Brewing on the new stove

tri-clamp and ball valve

My first brew this year is what we have named Crazy 8 Ale, it is an American Amber ale. The name comes from the August 8^th date (8/8) the first ever batch was bottled. It is the first beer I brewed and is always the first brew of the year. This is partly because it is relatively inexpensive compared to other beers and it is now becoming a tradition. This will be the only beer I have made three times. The new stove definitely improved the whole brewing experience. The brewery set up and tear down is much easier.  I also introduced a single tri-clamp to the brewery as a test. I am using it to attach the ball valve to the kettle. This type of connector is not a necessity but is sweet. I will be adding more of these as the budget will allow. I would like to have tri-clamps for any and all kettle connections for sure. I also added a new thermometer to the brewery. It is made to screw into the 1/2” coupling in the brew kettle. Up until now I have been using a thermometer designed to clip to the side of a kettle. It worked fine, especially when I was brewing with a 2-1/2 gallon boil in a smaller kettle but it seemed to be in the way in the larger 15 gallon kettle. It was also a little difficult to monitor because of how it was placed in the kettle. The new thermometer may not help me brew better beer but it will make brewing a little better. The Crazy 8 Ale is brewed and in the fermenter. It was bottled and carbonated in time for drinking on National Home Brew Day 2011.

thermometer

new thermometer