"BrewHacks"

Not sure I reco your first few recos - but here's an easy, non-debatable one:

- Always control the temperature of your fermentation.

 

Nothing is fast and firm in brewing. Anything anyone says to "always" do on this fourm will soon be followed by someone else posting the exception to that rule. For example:

Except when brewing a certain Belgian styles when you can let your fermentation temperature rise to scary levels.

 

Wouldn't a list of "brewhacks" be a list of clever/helpful ways to do particular brewing related activities or overcome typical brew activity related challenges, rather than a "best practice" list of brewing related activities themselves?

 

Everything on your list would not be on my list, or would say it depends.

 

Yes, kind of true. Except even the Westvleteren monks worry about the temp reaching levels so high they will generate fusels.

I agree with this: not many "always" rules in brewing. One of the beautiful things about it, really.

 

- Always read the basics at www.howtobrew.com before attempting to make yourself a list of tips.

 

i understand what the OP's trying to say, but it ain't coming out the right way.

first, OP, i wouldn't do a single thing on your list. not a single one. you'll find that a lot of people will agree with me, but that doesn't mean that i'm necessarily 100% right. everyone does their own "hack". but more ppl will probably side with my opinion than yours because some of your "hacks" are messed up.

find me a homebrewer or professional brewer who's stirring their boil every 3 minutes and i'll find you someone with wrist issues and lots of free time.
Brita is understandable, but not necessary.
secondaries are cool, but they aren't an "always".
fermented wort through a strainer is a great way to impart cardboard flavours in your beer.

my "hacks"?

-i bought a stainless steel paint mixer from home depot. i attach it to a power drill. after i mix in the mash manually, making sure there aren't any yeast balls, i give a good 30-60 second spin with the mixer. works really well with high gravity worts. gets good, even temps in my mash tun, i believe/hope.
-stir my water occasionally when heating. saves me times.
-i buy a 2 litre jug of distilled water at the grocery store. add starsan to it. it keeps indefinitely, so i always have a bottle of starsan at my disposal.
-buy a spray bottle from home depot. fill it with starsan. spray that shit on everything when racking, bottling, etc. very easy way to get starsan on your surfaces without having to pour or wipe or whatever

 

Did you guys miss the part where he said he made his list up?

 

I can't speak for the posters that commented directly on his made up list, but my previous reply was directed at the portion of his post where he said

That wouldn't be a list of clever ways to accomplish goals (ie what LifeHacks are) but would rather be a list of brewing instructions / best practices. Like mattbk's recommendation to control your fermentation temperature. That isn't a "Hack" because it doesn't explain a handy trick for doing so. It is just a best practice. So far, atomeyes is the only person who has offered a tip in the vain of a "Hack" imho. "Sanitize" would be a "best practice" but "make your sanitizer keep indefinitely by mixing it with distilled water" and "make your sanitizer go further by applying it with a spray bottle" are "Hacks".

 

I guess I don't know what "LifeHacks" are. Maybe I shoulda looked it up before responding...

 

But that IS controlling fermentation temperature... if you're aware of where you are, where you've been, and where you're going with it, and you have a purpose and a reason for your decisions. It's letting it rise to such temperatures because you don't have control of where you're at and what you are doing that's "bad."

Sp I agree, control of fermentation temperatures is so fundamental as to find its way to every such list.

 

and ps I have no idea what lifehacks are either and don't plan to look it up unless someone convinces me it's sooooo important as to be high on my to-do list for today. And it's a long list already.

 

Well, if it's any consolation to you, the OP used the lifehacks reference but then seemed to request info that was more akin to the type you provided him regardless of that.

 

It would have taken you less time to look it up than to post that sooooo important ps reply

Allow me to google that for you....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_hacking

Life hacking refers to any productivity trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to increase productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life; in other words, anything that solves an everyday problem of a person in a clever or non-obvious way.

History
Originally the term arose in the 1980s among the first computer programmers devising and employing tricks to cut through information overload and organize their data.[1] The original definition of the term "hack" is an inelegant but effective solution to a specific computing problem. The term was later extended to life hack that referred to a more general solution related computer problems that occur in a programmer's everyday life.

 

I type fast. It took longer to read this than to type the reply.

 

+1

 

Brewhacks should be less influential on the beer itself but may make the brewday easier such as: use paper binder clip to secure racking cane or use a paint strainer bag to filter out hop debris while kegging. Something that is already done but possibly in an easier way.

 

My understanding is that "never" is more accurate here than "always." Are there any Jamil/Palmer-type homebrew gurus who still suggest doing a secondary at all if you aren't aging on something?

 

Adding to this point, never put a timeline on brewing, let the beer tell you when its ready.