New Brew, New Mod

I need to stop saying this, but it's been way too long since I've posted.  Of course there hasn't really been any action in the past few months, until this week.

When finished, it will be as clear, crisp
and light as a Miller Lite.  And smell like a
NZ Sauvignon Blanc.

Had a great brew day with my sister last Sunday.  We brewed a 12 gallon batch of Citra Nelson Cream Ale, pitched half with Cal Ale yeast, the other with Kolsch.

I drew a sample today for a 7 day gravity reading.  Both sides are sitting around 1010-1012, but the Kolsch side is the clear winner in flavor and aroma--so clean, and the Nelson really shines--but that may change in time.  My intention is to blend the two at bottling.  Hoping to shave off a few more gravity points, so I gently rocked both carboys to rouse the yeast back into suspension and I'll take another reading on Tuesday.




Today I also hit my brew kettle with a little science... and ended up with this:

Volume markings, permanently etched into the stainless steel.  This little project, like all my best homebrew related inspirations, came from a thread on homebrewtalk.com.  So easy to do, and a permanent solution that I actually prefer over the more expensive option of installing a sight glass.

I followed the steps laid out in post one of the thread.  Here is my mod step by step in pictures:

STEP 1: How high is a gallon in this kettle?

A gallon jug is flimsy and imprecise, but a gallon of
water weighs 8.34 pounds all day long...

Kettle is on a level surface,
so markings are dead on.

 

One gallon = 34 cm in my kettle.  So I
made a Sharpie mark every 34 cm.  YMMV.

STEP 2:  Taped off gallon marks, added stencil numbers

This kettle is ready for some science to be
perpetrated upon it.

STEP 3:  Prepared the Etching Tool

This entire project is based on a 9v battery,
two lengths of copper wire, a Qtip, and
a solution of vinegar and salt.

Positive lead attaches to
the kettle.

Negative lead goes to the swab;
wire needs to contact the
electrolyte acid solution
(salty vinegar)

STEP 4:  Etched this thing!

The etching tool, dipped in the electrolyte solution,
completes the circuit when in contact with the kettle,
and actually removes metal when in contact.
The sizzle says it's working.