I've tried making stir plates with computer case fans, but they have proven unreliable. At some point during the night, as the yeast starts growing, the magnetic stir bar inevitably rattles off its rotation. So I went back to my tried and true option: the old turntable. The problem is that even 45 RPM is to slow for a regular stir bar. So I concocted the Pig Pail stir bar. As you can see from the above video, I have used ordinary sanitized drinking straws to extend above the surface of the liquid to increase oxygenation. This weekend was the first time I used it, and the modified stir bar stayed on track for the full 36 hours without a hitch. I used the 33 RPM setting. And yes, that's an Infinity Black Widow tonearm on the turntable.
I am brewing directly in my brew pot. This saves the step of cleaning up the fermenter. Plus, it's a nice stainless steel environment. I previously drilled a hole in the lid for an airlock, however, the airlock has proven pretty useless since the cover is not air-tight. I decided to use the hole for the Johnson controller temperature probe and a thermometer. That way, I can hold the fermentation at 67-68 degrees in my chest freezer keezer conversion. Now that it's autumn and the house goes unheated at night, I added a lamp with a CFL bulb to keep the temperature from falling below 67 degrees. Should be a good IPA. I had a little trouble keeping the mash temp at 154 degrees where I wanted it in my cooler mash tun, but that's another story.
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