Awesome!! I am actually about the clarify two kegs of Pilsner. I am scaling down too (trying to find how little I can add). Right now I am doing 3 grams (1/2 tsp gelatin) and 1/4 Cup water. Please let me know how things progress for you. Thanks for watching and commenting. All the best. -DT

Thanks for watching and your comment. Here is a link to the scale I use; www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MT86A1I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 In case the link doesn't work:: Weighmax W-2809 It remains on as long as there is a change in weight which is perfect. Battery life is real good too (and has an DC option as well). I hope this helps, and again, thanks for watching.... -DT

@@homebrewingtips6029 Thank you so much for the fast reply. I ordered one right away, my brew is just one day into fermentation so it should arrive in plenty of time 🙂

@@Matey-850cc Right on. It is all pretty self explanatory, but feel free to contact me if there are any snags.

Hello, thanks for watching and your note. First off, I appreciate your suggestion of a full brew day video. Often, the hardest part of doing the channel is thinking of what folks might like to see. I'll add it to the list. :: My three way valve allows me to change from the mash recirculation to the mash tun to kettle transfer (I hadn't added that hose when I recorded the video). When I get ready to transfer to the fermenter through the chiller I need to reconfigure the hoses. Footnote: once I flip the valve to the transfer position I move the recirculation hose from the mash pump to the sparge pump. It has been close to 100 degrees here all week in Tacoma, finally getting a cool period (mid 80's, beautiful!) Thanks again for writing, it is always nice to hear from you. -Duane

@@homebrewingtips6029 I have just ordered a 3 way valve to get this setup better. So you use 2 pumps, I must look into that as well I guess I currently use one pump and swap from re circulation to sparge and then to chiller but this gets a little messy and needs priming each time. At the moment I only have a HLT and a PID controlled mash kettle, so when I sparge I slowly drop the wort into a bucket whilst the sparge is pumping across and then pour it all back into the kettle for the boil, it works fine but is a little heavy and I could do with a third vessel ideally.

@@ridley8340 Right on, the 3-way valve really helps simplify things. My pumps are :: march style AC powered pump for the mash; Solar water system DC pump for the sparge (it is the little brown one on the left that you can see in the video). The little DC one is nice because you can control the flow using a variable DC power supply (mine is the little yellow w/red flames box on the bottom of the stand). I 100% agree that every time you have to move the hoses it makes a bit of a mess. I've just tried to limit the number of changes (I think that I am down to two). I also agree that all of this gets a bit heavy when you are moving it around manually. i typically target 8 or 10 gallons, and that is a bit much for me to be moving manually (especially when it is extremely hot). I love the PID, I have sort of a poor man's version using the induction cooktops and manually monitor and adjust the heat (usually that is only a few times during the mash). let me know how the new setup works for you, I think you'll be happy with it -Duane

What a nice message, thanks for sending it. We've been busy, and then sometimes I just can't think of anything to film and share here on the channel ( I like to try to do fun unique and useful topics). You must feel like a kid on Christmas Eve knowing that your CF5 arrives tomorrow. My CF10 just keeps chugging away - just transferred my latest Hazy IPA from it yesterday. I know you'll enjoy it, and the folks at Spike are great when it comes to any support needed (you can feel free to ping me as well). It is summer time here in Tacoma, temps in the 80s and daylight from 4:00AM to 10:00 PM. It is a great time of year for sure!! Thanks again for the note. -Duane

Thanks for watching. It is always nice to hear from you. I hope you guys are enjoying summer (did you get any of that really hot weather?).

@homeandlawntips474 big time. The last few days were horrible. It's a bit of a cool down today, but right back into the summer heat next week. I hope you enjoyed the trip. I've only been to St Thomas, and it was the most beautiful place I've seen other than Banff National it was my favorite trip. Got back just before the hurricane destroyed it. You take care, my friend!

Thanks for watching and your comment. It is funny to think back all those years to plastic buckets and kettle on the stove. How things have changed!!! As for efficiency - YES absolutely. I am typically around 78 - 80%, but even better than that things are very repeatable from batch to batch. My gravities , ABV, yield are usually identical each time I brew a recipe (especially this pilsner recipe).

First off, thanks for watching and your comment. I have to agree with your success rate. After using the Biofine some more, I too am seeing mixed results. I have dosed with 1/2 of the 1oz tube for 5 gallons all the way up to a full tube. I have seen that commercial brewers will actually feed the biofine into the stream during transfer, so maybe being mixed in better is important. At the end of it all, I think that I am leaning back toward gelatin. I am experimenting with how to reduce the amount. My last batch (Czech Pilsner) I used 1/2 tsp in 1/4 Cup water for 5 gallons. After about 4 days it was quite clear. I might bump that up just a bit on the next try and see what happens. Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you come across any breakthroughs! All the best -DT

hello, thanks for watching and your comment. My eyes were opened after doing some of these experiments. I want the best and repeatable beer each time I brew. Because of this, I don't hesitate to toss the old stuff out and get a new pitch ( and like you say always build it up in a starter). I admit, I am like everyone else in that if I can reuse yeast I do. Now though, I am not willing to sacrifice quality to save a few bucks (actually about $12 anymore!!!!!) . Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts. All the best -DT

right on! Thanks for letting me know. I am a Spike Fan for sure and this was a fun series to do. All the best. -DT

Thanks for watching and your question. It is nice to hear from the Tar Heel State (one of my favorite places to visit!!) My garage here in Tacoma sits at around 68 degrees year round, pretty ideal. During fermentation my cooling pump (through the fermenter coil) runs a few minutes every hour or so. The A/C unit to chill the glycol reservoir runs maybe once a day or so for about 10 minutes. When it comes to crashing, it is a bit of a different story. I can take the beer down from 68 to 38 in under an hour. The A/C unit will be running a lot during this time due to the rather constant recirculation of the glycol. Once at the target temperature, the A/C unit will have to run every couple of hours (again for about 10 minutes each time) to keep the glycol at it's target 32F temperature. My fermentation volume is typically 10 gallons. The 85 degree garage there in NC would be a bit tougher environment, but something like this would still work. Some type of insulating wrap around your fermenter would help a lot in the set up. You can see that I have the thin Spike neoprene jacket on mine. This jacket is mainly to help deal with the sweating that occurs (and it can be considerable and likely even more there in your more warm and humid environment). Hopefully this helps, feel free to run any other questions by me and I'll be glad to offer my opinion. All the best. -DT

That's perfect and exactly what I figured the case would be. I think my best approach here is going to be creating a ferm chamber that around 68f to emulate your ambient and then build the glycol to provide the added stability and crashing functionality. Thanks again, really nice set up!

Thanks for watching and taking the time to point out my omission of the fermentation temperature. I'll add a note emphasizing this (after all, that is sort of the point of this one!!). I continue to use this approach with 34/70 when I don't have time to truly lager. The results are always good and very consistent. Side note : I have been experimenting more with different lager yeast and cold fermented. It is all a ton of fun. Thanks again, Duane

Greetings and thanks for watching. I think that I had several laying around (they come with the pet medicines we get) but for the adapter part, I simply took a real short piece of silicone tubing and pressure fitted it to the tip of the syringe and onto the barb that screw onto the quick disconnect. It works real good. I am still experimenting with the proper amount of biofine to use and when best to add it (before filling the keg or once the transfer is done). Let me know if this helps or if you have other questions. All the best -DT

Thank you for the quick response. I enjoy your practical approach to brewing and explanations. Your solution I can easily execute. I got fixated on an adapters in which I found online but at an expense. Thanks for you help and your channel. Chris

@@wileydds Just a quick note to say thanks. I do the channel to hopefully help folks (a payback for all of those who helped me). You're message inspires me to keep at it!!! Thanks again -DT

Fantastic! Thanks for the nice note. This is s great beer to have around. My lineup is typically one or two IPAs, a dark ale of some sort, a light ale, and always some type of lager. I love the variety and different techniques to brew each one. Thanks again, all the best, -DT

oooops, I almost missed one of your most important questions:: the music. Lip to lip was the name of a group that often played in Hood River, OR where I spent all my weekends windsurfing for most of my life. They are long gone my now, but I actually have 2 of their cassette tapes (now that dates things a bit). Great music, great times while hanging out at the Full Sail Brewery after a day on the water!

Thanks, sounds like a great time, cheers!@@homebrewingtips6029

Thanks for watching. Sometimes folks complain that my videos are too long so I try to balance info and duration the best I can. Sorry that I might have left out some things in this one that would have been of interest to you. Let me know if you have any particular questions and I'll be glad to answer them. All the best.. -DT

Ha! I've never done a gluten free beer, it's something I'll have to look in to. Looking forward to seeing you up here in Tacoma next month! -DT

Hi neighbor! So glad you dropped me a note. I have talked to people all over the world through this channel, it's nice to meet someone close to home. I've been brewing for quite sometime now and it is certainly one of my top passions. Feel free to drop me a comment at anytime (I see them all) with questions or ideas. Also, I use Jon's Homebrew Supply in Puyallup for my supplier. Jon is a tremendous source of information (a good friend too). Thanks again for taking the time to write me a note. -Duane

@@homebrewingtips6029 I’ve never been down to Jon’s in Puyallup. I’ve only ever been to Fermentation Initiative off S Tacoma Way. I’ll have to go to Jon’s one of these days and check it out!

I like Chris over at Ferm Initiative , the HOPS beer club meets there on Saturdays (I used to go but not so much anymore). I think Jon's offering is a bit better.@@melk.9425

Greetings fron San Diego! Here is the Amazon store where I ordered it. It was quite some time ago, so they might have changed it a bit. www.amazon.com/stores/FERRODAY/page/B294F11B-6DAA-4577-A575-D8BCD7985DF7?ref_=ast_bln. Thanks for watching the video, all the best. -DT

Hello, thanks for watching and your comments. First off, good catch on being 3 years old, things change for us (and the big guys too). I don't do this anymore for a few reasons. (1) After reading Scott Janish's book (you can see him on KZfaq too) his studies really show how quickly the dry hop oils are extracted. Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River) even states that he follows this shortened practice now of dry hopping for two days and dumping the DH after that. This is my practice at home now. (2) the recirculation really made a mess in the conical. Maybe a small thing, but a nusciance at best. (3) there was a lot of waste due to beer in the lines and adapter. in a 10G batch the impact is less, but if you do just 5G it starts to add up. As for O2 issues, I never experienced any.. I think you are probably right about the pump,, it definitely causes cavitation to some degree . My guess on the hoses is that they are so short and used so briefly that there is not much risk there Closing thought: it was a fun experiment to do, and I enjoy stretching myself in brewing practices and equipment. But as stated earlier, I no longer use this technique in my process. Thanks again for watching. I always like sharing thoughts and ideas with other brewers. -DT

Some "elbow grease" goes a long way to really get things clean. My system is a lot different these days (no more mesh spiders) and I use sodium percarbonate for my cleaning powder (I believe it is the active ingredient in PBW). Thanks for watching and your comment. -DT

Thanks for watching and your comment. -DT

Thanks for watching and taking the time to send me a note. I appreciated the feedback. All the best, DT

Right on, thanks for watching and your comment. This unit is still running strong, no issues at all. Best of luck on your brewing efforts and feel free to reach back out for any assistance. All the best. -DT

Thanks for watching and your thoughts on this. I've tried changing the amounts (and totally agree that I would like to use as little water as possible). I've had mixed results, inconclusive at best. I am putting more effort into the use of biofine. The dose rate is so much smaller than the gelatin approach and I've been getting good results with it. Thanks again. -DT

Thanks for watching and your comment. The marshmallow is a great idea. I had that once at a brewery (they flamed it and put it on the side of the glass). We are enjoying this beer at home quite a bit. All the best. -DT

Right on! Did you watch the link to my beer engine video? It is pretty informative and the whole reason that I started doing videos. That was 10 years ago! Feel free to let me know what information I can help with to get your beer engine up and running. Happy New Year! -DT

The dreaded Band-Aid!!!! Every so often I'll use the setup to examine my yeast. Truthfully it is sort of a pain to do. Now days I tend to build up a 2.5L starter and right when I turn off the stir plate I pour one pint of it into a fresh jar. That fresh jar is added to 2L of 1.020 (DME solution) and built up for use when needed. When in doubt, I through it out and buy some fresh yeast. I typically can get several uses from the initial yeast.

Awesome! Thanks for watching and your comment. Ya, since I posted this prices around here have even moved higher. We just did a brewery tour through central coastal Oregon and in the remote areas we saw $7 quite often. The sad part about is that $7 seems pretty good these days! I love the spread sheet. I too tend to track things closely. Thanks again for watching and commenting. Happy New Year! -DT

Thanks for watching and your comment! A friend of mine in IA wrote to me to say that he too just did an oatmeal stout with cocoa nibs (I am going to have to try that the next time). I love the idea of adding lactose as well. Happy New Year! -DT

Thanks for your very kind message (it is what keeps me going). Looking forward to 2024!

Thanks for watching and your comment. Looking forward to a lot more brewing fun in 2024! Happy New Year.

Sounds great. That is what is so great about brewing beer, there are endless possibilities to what you can do. I like the cocoa nib concept. My wife and I are off on a 4 day brewery tour through the central and northern coast of Oregon starting today. We'll be hitting some of our favorites, and weather permitting, squeeze in some hikes in the coastal mountains. Happy New Year to you as well and we'll see ya in 2024!

@@homebrewingtips6029 enjoy the trip. And, stay safe.

Thanks for watching and Merry Christmas! It sounds like you'll have a full month of planning and anticipation for your next brew day!! I'll be doing more of these myself and as a collaboration with friends (so we can evaluate all of the variables). Next go-around will be Cascade mash hops and Idaho 7 + citra in the whirlpool / dry hops.

Right on! Thanks so much for watching and your comment. Next time around I am going to go for Cascade as my mash hops and dial back the dry hops a bit. This NEIPA was literally dripping, which is not a bad thing, but I think this yeast really super charges the outcome. I know that the other yeast suppliers are releasing (have release?) their own versions too. Merry Christmas and thanks again for your comment and please keep me posted on any efforts you take in this area and the results. -DT

Ha!! Ya, the beer handles might be the highlight of this video! Tree House has become one of those breweries with a dedicated following of die hard fans. We cannot get it out here, but I have seen videos and talked with friends who have been there (all say good things). They are pretty generous on KZfaq with sharing some of their recipes, I've been thinking about trying to do one myself. Let me know how it comes out if you go for it. If I did the same Hazy as in this video, I think I would dial back the hops (particularly the Amarillo) because it was a bit too sweet-juicy (Brenda agreed with that too and she is crazy about juicy Hazy IPAs). The other thing, for experimentation sake, I'd use Cascade in the mash to see how the Thiolized Helio Gazer does with that. So many possibilities ....... Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. Let's look forward to 2024! -Duane

Thanks for watching and your comment. I have been using conical fermenters for a long time; however, there is nothing wrong at all with carboys in my opinion. Prior to transferring from the kettle to the fermenter, I always do an easy whirlpool (you can do this using your brewing spoon / nothing fancy). I whirlpool for 20 minutes or so and let things settle out (stir for about 2 minutes and then let it just swirl until things settle out). By doing this, a lot of the stuff you don't want in your fermenter will be left behind in the kettle (just be careful when you transfer). The conical makes reclaiming your yeast easier. It also is a lot easier to clean. It does cost a lot more (a whole lot more!!) so you really have to weigh the tradeoffs against the price. Sometimes I actually laugh at myself because all of the equipment that I have. I used to make darn good beer using homemade kettles and carboys. To me, the hobby aspect is half the fun, and as my wife say, I love to tinker with things. I'm not sure if this helped or not, let me know and I'll be glad to offer opinions. All the best. -DT

@@homebrewingtips6029 Thanks for your reply, and yes your input helps! Merry Christmas to you as well!

Thank you for watching and your comment. You are 100% correct about the refractometer. I use the conversion tool on BrewersFriend to do the conversion. I think in this video I had actually already taken the sample and converted it off camera so I can see how it is not clear. Ugh, the things you just don't think of when filming and editing (I like to be as clear as possible, but sometimes ......). I enjoy doing the videos and like to think that in some way it is helpful to others. Thanks once again. -DT

Hi, thanks for watching and your comment. You are right, there are also beers such as ESB where a small amount is desirable. What I was hoping to focus on is the all-to-often cases where it is way out of control (and not intended). This is what I like about doing this channel, it provides a way for all of us to share knowledge around various topics. I appreciate you watching and your comment on the topic! All the best. -DT

@@homebrewingtips6029 just discovered your channel. I really like it!! Yes you are right. If Diacetyl is way out of control it is a typical off flavor and it will ruin your beer. But to be honest. A lot of people will not taste it if it is in the beer in a small amount, or do taste it but can not name it. But thats whats fascinating about beer, there is (almost) no right or wrong. The only thing what counts is, do you like your batch or not:)

Hi there, thanks for your comment. I guess I need to watch my "phraseology". You are right, I guess what I was trying to demonstrate is that in by testing you'll know if there is the potential for diacetyl problems later. If present during the test, the practice is to allow more time on the yeast to allow it to metabolize it. Thanks again for watching and your comment, I appreciate it. -DT

Thanks for watching and your comment. If there is the presence of diacetyl during this test just let the beer sit in your fermenter/carboy for a few more days and repeat the test. Sooner of later it will be gone. The yeast will metabolize it as it uses it for an energy source. If you pull the beer off the yeast too soon, that is when a problem will surface later. It is not uncommon to have to do this test a couple of times before you get a clean sample. In fact, I encourage folks to do the test right at the end of fermentation because you should absolutely be able to sense it (this gives you a clear picture of what you are looking for). Then when you do it later you can feel confident in your findings. I hope this helps, Happy Holidays. -DT

Hello and thanks so much for your comment. The channel is fun to do and hopefully it can help some folks in the process. I actually get a lot of good input and feedback from those who watch and have learned a lot from the overall brewing community. Always feel free to comment, I don’t get that many so I answer every single one. All the best. -DT

First off, a big thank you for your kind comment. That is what keeps me going! This is well worth it, and so easy to do. I always say take care of the easy stuff because there will be plenty of other things that can go wrong! Happy Holidays to you, and thanks again for your comment. -DT

yep, we are fans of McMenamins for sure. That poster came from the spot in Centralia. We stopped in after Christmas years ago and commented on the Kris Kringle Winter Ale and the bartender said "here ya go, why don't you take this poster" and pulled it off the wall! Thanks for watching and your comment. -DT

Right on, thanks so much. This was a fun one to do.

You are too kind for sure, thanks for the nice note. I hope in some way some of my videos can help. So many folks have helped me over the years. I do a smoking channel as well (not nearly as extensive as this brewing channel). I got a comment from a guy right after Thanksgiving who literally said, "thank you, you saved our Thanksgiving". It was a video on how to repair a MasterBuilt smoker. That one simple comment made it all so worthwhile for me! We are counting down to the Holidays and I have been busy brewing for our events. I have a pretty solid lineup this year and can't wait to share it with family and friends. Have a great Holiday Season! -Duane

@homebrewingtips6029 Happy Holidays Duane!