Brew Day 10-11-2009 - Let's Roll

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JamieT

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Alright... JT signing on... So today I will be doing an Ed Wort's Haus... The perfect beer for the scavenging neighbors.. Just turned over control of the brew rig to the BCS-460 and shee is just churning away heatin up the sparge water, strike water and mash tun..

Pile on the thread.. Lets make it a good one..:ban:

Here the rig..

Finished1.jpg
 
PGD outta the way and grain is crushed.. HLT at 120 , MLT at 100.. The MLT always lags the HLT because my RIMS circuit is only 2200w, while the HLT Element is 5500w.. Hops and Irish moss measured and ready... I'll be doing a 10 gallon batch today so I've got a pile of hops on my little table..

This will also be the first full fermentation in my new ferm chamber.. The beers in the chamber in the pic went through primary in my other unit..

Fermentation_Fridge.jpg
 
HLT up to 170, MLT at 125.. I've been asked a few times why I have both Herms and Rims circuits on this rig, the no-bs answer is that I couldn't decide and it was just as easy to do both as just one.. The fun part of having both is that I can swap over to HERMS at this point and create a much greater temp differential for getting up to strike temps..
 
Just gave the MLT a little power boost with the Herms Circuit.. HLT is holding dead on 180F, MLT is at 155 on it's way to a set point of 162.7.. Should take about 10 more minutes to hit set point then stabilize..
 
OK... Mashed in.. Temps right on the nose.. Beautiful thing about working with the BCS-460 and Beersmith.. Once you have your equipment profiles dialed in sticking the temps is a breeze.. On to the mash.. Only trick for the next few minutes is to carefully watch my RIMS flow rate and output to make sure I am not sticking or overheating the wort through the RIMS..
 
Here's a few pics for for the visually stimulated..


Tear off of the temp log..
Temp_Log.JPG


The Mash in Full Swing..
Mash7.jpg



40 minutes left on the mash...
 
I wanted a little more fermentable wort on this batch so I dropped my mash temp back to 150f.. I find myself without any iodine today so I may extend the mash to 90 minutes just to make sure everybody is converted nicely..

Here is a pic of the flashy lights on the manual override control panel and a screen print of the Main Control Center in the BCS-460..

Manual_Control.jpg


bcscontrol.JPG
 
I work with PLC's and DDC (Direct Digital Control) systems and equipment (HVAC Control) for the Hospital as a Stationary Engineer. I love automation and will someday get to the experience level in brewing that I make the jump to automate my setup.

Your system and software look great.

I am sure the beer will be too.

Salute! :mug:
 
Thx! Appreciate the compliment on the system.. I can assure you there were many hours of design / redesign and fabricate / refabricate before it all finally came together...

Back to the brew... I am going to extend out to a 90 minute mash.. Dont have anything to do today but this so I might as well not take any chances..
 
Ok... You talked me into it... Beer poured and we are ramping up to mash out...
 
Sweet, I like your set up. I just brewed a 10gallon batch yesterday of Pale Ale, four different infusions of cascade7.0. I tried the wort in the cylinder for the hydrometer, and I think it is going to be pretty good. It reminds me of Deschutes Mirror Pond. What are you brewing today?
 
Just commenced the sparge... Lookin to collect about 12 gallons of wort..
 
Man... Having that float switch tied in on my sparge process is the only way to fly.. Set it and forget it..
 
Good God... I just tried a pale ale one of my buddies (new brewer who does not frequent this site) dropped by for me.. Taste just like an ******* on fire... Gonna take a few days to come up with appropriate constructive criticism that doesn't discourage him..
 
LOL... Just got back from Mexico so the flavor profile must be fresh in my mind..
 
Good God... I just tried a pale ale one of my buddies (new brewer who does not frequent this site) dropped by for me.. Taste just like an ******* on fire... Gonna take a few days to come up with appropriate constructive criticism that doesn't discourage him..

Tell him to call it Preperation H pale ale :)
 
Still freakin sparging.. Started a game of monopoly on the cell phone.. 12g takes forever..
 
This is a really cool system, I want to do some sort of computer controlled system. Is there any way I could email you (or if you have aim or something) and pick your brain?
 
Awesome setup. Thatnks for sharing the brewday with us!

Does the fully automated system take away from the "hands on" fun you get from a non automated system? I mean the whole building the system is one hell of a hands on system, and it makes everything a little more easy to control variables, but It seems like it would make it a little less exciting to brew with a system like that. Just my thoughts as I have never brewed with a controlled setup like yours.
 
I had a surprise visit from my daughter today, so I took a break and mashed for 2 hours or so. I am now 45 minutes into my 90 minute boil.

No automation here. A cooler, some pots and a kitchen timer.

I am not drinking yet because I have to go to the store later.
 
Awesome setup. Thatnks for sharing the brewday with us!

Does the fully automated system take away from the "hands on" fun you get from a non automated system? I mean the whole building the system is one hell of a hands on system, and it makes everything a little more easy to control variables, but It seems like it would make it a little less exciting to brew with a system like that. Just my thoughts as I have never brewed with a controlled setup like yours.

To some degree I would say it take some of the fun out of it, but I do enjoy very much being able to create consistent repeatable result and the build was a freakin ball.. I also have the option to run the entire system manually should I choose via the manual override panel..
 
My second all grain brew session today - also did Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale. Seems to be quite a popular brew around here, so I figured it'd be a good one to get my new system dialed in with. Last week was my inaugural brew with my new set up (Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde, another quite popular brew). A few minor tweaks this week, hit all my temps and numbers almost dead on. Just pitched. Great fun! And now the hard part, waiting to taste it...

Enjoyed seeing your photos and your rig! Something to aspire to.
 
Been watching your progress all day. Not a brew day for me but a keg/bottle day 25Gals were due (10Gal Honey Cream Ale, 15Gal Oatmeal Coffee Stout)

DSC_2463.jpg

DSC_2464.jpg


Slick setup btw I've been meaning to automating my setup for the last 8 years or so. To many other projects on the SWMBO's honey due list
 
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