Lately I have been doing a straight 60 minutes at 152, no mashout
Does 2 gallons of sparge water really rinse the grains that well for a 10 gallon batch? Or, does it just add more "water" to the boil kettle therefore reducing efficiency?
Should I boil for 90 minutes to create more boil off? Would this increase efficiency?
Yambor44 said:I did use the default mash setup (step) on the first brew. The next brew I mashed at 152 for 50 minutes then a 10 minute mashout at 170. Lately I have been doing a straight 60 minutes at 152, no mashout and a sparge which consists of draining the wort the same as you, and then pouring the 2 gallons of 185 degree water thru the top. I leave the top sieve in to help dispurse the water equally.I only boil for 60 minutes.
Thoughts:
Does 2 gallons of sparge water really rinse the grains that well for a 10 gallon batch? Or, does it just add more "water" to the boil kettle therefore reducing efficiency?
Should I boil for 90 minutes to create more boil off? Would this increase efficiency?
I want to get mine to about 80% and be able to maintain that or close for each batch.
I have recently had some grain mill issues and have been tweaking that but I brewed on a propane burner for those brew sessions (5 gallons).
I also have not been using my collar. My boil seemed vigorous enough but on the last batch I partially covered the kettle with the lid as others have tried and the boil was indeed a lot more aggressive.
What is your efficiency now? Do you know how to measure it? It's about how much sugar you get out of the grain with mashing. It can NOT be increased once the grain is removed. Therefore boiling down does not increase the efficiency, it only concentrates the original sugars, increasing the gravity. According to Mosher, preboil gravity times water amount always equals post boil gravity times water amount. The sugar amount does not change!
I have to admit that even that I can always SEE some loose grains floating around (and they must be getting into the pump because when I clean it there are a couple of them always inside), but I can never HEAR anything out of the ordinary, any grinding noise, etc. Smooth humming is all I hear.
I'm experimenting with the pipe to create a whirlpool with my March pump. The end with the elbow (top of photo) goes into the kettle, the other end hangs over the top of the pot and is connected to a piece of high temp tubing that connects to the pump. I use it to create a whirlpool effect that helps to cool the wort much faster. (I use an immersion cooler) I can't say that it creates a great enough whirlpool effect to collect all the trub in the center but it does help the cooling. The cheese cloth fills the gap between the edge of the sieve and the pot. I have had grains get through that small space almost every brew which ended up in the pump, but this seems to seal it off.
This thread has become quiet, I reckon we have become masters of BM art...every now and then a noob asks a question but that's pretty much it - we have it sussed, to a T.
All we can wait for is Rob to make a video, long due...:rockin:
...
You could always bag your whole hops as I would imagine they could clog it. However, the Speidel video shows the use of leaf hops being place directly into the boil.
I have always bagged my hops - leaf, no pellets yet - and just throw the bags in as per schedule, then every now and then dunk them below the surface with a spoon. Later in the boil the bags sink to the bottom but the late hops obviously don't have time to sink as they don't have enough time to get wet enough.
Works ok. A good idea might be to put a stainless steel bolt or summin' in the bag.
1.) Other than the 220 vs 110 issues, can the BM be used right out of the box as demonstrated in the company video?
2.) How much time and money are required to make the screens bottom tubes and other mods including electric? In other words, what's the grand total for parts, electrical work, etc before the first beer is brewed?
3.) How much actual effort is saved over traditional all grain methods and BIAB? (I've only done extract to this point).
beefeater said:Yes!!
Apart from any electrical work, which I can't speak for, none.
None of the mods are neccessary for brewing. I made 20 batches without incident using the cloth filters. Weighed the bottom one down with anything stainless or attached it with some string or paper clips. Last five or six batches I bought and have been using the stainless "cloth" that is included with new units. Works great without any mods at all.
I've considered making a dip tube but haven't done so yet. Tilting the unit a bit to drain the last gallon or so works well for me.
I have never done extract or BIAB but I did all-grain batch sparging in a cooler for two years. Compared to that a Braumeister brewday is a very laid back and clean experience. My reason for buying it was just this. I wanted a stress free brewday with time in between to do other things and it's been a success. Highly recommended!!
Hi All,
I took a week to read through the entire thread.
1.) Other than the 220 vs 110 issues, can the BM be used right out of the box as demonstrated in the company video?
2.) How much time and money are required to make the screens bottom tubes and other mods including electric? In other words, what's the grand total for parts, electrical work, etc before the first beer is brewed?
3.) How much actual effort is saved over traditional all grain methods and BIAB? (I've only done extract to this point)
Yes!!
Apart from any electrical work, which I can't speak for, none.
None of the mods are necessary for brewing.
If you read through the entire thread, you would think that you have to modify the setup.
?.......
Perhaps there needs to be a "normal operation" thread with schedules, recipes, BeerSmith parameters, etc. There are (relatively) few posts on just using it.
Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty sure that I'll buy now. Still not sure about the copper hood. If you had the chance would you buy - the 20l model or the 50l model with the 20l malt pipe insert as an extra?
I own the 20L version and would buy it again in a heartbeat despite my original problems. I very rarely brew 10G batches of any beer as I love variety in my pipeline and the brewing process in general. That said, I just bought an extra electric pot (2000 watt hot water heater element and Bayou Classic 44qt pot) so that I can do two simultaneous brews on the 20L. I'm going to mash the first brew then drain into the pot for boil, clean out the 20L, and then mash/boil my second batch while the first is boiling. Will share how this works with everyone as I'm going to try a double brew session in the next two weeks.
Overall, I love the Braumeister. Its not perfect, but nothing ever is.... It's close enough for me to give it a "buy" recommendation as I've brewed my very best beers on it with the least stress I've ever had in a brew session.
If money is no object just send me 2k and you can have my 50L complete with a stainless chiller coil, insulated jacket and the 20L malt pipe (cord already converted) and you're ready to go!!
Then I'll get the 20!
Hmmm....shipped?
Yeah, I'll have to check with the boss, too. LOL
1. The copper hood has come up a few times during the thread - for those that have bought it - what are the advantages of it and would you recommend buying it as an extra?
Thanks,
Brian.
The only thing Braumeister does not do well is washing all that stuff.
I need to buy Dishmeister for that !! Washing is pain !
If anyone is interested in parting with their Braumeister send me a PM.
... The only thing holding me back, other than the cash outlay, is the fact that I am paying top dollar and am still limited on my ability to brew the occasional RIS, Trippel or Barleywine.
Can anyone one else chime in on their experience brewing any of these styles. Anyone claiming it is their best Barleywine yet?
Someone mentioned earlier about doing a double mash. What were your results?
I did a reiterated mash this past weekend on my SBM20L. The total grain bill was around 16 lbs split into two 8 lb mashes. I manually controlled the SBM and did a single infusion for both mashes. At the end of the first mash I emptied the malt tube, rinsed it off and started the second mash using the runoff from the first. I had more issues with the second mash with some grain getting into the pump and a geyser but worked it out. It didn't add much time to my day and was quite a bit easier than I expected.
On the copper hood - I've used it the past few sessions and have to say I like it. I get a much better boil and a consistent 10%/hour boil-off using it. My only remaining concern is DMS. Oh and fermcap-s and hop bags are pretty much a necessity to prevent foaming and boil overs.
-Chris
Chris:I did a reiterated mash this past weekend on my SBM20L. The total grain bill was around 16 lbs split into two 8 lb mashes. I manually controlled the SBM and did a single infusion for both mashes. At the end of the first mash I emptied the malt tube, rinsed it off and started the second mash using the runoff from the first. I had more issues with the second mash with some grain getting into the pump and a geyser but worked it out. It didn't add much time to my day and was quite a bit easier than I expected.
On the copper hood - I've used it the past few sessions and have to say I like it. I get a much better boil and a consistent 10%/hour boil-off using it. My only remaining concern is DMS. Oh and fermcap-s and hop bags are pretty much a necessity to prevent foaming and boil overs.
-Chris
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