Mr. Wizard
Topic: Equipment
A Kettle/Fermenter Conversion
Wow, this is a fun question and a fun project! Looking at the photos, it appears this vessel was insulated and covered by an outer jacket, essentially a second tank. The inner
Homebrewer’s Uses for a Spare Fridge
Glad to see you following one of the most important homebrewing rules of thumb; accept anything for free that can be used to further your pursuit of great beer! For what it’s
Selecting a Fermenter
This is a straight-up opinion question and I will give you my thoughts sans specific type or brand. And as a reminder to seasoned readers and news to newer readers, 20 years
Maximizing Your Pressure-Rated Conical
Thanks for the question from down under, Terry! Although the fermenter you describe is pressure rated and has a conical bottom, you can use it as you normally do with your carboys.
A Deep Dive Into The Dynamics of Glycol Chillers
Your question brings up several interesting points that could be expanded into deep dives into topics that most homebrewers would not find very useful, so I will avoid spending too much time
Tips for Unitank Users
The best treatise I have read about the development and use of unitank fermenters is in the textbook Brewing Yeast and Fermentation by Boulton and Quain. Although the subject is covered in
Mash Efficiency, Mash Mixing
The Wiz discusses the merits of mash mixers and offers some tips for fine-tuning your sparge.
Using A Hopback
The Wiz hops to a question on hopbacks and gives the facts of refrigeration.
Plate Chillers
This is a good question in that there is not a single answer. The company that puts bread on my table manufactures plate heat exchangers, among many other things stainless, and
What are the keys to an efficient wort chiller?
So you want a techno-geek essay on heat exchangers? I’ll do my best here admitting up-front that mass and heat transfer are not subjects that I claim much expertise. But wort cooling
Welding terms
I have answered some stainless steel questions in the past and at the time Mr. Wizard was still cloaked by the wispy clouds of anonymity. Now that I have been unveiled I
RIMS systems
I must confess that I am one of those particular brewers who likes nailing my target temperature and appreciate the gadgets of modern brewing. I have a mash mixer where I work
