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I've an interesting problem. I've too much beer.

Thing is that I have committed to drinking a lot less, not that I drank a lot to begin with, but after a glass or two I get nibbly and end up eating crisps or crackers, and it has been making dieting difficult. Not that I'd consider myself huge by any means, but shifting the weight post COVID and home working is proving harder than it used to. So I'm not drinking at all during the week and less at the weekend, which is working. It does mean I've nicely conditioned beers to drink when I do but they may be there for quite some time. Why is this an issue, well I enjoy the process of brewing and the outlook is that I won't have a free keg for months at this rate.

My plan is to refocus on design of my brewing space that has to cohabit with bikes, tools and storage boxes in the garage. In particular wall mounting my new regulators and properly fitting the CO2 tubing to the walls. A couple of months ago I sourced a can filler - just the one fill point version, which will also need a mounting point and CO2 supply. This will mean I can set up a proper canning station rather than my Heath Robinson set up I have now. This will allow me to commit to properly canning in slightly larger amounts, and I can clear out more beer sending out larger parcels/cases to friends and family. It's going to mean a new focus on process for labelling, packaging and schedule, all of which makes me happy ☺️ as it's still 'brewing' and means I can make more beer too. This feels like a natural progression but is going to take a while to get right.

So a couple of questions about CO2 piping:
  • Is it better to have one long pipe with a curving corner, or use JG fittings and a right angle bend, if there is space to do either?
  • I've some condensation in one of my clear longer CO2 pipes - should I replace the tube, is there some way of drying it out, or should I leave alone? Thanks x.
This is exactly my problem @DocAnna . When I was a 16-year-old +, I'd brew any old rubbish, the stronger the better, made of extract boiled with locally picked hops when in season. Canning? More often than not it didn't make it out of the fermenter as we'd plunge in our glasses as soon as it started to taste like beer. I used to love that beer!
Now I brew because I love brewing and beer, in some respects, is an inconvenient by-product. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you get my drift. I've a list a mile long of beers I need to get on with, and the ingredients ready to do it.
I really must try harder to drink more. :beer1:
 
Brewing and bikes.
Much better use of a garage than housing a car.
 

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As a bit of work avoidance I'm redesigning my CO2 distribution to better fit the space, add the supply to the can filler and add a line for chilling within the fermenter fridge. This is the plan at present, possibly over complicating things but the Kegerator and fermenting fridge are on the other side of the garage from the filler and canner.

Brew piping.drawio.png
 
Whenever I get round to organising my garage and my brewing kit, everything I do is 100% going to be burgled from the work of others, such as the above. Great stuff.
 
This is exactly my problem @DocAnna . When I was a 16-year-old +, I'd brew any old rubbish, the stronger the better, made of extract boiled with locally picked hops when in season. Canning? More often than not it didn't make it out of the fermenter as we'd plunge in our glasses as soon as it started to taste like beer. I used to love that beer!
Now I brew because I love brewing and beer, in some respects, is an inconvenient by-product. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you get my drift. I've a list a mile long of beers I need to get on with, and the ingredients ready to do it.
I really must try harder to drink more. :beer1:
I completely agree with you both here. They need to reconsider the law compelling us home brewers to consume everything we make in the course of our hobbies alone. It’s not right these days that any government should be forcing anyone to drink these calorie rich by products of our hobby. It doesn’t happen to any other hobbyist does it? A friend of mine loves baking but no one is forcing her to eat all the cakes she makes 😜
 
As a bit of work avoidance I'm redesigning my CO2 distribution to better fit the space, add the supply to the can filler and add a line for chilling within the fermenter fridge. This is the plan at present, possibly over complicating things but the Kegerator and fermenting fridge are on the other side of the garage from the filler and canner.

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Phwoar...!
 
Ok I'm back now.

I'll post later in the week about the last couple of months which have been more than a wee bit stressful. However yesterday night I finally got the 'canning line' up and running and had my first session in the newly sorted brew space. My son is moving out of his flat this weekend and I'd agreed to provide some beer. So these are some of what he's getting delivered.


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It's good to be back ❤️
 
Ok I'm back now.

I'll post later in the week about the last couple of months which have been more than a wee bit stressful. However yesterday night I finally got the 'canning line' up and running and had my first session in the newly sorted brew space. My son is moving out of his flat this weekend and I'd agreed to provide some beer. So these are some of what he's getting delivered.


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It's good to be back ❤️
They look ready for the shops far less a party.
 
They look fantastic. Thats a real step up from printed labels on bottles 😁

Is it Còsagach or Seasgair though...? VisitScotland went with còsagach to be the Scottish equivalent of the Danish Hygge,.... to the annoyance of some fluent speakers.
Yes well, I'll admit to not being anywhere remotely fluent. It was a bit of a rushed job putting the labels together, and I sort of wish I'd kept Còsagach for a rich malty beer instead, it was a name I'd sort of been keeping in reserve 😃 .
 
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