/Grilling, 540 Degree Resistance, As Seen On TV Household Gift, Heat & Flame,Tan
  • OVEN MITT: Comes with 1 machine washable, USA manufactured, hot surface handler Comoke Ove Glove
  • FIVE FINGER FLEXIBILITY: Made with full finger mobility and can be used with your left or right hand. Each glove contains a silicone non-slip grip to protect against dropping pans.
  • MULTI-FUNCTIONAL: Great for barbeques, kitchen, rearranging fireplace logs, car repair, welding, light bulb changes and more!
  • Fabric Type: kevlar
$17.57 -$3.96 $13.61
BBQ Ove Glove...image
BBQ Ove Glove - Superior Heat and Flame Protection - Extended Wrist for Additional Safety - Ideal for Outdoor Cooking, Grilling, Barbeque
  • EXTRA LONG SLEEVE for extra protection when reaching into BBQ grills, fireplaces, and more!
  • MADE FROM HEAT & FLAME RESISTANT MATERIAL USED BY FIREFIGHTERS. Withstands extreme heat up to 540 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • OVEN MITT: Comes with 1 machine washable hot surface handler. Machine washable up to 140 degrees F (60C)
  • FIVE FINGER FLEXIBILITY: Made with full finger mobility and can be used with your left or right hand. Each glove contains a silicone non-slip grip to protect against dropping pans.
  • MULTI-FUNCTIONAL: Great for barbeques, kitchen, rearranging fireplace logs, car repair, welding, light bulb changes and more!
$19.30 -$3.87 $15.43

Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions. tag:lnksfxd toppost:oveglove rp:tips#31 tag:tpru

Star San Tips, Tricks and Guidelines!

star san tips and tricks

Star San is my homebrew sanitizer of choice.  When mixed properly, it’s food safe and no rinse.  Required contact time is five minutes.  It has worked very well for me for quite some time and I’m convinced that it’s one of the most economical solutions available if you’re using the “Spray Bottle Method” outlined here.

Cleaning, Sanitizing and… Sterilizing

The first step in sanitizing is cleaning.  Cleaning and sanitizing are two separate steps.  Cleaning physically removes dirt and large contaminants.  After your item is physically clean it can be microscopically sanitized.  Sanitization kills many (but not all) germs, bacteria and microorganisms on an already clean surface.  I typically use a mixture of PBW for cleaning.  Sanitizing and Sterilizing are different.  Sterilizing is killing every living thing.  In home brewing typically, we’re not interested in sterilizing, we’re only interested in sanitizing.

Continue reading →

Toasting your own Wood Chips by Matt Del Fiacco

roasting your own wood chips for homebrew

Toasting your own Wood Chips

by Matt Del Fiacco

Like many new brewers, when I first started brewing I was eager to find interesting ingredients I could use, from Sriracha (bad idea) to vanilla beans (used 2 beans per gallon, terrible plan). Around this time, I tried my first bourbon-barrel stout, and feel in love with the wood characters of the beer. Wood-aged beer quickly became a passion, but the desire to experiment was still there. I noticed early on that at my local homebrew shop, all of my options were Oak of some kind, but what about Maple? What about Mesquite? Continue reading →

What Does a Flow Control Faucet Do?

what does a flow control faucet do

In order to properly serve a pint of beer from your kegerator you need to have a balanced system.  You decide what carbonation level you’d like to serve and what temperature you want your beer to be and set a CO2 pressure based on those two factors.  To pour a proper pint, well carbonated without excessive foam, you need to balance your system.  Balancing offsets your set CO2 pressure with the proper amount of resistance.  Not enough resistance = fast pouring and excessively foamy beers.  Too much resistance = beer pours too slowly or not at all.   Each component along the way provides some resistance.  Typically most of the resistance comes in the form of adding more beer line.  More line = more resistance.  For a full rundown of this see: Step by Step Balancing Your Kegerator Draft System

What do flow control faucets do?

Flow control faucets feature a built in flow compensator that allows you to adjust the resistance your faucet is exerting.  That means less tubing and potentially less foaming and wasted beer. The compensation feature also makes it easier to serve higher carbonation beers as you can set the faucet to provide resistance to offset the increased pressure needed to store and serve these beers at higher pressures.  Instead of replacing your beer line with ever increasing lengths of tubing, you simply turn a knob to increase resistance.

In my opinion Intertap and Perlick are top faucet manufacturers and both have a flow control model.

Continue reading →

Fermenting Under Pressure!

brewbuilt x1 fermenting under pressure

Benefits of Fermenting Under Pressure

Pressurized fermentations are becoming increasingly popular, and for a good reason. Some of the benefits that you gain from fermenting beer under pressure are: Lower ester production, being able to ferment at higher temperatures without producing off-flavors, and having your beer carbonated by the end of fermentation. Pressure fermenters are also called uni-tanks because you can use them for both fermentation and carbonating. You can serve beer directly from uni-tanks, counter pressure fill bottles or easily transfer beer into kegs using pressure.

Related: Benefits of Using Kegs for Fermentation

Fermenting lagers under pressure is a huge benefit of uni-tank. When yeast ferment under pressure, the production of fruity esters is greatly reduced. This can allow you to brew a lager at 70F an obtain traditional lager flavor. – via MoreBeer

Since off-gassing is reduced added hop flavor and aromas are also potential benefits of fermenting under pressure.

This article is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

What is Fermenting Under Pressure?

I’ll start first by defining “normal fermentation” as fermenting with an airlock or blow-off tube on your fermentor. In the chemical process of your yeast converting wort sugars to alcohol, CO2 gets naturally produced. In a normal fermentation, this CO2 pushes out of the liquid wort/beer into the headspace above your liquid level. As more and more CO2 gets produced, it starts to get crowded up there, so pressure builds up and then pushes a glug of air/CO2 through your airlock. As fermentation progresses, more CO2 is created, creates pressure in the headspace, and then vents through your blow-off tube or airlock.

Pressure Capable Fermenters:

Fermenting under pressure follows the chemical process, but instead of an airlock or blow-off tube, which has a very low pressure threshold before it relieves the pressure, you have a spunding valve attached. The spunding valve is typically set to open and release headspace pressure until a much higher level, and therefore keeps everything at a higher pressure in your fermentor (headspace and beer). This increased pressure on your yeast during fermentation changes how they behave. The two main important things that happens with yeast under pressure are: 1) It slows down fermentation rate, and 2) It suppresses production of esters and fusel alcohols.

Spunding Valves for Fermenting Under Pressure

There are multiple makers of spunding valves, with different looks and features/limitations. They can be grouped into two major types- 1) Spring & Poppet, and 2) Diaphragm. Both operate with the same basic principles. Pressure from your fermentor pushes up against the pressure regulating mechanism inside. In the Spring & Poppet, the “mechanism” is a small poppet like what you have inside the gas or liquid posts on your keg. The Diaphragm design uses a large flexible rubber/silicone disc as its “mechanism”. Resisting this pressure, on the other side of the mechanism is a spring. By turning an adjustment knob on the spunding, you can compress the spring more, which in turn pushes harder on the mechanism. Then it’s just a force balance between the pressure in your fermentor and the compression of the spring. Once the pressure overcomes the spring force, it creates a path for the compressed CO2 to escape and it bleeds off. This then regulates your pressure.

Keep Reading: Lots More About Fermenting Under Pressure

Portable Draft Beer Serving Options!

portable serving

Looking for options to serve your draft beer home brew on the go?  Here’s a roundup of some of the available options for your next tailgate, party or get together.

Included in this Post:

  • Growlers
  • Carbonation Caps – used with PET Bottles
  • Small Draft Systems
  • Tips and Tools for Filling Growlers and Small Draft Containers
  • Techniques and equipment for dispensing full corny kegs of beer
  • Finding Smaller Homebrew Kegs
  • Coolers and Ice Packs
  • Chilling and Keeping Your Keg Cold
  • Cloudiness

Continue reading →

Getting a Deal on Bottles for Your Homebrew

New Or Used Bottles?

Using new bottles saves time cleaning bottle labels and insures you have a completely clean and ready to sanitize bottle. I know of some homebrewers that use new bottles for every batch while some use new bottles for competitions and others buy new bottles and re-use time and time again.

Used bottles have the advantage of being cheap or free. De-label, clean and sanitize.

Getting a Deal on New Bottles

Tip: Shop Around

Prices and availability can vary wildly. If you want cases of new bottles, shop around to get the best deal.

Continue reading →

Build a Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump + Limited Time DEAL on Ball Lock Jumpers

Clean kegerator lines are a key part of serving delicious beer. Bacteria and mineral build in lines can cause off flavors, quick loss of head, under-carbonated beer due to rapid co2 loss and lack of legs forming on the inside of your beer glass.

Limited Time Deal:

Helps you clean multiple lines at the same time…

Valuebrew is offering a pack of two jumpers and 25 replacement o-rings for $32.97. Coupon code JUMP discounts the combo by a whopping 32%.

Double Jumper Special! < note that you must use this link along with coupon code JUMP to get the deal, the standard product will not get you the discount

Valuebrew’s jumper is unique because of the custom color, food grade o-rings and because … it works with both liquid and ball lock jumpers.

The directions on most line cleaners call for recirculating the cleaner for some period of time.  Most affordable cleaning setups that are out there include a hand pump.  Operating one of those for 15 to 30 minutes, for each faucet, doesn’t sound fun.

To really clean your draft lines, you need to keep solution flowing for a length of time, not just fill and wait.  Initially I tried to clean my system by pushing line cleaner out of a keg.  This was a waste of CO2.  I also found it tough to keep solution running slowly enough to get the required amount of contact time.  It’s easy to quickly push a cleaning or sanitizing solution through your system under CO2 pressure, but I found it to be a pain to try to do so slowly.  This also requires quite a bit of cleaning solution versus a recirculating pump.

I decided to put together a recirculating draft line cleaning pump setup.

Building a Recirculating Draft Line Cleaning Pump

Continue reading →

Whiskey Barrels for Homebrewing!

Oak Barrels for Aging Homebrew!

Oak barrels can be used to used to age stouts and porters, age other beer styles, make sour beers and more.

New oak barrels can be had in sizes ranging from 1 liter all the way up to 1 barrel/53 gallons. As with most things 5 gallons seems to be a sweet spot for a lot of brewers. Larger barrels can be good for prolific homebrewers or group brews and smaller 1 to 5 liter sizes are great if you’re wanting to give barrel aging a try without a huge amount of expense or space.

Continue reading →

What’s the Difference Between Ball Lock Kegs and Pin Lock Kegs?

Ball Lock Kegs vs Pin Lock Kegs – What’s the Difference?

The containers we call Ball Lock and Pin Lock Kegs come from the soda industry.  Also called Cornelius Kegs, Corny Kegs and Corney Kegs, they were originally intended to store and distribute soda pre-mix.  The big soda companies decided on different style containers for their pre-mix.  Pepsi landed on the Ball Lock style while Coke uses the Pin Lock style.

Homebrewers have since re-purposed these as homebrew beer kegs.

Continue reading →

My Brewing Spreadsheet

homebrew spreadsheet

My Brew Day Spreadsheet!

The spreadsheet is setup from my perspective, as a batch sparger.  Having said that, almost everything applies equally to a fly sparger with the possible exceptions of the computed mash ratio (more below), planning on a set volume of sparge water and the step by step batch sparge directions.

img_brewday

 This is the main sheet where you will fill in information about your beer and your mash parameters.  Click to enlarge.

Need More?

My brew day spreadsheet helps you calculate water volumes and temps and helps you do simple tracking.

If you’re looking for a powerful, full featured solution for building recipes, brew day tracking and loads more, consider Brewfather.

Continue reading →

Step by Step Small Batch, All Grain Stove Top Brewing!

small batch homebrew

I periodically brew small (1-3) gallon all grain batches of beer on my stove top.  Some reasons I do that… 1.  The weather – it’s too cold, too hot or too something else, 2.  Time or 3.  I want to test something.  It’s a fun, simple, quick and economical way to brew all grain with minimal investment.

For the extract brewer, what kind of gear is needed to accomplish this amazing feat?  A comprehensive list follows…

Continue reading →

Homebrew Temp Controller Roundup! – Kegerator and Fermentation – concepts, applications and models

homebrew temp controllers

Temperature controllers, sometimes referred to as over-riding thermostats, can control devices like refrigerators, freezers and fermentation heating devices to provide a consistent temperature for your kegerator, fermentation chamber or brew system.  They do this by monitoring the temperature and cycling on and off the device in question.  Generally, you will set the device to full cooling or heating power and the temperature controller takes over from there.

Wired and Unwired

Unwired means.. you have to hook up the electrical wiring.  It does not come with a plug-in cord.  The ITC-1000 is an example of an unwired controller.  That controller requires some additional materials, time and know-how to get working.  Wired means… no AC wiring is necessary, the controller comes with cords that you can plug your cooling and/or heating devices into.

Continue reading →

It’s Summer… Damp Kegerator? Fix Kegerator Condensation

kegeratorcondensation

I use a converted chest freezer as my kegerator/keezer.  With the aid of some modifications like a collar and an overriding thermostat, it works really well.  The big downside I’ve experienced is… condensation.  Not just beads of water on the sides, I had pooling water in the bottom.  Not a good thing.  This varies by how often I’m in it, the season and current weather, but the fact is, a chest freezer just isn’t designed to deal with condensation like a refrigerator is.

Get Current Price & Shop Around, How-To Continues Below:

eva dry 500 review kegerator condensation

Enter the Eva-Dry E-500.  The Eva Dry contains a desiccant material that absorbs moisture.  The beads inside this unit absorb moisture.  As they do that they change color.  When they have gone from blue to pink, you know it’s time to “renew” the unit.  This is done by removing it from the kegerator and plugging it into an outlet.  The integrated heating element drives off any built up moisture.  When the beads turn blue (overnight), you’re ready to go.  I don’t have to do this often, usually every couple months.

eva dry 500 review kegerator condensationFront of the Eva-Dry E-500

Continue reading →

Get Food Grade Buckets for Cheap – or FREE

Bucket photo courtesy of MoreBeer – Search MoreBeer for “Bucket”  – For illustrative purposes, I’m not suggesting that you buy this.  Read the tip below.

Why Buckets?

Buckets are super handy around your home brewery and beyond.  Potential Uses: Convert to a Fermenter, Convert to a Mash Tun, Grain Storage, lugging around stuff on brew day, general storage, use to help with cleaning and sanitation.

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