That is the number of the current batch of beer I am making. I made my first batch in 1996, and now I am on batch number 50. Time flies like an arrow (fruit flies like a banana).
In honor of this batch I treated myself to a new, stainless steel brew pot. Here it is.
That is a Big Pot! What a beauty! It is a Tramontina. 18/10 stainless steel laminated-base induction-ready 22 quart stock pot!
I also treated myself to a new thermometer to hang in the wort while I steep the specialty grains for 30 minutes. Here they are, steeping away.
My new recipe calls for steeping the crystal malt for 30 minutes at a temperature between 160 and 170 degrees F.
Nailed it! This new pot has a laminated bottom with a stainless/aluminum/stainless sandwich, so the heat transfer is really even. After I steep the crystal malt for 30 minutes, I put in the honey, hops, and extract and take it to a full boil. I stir it really really fast.
After a while, I get that “Creature From the Black Lagoon”, heaving, rolling, foaming living, breathing effect.
It’s Alive! Bwaa haa haaa!
OK. Enough of that. Here is why I need a huge, 22 quart pot.
At this stage, my wort foams up to fill that entire pot. The original 6 quarts of beer wort has grown into 22 quarts. In my old 16 quart pot, that would be a boil over, and we all know what that means….( well OK… I know what that means…. a sticky mess to clean up).
After a few minutes, the wort settles down and goes to a simmer.
It got pretty boring after that, so I didn’t take any more photos. Maybe later I will post another photo of the bubbling bucket like I did a few months ago. Right now, I am in violation of my 15 second rule (“If it takes longer than 15 seconds to read a blog, it is too long”), so I am signing off.