Brew Magic to electric

Some lessons learned from today:

Start earlier...I'm sure things will go smoother next time, but holy crap this was a long day after cleaning up.

Get the right gloves. 140* degree water is a hair on the hot side and will burn.

Try not to finish your fermentation chamber the same day/time you're brewing.



All in all, things went pretty well. Had to learn some tricks with the pumps and that really killed my momentum this morning. Next brew should be even smoother as I cut my teeth pretty hard on this one.

Final volume in the fermenter ended up between 9.5 - 10 gallons. Preboil gravity was 1.042 and gravity going into the fermenter was 1.039...so I guess that while I ended up with the right final gravity, being about 1.5 gallons short on the final volume means I was probably a bit short.

I figured I would be based on some dead space and based on the time things were taking, I just batch sparged 6 gallons all at once rather than 2 sparges.

I content with my first all grain, first electric brew. I got what tastes like good wort, didn't severely burn myself, and I didn't die.

Fermentation is looking good in the temp controlled fridge. Looking good. Going to let it go until about June 10th or so. I'm out for a couple weeks starting Friday. I'm going to have SWMBO turn the temp down to the mid 40s on the 10th to cold crash for 5 days and I'll keg when I get home that weekend. That's 15 days to ferment out, should be plenty for the Centennial Blonde. Maybe I'll get a brew going that weekend as well. A Bell's Two-Hearted Ale needs to happen.

jtkratzer said:

A Bell's Two-Hearted Ale needs to happen.

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What a great beer! Please post your recipe!!

stlbeer said:

What a great beer! Please post your recipe!!

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Don't have one yet. I've seen a few on the site and on Beer Smith Recipes.

Here you go: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/bells-two-hearted-ale-clone-close-they-come-91488/. Note that the yeast should be S-05 or 1056 (or if you are really ambitious, harvest yeast from reall B2H).

When I made it I changed the recipe from:
10# 2-ROW
2# Vienna

to:
8# 2-ROW
1# MO
3# Vienna

with everything else the same (carapils, C10, C40).

Of course, adjust for your expected efficiency (mine was around 70%)

It uses 3.75 oz of Centennial @ 10%, I had 8.1% so I had to up the amounts to 1oz @ 60, 1.25 oz @ 15, 1.25 oz @ 5, 1.25 oz @ 1.

If you have trouble getting Centennial, you could use the time honored method of subbing 70% cascade/30% Columbus in a blend.

Re-post if you make it to let me know how it turned out! After trying mine, I had other brewers want to do the recipe.

copyright1997 said:

Here you go: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/bells-two-hearted-ale-clone-close-they-come-91488/. Note that the yeast should be S-05 or 1056 (or if you are really ambitious, harvest yeast from reall B2H).

When I made it I changed the recipe from:
10# 2-ROW
2# Vienna

to:
8# 2-ROW
1# MO
3# Vienna

with everything else the same (carapils, C10, C40).

Of course, adjust for your expected efficiency (mine was around 70%)

It uses 3.75 oz of Centennial @ 10%, I had 8.1% so I had to up the amounts to 1oz @ 60, 1.25 oz @ 15, 1.25 oz @ 5, 1.25 oz @ 1.

If you have trouble getting Centennial, you could use the time honored method of subbing 70% cascade/30% Columbus in a blend.

Re-post if you make it to let me know how it turned out! After trying mine, I had other brewers want to do the recipe.

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I'll give it a shot. I was looking for something with some MO in it. I've never had trouble getting Centennial before. I can't usually find Bell's beers around here. I've had to go on base to PX's in other states to find it. Loved it when I spend time in Michigan and could get it everywhere on tap.

I just ran to the freezer thinking I had a bunch, but it's Cascade, and I have a pound of that coming in a group buy as well. I have some Centennial, but not 3-4 oz

I thought of you today when I updated my sig line, finally getting something into my fermenters.

jtkratzer said:

I'll give it a shot. I was looking for something with some MO in it. I've never had trouble getting Centennial before. I can't usually find Bell's beers around here. I've had to go on base to PX's in other states to find it. Loved it when I spend time in Michigan and could get it everywhere on tap.

I just ran to the freezer thinking I had a bunch, but it's Cascade, and I have a pound of that coming in a group buy as well. I have some Centennial, but not 3-4 oz

I thought of you today when I updated my sig line, finally getting something into my fermenters.

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I also answered your pm, but in terms of the MO and upped Vienna, it was just because I felt like it. I have bunches of MO and Vienna, and have liked the brew's I've used it in before.

I mentioned the Centennial issue as I bought some in Jan/Feb time frame (a # of whole and some pellet), but noticed it seems to be in short supply now.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/bells-two-hearted-ale-clone-close-they-come-91488/ (same link as copyright's above)

I brewed this THA clone to the OP's tee about 5 weeks ago (it was actually my second e-brew). Already plowed through the first keg and the second is going to be kegged tonight or tomorrow. I used the Bells yeast strain, harvested from about 12 Oberon’s and stepped up to about 4 liters. I am planning on pitching at least half of a yeast cake from 5 gallons into a big 1.090 barleywine I brewed on Sunday – have a feeling I am going to need a blowoff tube for that one!

I would say that using a little Maris Otter and/or extra Vienna would go well, especially if you plan on using a very clean, attenuating yeast like US-05, Bells, or the like. I will say that my beer came out very close to the real thing, even with the first keg being drank at such a young age. I think the second 5 gallons will be even better!

Sweet build man! Just read through the entire thread. I'm planning something similar (you've replied to a few of my threads already). I have a few questions though. I just wanted to check on your fuses vs the wiring diagram. Are you using them for the E-stop, 2 contactors, and 2 PIDs? Did you put a separate fuse on each component (i.e. 5, although you mention 6 at one point)? Did you use 1A for all of them per PJ's diagram? This is one of the last pieces I need to figure out for my panel. Thanks!

I ran a fuse on the e-stop, one for hot that feeds all the components on the door (except the switches for the pumps because they draw more than 1 amp each) and then one for each leg of the indicators that light up when the element is firing. I know this indicators are cheap, but if one got fried because I didn't put a fuse on it, I would have to wait on and pay for shipping rather than run to Radio Shack (5 minutes away). I have two open spots for fuses that I could put a properly rated fuse in for the pump switches, but I haven't bothered with it yet.

I'm planning on my second brew day for next weekend. I've been out of town since June 1st and the beer I brewed on it Memorial Day weekend is ready to be kegged to free up space in the fermenter.

Ordered ingredients for 10 gallon batches of Bell's THA and an altbier from "Brewing Classic Styles."

Went with a middle of the road route on the THA:
18 lbs 2-Row
4 lbs Vienna
2 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb Caramel 20
1 lb Carapils

Same hops...going to use a washed yeast cake of 1056 from 5 gallons of Centennial Blonde.

Kegged the first 5 of 10 gallons of Centennial Blonde tonight and it's great success. The hydro sample tasted phenomenal! Final gravity was 1.006. My parents asked for this to be on tap next weekend on Saturday night after my sister's wedding and on Sunday for a blue crab feast.

Now washing the 1056 yeast to use for my Bell's THA and then kegging the second 5 gallon batch that fermented with Notty.

Two points:

1) I happen to know the folks @ Brew Magic (they're located in Toledo, also, and I am friends w/ the director of sales), and they've said they've kicked around doing electric systems, and they've done some for a handful of clients (at extra cost, of course). You might consider sending them an email to inquire about converting your system. IMO they should sell retrofit kits to convert systems to different heat sources.

2) having some experience with PID loops, my bet is that the control system is tuned for heat ramping for gas burners. Electric burners will heat the liquid at a different rate, which will mess with the controller's ability to hit temps. To what extent this will be problematic is anyone's guess, but I know that when you change a variable in a PID loop, you have to re-tune the PID.

Jakeintoledo said:

Two points:

1) I happen to know the folks @ Brew Magic (they're located in Toledo, also, and I am friends w/ the director of sales), and they've said they've kicked around doing electric systems, and they've done some for a handful of clients (at extra cost, of course). You might consider sending them an email to inquire about converting your system. IMO they should sell retrofit kits to convert systems to different heat sources.

2) having some experience with PID loops, my bet is that the control system is tuned for heat ramping for gas burners. Electric burners will heat the liquid at a different rate, which will mess with the controller's ability to hit temps. To what extent this will be problematic is anyone's guess, but I know that when you change a variable in a PID loop, you have to re-tune the PID.

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2 counter points:

1. I'm done converting and brewing on the system already. Why would I contact Sabco about retrofitting anything?

2. The PID only controlled the RIMS tube, the gas burners were manually controlled with ball valves. I have an older system, much like the one Sam Calagione started with and it was very basic and simple. The PIDs I'm using from Auber are the same as Kal's and things are working just fine.

Did you read the first post only or did you look through the thread? Maybe your points are for the next guy that gets a system like this and is considering a drastic change with it.

49.375 lbs of grain for 10 gallons of Düsseldorf Alt and a version of the Bell's Two Hearted Ale link to on the previous page.

After these two, I'd like to get a lager going and Denny's Bourbon Vanilla Porter. After (or in between) these beers, I'd like to do some small batches of SMASH beers to taste different grain and hops I've never used before. I keep reading how awesome Amarillo and MO are together and I've never used either.

Brew Day #2 is under way. Heating water in two vessels rather than using one and the HERMS coil. After figuring out the trick to priming pumps, things are going faster and smoother already.

Mashing grain has to be one of my favorite aromas.

Everything went really well today. Way less disaster-sized mess/flooding to clean up...moved the stand outside of the garage (learned that from last time). Even so, still far less spills, leaks, etc.

Lesson learned today - sufficient hops and break material will fill/coat/clog/overflow a 5 gallon paint strainer bag when recirculating the wort through a copper coil and having the return go through the center of the hop spider.

Hit my volumes of two fermenters with ~5.5 gallons and OG of 1.050. Recipe called for 12 gallons post boil (6 originally, I doubled) and 11 into fermenters. I also did a 75 minute mash and boil.

My brother in law came over shortly after dough in and helped out the rest of the way. It was good to have a buddy to drink a beer with and an extra set of hands.

And we're off! Not bad for the sometimes sluggish WLP036 and at 62* in about 12-14 hours.

Very excited about the Alt I brewed on this system and kegged tonight. Also used my boil kettle to sous vide a venison steak and that made for an awesome dinner. Also vacuum sealed a roast with onions, carrots, and an onion soup mix to sous vide in a couple weeks.