Brewing Master

Question:

While not directly brewing related, my on going project is digging (by hand) a ~6000 gallon fish pond next to where I brew outside.  I’ll be able to watch the fish and listen to the waterfall while I’m waiting for the mash to convert Yes, before you say it, digging that by hand is insane.  It’s several tons of dirt.

6000 gallons is better than a cube nine feet on a side!  I would consider looking into renting a Bobcat.  Imagine the fun! — Dan Listermann Check out our E-tail site at www.listermann.com Free shipping for orders greater than $35 and East of the Mighty Miss. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just completed a week’s worth of work yesterday by pouring myself a brewing pad in my backyard. I had to level the ground, etc. but it was worth it. Mixing that concrete by hand is a challenge by itself. I now have a 3′ X 5′ concrete pad that is big enough to hold 2 propane cookers with the tanks also, and room to spare. It sure beats using broken pieces of cinder blocks to prop up my cookers. All I have to do now is let it cure, then I’ll be brewing on a level surface. Have a better one, Herb G. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***                          *** Valley Mead Brewery ***

Response:

Fun, but dangerous.  I had my first Bobcat experience last summer…it’s gonna take a long time for my driveway to recover! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 6000 gallons is better than a cube nine feet on a side!  I would consider looking into renting a Bobcat.  Imagine the fun! — Dan Listermann Check out our E-tail site at www.listermann.com Free shipping for orders greater than $35 and East of the Mighty Miss.

Response:

While not directly brewing related, my on going project is digging (by hand) a ~6000 gallon fish pond next to where I brew outside.  I’ll be able to watch the fish and listen to the waterfall while I’m waiting for the mash to convert Yes, before you say it, digging that by hand is insane.  It’s several tons of dirt. 6000 gallons is better than a cube nine feet on a side!  I would consider looking into renting a Bobcat.  Imagine the fun!

It’s about 25′ long, 12′ wide, and 3′ deep.  I had thought about renting a Bobcat (my wife was pushing the idea), but it would be awfully tough to sculpt the shape I wanted.  At the very least, it’s good exercise.  The tough bit was digging out the stump from a maple tree in the middle of it. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***                          *** Valley Mead Brewery ***

Response:

Refrigerator upgrade! I got the new fridge today and installed three taps. This weekend I’ll be doing the shelf to make room for 6 kegs and drilling the side wall for the CO2. I needed to do the taps right away so I could clean the old fridge for give-away. Life is good, beer is good, and the barleywine I just sent to secondary is going to be seriously kickass incredible. — Dave Nichols   BS#163 RDWHAHB ‘99 FXSTB "City of New Orleans" dmnichol at cox dot net

Response:

I just completed a week’s worth of work yesterday by pouring myself a brewing pad in my backyard. I had to level the ground, etc. but it was worth it. Mixing that concrete by hand is a challenge by itself. I now have a 3′ X 5′ concrete pad that is big enough to hold 2 propane cookers with the tanks also, and room to spare. It sure beats using broken pieces of cinder blocks to prop up my cookers. All I have to do now is let it cure, then I’ll be brewing on a level surface. Have a better one, Herb G.

While not directly brewing related, my on going project is digging (by hand) a ~6000 gallon fish pond next to where I brew outside.  I’ll be able to watch the fish and listen to the waterfall while I’m waiting for the mash to convert Yes, before you say it, digging that by hand is insane.  It’s several tons of dirt. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***                          *** Valley Mead Brewery ***

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It actually came free with a Williams Mash Tun that I picked up on eBay a couple years ago. I never used it, but I thought it would be kind of fun to use it on the new system. I think they’re WAY overkill, and I wouldn’t pay for one, but it’s fun to watch it spin. If you’re looking for some sort of sparging manifold, I suggest a copper H or ring of soft tubing with small holes drilled in it. Don’t bother with the whirlygig if you have to pay for one. I like aluminum foil with holes punched in it….

I happen to like my whirlygig, but maybe I’m just weird. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***                          *** Valley Mead Brewery ***

Response:

Wow Bob! Nice system! I am very envious!                     Steve

Response:

I just completed a week’s worth of work yesterday by pouring myself a brewing pad in my backyard. I had to level the ground, etc. but it was worth it. Mixing that concrete by hand is a challenge by itself. I now have a 3′ X 5′ concrete pad that is big enough to hold 2 propane cookers with the tanks also, and room to spare. It sure beats using broken pieces of cinder blocks to prop up my cookers. All I have to do now is let it cure, then I’ll be brewing on a level surface. Have a better one, Herb G.   Nice work Herb, But I think Bob stole the fire in this string. Wow what a setup, it’s simple yet efficient. Good job Bob!                             Steve

Response:

I just completed a week’s worth of work yesterday by pouring myself a brewing pad in my backyard. I had to level the ground, etc. but it was worth it. Mixing that concrete by hand is a challenge by itself. I now have a 3′ X 5′ concrete pad that is big enough to hold 2 propane cookers with the tanks also, and room to spare. It sure beats using broken pieces of cinder blocks to prop up my cookers. All I have to do now is let it cure, then I’ll be brewing on a level surface. Have a better one, Herb G.   Well on another note I have a project too! For almost a year now I’ve been tinkering on my homebuilt bar. I wanted to include a list of features on it that would wow my friends and it appears I’ve done good! It’s almost nine foot long by 27" deep with such features as a ceramic two tap beer tower mounted onto a ceramic tile top. This top is hinged to reveal the various tubes and insulation of my custom built refridgerator. This refridgerator has about 19 s.f. of usable storage space with all the features of any regular fridge, thermostat, fan etc.. All the works have been stashed in an adjacent space within the bar and are fully servicable in the event thats required. The beer is despenced with the use of a 15# CO2 tank and regulators again stashed neatly in their own little space. I was working on the final touches the other day when the compressor decided to call it quits. Not too much of a problem seeing how these items arn’t very expensive for used ones. Pictures will be out soon.                                   Steve

Response:

I just completed a week’s worth of work yesterday by pouring myself a brewing pad in my backyard. I had to level the ground, etc. but it was worth it. Mixing that concrete by hand is a challenge by itself. I now have a 3′ X 5′ concrete pad that is big enough to hold 2 propane cookers with the tanks also, and room to spare. It sure beats using broken pieces of cinder blocks to prop up my cookers. All I have to do now is let it cure, then I’ll be brewing on a level surface. Have a better one,

Easy on the cinder blocks … I have a pad as well, I call it a garage…;) Cheers, Mike www.ipass.net/~mpdixon/homebrew.htm

Response:

I’ve got to finish the plumbing in the brewhouse, then get the cabinets and sink installed.  At least it’s usuable as it is…we had 3 brewers with propane burners all going on TAFTB day, and room for more! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just completed a week’s worth of work yesterday by pouring myself a brewing pad in my backyard. I had to level the ground, etc. but it was worth it. Mixing that concrete by hand is a challenge by itself. I now have a 3′ X 5′ concrete pad that is big enough to hold 2 propane cookers with the tanks also, and room to spare. It sure beats using broken pieces of cinder blocks to prop up my cookers. All I have to do now is let it cure, then I’ll be brewing on a level surface. Have a better one, Herb G. — "The ‘Ole Spotted Dog Brewery" Home of the Black Mamba Barleywine "You’ll Swear You Were Snakebit"