Lessons Learned - 2019

[HerbMeowing]

Started down this road in '06.
Mr. B kits ==> Coopers ==> BIAB ==> Mash-Lauter Tun
Still learning after all these years ...

- As long as you vorlauf ... there's no need to let batch-sparged volumes rest more than ~4' to allow the grain bed to settle before running-off.
- Brewing salts dissolve way more better when added to cold water before putting cold water to the flame.
- Small quantities of hull-less grains -- such as oats and wheat -- can be 'milled' in a coffee grinder. Quicker and easier than adjusting the gap on a grain mill.
- Sharing a fridge with your spouse is not the same as having a dedicated beer fridge.
- The labeled weight on Yakima hop products is always wrong. There's always more in the package than what's on the label.
- Baby Gas-X drops -- when added to the fermentor just prior to hi-K -- stops foam-overs.

---
How about you?
What's dawned on you about home-brewing in 2019?

[John Sand]

The curve flattens after a while, like any good parabola. I tried some new things, gypsum in my pilsner, oaking a stout. I bought a pump and a keg hop filter. I brewed fewer and smaller batches, as I am drinking less. This may be the first year that I didn't brew a dumper.

[berryman]

2019 has been a learning experience for me on Kegging homebrew. I think I have it down now, have kegged 15 5 gal batches since the first one 1/16/19 but always something new to learn on everything.
One thing I did learn just recently and this will help anyone with a Mash&Boil. I kept having problems with flow out of the spigot when mashing and running the pump, no way could I believe it could be plugged because I do a very thorough job of cleaning and even had the spigot apart a few time but never anything in it. What I found.. the mash tube/basket can get close enough to the port to restrict the flow....

[berryman]

Started down this road in '06.
Mr. B kits ==> Coopers ==> BIAB ==> Mash-Lauter Tun
Still learning after all these years ...
- Sharing a fridge with your spouse is not the same as having a dedicated beer fridge.

Herb, it took you that long to learn this one Ha Ha...

[HerbMeowing]

Started down this road in '06.
Mr. B kits ==> Coopers ==> BIAB ==> Mash-Lauter Tun
Still learning after all these years ...
- Sharing a fridge with your spouse is not the same as having a dedicated beer fridge.

Herb, it took you that long to learn this one Ha Ha...

Just got me a beer fridge last month. One of those things I should have done long time ago.

Not wanting to tempt fate ... replaced the 15-yo Maytag with a new one and pressed the old one into service as a beer fridge in the garage. And just in time to lager my CA Common Steamer.

Another benefit has been improved clarity which was usually pretty good to begin with but now ... with longer cold conditioning ... they pour real clear.

[mashani]

I learned that making 5 or 6 gallon batches is only perhaps 5% more difficult then 2.5 to 3 gallon batches in the mash & boil and have apparently re-converted to a primarily 5-6 gallon batch brewer for the most part because of it.

[MadBrewer]

2019 I learned I can brew a lot less often and still have beer on tap, or I learned I am just not drinking as much the past couple years. I also learned I could brew no sparge style and still hit great efficiency.

[ScrewyBrewer]

This year I learned that....

• Getting a motorized grain mill was one of the smartest things I've done.

• Replacing my old plastic Ale Pails with Chapman SS fermenters was one of the best things I've done.

• Doing Co2 closed transfers from fermenters to kegs was one of the most rewarding things I've done.

• Getting two Vittles Vaults to store bulk grain was one of the financially sound things I've done.

• But above all the absolutely most enjoyable thing I've done was to retire!

[FrozenInTime]

Congrats on the retirement!

[berryman]

This year I learned that....

• Getting a motorized grain mill was one of the smartest things I've done.

• Replacing my old plastic Ale Pails with Chapman SS fermenters was one of the best things I've done.

• Doing Co2 closed transfers from fermenters to kegs was one of the most rewarding things I've done.

• Getting two Vittles Vaults to store bulk grain was one of the financially sound things I've done.

• But above all the absolutely most enjoyable thing I've done was to retire!

Your whole list sounds good, but retirement is the best. Welcome to the club.......What is a Vittles Valt? I just got a 55 of Redx today and the first time I bought that much ahead.

[mashani]

Vittles Vaults are meant for holding bulk pet food in an air tight way. They have large openings with a cap that screws on and off. They work great for storing grains too because the large opening makes life easy for you and mice don't know how to open the cap so it makes life hard for them.

Now dogs... dogs can open the cap if they are smart enough. Especially if you teach them how to do it as a trick.

There is a viral video somewhere of a dog opening one, getting some food, and then putting the lid back on. The putting the lid back on part of that video is fake, its just the taking it off part in reverse. The lids are a bit too big to be manageable for most dogs to really do that. But the taking it off part is real, I've trained dogs to do similar types of things many times.

[Beer-lord]

I'm a big fan of Vittles Vaults. Been using them for about 5 years. Keeps my grains fresh. I stock almost as many grains as I do hops!
4-50 lb size and 1-25 lb size.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Thank you all for your kind words on my retirement. I look forward to another exciting year in 2020 getting to play with the new toys. Who would have thought an LBK Christmas gift ten years ago would lead to all of this.

[HerbMeowing]

Who would have thought an LBK Christmas gift ten years ago would lead to all of this.

Ain't that the truth.