I've been brewing for little shy of one year and thought I'd make some content for this fine group and say hello :) Here's what I do, with what it's done with and some little tips that work for me...:
I've been brewing two recipes that I kind of feeled together with Brewtarget the software. One is a pitch black stout style number with caramel rye and coal black Viking Malt roast atop Viking Malt Sahti-malt, the other a light, pils-style number made with a special malt made from a local farmer's select grain and a little bit of Viking Malt's Sahti-malt mix on the side. Both are brewed with a particular fresh yeast (available in all shops and only 0,375 € for a 21 litre brew XD ) in keeping with the Finnish Sahti tradition; the yeast produces strong banana-y esters, but I find that can be controlled to a great effect by brewing under pressure and in lower temps.
In the beginning there was a big kettle and a Brew-in-a-Bag that I got cheap. Then came a Kegmenter 29 l pressure-capable brew vessel and a round drinks cooler that fits the Kegmenter neat. Built a table on top, picked a branch from the woods to hold a Nukatap. Filling bottles happens with the glass funnel with a piece of hose attached, and the big syringe is good for cleaning the lines by shooting hot water down the spout of the tap.
For fermenting, I connect the red Kegland valve that sets a threshold pressure level to be maintained in the fermenter; after that, excess is released through the airlock so that it keeps me entertained :D The setup allows for temperature control during fermenting, I've been experimenting and starting to like 14 °C most.
And what can I say, is it not the best hobby in the world! Cheers :)
