PAX East Brewing 2015 - Dan Ryckert's Super Secret Beer (VIDEO!)

Hey all!

Another PAX East is rolling around, which means that around these parts I am brewing beer in preparation for the Giant Bomb panel. A lot has changed in the world of Andy brewing beer in the last year - most importantly, I have an all new system for maintaining temperatures over the course of my brew day.

For the impatient - the video is at the bottom!

RIMS - Recirculating Infusion/Immersion Mash System

The new system is called a RIMS system. It stands for Recirculating Infusion Mash System - it's all about temperature control. Over the last six months, and electrician friend and I have put together an electric temperature controller that operates a 1500w hot water heater element mounted in a stainless steel tube. The whole setup looks like the photo at the right.

The control panel is the biggest addition. It uses a PID temperature controller wired to a 2 inch temperature probe to measure temperature from within the stainless steel tube as liquid is pumped through it.

It sounds like a waste of money, but it isn't. Brewing beer is about control of temperature - especially during the starch -> sugar conversion process. Being able to constantly maintain temperature over the course of that process is a huge help in getting the end result you are looking for.

Plus it's flashy as SHIT.

I use the RIMS setup for heating water at the beginning of my brew day, as well as for maintaining temperatures.

This Year's Beer

This year's brew video documents one of two planned beers. This one is a brew for Dan Ryckert. The name is super secret, but a few mods might drop some hints as to its quality. Suffice it to say, I am making the most Dan Ryckert beer I can think of.

Drew is also on the docket this year, so he will be getting a brew in his name within the next few weeks leading up to PAX.

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions not addressed in the video. See you at PAX East!

Video

Quick tag shoutouts to the inspiration and assistance with this brew: @danryckert @drewbert