Hi guys,
I have read the whole thread. Great info !!
I have brewed all grain with my gravity, NG powered for 3 years.
I like the Braumeister a lot for winter brewing, but I am not sure if I should pull the trigger on 20L system...
Questions:
1.do you beers come out clear ? First was a wheat, so not a good judge. Second was a pale ale which is being dry hopped currently. Was clear at 65, but noticed some haze at 72 when taking to room temp. Guessing it will clear up in the keg when the temp drops. (too early to tell)
2. Is there really problem with wort clarity ? Wort was clearer than when I batch sparged.
If so, could you in fact pull the malt pipe up, drain the wort that remains in the cattle and recirculate it with March pump to the top of malt pipe to get a clear wort - ? Not necessary IMO.
3. Does the copper elbow trick to make whirlpool work well ? Haven't used it - not sure if Chris is still using it or not.
I have been using 50ft immersion chiller with Jamil Z return to help whirlpool.
The result is OK. I found, that I have to help it mechanically with a spoon.
I cools very quickly, but even though I am in Minneapolis, it does not drop the temp below 50-55, without prechilling.
I could cool with effective plate chiller and recirculate the wort with March pump + return it back with curved copper pipe to help whirlpool ..? and use my 50ft chiller to pre-chill ( I am talking lagers)
4. I do not have so much concern about the malt tube capacity in my case - my biggest all malt beers are 1065-70 - in fact the crystals, etc do not have to be in the mash - you can just steep them - that way you save some space in the tube.
Anyone made a good quality german/czech lager with it ? Not yet.
5. Insulation - could I just use reflective insulation from home depot ? Yes - any kind of insulation would work I would think.
Does the original jacket help it a lot ? Yes - helps with holding temp.
6. Are the pump connections welded or screwed on ? - > could I make some Y , etc ? Welded to the kettle - wouldn't be easy to replumb.
And can the pump speed be regulated ? - to decrease the pressure during the mash to prevent channeling ? Not necessary in my experience.
7. Is the copper hood good quality ? Not sure - don't own it but Chris says it's high quality.
It looks very nice overall, however, several of you already had some problems with it.
Any guess, how many people in US own it ? I have noticed about a dozen folks on this thread.
It sure is pretty expensive, compared to my 40L all grain setup.
Thorsten I heard is the guy to order with ? I have emailed and he has different pricing if I pay by personal check vs paypal. I got badly burned once, when I paid for digital camera by check and never got the camera. Is he reliable ?
So, thank you for your help
Bach