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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Brew 101: Equipment: Fermenter

Hello everyone,

Whilst I'm waiting for my newest shipment like a fat kid loves cake (wait...), I thought I would discuss some of my equipment and give a brief explanation of what each piece does. 

First up is my fermenter.  The big coin jar pictured below is called a carboy.  The carboy is where all the magic happens.  I like to think of it as a giant glass Bunny Ranch where the yeast is free to impregnate all the sugar molecules, which later pop out tiny alcohol and CO2 babies.  Does that make sense to anyone else?  Cause that's what happens.  It's science.  Anywho, this is a 6.5 gallon carboy which is perfect for 5 gallon batches.  It is important to leave space at the top because fermentation can get hot and heavy and will leave a creamy residue behind.  Don't worry, its just yeast, exhausted from a long day of babymaking.  If the budget is tight you can even scoop up some of this cream (called kraeusen) and nurse it back to health for future batches.  Be careful not to introduce any foreign bacteria to the fermenter, or you could ruin your beer.

6.5 Gallon Glass Carboy
OK, that is enough Brew 101 for today.  Tomorrow I shall discuss what we use to release all the heat that is built up from the fermentation process.  Steamy! 
                                                  Peace and Love,
                                                 Salty

1 comment:

  1. Is there going to be a quiz later on all of this? And what does whilst mean?

    ReplyDelete