Speidel Braumeister (brewmaster)

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Did the paper clips stain after just one use? It looked so promising.

Didn't brew with them yet. I soaked the filter & sieve in a solution of white vinegar and water for 24 hours and they rusted/corroded right away. Maybe (probably) a chemical reaction of some kind. I was thinking of that when I soaked them. Also. (a big also) I noticed that the paper clips were NOT stainless steel. It said "Non skid steel finish" on the box.

I see they have them available in stainless, just don't know if that would make any difference. I am waiting on a set of the cloth ones to come in and I will have a draw string sewn on like Davids setup. I think that this has to be the ultimate fix.

I would have to agree with everyone else that something like the draw string setup should be included for the price that is paid for one of these units. I assume the drawstring idea was turned down in lieu of the screens because:

A) money was already invested in the screens and
B) money.

Maybe in the not so distant future as they get our feedback via emails, YouTube and this site, they will come up with a more solid fix. At lest they show they are willing to try better ideas as they did by switching to the screen filters as some of the folks have already received. I would rather have the screen version (if it doesn't rust or corrode at all) as opposed to the clothe filter. Even though it floats up somewhat also, it doesn't "bunch" up. A definite move in the right direction.
 
I am waiting on a set of the cloth ones to come in and I will have a draw string sewn on like Davids setup. I think that this has to be the ultimate fix.

Where did you source getting the drawstring sewn on your filters? A seamstress or did you order them from some vendor?
 
Where did you source getting the drawstring sewn on your filters? A seamstress or did you order them from some vendor?

Going to get someone to do it for me. No vendor. I am actually thinking of using some nylon cord (20# fishing line???) and lining it with that (no rust). Then I would blast out the grain after brewing with the water hose and then place sieve's in the dishwasher to get a good soapy, hot cleaning. That may be my next experiment.
 
I'm interested in joining the Speidel Family, however the apparent limitation that disturbes me is the 1.057 specific gravity limit the system has. I'm assuming that you would have to use DME to brew beers beyond 1.057. Has this limitation been a problem for anyone? Thanks in advance.
 
I'm interested in joining the Speidel Family, however the apparent limitation that disturbes me is the 1.057 specific gravity limit the system has. I'm assuming that you would have to use DME to brew beers beyond 1.057. Has this limitation been a problem for anyone? Thanks in advance.

I really don't think you can put a hard limit on the gravity of a system like this. Earlier in the thread there were methods discussed for brewing bigger beers on this system. You could make a smaller batch of a bigger beer, mash twice, boil longer, there all all sorts of ways to make a higher gravity beer on the Braumeister. On the flipside, if you're always making high gravity beers you may want to think about purchasing/building a more traditional system.
 
I really don't think you can put a hard limit on the gravity of a system like this. Earlier in the thread there were methods discussed for brewing bigger beers on this system. You could make a smaller batch of a bigger beer, mash twice, boil longer, there all all sorts of ways to make a higher gravity beer on the Braumeister. On the flipside, if you're always making high gravity beers you may want to think about purchasing/building a more traditional system.

Agree. There are limitations and trade offs to every system. I usually brew and prefer beers in this range. When I do a bigger beer, it's rare, and frankly a smaller batch is what I'd prefer. Someone who strictly enjoys barley wines , imperial stouts and IIPAs might be better suited to another setup.
 
Thank you for the response. I currently own a single tier Brutus direct fire system, but really like the small foorprint, ease of use, and electric features of the Speidel. From reading through this thread it seens unamimous that the system is worth the price.
 
Agree. There are limitations and trade offs to every system. I usually brew and prefer beers in this range. When I do a bigger beer, it's rare, and frankly a smaller batch is what I'd prefer. Someone who strictly enjoys barley wines , imperial stouts and IIPAs might be better suited to another setup.

This pretty much parallels my own thinking with the Braumeister. There are limitations to anything. Yes, I have, on pretty rare occasion, brewed beers over 1.057. And there are ways of doing that with the Braumeister, and without it. I think the price is very reasonable for a comprehensive, computer controlled electric brewing system.
 
Maybe you could try some stainless safety wire.

Don't BMs now ship with fine SS screens used in conjunction with the coarse screen? If so, can they be purchased?

I purchased some Fishing line (except 50LB test). It is "cloth like". I am going to weave it around the outer most edge of the sieve.

You can purchase the new screens. However I have not been able to obtain them here yet. I keep getting told they are "in the mail" and it seems to be 2 weeks away whenever I ask. :p
 
Here's what I ended up doing for now. Once (If) I can get another set of cloth filters I will have the drawstrings attached.

The only issue I can see is cleaning. My plan is to blast with water fromthe hose, then either soak in a hot Oxi or PBW bath or use Oxi or PBW and wash in the dishwasher.

Anyone have any experience with Oxi or PBW in the dishwasher? I would assume it won't foam too much.

Here's the line I used:








 
Great solution Yambor, that should do it!

I have a bit of a problemo I can't get my head around. I bottled my IPA today. 2 weeks ago I brewed and boiled with 24L of water. No sparge, nada. Spent grain and hop bags were very dry and I imagined I did not waste that much during the process, still I only bottled 14.5L.

OG was spot on target 1.06 and FG was 1.016, indicating 5.7% alcvol. If I try to match those numbers in BeerSmith, I start with boil volume 24L (check) and have to put in batch size of 18.5L.

Doesn't this mean I somehow can't account for 4 liters of beer? Where did it go? If I use the actual batch size of 14.5L, gravity estimates goes way up to 1.077. But it was just 1.06 in real life.

If I can't figure this out, next brew I will start with 24L, same grain bill, but will sparge and add water to get 20L into the FV and bottles, and look at the gravity readings to try and find some sense in the figures.

Thanks
 
Hello,

Following the idea of Yambor, I am using a nylon tie wrap (2.5 x 100 mm) to keep the cloth filters within the plates (attached files).
It works very well also.

Fig. 1.jpg


Fig. 2.jpg


Fig. 3.jpg
 
I will try in the next brew day. But I tested the resistance of tie wraps with boiling water during 20 min. The tie wraps supported the boiling temperature and I did not noticed any strange smell or color in the water.
 
I will try in the next brew day. But I tested the resistance of tie wraps with boiling water during 20 min. The tie wraps supported the boiling temperature and I did not noticed any strange smell or color in the water.

Good to know. I'm using mine for the first time right now.

On a side note I treid to open my gap on my grain crusher. Long story short I found after taking the crusher apart that I went the wrong way and actually tightened the gap! :eek:

So....keeping a watchful eye on the mash looking for squirts!
 
Seems like we are all on the same track. My SS mesh filters are warped so grain could easily get past it so I found some copper wire and stitched it flat.
DSC_0792.jpg
DSC_0793.jpg
DSC_0794.jpg

I'm also going to try this filter screen.
DSC_0796.jpg
 
Seems like we are all on the same track. My SS mesh filters are warped so grain could easily get past it so I found some copper wire
I'm also going to try this filter screen.

Looks good! I think I have some small copper wire I could have used. :drunk:

Keep us posted on that hop filter. When you brewing next?
 
I think the hfk2 also found an interesting solution for the problem of cloth filters. But I guess if the low pH of mash and high temperatures will not corrode the copper wires (or not)?
I will use conditioned malt in my next brewing in order to prevent the "volcano" effect as showed by Yambor.
 
I plan to remove the copper wire after each brew and replace it with new wire. It only took about 1 minute to do each sieve, as I only had to stitch at the warped sides instead of all the way around.
 
The tubing I used is copper pipe type M. My immersion chiller is also copper. Once the copper oxidizes the patina provides a barrier that protects the metal. Copper pipes have been used for potable water for decades so it must be quite safe.
 
The tubing I used is copper pipe type M. My immersion chiller is also copper. Once the copper oxidizes the patina provides a barrier that protects the metal. Copper pipes have been used for potable water for decades so it must be quite safe.

That's what I was thinking. So your wire should be fine also??
 
Unfortunately my pump stopped pumping. It's making a clanking noise. Doesn't seem as loud as Yambor44's did when it stopped. Maybe some grain is stuck in the impeller, but I can't get it to clear so I'm in manual heat mode using my March pump to circulate from the top down. We'll see what happens.
 
Unfortunately my pump stopped pumping. It's making a clanking noise. Doesn't seem as loud as Yambor44's did when it stopped. Maybe some grain is stuck in the impeller, but I can't get it to clear so I'm in manual heat mode using my March pump to circulate from the top down. We'll see what happens.

Man that sucks. Lets hope it's just a piece of grain.
 
Same way, I use the 3M synthetic steel wool 0000. Mainly using it on the heating elements because you can wrap it around it and get the back side. Amazing that a synthetic can scratch stainless steel. I'm now just using a sponge on the stainless.
 
How is everyone cleaning your stainless on these. I have been using the green scrubby and I'm seeing some scratches now. :confused:

Rinse out for obvious particles and then ...sodium percarbonate (diaper sanitiser) soak and hose off with pressure nozzle.

Any stubborn residue might get a brush off, but generally a warm napisan soak lifts everything.
The other day I set the temp at 60 Celsius and ran the pumps for twenty minutes. Throw the pipe and screens in as well. Simple!
 
Unfortunately my pump stopped pumping. It's making a clanking noise. Doesn't seem as loud as Yambor44's did when it stopped. Maybe some grain is stuck in the impeller, but I can't get it to clear so I'm in manual heat mode using my March pump to circulate from the top down. We'll see what happens.

Sorry to hear that! Did you get it figured out?
 
Rinse out for obvious particles and then ...sodium percarbonate (diaper sanitiser) soak and hose off with pressure nozzle.

Any stubborn residue might get a brush off, but generally a warm napisan soak lifts everything.
The other day I set the temp at 60 Celsius and ran the pumps for twenty minutes. Throw the pipe and screens in as well. Simple!

Good info! I ran mine as well yesterday to clean with some BKF (Bar Keepers Friend) but only at about 45c (so I could still get my hands in there, after I unplugged of course) and just enough to cover the coils. Then I placed the filter that was sewn onto the sieve in it to soak a bit with the pumps on. Rinsed all real well, scrubbed elements with green scrubby and internal pot with terry cloth towel.

Will run hotter and add malt pipe next time. I'm assuming this diaper sanitizer is easily found?
 
One piece of malt completely stops the pumps impeller. Can't figure how the grain is getting out of the malt pipe. The mesh was tight to the sieve, and the sieve sit tight in the malt tube. I'm also careful when adding the malt to the pipe. It seems to get past the top sieve when it starts to rise. Yambor44 did you use your stitched cloth covers and if so how did they work. I'm thinking of making a pair. I wonder if the cloth when wrapped around the edge of the sieve creates a better seal. Was able to salvage the batch using the March pump. O.G. came in as expected but needed to mash longer to get complete conversion. Also, even though I vorlaufed the wort wasn't as clear as when circulating up as the BM does.
 
Good info! I ran mine as well yesterday to clean with some BKF (Bar Keepers Friend) but only at about 45c (so I could still get my hands in there, after I unplugged of course) and just enough to cover the coils. Then I placed the filter that was sewn onto the sieve in it to soak a bit with the pumps on. Rinsed all real well, scrubbed elements with green scrubby and internal pot with terry cloth towel.

Will run hotter and add malt pipe next time. I'm assuming this diaper sanitizer is easily found?

In the U.S. it is branded as Oxiclean, lol.
 
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