Sunday Mild -- pics galore!

[Hogarth]

I should have said, I stir the mash water continually (but gently) with a spoon, to keep it flowing past the element.

You're right, it's not ideal, and I have been considering one of these, a 12v travel element, which would certainly be safer. But I can't find any information on the wattage, and if it was to be at all effective I think it would need a pretty hefty transformer.

That's very interesting about mash PH. I never knew we had to adjust for room temp. Looks my mashes have been way too acidic, then. Thanks for that.

[Hogarth]

I can't tell from the one photo, but it may not be a bad idea to enclose your stir-plate in a similar plastic container.
I had a pop-bang and fireworks in my lounge room because the yeast-starter had over-flowed the container, dripped down onto the fan and shorted out the electrics inside it, so unless yours is covered on the top (not just the wooden box on the outside) it could suffer something similar.

I might do just that. Time for a redesign anyway, the current version doesn't even lie flat on the worksurface. Plus it looks rubbish. Not my finest hour.

[Wolfy]

I might do just that. Time for a redesign anyway, the current version doesn't even lie flat on the worksurface. Plus it looks rubbish. Not my finest hour.

I'm not one to care too much how it looks, its not like a stir-plate needs to win any design awards.
My next version will most likely use a plastic tub like one of these that I store grain in, easy, cheap and works well, but it will not look pretty.

[Hogarth]

Here it is a month later:



What I love about drinking your own beer is how it changes with time. To begin with this was nice and chocolately. Now it's turned rather tarry (in a good way) and has quite a strong liquorice taste. Most satisfactory. I only wish I'd not scoffed so much so quickly.