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Be Rad the Fish




Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Posts: 1
Location: Columbia, SC


PostLink    Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:05 pm    Post subject: Forum feedback Reply with quote


        Register to remove this ad. It's free!
This is a cheap attempt at the first post on this forum Smile

theelectricbrewery.com is a tremendously informative website, I'm sure these forums will be as well

I'm a happy Sabco brewer but also a huge fan
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 1:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congrats on the very first post on the forum and thanks for the compliments! Wink

Kal

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My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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Shuttlecock_Ferrell




Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 2
Location: League City Tx


PostLink    Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:07 pm    Post subject: Nice Job Reply with quote

Kal,

Great job on the website! You sure know how to get a bunch of NASA geeks excited with such an awesome setup! I stumbled on your website several weeks back when I was researching a HERMS system and immediately sent it out to the club. It really shows you put a lot of thought into carefully designing your system and probably had experience in what not to do from previous systems. We are in the dreaming phase and there are some members of our brew club that seem to think we can strive for full automation. I like the eloquence of your system and I preach to them that just because they can make their own PIDS and Timers and interface them with touch screen controls doesn’t mean they should. Dang it Kal!! see what you started! We are a brew club not an electronics club Wink . I look forward to asking the forum tons of random questions and I'll be sure to keep you posted of our build… Buying materials linked from your website of course!

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Ferrell
Shuttlecock Brewers
http://shuttlecockbrewers.com
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Nice Job Reply with quote

Shuttlecock_Ferrell wrote:
Kal,

Great job on the website! You sure know how to get a bunch of NASA geeks excited with such an awesome setup! I stumbled on your website several weeks back when I was researching a HERMS system and immediately sent it out to the club. It really shows you put a lot of thought into carefully designing your system and probably had experience in what not to do from previous systems. We are in the dreaming phase and there are some members of our brew club that seem to think we can strive for full automation. I like the eloquence of your system and I preach to them that just because they can make their own PIDS and Timers and interface them with touch screen controls doesn’t mean they should. Dang it Kal!! see what you started! We are a brew club not an electronics club Wink . I look forward to asking the forum tons of random questions and I'll be sure to keep you posted of our build… Buying materials linked from your website of course!


Thanks Ferrell!

Complete automation is actually something I never wanted. Some people have asked if it's because I didn't know how to do it or because I didn't want to spend the extra money, but neither is the case. I could have easily added it.

It's simply because I wanted to keep things somewhat 'simple' with what can best be described as manual dials and controls. I still want to feel like I'm doing something on brew day. It's a hobby and I want to be part of it. If it was completely automated where you press a button and wort comes out, to me it just wouldn't be the same.

To put it in NASA terms: I want my setup to be like piloting something from the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo era where (even though there were computers) there was still a lot 'hands on control' to monitor things and get it done right... Try to do too much with automation and you end up with a mistakes like Metric to Imperial conversion issues... (Sorry - couldn't resist) Wink

The PIDs in a way are completely automated in that you dial in the temp and they then maintain it (set and forget). That much (to me) makes sense to automate. But that's where I wanted to leave it and limit automation. Let the computer(s) maintain some aspects but for actually "flying the ship" and controlling it, I want to be pressing the buttons myself.

I also think the time required to program in the automation at the start of the brew day could or would likely take just as long as 'manually' changing certain settings when needed. Most times we all brew with single infusion mash (a single temp) so nothing special is needed. I simply set the mash temp and then an hour or two later when mash is done I press the "up temp" button a few times to go up to mashout temp.

Every other operation requires disconnecting/re-connecting hosts in different ways so I have to go into the brewery for a few minutes anyway. You could automate this with valves and all sorts of fancy logic but IMHO that's hundreds of hours of design/implementation (plus costs) to just save a total of 5-10 minutes of work on brew day. It just doesn't make any sense to me and results in a very complex setup which means it's just more things that may cause problems or break.

I guess I just really don't see or understand how it's going to save time by completely automating things.

For this reason I didn't something like BCS-460 with an industrial touchscreen. I just didn't see what benefit it would have really added in the long run.

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0


Last edited by kal on Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:13 am; edited 3 times in total
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PCDesmond




Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 4
Location: Reston, VA


PostLink    Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kal,

I have now forgotten how I found your site, but I am eagerly awaiting your write-up on a typical brew day. I have no experience, but I have been looking into starting homebrew myself. Hopefully if it is something I enjoy, and the wife puts up with it, I will be able to expand into a system like your one day.

Thanks for all the great info, and I look forward to more in the future.

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Patrick D.
-No Homebrew skill what-so-ever.....yet.
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jimboh




Joined: 25 Mar 2017
Posts: 69
Location: Halifax NS


PostLink    Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More website related than forum.
Thanks for providing Calorie information for your recipe pages, not seen that before.
It would be even better if the Calorie count could be displayed in the teaser so we don't have to open and scroll through to that part of the post.
Us diabetics and those watching their weight may find that part just as important as alcohol and bitterness info.
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jimboh wrote:
Thanks for providing Calorie information for your recipe pages, not seen that before.

You're welcome! My brewing software gives that information so I figured I'd post it.

Quote:
It would be even better if the Calorie count could be displayed in the teaser so we don't have to open and scroll through to that part of the post. Us diabetics and those watching their weight may find that part just as important as alcohol and bitterness info.

Calories are a complicated subject as they come from various things in the beer including alcohol, carbs and protein. My software actually lists all 3 broken down. Not sure how accurate any of this is however and it's not something I look at very closely.

Most of the calories in beer come from directly from alcohol. The higher the alcohol the higher the calories. Carbs also add calories and they come from residual sugars which is directly related to the final gravity (FG). The higher the FG, the more carbs you have.

I'm not a doctor so which of these two (alcohol or sugars/carbs) matters most to someone with type 1 or 2 diabetes is something I don't know much about.

If you're looking at reducing calories and drink beer the best way is lower alcohol beers. You shouldn't have to scroll through to see if the beer meets those requirements as you can see the ABV right on our recipes page. Most of the beers I make are definitely *not* lower calorie beers. If you're concerned about calories, the best recommendation I can give is to stay away from pretty much all craft beers. Wink

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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jimboh




Joined: 25 Mar 2017
Posts: 69
Location: Halifax NS


PostLink    Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not an expert either. I really just want to reduce the residual sugars as if i don't drink beer I will still be drinking alchohol. I make wine and whisky too!
I remember when I was younger my dad was told he could drink a commercial beer called Pils Lager. Their advertising claimed "all the sugar turned to alchohol". I expect things have changed in the advice given some 40 years later.

Makes me laugh when I read up on the subject online and people say "Speak to your doctor". I have had 4 different docs since diagnosed type 2 20 years ago and none of them really have had a clue as to diet advice beyond, cut out sugars and starches!

Once diagnosed I cut out having sugar tea and coffee, no cakes, ice cream or anything with added sugar, where possible and 20yrs later my diabetes is still under control, just. Despite drinking a pint or two a night. I rarely test but have noticed a higher reading after several beers the previous evening.

Thanks for the info on FG. For my regular tipples I will aim for a low FG and lower alchohol content.
I will try one of the pilsners perhaps and I am definitely going to try the London Pride, one of my favorite beers back when I lived and worked in Central London, which was most of my life. I recently brewed an Old Speckled Hen from an all grain recipe in Beersmith. I was surprised it tasted just as I remembered the draught back home and tons better than the canned stuff available in liquour stores here in Canada.
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jimboh wrote:
I really just want to reduce the residual sugars

Then you want the lowest FG possible.
Keep in mind that FG / residual sugars play an important part in the flavours of many beers. There are many beers I make that just don't taste very good if I go too low in the FG. This is why all 'diet' beers with low FG are mostly very light lagers with very little flavour.

Lower alcohol beers often have higher FG because otherwise they taste thin/insipid. I had to do this with my Sessionable Electric Pale Ale. Cut out some of the non-fermentables and you'll get a lower FG with the same alcohol but the beer's not nearly as good. It's too dry/bitter.

Good luck!

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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View user's photo album (21 photos)
jimboh




Joined: 25 Mar 2017
Posts: 69
Location: Halifax NS


PostLink    Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ignorance on my part what are the "non-fermentables"?
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pinbrew




Joined: 31 Oct 2014
Posts: 55
Location: Kemptville, ON

Drinking: Amber Ale

Working on: Electric Hop Candy Jr., Toy Soldier Stout, Crispy Pils


PostLink    Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jimboh wrote:
Ignorance on my part what are the "non-fermentables"?


Sugars that aren't broken down by the fermentation process. When you extract wort from the malt, there are a number of different sugar types. Some are simple sugars, which are readily broken down and converted alcohol, and some are complex, which generally are not and remain sugars. Depending on the types of grain you use, you get different proportions of sugars in the extracted wort, which give the beer different flavour profiles.
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Generally speaking, crystal malts provide sugars that are non-fermentable. They raise the FG because they add sugars that the yeasties can't ferment. Critical in some beers to avoid drying them out too much.

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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View user's photo album (21 photos)
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