Speidel Braumeister (brewmaster)

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clasley said:
Yeap, I'm full in. 20l ordered. Delivery in 3-4 weeks.

-Chris
Click to expand...

This is outstanding! Another Braumeister owner on board. I'm still in the stage of juggling a number of considerations, made necessary by the discovery that my basement ceiling just isn't going to be high enough to work with this thing....but I'll get it thought out eventually. Then will come the decision of whether to go with the 20l or 50l. Right now, I just think I'll have to have the big boy.

The race is on: who will be the one to publish Homebrewing with Speidel's Braumeister?
 
Not to go too far :off: but...

...all this discussion surrounding this machine makes me antsy to start my Speidel Braumeister inspired build. Since I try and live by the 7P's (Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance), is there anything you guys would change about your Braumeisters if you could?

Bigger pumps? Different output options? Anything at all?
 
Hi to fellow Braumeister users.

I'm new to this forum but I've been following this thread with interest. I'm based in the UK and I've been using my 20L Braumiester for a while now, and have brewed five batches including Kolsch, ALtbier, Wheat beer and a couple of english ales.

I've picked up a couple of good tips from this thread;
Dip tube - I'll definitely be making one up, until now i"ve been tipping the unit to drain the wort

Rolling boil - setting the temp to 102 degrees genius, and it works great.

Regarding the filters I had the same trouble with keeping the lower one in place. I contacted the company and got a reply from Stefan Speidel who said that the lower one wasn't that important and could be omitted.

That said I made stainless steel mesh filters from splatter screens and they work great, I took pictures and will upload them when I work out how



cheers

Navin

P4230644.jpg
 
Welcome to the site Navin! Good to hear about the bottom filter but I was thinking I will fabricate 2 (like you have made) so that when I varlauf and pour the runnings back thru the top, it will help keep the grain out of the wort.

Do you use the screen on the bottom also anyway? If so, does it stay put just by sliding it on, or do you attach it some way?
 
wyzazz said:
Not to go too far :off: but...

...all this discussion surrounding this machine makes me antsy to start my Speidel Braumeister inspired build. Since I try and live by the 7P's (Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance), is there anything you guys would change about your Braumeisters if you could?

Bigger pumps? Different output options? Anything at all?
Click to expand...

I have only brewed once on mine so far but I would make the computer swap from Celsius to Farenheit. It only reads Celsius right now.

Other than that, nothing on mine. I have the 50l version with the larger wattage elements.
 
Hi Yambor44,

I made two screens and use one at the top and one at the bottom. I cut them to equal the diameter of the malt pipe and punched a 5/8 hole in the middle, they just slip over the spindle like the cloth filters (and the bottom one sinks).

They worked fine and were easy to clean after the brew with a hose.

I think your videos are great viewing, I videod my last session but haven't edited it yet - theres lots of footage of the controller, which is pretty dull.

My only regret is not getting the 50 Litre version.

Cheers
 
Welcome to the club clasley. The more we get using this the better we will all get. Wyazz, I have the 20l and would also like to see the Farenheit option. Also it would be good to be able to program hop addition notifications. The 20 needs another 500+ watts of power. A dip tube with trub filter. A reverse circulation ability of the pump. The spigot should be ringed so a hose can be clamped over it easily. By the way on my last batch I had compaction problems but you can push the up and down arrow buttons together to stop the machine. I then loosened the compacted bed and pushed the down arrow and it resumes where you left off. Oh yes, a better instruction manual. Even though a U.S. plug would be great, there are too many options (3-wire 30amp, 4-wire 30 amp, 3-wire 20amp etc.) so the end should be plain with instructions (diagrams) to wire the different types of plugs more common here. The compaction was probably my fault. I used 10 lbs of grain and only 20l of water instead of the 23l as recommended. The mash was very thick and the pump seemed to have a tough time pushing the wort through the malt bed. I'm sure I'll think of some other items.
 
I plan to use the Auber SYL-2352 PID to run my system initially, it will lack the programming features that the Braumeister has, but will work in Farenheit and also allow me to switch to Manual Mode to control the boil more precisely. To add hop addition notifications I think using a Brewtroller or BCS-460 might be the best route to go. This would put a computer/tablet right there with you so you could use one of the brewtimers out there to manage your hop additions.

I'm curious to see how well the SS Mesh Filters work, my initial thought was to just use a swiss voile bag in the malt tube but making my own from a splatter screen might be just the ticket!

Keep coming up with improvements and gripes, maybe once a list is compiled someone could email Speidel to give them some guidance on how to improve the product?
 
I went to two local commercial kitchen places today in search of a 15" stainless steel splatter guard, no luck. So I guess I will just order a couple to cut from the interweb.
 
Is there enough room under the bottom plate of the malt pipe to fit a simple copper elbow into the pump out fitting similar to what you guys are doing with the dip tube? Wondering if this can be inserted at the beginning of a brew session to direct the pump outflow in more of a whirlpool fashion rather than straight up.

-Chris
 
clasley said:
Is there enough room under the bottom plate of the malt pipe to fit a simple copper elbow into the pump out fitting similar to what you guys are doing with the dip tube? Wondering if this can be inserted at the beginning of a brew session to direct the pump outflow in more of a whirlpool fashion rather than straight up.

-Chris
Click to expand...

I have no idea here Chris.
 
clasley, on the 20l system there is 1" of space under the bottom screen of the malt pipe. The outflow hole is just off center. This is an interesting observation. I'm assuming that you are trying to eliminate channeling. I'll look into this and let you know the results.
 
hfk2 said:
clasley, on the 20l system there is 1" of space under the bottom screen of the malt pipe. The outflow hole is just off center. This is an interesting observation. I'm assuming that you are trying to eliminate channeling. I'll look into this and let you know the results.
Click to expand...

Interesting.
 
If it works I'm thinking the benefits would be twofold - lessen the chances of channeling and creating a better whirlpool while chilling.

-Chris
 
clasley said:
If it works I'm thinking the benefits would be twofold - lessen the chances of channeling and creating a better whirlpool while chilling.

-Chris
Click to expand...

Ahhhh, I see what you mean now. A simple way would be another diptube fix maybe?
 
In traditional brewing methods with batch sparge or fly sparging if you let the mash compact down then the sparge water will find paths of least resistance through the grains,creating channels. These are undesirable in the sparge since the water won't be rinsing all of the grains just those along the channels. This is why when fly sparging people try to maintain the grain bed floating slightly.

I wouldn't have thought that channelling would be much of a problem with the Braumeister as the water to grist ratio is high and the mash is relatively liquid compared with the traditional methods.
 
Thank you, now I get it.

So creating a whirlpool minimizes channelling...What if you were to raise the malt pipe?
 
Raising the malt pipe during the mash wouldn't help at all.

The malt pipe must be securely fixed to the floor of the boiler during the mash, this is achieved by screwing down the retaining bolt which ensures that the rubber seal on the base of the malt pipe makes good contact with the floor of the unit.
The Braumeister works by drawing in wort from the area outside of the malt pipe and then pumping it back up through the malt pipe (and the malt) so that it overflows back to the outside and so on. This constant recirculation ensures that the grains are washed with water/wort at the set temperature for the duration of the mash.
If you break the seal e.g. by lifting the malt pipe you will interrupt the flow through the malt pipe and grains, as the fluid will take the path of least resistance back to the pump inlet - which would not be not through the malt pipe.
 
Navin said:
Raising the malt pipe during the mash wouldn't help at all.

The malt pipe must be securely fixed to the floor of the boiler during the mash, this is achieved by screwing down the retaining bolt which ensures that the rubber seal on the base of the malt pipe makes good contact with the floor of the unit.
The Braumeister works by drawing in wort from the area outside of the malt pipe and then pumping it back up through the malt pipe (and the malt) so that it overflows back to the outside and so on. This constant recirculation ensures that the grains are washed with water/wort at the set temperature for the duration of the mash.
If you break the seal e.g. by lifting the malt pipe you will interrupt the flow through the malt pipe and grains, as the fluid will take the path of least resistance back to the pump inlet - which would not be not through the malt pipe.
Click to expand...

It took me a while (and watching the Braumeister video, and the excellent one made by "Yambor44") to fully understand this. The grains are washed from below while in the process of mashing, and it's a very gentle, continuous process. I suspect channeling isn't an issue. OTOH, some Braumeister user (I think the fellow from Norway) reported that he can boost his efficiency incrementally by stopping the process and stirring the mash several times, which would be an indicator that perhaps channeling IS going on. To my way of thinking, though, unless such stirring really achieved dramatic results -which it doesn't appear to- it defeats one of the main virtues of the Braumeister, which is its ability to automatically combine all processes from heating the strike water through draining the chilled wort into the fermenter.
 
Navin said:
Raising the malt pipe during the mash wouldn't help at all.

The malt pipe must be securely fixed to the floor of the boiler during the mash, this is achieved by screwing down the retaining bolt which ensures that the rubber seal on the base of the malt pipe makes good contact with the floor of the unit.
The Braumeister works by drawing in wort from the area outside of the malt pipe and then pumping it back up through the malt pipe (and the malt) so that it overflows back to the outside and so on. This constant recirculation ensures that the grains are washed with water/wort at the set temperature for the duration of the mash.
If you break the seal e.g. by lifting the malt pipe you will interrupt the flow through the malt pipe and grains, as the fluid will take the path of least resistance back to the pump inlet - which would not be not through the malt pipe.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I understood that part from Yambor's video. What I was thinking was to maybe raise the lower filter (the "floor" of the pipe) inside the pipe. I don't know how difficult this may be, or if it's even possible, but if it is, it seems like a fairly easy way to gain some room...
 
Inodoro Pereyra, sorry I misunderstood your question,

the lower filter is not fixed so it could easily raise up a bit.

I'm not sure if vortexing would help much during the mash, but it would certainly help during cooling with the pump on - I might give it a go, something to try at the weekend.
 
Just a quick thought, maybe use one of those 3M Floor Buffer pads instead of the SS Mesh for a filter on the False Bottoms? They used to be sold as Mash Pads.
 
rico567 said:
It took me a while (and watching the Braumeister video, and the excellent one made by "Yambor44") to fully understand this. The grains are washed from below while in the process of mashing, and it's a very gentle, continuous process. I suspect channeling isn't an issue. OTOH, some Braumeister user (I think the fellow from Norway) reported that he can boost his efficiency incrementally by stopping the process and stirring the mash several times, which would be an indicator that perhaps channeling IS going on. To my way of thinking, though, unless such stirring really achieved dramatic results -which it doesn't appear to- it defeats one of the main virtues of the Braumeister, which is its ability to automatically combine all processes from heating the strike water through draining the chilled wort into the fermenter.
Click to expand...

Yes the guy on the podcast from Norway mentioned doing this every 15 minutes I think. I think it was more of a compaction problem than a channeling issue. Maybe they are the same??

I love all of this brain storming, but I would strongly encourage everyone that already has one or has one coming to use it as it is intended (with the exception of the dip tube) for a few brews before you start wanting to change it. I like the idea of stirring the mash say after half way thru but I will not know if it makes a difference if I don't have a few brews to compare it to. Make small changes and only one at a time if possible.

All that being said, I see the need for the screen filter on the bottom right away vs. the cloth one. Even though Mr. Speidel said it wasn't as important, a lot of my grain fell back thru as you saw in the video. So I guess that will be my next "small" and only change (for now).

Also, I think mine has 2 pump holes that push the wort up into the bottom of the malt pipe just fyi.
 
The 50L has 2 pumps vs the 20L that has only the one pump, I believe the pumps used on both of those are the same model, you just need more Umphhh to push through more grain.

The 200L version has a completely different plumbing setup under the vessel.
 
wyzazz said:
The 50L has 2 pumps vs the 20L that has only the one pump, I believe the pumps used on both of those are the same model, you just need more Umphhh to push through more grain.

The 200L version has a completely different plumbing setup under the vessel.
Click to expand...

Ahh. yeah...makes sense huh? One pump...one outlet hole...two pumps...two outlet holes1! :tank:
 
Navin said:
Inodoro Pereyra, sorry I misunderstood your question,
Click to expand...

Not at all. I'm the one who didn't explain himself properly.

Navin said:
the lower filter is not fixed so it could easily raise up a bit.

I'm not sure if vortexing would help much during the mash, but it would certainly help during cooling with the pump on - I might give it a go, something to try at the weekend.
Click to expand...

Perfect! Let us know how it goes...:rockin:

Another question: if you were to make the most obscenely big beer ever, what would your maximum grain volume be?
Or, to say it a (probably) simpler way: what would be the minimum malt pipe volume needed to insure you can brew anything you want with the 50L model?
 
Inodoro_Pereyra said:
Not at all. I'm the one who didn't explain himself properly.



Perfect! Let us know how it goes...:rockin:

Another question: if you were to make the most obscenely big beer ever, what would your maximum grain volume be?
Or, to say it a (probably) simpler way: what would be the minimum malt pipe volume needed to insure you can brew anything you want with the 50L model?
Click to expand...

If you measure the malt-pipe, I can figure out the volume and point you to a chart...
 
Thanks Wyzazz. The problem is I don't have a braumeister.
But what I really want to determine is, in your experience as brewers (that I still don't have), to which point the BM malt pipe may be oversized, for a 10 gallon, worst case scenario batch.
 
Hmmm...so the short one is 6.86 gallons (US), and the standard one about 12.2 gallons. Thanks Chris, that helps a lot...:rockin:

Wow, thanks Wyzazz for the chart. You posted while I was calculating... Good to know I didn't mess that up...:mug:
 
Hello everyone, my name is David and I'm about to receive a 50L Braumeister! YAY!

I've enjoyed reading this thread and I've been participating in the Aussie thread linked above. Its great to be able to pool the knowledge regarding these great machines.

One thing I would caution however it assuming you can treat the malt pipe like a normal mashtun for calculations as supplied in the table above. I don't believe the malt pipes can hold as much as suggested above as the full pipe is not used. There is a dead space both above and below the pipe significantly reducing its capacity. Also there is a minimum amount of mash liquor required to create the pumping circuit so a true 5 gal batch is not possible with the large malt pipe in the 50L version as more liquor is required (unless you do a long boil to reduce volume).

Hope this helps, and thanks again for all the great photos, videos and tips.

PS. When ordering a Braumeister in Australia, our local store fits a dip tube, local power plug and draw-string skirts to the cloth filters to attach to the false bottoms to keep them in place. I'll be sure to add some pics when mine arrives!

Thanks again,

Dave.
 

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