More Incredibly Practical Brewing Tips
Make Use of Your In-Laws
To increase the amount of batches you do, adding more variety without more brew sessions, start brewing with a brew partner. I introduced my brother-in-law to homebrewing a few batches ago. Now we do batches together. Instead of having five gallons of a single style, we split the batches and each go away with one case of each style from that night’s worth of brewing. Although the brewing session may be a bit more complicated, it doesn’t usually take that much more time than just a single brew session.
— David Russell, Plymouth, Mich.
Presto Chango
I brew in my basement and use the rinse tubs for all my washing and sanitizing. To speed the changing of my various accessories, including the Jet Carboy and Bottle Washer, rinse hose, and wort chiller, I attached quick-disconnect hose fittings made for use on garden hoses. I put a male nipple on the rinse-tub faucet, and a quick-disconnect female fitting on each accessory. This makes changing from one to another much quicker.
— David M. Szakacs, Niles, Ohio
Going the Extra Gallon
I brew all-grain and always bump up my yeast cultures. This tip makes sure I always have some sterile wort on hand for my yeast starters. I make 10-gallon batches (this will work for smaller or larger batches), but I always design my recipes for 11 gallons of finished wort. I only ferment 10 gallons and can the last gallon in canning jars. I collect the extra wort straight from the kettle and process the jars just like canning vegetables. This saves having to dedicate time for making starter wort; it gets done when I’m already in the brewery.
— Tom Bechard, Rouses Point, N.Y.
Good to the Last Drop
To get every last drop of wort from the boiling kettle to the fermenter while leaving the trub behind, I have developed this procedure. First boil wort; I usually do a concentrated wort boil. Add Irish moss during the last 10 minutes of the 60-minute boil. Cool with an immersion wort chiller. Whirlpool the wort and allow to settle. I separate the wort from trub by siphoning. The trub remaining in the kettle still contains a small amount, 12 to 16 ounces, of concentrated wort. Pour the remaining wort through a sanitized funnel into a sanitized glass jug. Seal air tight and put in refrigerator overnight. The trub will further separate during the cooling period. The next day, pour the clear wort through a sanitized funnel into a glass container. I usually use a 16- or 22-ounce beer bottle.
Cover the bottle and pasteurize the wort by putting the bottle into a pot of boiling water. Water should be one-half to three-quarters up the side of the bottle. Boil for 15 minutes. Note that the volume will increase as the wort is heated, so allow additional space in the bottle to compensate. After pasteurizing, cap and allow to cool. This sanitized wort can either be added directly to the fermenting beer or used for a yeast starter for your next batch. If I’m going to use it as a starter, I usually add about 4 ounces of pre-boiled water to compensate for the higher gravity.
— Michael J. Matuszczak Sr., Wilbraham, Mass.
Glue Repellent
Sam Adams labels are particularly difficult to remove from the bottle. I add about a half-cup of ammonia to three gallons of water and soak them overnight. The next day, the labels are easy to remove or are already on the bottom.
— Bruce Wells, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Cleaning With Grandma
It is necessary to scrub all your equipment before you sanitize it, but what about the inside of your racking cane or siphon tube? Solution: Take about a 10-foot piece of yarn and stick one end of the yarn into the end of your cane or siphon tube. Then suck the other end of the tube. The yarn will snake right through the tube. Now tie the two ends of the yarn together with a sloppy knot and immerse everything in a cleansing solution. Finally, pull the knot back and forth through the tube. Incidentally, I find Grandma is a good source for yarn. She is always willing to swap the yarn left over from her last afghan for a few homebrews.
— Bill Harter, Waterford, Pa.
Also Good for Salad Dressing
Is the bottom of your brew kettle looking really bad, and scrubbing doesn’t help? After cleaning with soap and water, pour in enough vinegar to cover the bottom. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes, then wipe the beerstone away! Wash the kettle again with soap and water and admire the shine.
— Michael Pelter, Hammond, Ind.
For That Sanitary Look
A long tub used for wetting wallpaper makes a great container for sanitizing long brewing items such as racking tubes, long-handled spoons, and even small parts. You can lay it in your bathtub, fill it with hot water, and add your favorite sanitizing solution. These tubs are cheap and are readily available at hardware stores and wallpaper supply stores.
— Craig Weisman, Louisville, Ky.
No More Chugging
Are you sick and tired of the time and effort that it takes to hold that 6.5-gallon carboy full of sanitation solution over the sink to empty it? It sure does get heavy! It would go so much quicker if it didn’t gulp and gargle on the way out. Well here’s a dandy. Immerse your racking cane into the solution and clip it into place. Invert the carboy over your sink, making sure the racking cane end within the carboy is in the airspace. Tah dah! The water pours smoothly (and more important, quickly) from it. No more gulping and gargling. This significantly cuts down on the time you have to spend lifting that heavy carboy. Consequently, you have more time (and energy) to have fun brewing.
— Chad Cree, Muncie, Ind.
The Well-Dressed Mash Tun
Since I like to be able to apply heat from my stove-top burner directly to my mash tun to step up temperatures, I chose to have my 10-gallon stainless kettle do double duty as a mashing vessel. To solve the problem of maintaining mash temperature at each step without constantly adding heat and stirring, I created a simple, cheap, and highly efficient “mash jacket” using materials readily available in any hardware store. Just take a roll of that foil-coated bubble-wrap insulation used for hot-water heaters, cut it to size (including holes for the kettle handles), seal the cut edges with duct tape, and apply adhesive-backed Velcro strips to the ends. Then simply wrap the insulation around the kettle two times (securing with the Velcro). You’re ready to mash on the stove! For added efficiency, you can cut out a circular piece to place over the kettle lid as well. I’ve used my setup for more than 30 all-grain brews now, and it’s still in great shape. As for efficiency, I only lose about 3 degrees during my 60-minute saccharification rest. (Just a note: Avoid direct contact between the mash jacket and the burner.)
— Kurt Elia, Richmond, Va.
Prevent Hot Flashes
When mashing, I have found that temperature control is vital. Many home electronics stores sell digital thermometers that have probes designed to be placed on the outside of a building while the readout is on the inside. The probe can be sanitized and placed in the mash to measure temperature very accurately. Unfortunately, the digital thermometers only go up to 158° F. So I’ve used a regular thermometer for the mash-out.
— Edmund F. Measom, Central Florida Home Brewers, Orlando, Fla.
Boilover Rx
After experiencing several horrifying boilovers, I finally found the perfect solution. In a kitchen store I found an item called the “Pot Watcher.” Simply drop this inexpensive glass disk into your brew kettle, and you achieve a great rolling boil without the added distraction of boilovers.
— John Bryant, Albuquerque, N.M.
Get Chunky
If you brew from extract or partial mash, oftentimes you need a certain amount of “make-up” water to top off a batch to five gallons in the primary fermenter. I pre-boil make-up water and have it ready in a sanitized bottling bucket ready to add to the primary fermenter. My tip is to freeze any left-over make-up water in sanitized containers so these chunks of sanitary ice can be added to chill the next batch of brew and add to the final volume at the same time.
— Jon Stika, Dickinson, N.D.
Raspberry Ice
When brewing those summer weizens (it’s never too early to start), try taking a sterilized plastic food-storage container and filling it with pasteurized (through boiling or canning) raspberry puree (make sure the puree doesn’t include preservatives, which could inhibit yeast). Put it in the freezer the night before brewing. Place the frozen fruit in the bottom of the primary before adding hot wort. This drastically reduces the temperature of the wort as the fruit melts, allowing you to pitch yeast without wort chillers or other bothersome quick-chill techniques!
— Andy Mulherin, Barry’s Homebrew Outlet, Philadelphia
Supercharged Immersion Cooling
To increase the efficiency of my copper-coil immersion wort chiller (especially during those summer months when the coolest tap water is tepid at best), I simply added a second copper coil, connecting it to the main unit with additional vinyl tubing and worm clamps. Then, when I’m ready to chill my wort, I hook up the first coil to the kitchen faucet and set it in an ice-water bath in the sink and place the second coil in the hot wort as usual. Since the tap water must pass through the first coil in the ice water before it gets to the wort, it’s a lot colder and the process goes a lot faster.
— Kurt Elia, Richmond, Va.
The Quick Chiller Method
Chill your wort in 15 minutes with an easy-to-make, double-coil immersion chiller. This is a quick do-it-yourself project that will give you cooling efficiency at less than half the cost of mail-order chillers. Go to your favorite home supplies store and, for about $20, purchase a 50-foot coil of 3/8-inch copper refrigerator tubing. In the same aisle you can also pick up two 4-foot sections of clear, flexible poly-tubing, two small stainless hose clamps, and an adapter for your kitchen faucet or garden hose (whichever is more appropriate). Once you get home, start coiling one end of the copper tubing around the bottom of your five-gallon bottling bucket. The other half of the tubing can be coiled around something with a smaller diameter, say, a coffee can (this will be the inside coil). Connect the poly-tubing to each end of your new copper chiller with the hose clamps and connect the faucet adapter to the free end of one of these sections. Make sure that your hose clamps are snug or you’ll have cold water shooting all over your kitchen walls (that never happened to me, of course).
— Andy Lowe, Vista, Calif.
If Only Mowing Were This Easy
I have garden-hose adapters on the input and output of my immersion chiller. I take the warmed water output of my immersion chiller and connect it to a garden sprinkler. Now, I water the garden and lawn while brewing! I find that the water is just warm by the time it comes out of the sprinkler, flies through the air, and hits the ground, so you don’t have to worry about cooking your grass.
— Bruce Wells, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Pump Up Your Beer
A quick, easy, and fairly cheap way to cool your wort is to use a Powerhead. A Powerhead is used in an aquarium for the under-gravel filter or to create a current. Prices range from $20 to $100. I use the “Powerhead 201” (about $30). Another item you will need is a large plastic tub (about 12 gallons) with nice rope handles. These lightweight, durable tubs are available at discount department stores and sell for $9.99 ($5.99 sale price). You can also use the tub as a water bath for fermenting beer and for equipment storage. The Powerhead comes with a grill for the intake and two mounting devices (use the suction-cup mount). Attach the intake grill and mount the Powerhead so the bottom of the Powerhead is one inch to two inches above the bottom of the tub. It is very important to fill the tub with water until the Powerhead is covered. Do not run the Powerhead without water; this will burn out the pump. Also, the hot brewpot might melt the bottom of the tub without water. Take the brewpot off the fire and put it in the tub. Turn on the Powerhead and add ice up to a few inches from the top of the pot. The bonus to this method is that the current causes the pot to slowly spin, which creates a whirlpool inside the pot, helping to settle out trub. This method cools five gallons of boiling wort down to 70° to 72° F in 30 minutes.
— Richard and Bruce Mackay, Mackay Ales, San Diego
Just Don’t Add Coolant
If you have an old car radiator, you can use it as a pre-chiller to go in-line before your immersion chiller. You drop the radiator in a cooler of ice water and chill the water going to your immersion chiller. Fittings can be made from parts found at your local hardware or automotive store.
— Gregg Stephens, LaGrange, Ga.
Whip It Into Shape
As well as being a homebrewer I am also a chef. Whenever I need to incorporate air into a mixture I use a whip. The one I use for aerating my chilled wort is called a 16-inch piano-style whip. It is made of stainless steel, so it cleans and sanitizes very easily. With proper care it will last almost a lifetime. After I cool my wort I whip it for one to two minutes. After this very short time I have at least a 2-inch froth on top of my wort. I pitch my yeast and let it go. I’ve had great success with this method. The whip can be purchased at any restaurant-supply store for $5 to $6.
— Stuart Comen, Chesire, Conn.
Blow It Off
I’ve just started using Cornelius-style soda kegs in the brewing process. It occurred to me that it would be a good idea to conduct secondary fermentation in the Cornelius keg. However, the pressure build-up from the CO2 being generated by the yeast would be a problem. So, I put together an airlock designed for a Cornelius keg. I started with the gas-side quick connect, the bend from a racking cane, and a standard three-piece airlock. I cut the bend of the racking tube away from the shaft. Then I connected the bend with the gas-side connection and airlock by two pieces of tubing on either side of the bend. I used two pieces of tubing to reduce the diameter from one fitting to the next.
— Edmund F. Measom, Central Florida Home Brewers, Orlando, Fla.
Get a Clear Look at Aging Beer
When bottling with my standard brown bottles, I always try to add at least one clear bottle for each batch. This gives me an opportunity to see what is happening to the color and clarity during its maturation. If your beer is stored properly away from light and heat, there should be no difference in its taste compared with your brown-bottled versions.
— David Russell, Plymouth, Mich.
Handy for Moving, Too
If your carboy came in a box, you have the perfect carboy cover. Completely open one end of the box, normally the top. Then tape the flaps together, so the flaps continue straight and flat with the sides of the box. This makes the box taller than it was. Flip it over the carboy, and you have an instant cover. The extra height of the box gives you space for the airlock.
— Bruce Wells, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Shake, Shake, Shake
While bottle conditioning I often get yeast that clings to the side of the bottle. I find the best way to get rid of it is to shake the bottle vigorously. I grab the bottle by the stem, turn it upside down, and shake well until there is no more yeast on the bottom of the bottle. When the yeast settles out, in a few days, there is no more yeast on the side of the bottle.
— Bruce Wells, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Making the Move
Here is the method I use to ensure additional air is not added to my fermenting beer while transferring it from the primary to the secondary fermenter or to the bottling bucket. This method is also effective for rinsing the secondary carboy or bottling bucket. A couple of days before transferring the beer, boil one-plus gallons of water for 15 minutes. At the end of the boil, pour it directly into a one-gallon juice jug. Make sure to preheat the glass jug. Cover the jug with plastic wrap, secure with a rubber band, and cover with aluminum foil in case the plastic breaks. Let cool to room temperature. To siphon, fill the racking tube with water from the kitchen faucet. Don’t worry about bubbles at this point. Insert the racking cane into the glass jug. Lower the other end into the secondary and start siphon. Pinch out any air bubbles in the siphon tube. Move the tube around inside the carboy to thoroughly rinse off any remaining sanitizing solution. When the level in the juice jug falls to about three inches from the bottom, clamp the siphon tube to shut off the flow. Raise the lower end of the tube and put it into the glass jug with the racking cane to keep it filled with water. Swirl and empty water from the secondary. Lower siphon tube back into secondary. Insert racking cane into the beer. Start siphon. This method is sanitary and efficient because it allows the brewer to use sterile water to rinse the carboy. It is also, for me, the easiest way to siphon.
— Michael J. Matuszczak Sr., Wilbraham, Mass
Simply Having a Ball
Sterilize the racking cane, the siphon hose, and an in-line ball valve (available from homebrew retailers). Attach the siphon hose to the cane and insert the in-line ball valve at the other end of the hose. Start the siphon by sucking on the in-line ball valve and shut it off as it reaches the valve. Remove the in-line ball valve and allow the beer to flow into your transfer carboy. You have a sterile end and do not have to hassle with water or additional tubing.
— Chris Godfrey, Mission Viejo, Calif.
New Uses for the Old Cane
I cut a racking cane about five or six inches below the curve. The straight part I use when racking. I attach it to the siphon hose and use it to direct the flow to the bottom of the receiving vessel. This avoids splashing and aeration. The curved piece I use when rinsing and draining carboys. Just stick it in the mouth of the carboy. It lets air in the bottle, draining it much faster.
— Gary Muehe, Bridgeview, Ill.
Storage/Transportation
A Couple of Crate Ideas: I’ve found these cheap storage cubes (available at any Wal-Mart or home center) to be invaluable. Place a carboy in a milk crate, and you have protected it from breakage and given yourself two sturdy handles to carry it with. You can also turn the milk crates over and stack one on the other on your counter top. This creates a light, strong, and removable shelf to place your bottling bucket on, enabling you to use a gravity-fed bottle filler without crouching on the floor.
— Kurt Elia, Richmond, Va.
Cleaning Dirty Bottles? Drill ’em
I find that previous homebrews have left deposits and haze in many of my bottles. First I soak them in a half-cup ammonia in three gallons of water for 15 minutes to loosen up the crud. Then I scrub them with a standard bottle brush. To make this process go much faster, I modified the brush to fit my electric variable-speed drill. Use a hacksaw to cut off the loop at the end of the handle. You may want to cut more depending on the height of your bottles. Mount the cut-off end into the drill just like you would a normal bit. Push the brush end into the bottle and crank up the drill. Reverse the direction on the drill occasionally to keep the bristles from matting down in one direction. After you are done “drilling” the bottle, rinse and sanitize.
— Bruce Wells, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Go With the Flow
When draining a bottle or carboy, turn it upside down and twist your wrist to cause the neck of the bottle to make a few circles. This sets up a whirlpool inside the bottle. Now air has a path up the vortex of the whirlpool, eliminating any glugging. And any little particles get suspended in the swirling water and exit the bottle in record time.
— Bill Harter, Waterford, Pa.
The Shirt Off Your Back
To keep my carboys away from the dreaded daylight, I use an old T-shirt. Just slip it on; the airlock fits through the neck hole. To snug it up around the neck, use a rubber band. To sneak a look at the brew, peek through one of the arm holes.
— Bill Krostag, Rio Rancho, N.M.
