Prior to seeing this, the easiest method was to use the Thermaltake USB fan as I did in my post here: DIY Stir Plate for Homebrew Yeast Starters. But this contains all the parts needed in one bag (minus the enclosure). PLUS the magnets come affixed to the fan and tuned to the included stirbar. I’d have to say the hardest part of my Thermaltake build was getting the HDD magnets centered for the stirbar I chose.

Here is the kit:

Included in the kit are the following parts:

• Computer fan
• Speed control (rheostat)
• Power supply
• Two rare earth magnets
• Stir bar

Basically the guts of the stirplate, completely assembled. All that is needed is an enclosure, hardware to mount it, and tools.

Lets get to it.

Simple wooden box from Michael’s Crafts

I started with a wooden box from Michael’s Crafts. A similar craft box or cigar box will work fine.

Aligning Fan for Drilling

I flipped the box over and placed the fan in the center. Then I drilled through the holes at the four corners.

#8-32 Machine Screws as Mounting Posts

I inserted four #8-32 machine screws (I used 1.5″, but it will depend on the enclosure you choose) through a washer and up through the bottom of the wooden box using the holes I just drilled. I then secured the screws with another washer and nut. I believe I wound up using two nuts on each screw to get the fan closer to the lid.

Install the fan onto the screw posts

Closer view of the mounting

Drill Holes through Front

I then drilled holes through the front of the box to match the power port, the LED light and the speed dial. The sidewalls of the box I chose are a little thick but it works. A cigar box would likely yield better results.

The complete setup, inside view

Action Shot!

Here is a video of it in action, I shot the video right before I mounted the controller:

The post DIY Stirplate Build using the DigitalHomebrew.com DIY Magnetic Stirplate Kit first appeared on beer and life.

While the “kit” I previously used from Thermaltake included many of the parts needed to make a magnetic stir plate, this kit includes everything but the enclosure.

That means, in the bag, you get: computer fan with two rare earth magnets properly centered and fixed to the fan, a potentiometer to control the speed that also serves as an on/off switch, an LED power indication light, a stir bar, and a power supply.

Compared to the Thermaltake kit, all you need to supply for this kit is an enclosure to house the fan/controller and a flask for the starter wort. For the Thermaltake kit, I needed to supply the magnets (and properly center and mount them to ensure effective stirring), an enclosure, a stir bar, and a flask.

What’s in the Bag

I tested it last night on a flask with 1500ml in it and it spins much faster than my previous build. Not that I need that much speed for my size starters, but it’s good to know I can ramp up the speed if/when I make larger starters without throwing the stir bar.

I bought a wooden box from Michaels Crafts that I will use as the enclosure and some #8-32 x 1.5″ machine screws/nuts/washers for mounting the fan in the box. I’ll update this post with a link to the build when I get it done!

The post DigitalHomebrew.com – DIY Magnetic Stirplate Kit Review first appeared on beer and life.

This will be my first brew using liquid yeast and my new stir plate. I need a .75 liter starter for this batch but I made a 1.25 liter one with the goal of splitting it and preserving 500 ml. What that will accomplish is that I will be able to use that 500 ml later to create a new yeast starter instead of buying another $7 vial of yeast.

Then when it is time to make that starter, I will save 500 ml again and the cycle will continue. This is following the “Novel Approach” yeast starter technique.

It will also be my first brew using my new kettle ball valve and sight glass. The ball valve will allow me to drain directly into the fermenter without an auto-siphon and the sight glass will let me check the water volume without using my wooden dipstick (twss).

The post Brewday April 25th 2014: Jamil’s Blonde Ale first appeared on beer and life.

Keep in mind that this script will delete the remote file, so if that is not your intent, you will need to change it by removing lines 54 – 60.

<?php

// This script will:
// 1. connect to an ftp server in the specified directory ($destdir)
// 2. Download all files in the $destdir directory to the $localdir directory
// 3. If download was successful, delete the file from $destdir

$now = date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
$nowdate = date("Y-m-d");
$thelogfilename = "/path/to/logging/FTPLOGFILE-" . $nowdate . ".txt";

if ( !file_exists($thelogfilename)){
		touch ($thelogfilename);
	}

$thelogfile = fopen($thelogfilename,'a');

fwrite($thelogfile,"*********** " . BASENAME(__FILE__) . " START AT: " . $now . " ***********\n");

// Initialise the connection parameters  
$ftp_server = "ftp.domain.net";  
$ftp_username = "myusername";  
$ftp_password = "mypass";  


// Directory to retrieve ALL files from
$destdir = "/";

// Directory to store all files to
$localdir = "/path/to/save/documents/";

// ====== SHOULDN'T NEED TO ALTER BELOW UNLESS PROCEDURE NEEDS TO BE CHANGED ====== //
// Create an FTP connection  
$conn = ftp_connect($ftp_server);  

// Login to FTP account using username and password  
if (@ftp_login($conn, $ftp_username, $ftp_password)) {
fwrite($thelogfile,"Connected as $ftp_username@$ftp_server\n");

// Get the contents of the current directory  
// Change the second parameter if wanting a subdirectories contents  
$files = ftp_nlist($conn, $destdir);  

// Loop through $files  
foreach ($files as $file)
{

	//Download section
	if (ftp_get($conn, $localdir . BASENAME($file), $file, FTP_BINARY))
	{

		fwrite($thelogfile,$file . " downloaded correctly\n");
		
		// We can delete the server file since the ftp_get was successful
		if (ftp_delete($conn, $file)) {
		fwrite($thelogfile,$file . " deleted successful\n");

		} else {
		fwrite($thelogfile,"could not delete " . $file . "\n");
		}

	} else {
		fwrite($thelogfile,$file . "NOT downloaded correctly\n");
	}

}

} else {
	fwrite($thelogfile,"Couldn't connect as $ftp_username\n");
}

$endnow = date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
fwrite($thelogfile,"*********** " . BASENAME(__FILE__) . " END AT: " . $endnow . " *************\n\n");
fclose($thelogfile);

// close the connection
ftp_close($conn); 

?>

The post Automate FTP File Transfers with PHP first appeared on beer and life.

The purpose of a yeast starter is to build up the number of viable yeast cells from the amount that comes in a vial of yeast from the store. A vial of California Ale Yeast (WLP001) will have roughly 96 billion yeast cells. For a 5.5 gallon beer with a 1.050 original gravity, you will want to use about 192 billion. A starter is a mini fermentation that builds up the yeast as they feed on the sugars in the mash you’ve made.

A magnetic stir plate escalates the growth in the yeast starter by spinning a magnetic stir bar at the bottom of the flask containing the starter. I can grow that 96 billion to 192 billion with a .75 liter starter on the stir plate, opposed to 131 billion without. These numbers we calculated from the beersmith app.

Here is a video of a stir plate in action from Beer Geek Nation:

There are several, resources, for building, your own, stir plate online, so add this post to the list.

Parts List

• Thermaltake Mobile Fan 12 External USB Cooling Fan 120mm AF0007
• 1″ Teflon Stir Bar
• Erlenmeyer Flask (or growler)
• Wooden Cigar Box
• #8-32 bolts, nuts, washers
• iPhone wall wart (or similar)
• 2 rare earth magnets from a busted hard drive
• Fender Washer

The beauty of this fan is that it contains most of the parts that DIY’ers have to locate to build  a magnetic stir plate: computer fan, power supply, speed control (potentiometer). All for about $20 shipped on Amazon. Granted you can get these parts free from defunct electronics you may have laying around.

It has to be disassembled, but it’s real easy. Unscrew the bolts at the four corners, take off the stand and grilles. Disconnect the power and the potentiometer. Done.

It’s a USB connection, but a standard iPhone wall wart will allow you to plug the USB end into it, then plugged into the wall. There is no on/off, if it’s plugged in it’s on.

I started with a cigar box that was once a wall clock (note the little hole under the ‘n’ in Sinatra, that’s where the clock mechanism came through). This was given to me by my good friend Jeremy back in the Twitter Poker Tour days. The clock mechanism failed so I decided to give it a new life as a stir plate!

I measured the center and placed the fan making sure to give enough room for the speed dial to fit in the front right. I then drilled through the holes at the corners of the fan through the bottom of the cigar box.

I inserted the #8-32 bolts up from the bottom through a washer then through the holes I just made. From the inside, I used another washer and a few nuts to secure the bolt and to act as a spacer to get the fan closer to the top of the cigar box.

I fitted the fan over the four bolts and used another washer/nut combo to secure the fan in place.

Once I had the fan in place, I used a step-bit to drill a hole large enough to fit the knob from the speed controller (potentiometer) while mounted from the inside. While the drill was out, I drilled a similarly sized hole in the rear-right to lead the power cord into the cigar box.

Here is a view of the speed dial just prior to mounting it inside.

I mounted a fender washer to the top of the fan center with velcro, but will use something stronger at some point. The hard drive magnets are stuck to the washer. It may take a little work to center the magnets so that it spins true. If it’s off-center it can throw the stir bar.

Fill the flask with some water and place it on the stir plate. Drop the stir bar in and it will be drawn to magnet at the center. Turn on the fan and as the fan spins, so will the stir bar.

The post DIY Stir Plate for Homebrew Yeast Starters first appeared on beer and life.

Parts

• Bayou Classic 44 QT Pot
• Weldless Ball Valve Kit *
• Step Bit
• 1/2″ Silicone Tubing

* The ball valve kit I got is configured like so: Standard bulkhead, stainless 2 piece valve, 90 degree elbow inside, 1/2″ hose barb for valve.

Process

The first thing I did was watch BobbyFromNJ’s YouTube videos on installing weldless ports/valves onto a brew kettle:

After I had a good understanding of how to do it, and where to place it, it was pretty straightforward. There is no need to rehash the steps I took as they follow almost exactly what BobbyFromNJ does in his video and the instructions on the BargainFittings.com site where I bought the ball valve kit.

Here is a picture gallery of the install and final product:

The post Brew Kettle Ball Valve Installation Project first appeared on beer and life.

If you do any mash hopping, DO NOT USE the resulting grain. Dogs are very allergic to hops.

Here is the recipe that I use:

• 2 cups of spent grain
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1 egg

Process:

1. Mix the grain, flour, peanut butter and egg in a mixing bowl. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and really get it mixed well.
2. Roll the mixture out with a rolling pin
3. Use cookie cutters to create your forms
4. Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 325°, then at 225° for an additional 2 – 3 hours depending on how thick you make them. This extra time at low heat is to dry them out and give them a longer shelf life.

Credit to FuzzyBrew.com for the recipe.

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I’ll be brewing a recipe from Yooper (moderator at HomeBrewTalk.com) called Da Yooper’s House Pale Ale.

UPDATE: Brewed this 4/3 and it was a series of mistakes.

Issue #1: Though I typically hit my pre-boil gravity consistently, I was off by 5 points. Was shooting for 1.040 and landed at 1.035. I’m not sure if this was due to my grain mill or what. It’s possible the mill setting has come loose and my grind wasn’t as good, leading to poor efficiency.

Issue #2: I didn’t boil off enough during the 60 minute boil, .6 gallons to be exact. I also wound up with 1/10th of a gallon more wort than expected due to less grain absorption since I really squeezed the BIAB bag to get my gravity up!

So I have .7 extra gallons in the fermenter and about 12 points low in gravity.

In the future I will run the boil longer, I was concerned about the hop bitterness with an extended boil. But a mid range IPA is better than a watered down APA I guess.

The post Brewday April 3rd, 2014: Yooper’s House Pale Ale first appeared on beer and life.

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