One of the biggest changes that I have made in my brewhouse recently is the addition of a reverse osmosis water system, like the Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter. I opted for a 6 stage Ukoke set up that can be found here. This allows me to create my own RO water on demand for brewing, as well as provide RO water or my ice maker and water filler in the fridge.
Continue readingBrewTubers Is Now Recruiting Members!
There is a new club in town, and the BrewTubers recruiting members is in full swing! So I bit the bullet, and joined a homebrew club. The BrewTubers have now become a regular dues oriented homebrew club. I chose to get in as a founding member. I think it was a wise decision, as this homegroup club is something that will help fill the gap for me.
Continue readingBrewtubers Malt Experiment 2020
BrewTubers Malt Experiment 2020 was an amazing process. It happened to hit during power pandemic time, so it was a great thing to do to help pass the time. This experiment utilized the same recipe across multiple brewers, with one change being the base malt used was different for each Brewer.
Continue readingEquipment Review – Gile House Brew Supply Pump & Transfer Kit
The Gile House Brew Supply Pump is a great option for a pump available on Amazon. In comparison to other pumps, it is a cheaper option that gives some great features at the price point. The inline switch and stainless steel head are great upgrades for pumps at this price point.
Unboxing of the Gile House Brew Supply Pump
The pump came in a no frills packaging. It is sturdy, and seemingly heavy weight. There are mounting brackets on it to help you integrate it into a brew house sculpture. I wish the balancing of the pump was a little better as it doesn’t easily stand on its own.
Setup
I purchased the optional connection kit from Amazon here. It includes hoses and connections that just make your life easier. It took a little time to wrap all the threads with the supplied teflon tape, then connect in all the fittings, but was worth the time. This is not something you need to do each time. There is enough tubing and connectors that you can do multiple size hoses as you need.
First use
After prepping the pump with the connection kit, it was time to give it a test run. I hooked up the pump to my Mash & Boil and then was going to pump it to the keg. I sent it through a Bouncer MD filter to get some of the dregs of my fermentation out. After verifying the connections were all set, it was time. The pump primed via gravity. Don’t forget to prime the pump! Once it was primed, I turned on the inline switch and it was alive! The pump operated quickly and quietly. It moved my wort through the Bouncer quickly, and did exactly what I wanted it to do, moved my beer from point A to B.
Cleanup was rather easy with the quick connection kit. Everything disassembled quickly and i was able to drop the hoses into a PBW wash very easily. I then ran some through the pump head, and then some water as well. Future deep cleaning will be easy, as the pump head comes off with just a few screws.
Sparge Recirculation
For the next test, I ran the pump for almost an hour on a mash recirculation. I hooked up the Gile House Brew Supply Pump to my Mash & Boil. I then used a clamp to hold the tube at the other end in the correct placement. I then turned on the pump. I did have an air bubble, but once I figured it out it was smooth sailing.
The pump ran for almost a full hour with the mash getting sent from the bottom of my pot to the top. This is where silicon tubing is important. Regular tubing wouldn’t be able to handle the higher mash temps. The pump body was warm to the touch. It makes sense, since it ran for so long.
The recirculation was very uniform in the amount going through the pump. This is where the ball valve is very helpful….you can control how fast the wort recirculates. Too much and the pot would have overflowed at the top, so I was happy.
Pump set! Side view Mash recriculating
Future Test
I plan to hook this up to to a Hop Rocket so I can circulate my wort through some nice whole leaf hops for some added depth to a future beer. I have confidence that it will work well. I can also use the Hop Rocket to randall in different things as well.
Pros and Cons
This Gile House Brew Supply Pump is really a great pump. It runs super quiet and moves a boatload of liquid at a speedy pace. I loved the optional transfer kit to help get things set up. Cleaning is super easy, with the head being able to be removed.
I wish the Gile House Brew Supply Pump was a little more balanced. I don’t have it hooked onto anything, so it can tip, although this doesn’t change it’s abilities. After an hour of running, it did get warm….but what do you expect?
Final Thoughts
I had a great time with the equipment review for the Gile House Brew Supply Pump and the optional transfer kit. Thank you to Gile House Brew Supply for providing the pump as a test unit. It will be part of many brews to come! This brewer gives it two thumbs up!
BrewSSSiphon is on sale!
Remember when I did the review on the BrewSSSiphon? I loved it! Now There is a Spring Sale on it! Check it out!
So what are my thoughts with this BrewSSSiphon review? It is amazing to me that such a “trivial” piece of the home brewing setup can be upgraded so much. Hands down, I love the BrewSSSiphon. The attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship is awesome.
The sale is running now at their new website: WWW.BREWSENSIBLE.COM
Use the code SPRINGISGREEN for 20% off!
Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020 Reviews
So now it is time to post my reviews of the Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020. For those of you just joining, the Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020 premise is 13 brewers brew the same recipe. The same water profile, malt, hops, and timing. Then each brewer drops in a different yeast to ferment with. A wide range of yeasts were used to be able to determine the qualities and tastes that the yeast imparts on a brew. Such a cool concept. I am honored to be a part of it.
For the record, I am not a BJCP judge, and my reviews are quite subjective. There was a little mishap in the shipping, so I missed out on trying one of them. Realize we judged these beers based on how it was for the West Coast IPA style, not as a beauty or competition level.
If this is your first time reading up about this, feel free to drop back a few steps to see how I got to the point of the reviews. The first post, here, will get you a review on yeast starters. The next post here, will get you up to speed on my brewing and bottling.
But enough about all of that. Here are my “findings” in the Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020 Reviews:
Continue readingBrewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020 – Brewing and Bottling
Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020 is here! The premise is 13 brewers brew the same recipe. The same water profile, malt, hops, and timing. Then each brewer drops in a different yeast to ferment with. A wide range of yeasts to be able to determine the qualities and tastes that the yeast imparts on a brew. Such a cool concept. I am honored to be a part of it.
My journey into this experiment began early one morning. I couldn’t sleep. I was surfing the Facebook groups and I ran across a post in Brewtubers. I was intrigued by the idea, so I started down the rabbit hole.
Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020 – Yeast Starter
So I did a thing. I jumped in over my head. I registered for an experiment. And away I go! I jumped in on the Brewtubers Yeast Experiment 2020. Basically the principle is this: same beer, same water, different yeast.
So each person who is registered uses a different yeast. For this experiment, I chose the Mainiacal Yeast Berzerker kveik blend. The recipe required me to grab a few ingredients from the local shop. I also had to purchase a boatload of distilled water. To the water, I will be adding some minerals to help get the same profile. I can’t wait!
To kick it off, I have made a little starter how to video about yeast starters. If you need some guidance on your starters, this is a little about my practice.
Brewer’s Edge Mash & Boil Review – Equipment Review
The Brewer’s Edge Mash & Boil review is something people should look for. When shopping for a new piece of equipment, it is always good to check out reviews. The Brewer’s Edge Mash & Boil seems to be a great deal. The versatility of the unit makes it a great choice for the 5 gallon and less brewer. I decided to pick up a unit to put it through its paces. Is this all in one unit as easy as they say it is? Let’s give the Mash & Boil review a shot!
Ordering
Continue readingHappy New Beers, Homebrew 2020!
Hey there homebrew hounds! Happy New Beers, and Homebrew 2020! Welcome to the new decade, and time for lots of new beers and reviews. I have a lot lined up for the year already for reviews! I have beers on the way to help with that process. Lots of new toys to play with.
Things to look forward to here for homebrew 2020:
- Review of the Brewer’s Edge Mash and Boil
- Review of some Gile House pump and accessories
- Review of a hop spider
- Reviews of other new toys
- Update on some kveik processes
- Homebrew hacks that are in the works
- Much more!
I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings in the homebrew world. What are you looking forward to? Leave a comment to let me know!