Starter for the mead
OK, when did my local home brew store start closing at 6pm? WTF? So, I get back with no yeast and I look in my lager chamber.
I used the wash to create the starter, it started fermenting! Success! I poured it in to the rest of the wash. I will post how it turns out.
Electrolysis – Power to the process!
Next I will show some vats I made and the to the electrolyte.
Brewed up a mead..
Brewed up a mead little over a week ago, 10 pounds of Honey, 3 jars of Molasses, and 1 bag of alcohol boost from Austin home brew.
Made 6 gal, I am guessing 1.08? was my OG, my hydrometer does not go that high. Now it is about 1.070
At least I can read it now. But no or very little activity. I am going to get another vial of champagne yeast and create a starter using some of what I have in there now and re-pitch. Hope it lights it off again
Re-Stacking and Re-Sticking
A Quick Cover
With the threat of rain, I wanted to make a quick cover to protect the lumber from a potential soaking. The cover sits on top of the scraps shown in the other posts. It is a 4×8 sheet of 1/2-ish (I just got the cheap stuff) plywood. I screwed in 2×4 on all 4 sides to keep it fairly flat. It is not the prettiest, it started raining when I was putting it together.
I then got that stuff that you put down in rock beds. It lets the air flow and blocks some of the bad stuff and will stop heavy moisture coming in from the sides and still allow the milled lumber to breath and dry. I then covered it with tin roofing I had laying around.
This weekend I will try to weigh down the bottom. but for now it is working fine.
Brewed up a Mead IV
Stacking and Sticking
Now that I have the cut lumber back I need to stack and stick it. I used 3/4 inch wide by 1 1/2 inch tall stickers that I cut my self using every piece of wood I could find. There is a 1 1/2 inch gap between boards. I was originally go to set them 16 inches apart, but Brandon recommended 8 inches. He has done a lot more stacking than I so they are now 8 inches apart. Best wood on the bottom as it will have the most pressure helping it stay straight.
I went about as wide as the cinder blocks and I tried to keep everything even as I moved up. I then used ratchet straps to keep everything tight. I can also check the straps from time to time and adjust them to keep them tight.
Pecan is subject to sticker stain, so in about a month I am going to re-stack and move the stickers. I think I am also going to add 2 more 4 x 4 to the base, sliding them to the edges and centering the 2 new ones.
Next making a cover….
Shop Smith 10E(R) 12103 Restore – Part I – In the Begining
Time to get it milled
Time to get it milled, I did some calling around, some lurking the message boards and I found Berdoll Saw Mill & Furniture Co. What an outstanding decision that was! Brandon and crew are excellent, VERY reasonably priced. As a matter of fact they are the cheapest, I mean least expensive. All though my log was a “Yard” log that many other places would not touch, he took the time to work with me to get the most out of this log. He would go over it with the metal detector and position it on his mill to get the best cut. He would ask me every time if it was OK and he would patiently explain what he was doing and what he thought to me. He took the time and answered every question I asked about drying, sealing the ends, sticking, everything. When I went to pay we went to a second large building, OMG! When I go back I will take some pictures, lumber heaven! Black walnut, Mesquite sizes I have never seen before, one stump had to be at least 36 inches across, Walnut and Oak. Very much worth the trip to go and check them out. Here is a shot of the small mill they used for my log.