Welcome

Dear Visitor,

Welcome to my very new website on strange and peculiar things to do in homebrewing beer and other stuff.

On this homepage, I will post updates as to what’s new. Please register so that you can interact with the comments on the various pages and so that I can (optionally) send you emails to keep you updated on developments.

Please also, visit the About page to get some background and advice on how to use this site.

The website content is still a work in progress and, although much of the practical and experimental aspects have been completed for most topics, there is still much to write-up and format. Consequently, only a small fraction of the total content will be available on the site on the day of publication. Other topics will appear, hopefully, every few days.

The list of current topics being worked is given below. I will cross them off as they get posted.

Topics Under Construction 

  • Techniques
    • Mashing
      • Simple mashing with fly sparge
      • Serial mashing
      • Parti-gyle
      • Long mashes
      • Mashing wheat and other raw grains
    • Cryo-Concentrating
      • Prefermentation
      • Postfermentation
    • Late Additions to primary fermentation
    • Making sour ales
      • Wort
      • Spontaneous fermentation
      • Aging
    • Adding fruit
      • Preparing
      • Pasteurizing
      • Storing
    • Storing yeast
    • Measuring beer carbonation
    • Using oak
      • Finding oak
      • Cutting
      • Toasting
      • Adding to beer
    • Mulling beer with a hot iron
  • Recipes
    • Rapid, pressure cooked beer
    • Lentil beer
    • Really strong beers (>20% ABV)
    • Whoat beer
    • + Much more
  • Projects
    • Build a cheap and efficient mash tun
    • Build a deluxe counter pressure bottle filler
    • Build a monster magnetic stirrer
    • Build an airlock bubble counter
    • Build a device to measure beer ABV%
    • Build a photometer to measure beer color
    • Build a weighing scale to measure alcohol production during fermentation
    • Build a beer mosquito trap
    • Build a clip to stop airlock stoppers falling out of carboys
    • Project to tart up bottle caps
    • Barrel Ullagometer
    • Build a device for propane/natural gas burner temperature control
    • Build a device to stop boilovers 
    • Build a device to measure beer IBUs
    • Build an intelligent beer mat
    • Build a device for speeding up carbonation in kegs
    • Build a Peltier-cooled enclosure for a carboy or bucket
    • Build a trub yeast extractor
    • Build a mobile barrel stillage 
  •  Technologies
    • Using Arduino-type microcontroller units in brewing
    • Using 3D printers in brewing

The blogs below will give details of any recent additions. You can also register to get emails updating you on new additions as they happen.

Hopefully, there will be something here that you will like and find useful. If there’s anything on this list or you would like to put on this list, please leave a comment or email using the links below. To leave a comment, you will need to register. Only a minimum of information is requested – mainly your email address. This information will not appear on this website or be given to anyone else. If you are registered you can optionally receive emails giving you updates on the progress of this website.

Thank you for visiting,

Andy Tipler

Chief Cheapskate and Anarchist

Ullage Article

Christina Swanke has been producing some great drawings for this website and so I’ve taken a break from the bubble counter project to post a new article on how to measure barrel ullage – which contains another great drawing from Christina. Ullage of course is of great interest to any homebrewer, so please take a look. 

Christina has also just finished a drawing related to the making of ice cider so this will probably (finally) kick off the Recipe section on this website.

Look out for further developments!

 

3 New Articles

I’ve just posted three new articles…

  • How to cut multiple holes in rubber stoppers
  • How to put a thermowell together to monitor fermentation temperature
  • How to mull beer

I had intended to also post details of a device to easily fill a few bottles from a carboy, but I’m still working on it.

Come back again to see what else is new.

 

A Lot of Stuff Coming Soon :)

Dear Visitor, not much seems to have been happening on this website over the last couple of weeks. However, I have been busy. Honest!

My main focus has been on finishing the bubble counter write-up. The bubble counter device does exist – here’s a photo of the PCB inside it complete with ESP32 processor, WiFi, audio alarms and a color-graphics HiRes display.

I got stuck on a few things including putting together CAD drawings for a suitable 3D printed enclosure, finishing off the software and putting together a thermowell design to measure temperature in a fermenter.

The thermowell proved particularly challenging as it involved drilling multiple holes in rubber stoppers. If you ever tried this, you’ll know that it’s not an easy undertaking. However, I think I’ve put together a good technique for doing this. Then, of course, I decided it would be best to show how to do this stuff with an on-site video. So I had to spend a few days learning how to produce and edit videos. That’s almost done and you’ll see this article on drilling holes in stoppers and an article on putting together a thermowell for a fermentor around this weekend (once the microphone from Amazot has been delivered).

While I was at it, I decided to also put together an article for showing how to use a two-holed stopper to rack, keg and bottle beers from a carboy with positive CO2 pressure.

For reasons I can’t really explain, I also put together an article on how to mull beer to help with these upcoming long winter evenings. I think I must have got thirsty.

So, that will be 4 new articles on this website around this weekend. These don’t yet include the bubble counter project – but it’s coming. Honest! 

The Power of Video is Discovered

As you may have already noticed, I’ve found a way of including videos on my website! Many thanks to Min, our friend from Korea for not only starring in the video on this Home page but also for performing the post-production editing. Videos like this will (hopefully) transform the attractiveness of the site and I will get many more visitors, here.

I’m just finishing off an article on the use of skunks in homebrewing and you’ll see that on this website in a day or two. It has my beautiful wife starring in a video in that article. Hooray – I just posted it!

The very huge article on the bubble counter is still progressing and I hope to post it in a week or two. Be prepared for some serious technology in this.

I’ve also been dabbling with stepper motors to see if I can control a gas burner to heat water, wort, etc., to a set temperature and keep it there – things are looking promising.

Finally Posted Monster Magnetic Stirrer Project

This took a while but it’s now finished. Find the 20-page downloadable instructions in the Projects section.

I’m still working on a funny video to post on this page – it should be there by tomorrow.

Next, I think I’ll write about skunks and then I’ll finish the bubble counter project – this will be really big!

Oak Necklace Added

Still working on the cryo-concentration article but in the meantime, I just posted another Technique article on how to use an oak necklace for aging beer.

Candi Sugar Syrup Recipe Posted

Finally finished the method for making dark candi syrup. This is the first posting in the Techniques section.

Next I’ll post the cryo-concentration page, then I had better make a start on posting up the electronic gadget projects.

Another Project Added

Just added project for airlock retainer – stops your airlocks from falling out of carboys when you’re not looking.

Now working on Candi Syrup project.