3-in-1 "Boil Kettle, Jacketed Chiller, Conical Fermenter" by Brewha

[RiverCityBrewer]

Got my 3 in 1 and mash colander a week ago, and after getting everything wired, logic coded, and water test completed... finally got my first brew day in this morning. Have to say I am very impressed with the ease of use and I don't miss my 3 vessel gas system at all. I should have gone electric years ago. That said, I noticed during the mash that my temp in the colander was about 1.5 degrees lower than what the temp in the cone was. I was, and do, recirculate during the mash, but has anyone else seen this before? Do I need to recirc faster?

Cheers,

Joe

 

[cuda6pak]

My version of the drawing above. Just expand the photos to read the labels. In the first photo, there is a valve that is closed a little which makes the hose to the fermenter the path of least resistance when the electric valve opens. The fermenter setup is pretty basic except the extra valve in the glycol return:

I'd be a little leary of any sort of valve on the exit port of the jacket.

 

[limulus]

I'd be a little leary of any sort of valve on the exit port of the jacket.

The valves exiting the jacket are always open. The only time I close them is when I disconnect the glycol lines. Closing them keeps the glycol in the hoses and off the floor. When I mash and boil, I also empty the jacket so the coolant is not boiling hot. These can handle more pressure than Nathan indicates. That is intentionally understated. The one that failed was from a vacuum.

BTW, I have created a checklist that I follow when brewing and/or disconnecting any lines so I don't cause vacuums or close valves under pressure. That is something I learned in my pro-brewing course.

 

[cuda6pak]

The valves exiting the jacket are always open. The only time I close them is when I disconnect the glycol lines. Closing them keeps the glycol in the hoses and off the floor. When I mash and boil, I also empty the jacket so the coolant is not boiling hot. These can handle more pressure than Nathan indicates. That is intentionally understated. The one that failed was from a vacuum.

BTW, I have created a checklist that I follow when brewing and/or disconnecting any lines so I don't cause vacuums or close valves under pressure. That is something I learned in my pro-brewing course.

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

 

[cuda6pak]

As a side note I went ahead and purchased the bigger Teco Tank TK2000 1/3hp Aquarium Chiller/Heater. I oversized my pump to begin with so all I'll have to do is plug and play. Hope someone on local ebay ads or Craigslist will be looking for one of these in a few weeks.

 

[limulus]

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

 

[limulus]

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

 

[limulus]

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

 

[limulus]

As a side note I went ahead and purchased the bigger Teco Tank TK2000 1/3hp Aquarium Chiller/Heater. I oversized my pump to begin with so all I'll have to do is plug and play. Hope someone on local ebay ads or Craigslist will be looking for one of these in a few weeks.

If it is anything like the 1/3hp chiller I bought, you'll have no problems crashing your fermenter. When crashing, I discovered that a small bucket directly below the bottom of the tank catches most of the condensation. But, it has to be emptied every day.

 

[Fuzzy-felt]

For those making their own insulation jackets, what size and thickness sheets of neoprene are you using?

 

[cuda6pak]

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

Which is why I mentioned it Believe me I made some dumb mistakes during my first use - had the upstream valve on the mash collander wide open when turning on the pump for recirc and shot wort all over the place, and when kegging the first time I didn't release pressure on the keg (after filling with a pint of whiskey) and stuck the disconnect on and shot whiskey all over the garage wall. This all coming from an engineer who worked with and designed piping systems for a few years

If it is anything like the 1/3hp chiller I bought, you'll have no problems crashing your fermenter. When crashing, I discovered that a small bucket directly below the bottom of the tank catches most of the condensation. But, it has to be emptied every day.

I hope so - my little 1/6hp did the job fine for everything else but crash cooling once the garage hit the mid-70's. I suppose it would work perfect for someone that brews indoors. Right now I've just been throwing an old towel underneath to catch the condensation.

 

[cuda6pak]

Got my 3 in 1 and mash colander a week ago, and after getting everything wired, logic coded, and water test completed... finally got my first brew day in this morning. Have to say I am very impressed with the ease of use and I don't miss my 3 vessel gas system at all. I should have gone electric years ago. That said, I noticed during the mash that my temp in the colander was about 1.5 degrees lower than what the temp in the cone was. I was, and do, recirculate during the mash, but has anyone else seen this before? Do I need to recirc faster?

Cheers,

Joe

It will take a bit of trial and error to dial in the flow rate and % on the controller. Make sure you turn down the controller to around 20-30% so you're not heating the cone or scorching before recirculating up to the top.

I try to recirc as fast as I can without the mash rising, and keep the controller at 25%

 

[cuda6pak]

For those making their own insulation jackets, what size and thickness sheets of neoprene are you using?

I used a 40x80 sheet of high quality neoprene in 1/4" thickness. I double wrapped it to 1/2" insulation. It'd probably be easier to go thicker from the get go though.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

After lugging a mash tun filled with spent grain, part of the three vessel system I used for eight years, the thought of a hoist on a trolley seemed the best way to manage the even heavier colander of the BIAC 3-in-1. A Harbor Freight electric hoist ($99US) was of sufficient capacity (440 lbs.) and has two mounting brackets for suspension from a bar or some other structure.



After looking at many different trolley options, I opted to order a barn door track, rollers, and brackets from McMaster-Carr at a cost $130US. The track is six feet long and powder-coated with each of the two trolley cars bolted to the hoist mounting brackets. The hoist mounting brackets and bolts are shipped unattached. Each hoist mounting bracket was clamped to a drill press table and fairly easily bored to accept the roller’s bolt. All the hardware to attach the hoist mounting brackets to the hoist and the rollers is included when one purchases the hoist and the track rollers.



My application called for a ceiling mount in my 10’ high ceiling in the garage which would align with the utility sink and where the BIAC would be in operation. Two end caps and two ceiling mount brackets provided a secure fixture for the track. I had to buy 4 lag bolts to attach the end caps and ceiling mount brackets to the joists.



This configuration should sustain 3-4 times the maximum weight for which it will be used. I thought about attaching a small pulley at each end of the track with a small line attached to the hoist and through the pulley to enable pulling the hoist along the track rather than pushing the colander from below. It may not be necessary as the hoist moves very freely along the track. Just thought I’d share this for those with a medium or large BIAC or BIABers using large bags.

 

[limulus]

I think I have the same hoist. But that track is beautiful man! I have been trying to figure something out for a while now and that is the solution.

 

[limulus]

It will take a bit of trial and error to dial in the flow rate and % on the controller. Make sure you turn down the controller to around 20-30% so you're not heating the cone or scorching before recirculating up to the top.

I try to recirc as fast as I can without the mash rising, and keep the controller at 25%

Excellent advice regarding the controller %.

 

[limulus]

For those making their own insulation jackets, what size and thickness sheets of neoprene are you using?

Has anyone tried reflectix wrap? It is the foil/bubble wrap stuff. It is available at my Home Depot. Also, did Brewha discontinue their neoprene jacket? I thought it was a bit spendy, but then again, so is a BIAC. Today is really hot and 94F outside. My garage is pretty warm too and my glycol chiller is working hard to hold my fermenter at 50. The tank is staying at 50F but the chiller compressor has to run a lot.

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

It will take a bit of trial and error to dial in the flow rate and % on the controller. Make sure you turn down the controller to around 20-30% so you're not heating the cone or scorching before recirculating up to the top.

I try to recirc as fast as I can without the mash rising, and keep the controller at 25%

Thanks for the info on that... I think that was probably my issue as I'm sure I was running at least a 50% duty cycle with the element. I didn't have any issues with scorching, so I guess I'll consider myself lucky!

 

[cuda6pak]

Has anyone tried reflectix wrap? It is the foil/bubble wrap stuff. It is available at my Home Depot. Also, did Brewha discontinue their neoprene jacket? I thought it was a bit spendy, but then again, so is a BIAC. Today is really hot and 94F outside. My garage is pretty warm too and my glycol chiller is working hard to hold my fermenter at 50. The tank is staying at 50F but the chiller compressor has to run a lot.

I considered reflectix but I think it's all sticky back and I didn't want it permanently on there. Nathan only made one prototype originally but had enough interest after leaving on the page as out of stock that they went ahead for full production. I think they are ready to order on the site and will be shipping out end of July if not sooner. I agree a bit spendy, but if the quality is the same its hard not to justify.

 

[b1v1r]

Just ordered a small BIAC with a chugger and aerator! Thanks all for your posts here - it really helped make the decision.

@MeetsCriteria - I see you are also in Madison. Perhaps we could meet up sometime and share notes?

Now to plan out the first brew. Luckily only a bit over a week to get here.

 

[snackson]

I considered reflectix but I think it's all sticky back and I didn't want it permanently on there.

The stuff I have isn't sticky backed at all. Secure it with some Velcro where it overlaps and you're good to go.

 

[chiefwigms]

Just started doing some research for electric brewing and came across this. Skimmed through most of the pages and have a few questions:

1) For any of you that got the small BIAC, do you regret not going with the medium?
2) How easy would it be to use a therminator to chill into a carboy?

I don't see myself brewing more than 5 gallons at a time (I've been doing extract brewing for a few years), and I'm not sure the extra $1,400 to go to a medium is worth the cost.

 

[limulus]

Just started doing some research for electric brewing and came across this. Skimmed through most of the pages and have a few questions:

1) For any of you that got the small BIAC, do you regret not going with the medium?
2) How easy would it be to use a therminator to chill into a carboy?

I don't see myself brewing more than 5 gallons at a time (I've been doing extra brewing for a few years), and I'm not sure the extra $1,400 to go to a medium is worth the cost.

I have the medium, so I can't answer Q1. But using the Therminator should be easy. I assume all the hoses on the small BIAC have tri-clamps like the medium and large, so you'll need to configure your Therminator connections. I had two plate chillers: a 40 plate and a 20 plate. I sold the 40 and the stand and water pump that I used with it but I kept my 20 plate chiller just in case I want to do a back-to-back brew. I also kept two SS Brewtech fermenters for the same reason.

 

[snackson]

They now offer a chiller on their website, http://brewhaequipment.com/blogs/br...r-chiller?mc_cid=52c8c29834&mc_eid=71b6d7d177

Plus a vacuum breaker/pressure relief combo for those concerned, http://brewhaequipment.com/collections/extras/products/3psi-pressure-and-vacuum-safety-relief-valve

 

[limulus]

Wow, Nathan needs a history and geography lesson. Czechoslovakia does not exist anymore and has not since 1993.

 

[cuda6pak]

Just got my TK2000 in today, should have went with this the first time around, its a beast. Hopefully crash cooling at 32° won't be an issue with this in the summer.

 

[Fuzzy-felt]

Wow, Nathan needs a history and geography lesson. Czechoslovakia does not exist anymore and has not since 1993.

Must be old stock he's trying to push.

 

[cuda6pak]

limulus - how did your extra false bottom work out for recirculating?

 

[limulus]

limulus - how did your extra false bottom work out for recirculating?

I have only used it once, but it worked very well. Once the mash was complete, I raised the inner MT and the water drained quite nicely. Before, it was very slow and almost stuck. So after one brew (pale ale), I can say it seems to be a nice addition.

 

[Fuzzy-felt]

I was having a terrible time cleaning the standard ball valves I got with the BIAC - it was taking me ages to put them back together.

Then I looked at Nathan's video on the valves, and saw that you're meant to take the handle off.

I'll get my coat.....

 

[MeetsCriteria]

Just ordered a small BIAC with a chugger and aerator! Thanks all for your posts here - it really helped make the decision.

@MeetsCriteria - I see you are also in Madison. Perhaps we could meet up sometime and share notes?

Now to plan out the first brew. Luckily only a bit over a week to get here.

Congratulations!

Unfortunately, (though I am sure no one will feel sorry for me) I just moved to San Diego so won't be able to meet up. But be sure to post your experiences!

As for me I need to figure out a new cooling solution as I don't have the advantage of a 65f basement anymore.

Looks like lots of great solutions on this thread though, plus brewha just announced their new chiller...decisions decisions!

Good luck and cheers again on your purchase!

 

[b1v1r]

Congratulations!

Unfortunately, (though I am sure no one will feel sorry for me) I just moved to San Diego so won't be able to meet up. But be sure to post your experiences!

As for me I need to figure out a new cooling solution as I don't have the advantage of a 65f basement anymore.

Looks like lots of great solutions on this thread though, plus brewha just announced their new chiller...decisions decisions!

Good luck and cheers again on your purchase!

Haha. I moved *from* San Diego. Oh well, too bad. Enjoy San Diego!

 

[b1v1r]

Just ordered a small BIAC with a chugger and aerator! Thanks all for your posts here - it really helped make the decision.

@MeetsCriteria - I see you are also in Madison. Perhaps we could meet up sometime and share notes?

Now to plan out the first brew. Luckily only a bit over a week to get here.

Arrived today. Was very well packed. I thought I'd share just how much comes with this system - the inventory list on the site just does not do it justice. In addition to the vessel on the floor, *everything* on the table was included (Extras: 2 hop baskets, the chugger pump and an aeration stone). That is a lot of parts. Doing a water test now.

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

Arrived today. Was very well packed. I thought I'd share just how much comes with this system - the inventory list on the site just does not do it justice. In addition to the vessel on the floor, *everything* on the table was included (Extras: 2 hop baskets, the chugger pump and an aeration stone). That is a lot of parts. Doing a water test now.

Enjoy!

I just did my 2nd batch on my medium on Sunday, woke up terribly hung over from a party so I didn't get started at the time I originally intended. Still powered through a brew day in about 3.5 hours though. So nice to be able to dough in, set the pump, and go lay down and not worry about babysitting it.

 

[MeetsCriteria]

Haha. I moved *from* San Diego. Oh well, too bad. Enjoy San Diego!

That is amazing! What a coincidence!

Madtown is great. Lots of amazing breweries. Will miss Capitol brewing, Ale Asylum, New Glarus, among many others. Check out Brasserie V....you won't regret it!

Again, cheers!

 

[limulus]

b1v1r:
Great photo! It is such an impressive package and the quality of the equipment is as good as if not better than ANY other homebrew system I've seen and it is the most turnkey system you can buy.

Since you are in Wisconsin, you'll not have too many problems with heat. You can probably diy some kind of cooling system that will work well for you. I will recommend that you use a small bucket of water/sanitizer and a blow-off tube on the floor during fermentation. I live in the Atlanta suburbs and it has been in the 90s for maybe two straight weeks. I use a glycol chiller designed for chilling keg lines and it works quite well. But, when you decide to crash cool in the conical, there is some vacuum and I see the water/sanitizer solution in the bucket being sucked up the blowoff tube. I use one of the ball valves on the second port on my lid and I give it a quick purge to release that vacuum. My tube is about 5-6 ft long so it probably won't ever suck up into the fermenter, but I do keep an eye on it. I may just buy a vacuum release valve and I would buy Nathan's but the shipping from BC is ridiculous for something so small.

I think I may start dropping the temp to about 45 for a day and remove trub. Then keg the beer and use my garage fridge to crash into the 30s.

 

[cuda6pak]

b1v1r:
Great photo! It is such an impressive package and the quality of the equipment is as good as if not better than ANY other homebrew system I've seen and it is the most turnkey system you can buy.

Since you are in Wisconsin, you'll not have too many problems with heat. You can probably diy some kind of cooling system that will work well for you. I will recommend that you use a small bucket of water/sanitizer and a blow-off tube on the floor during fermentation. I live in the Atlanta suburbs and it has been in the 90s for maybe two straight weeks. I use a glycol chiller designed for chilling keg lines and it works quite well. But, when you decide to crash cool in the conical, there is some vacuum and I see the water/sanitizer solution in the bucket being sucked up the blowoff tube. I use one of the ball valves on the second port on my lid and I give it a quick purge to release that vacuum. My tube is about 5-6 ft long so it probably won't ever suck up into the fermenter, but I do keep an eye on it. I may just buy a vacuum release valve and I would buy Nathan's but the shipping from BC is ridiculous for something so small.

I think I may start dropping the temp to about 45 for a day and remove trub. Then keg the beer and use my garage fridge to crash into the 30s.

It really is an impressive system, the quality is outstanding. Even after looking at a few other "turnkey" systems that have entered the market, I don't think any even compare to the BIAC in terms of simplicity and "all in 1" capability without sacrificing quality of brews.

I recently heard Brew Strong podcast where Jamil recommended for crash cooling in a concial to dip a clean towel/rag into starsan and place it over an empty triclamp hole/port. I used to use my threaded triclamp piece and plug loosely tightened but now I have that used up with my keg post for transferring. I think I'll try Jamils method and put a triclamp cap on top of the rag as well.

And with crash cooling I wouldn't be surprised if it sucked starsan up 5 ft

 

[b1v1r]

It really is an impressive system, the quality is outstanding. Even after looking at a few other "turnkey" systems that have entered the market, I don't think any even compare to the BIAC in terms of simplicity and "all in 1" capability without sacrificing quality of brews.

I recently heard Brew Strong podcast where Jamil recommended for crash cooling in a concial to dip a clean towel/rag into starsan and place it over an empty triclamp hole/port. I used to use my threaded triclamp piece and plug loosely tightened but now I have that used up with my keg post for transferring. I think I'll try Jamils method and put a triclamp cap on top of the rag as well.

And with crash cooling I wouldn't be surprised if it sucked starsan up 5 ft

I was thinking that I would just pressurize it a bit with co2 before dumping the trub or crashing. Anyone tried this? Just need to figure out how to connect the co2 - probably will see if I can find and airline quick connect. Don't see a good way to connect a corny keg gas in post.

 

[NHBrews]

So I finally fired up my Medium BIAC and brewed 10 gallons of Berliner Weiss. After mashing I kettle soured the wort by setting my PID to 114F with 3% max power. BIAC held temperatue well and was down to a ph of 3.6-3.7 within 24 hours (I pitched a handfull of grain into the kettle for the lacto innoculation). Boiled afterwards and transferred to two 5gal fermentors as I'm going to brew an IPA later this week and want to add coriander and add salt to make half the berliner a gose.

Was very happy with how everything went except my mash PH was 0.3-0.4 lower than I was expecting based on Brun Water and EZ Water. I have brewed the exact same recipe with my old BIAB setup and was within 0.1 of those spreadsheets. I use RO water and made the same additions I previously made, so a bit perplexed by this. Has anyone experience a similar issue with your BIAC? I can't think of any BIAC-specific reason this would cause a large difference vs BIAB.

Only thing I can think of is the grain was pre-milled by morebeer and was very coarse (they are known for this). My efficiency sufferred too (59%), not sure if it was the PH or the grist. Primary yeast has not started bubbling yet (18hrs since pitching), so hoping i didn't ruin it with the low mash PH. For the IPA think I'll shot high (5.6-5.7) and add Gypsum/Cal Chloride if i'm too high.

 

[MeetsCriteria]

I was thinking that I would just pressurize it a bit with co2 before dumping the trub or crashing. Anyone tried this? Just need to figure out how to connect the co2 - probably will see if I can find and airline quick connect. Don't see a good way to connect a corny keg gas in post.

I probably wouldn't pressurize it in those situations. In the case of dumping trub (say 4 days into primary fermentation) it's already positive pressure. In the case of post boil after cooling, I use the sanitized rag over the inlet method. The exposure of the chilled wort to the "open air" is minimal compared to when I used a regular brew kettle. Certainly the exposure is less than in the commercial setting where the wort goes to a sanitized ginormous fermenter full of room air.

If you seal it after boiling (which I also wouldn't do), before cooling, you'll quickly end up with a positive pressure situation as well.

If I were compelled, I guess I'd hook up a regulator at 3 psi and leave it hooked up during the crash. I just don't think this is necessary myself.

When dumping trub (say on day 4), I have a blow off that feeds to the floor and I've never gotten close to sucking in sanitizer from the bucket. That's about 4-5' of line. Yours would be less as you are using a small system.

As far as having a corny keg connector, I think the thing to do is utilize the 1/4" female MPT / tri-clover adapter (is it the third down from top on the left of your picture?) and order an Cornelius Keg Post adapter (1/4"MPT x 19/32"-18) from a place such as this (though many suppliers are available):

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php...d=1146&zenid=2e654c460e580b548f2b7db438f695b3

Then just add the traditional gas in fitting, such as http://www.chicompany.net/index.php...d=1137&zenid=2e654c460e580b548f2b7db438f695b3 and be off to the races.

Hope this helps!