Rhumbline
Well-Known Member
Mine didn't have a printed manual, I'm not sure there is one. I got a tablet and it came loaded on that.
Brew Boss Systems
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Hoppslover
Active Member
The manual is on the Brew-Boss website.
Hello all, thanks for all the great info, I've read this thread a couple times and this is my first time posting. Sorry if I screw it up. My question is regarding the BB BIAB setup. I'm considering this purchase vs breweasy, grain father, and CO Brewing. I like that I can add the COFI later if I feel I need it, I currently BIAB over propane. My question is: with the BIAB BB do you remove the false bottom along with the grain bag prior to starting the boil.
stlblues5010
Junior Member
I would think that would be a little painful. 150° water. I would leave it in also to keep hop bags from hitting the heating element.
cmb My question is: with the BIAB BB do you remove the false bottom along with the grain bag prior to starting the boil
Like stlblue says, It just stays in during the boil. It also keeps the immersions chiller, if you are using one) off the heating element.
Like stlblue says, It just stays in during the boil. It also keeps the immersions chiller, if you are using one) off the heating element.
With the BrewBoss system, the "false bottom" is actually a basket, so yes, you can remove the whole basked with the bag in it. That's what I do. Lifting the whole basket puts less strain on the bag. It also also me to gentle squeeze the bag by pushing down on it at the end of the drain. I have a pulley system to lift the back, which eases that part of the process.
Hope this helps.
Hoppslover
Active Member
The biab system looks to be just a false bottom. The cofi system is a basket.
I should have been clearer. The BrewBoss system I bought a year ago came with a basket, but not a COFI basket. The type of basket used in fryers, with big holes.
Hoppslover
Active Member
That is the older version. The newer version is a false bottom and bag.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1451752121.170116.jpg
This is what the basket looks like that came with the older systems. I just realized I miss read your post sorry.
Yes, that's what I use. Works with the adjustments I made.
got my system today, the 15 gallon with cofi. very excited, went with the 220v after all after I found a local electrician who'll install a 220v line for only $200! should be up and running by next weekend. woo hoo
Is anyone using the iPad app? I had tried the first release which was buggy and then updated the app to v1.18 but it still has issues properly turning the pump on. This is all supposedly fixed in v1.19 but the problem is there doesn't appear to be a way to upgrade from v1.18 to v1.19.
If you uninstall 1.18 and then download again from the App Store it still pulls down 1.18. I went as far as wiping the iPad and starting fresh but the app history for your account remains and when you download the app your back at 1.18. Any ideas?
P.S. - the app worked fine on the new cheap kindle fire once but now crashes with a Java error at launch. Uninstall didn't help there either. The app still Works fine on my old original kindle fire but a years worth of recipes became inaccessible with the latest update that allows you to import xml. Ugh!
If you uninstall 1.18 and then download again from the App Store it still pulls down 1.18. I went as far as wiping the iPad and starting fresh but the app history for your account remains and when you download the app your back at 1.18. Any ideas?
P.S. - the app worked fine on the new cheap kindle fire once but now crashes with a Java error at launch. Uninstall didn't help there either. The app still Works fine on my old original kindle fire but a years worth of recipes became inaccessible with the latest update that allows you to import xml. Ugh!
Borneogoat
Active Member
A question for the BB users with many batches under their belt: what kind of efficiency are you getting? I'm referring to Total Efficiency as you would calculate with Beersmith.
I've brewed 4x 6gal batches with my 15gal + COFI system. Each time I've missed my target. Example: last batch was a Dry Stout using the standard 70% Pale / 20% Flaked Barley / 10% Roasted Barely. Target OG = 1.048, Measured OG = 1.043, Tot Eff = ~65%. 75' mash @ 148F, 90' boil, and my volumes were close. Grain mill set at about 0.95mm/0.037". I've got some lab quality hydrometers now, so my SG measurements are good.
I understand I can just up my grain bill a bit, but I would like improve my methods. I'm sure the system is capable of better efficiencies! Each batch has been down by 5-8 points. Played with my grain crush, but that hasn't seemed to help.
What are you getting efficiency wise and got any advice?
I've brewed 4x 6gal batches with my 15gal + COFI system. Each time I've missed my target. Example: last batch was a Dry Stout using the standard 70% Pale / 20% Flaked Barley / 10% Roasted Barely. Target OG = 1.048, Measured OG = 1.043, Tot Eff = ~65%. 75' mash @ 148F, 90' boil, and my volumes were close. Grain mill set at about 0.95mm/0.037". I've got some lab quality hydrometers now, so my SG measurements are good.
I understand I can just up my grain bill a bit, but I would like improve my methods. I'm sure the system is capable of better efficiencies! Each batch has been down by 5-8 points. Played with my grain crush, but that hasn't seemed to help.
What are you getting efficiency wise and got any advice?
Rhumbline
Well-Known Member
I do use the iPad app to monitor and control the brew. I've got a very early version, haven't updated it yet. It does fine for running the brew but it has been a bit clunky to create or modify a recipe.
No problems with the tablet version that came with the system.
For my first few batches I got terrible efficiency. I figured out that I'd been too conservative with the recirc pump flow during mashing. I was cutting it way back unnecessarily. Once I opened it up I started getting low to mid 70's and I think I can do better by grinding my own grain. I haven't been happy with the grind I'm getting.
After quite a bit of playing I've settled into a .050" mill gap with double crush, running a quite good flow on recirculation, moving from the steamer basket to a false bottom, using a wilser bag, I get a 72% brew house and 85% mash efficiency. I do have a dip tube and do a 90min boil on everything. This is with a typical grain bill on 5-10gal batch.
Recently did a Russian Imperial Stout with a 26lb grain bill for 5gal batch. Planned on my usual efficiencies and I was way wrong, ended up with a 65% for both brew house and mash. Luckily had enough DME on hand to compensate.
I've done 26 batches so far and I pretty consistently get on average 80% mash eff and 70% brewhouse eff. Five gallon batches on a 15 gal system, with a .039" crush (conditioned), 60 min mash and 75 min boil. I also use a diy COFI style sparge arm. The first 10 batches I used Wilser's BIAB bag and then got a 400u basket from ArborFab made to the same dimensions as the 15 gal COFI filter but without the lid. As long as the grain bill is 17 Lbs. or less I much prefer using the basket, it's slightly more open than the Wilser bag so it works a bit better for recirculating. When setting up a recipe in BeerSmith I have my "Brewhouse Efficiency" set to 67% but as I mentioned I typically end up with 70% on average.
On beers with a target OG of 1.065 and up I always missed the target by 4-5 pts. For these beers I started using a 120 min boil which requires more mash liquor, then I could reserve a gallon or so to sparge with after the initial drain. Although I don't brew bigger beers very often, since switching to this method I actually get better efficiency by a few percent than my normal beers.
HERE is a good article about efficiency and higher gravity beers...
Schumed
Well-Known Member
Ive got alot of batches in now...here is what Ive learned between less thab 1.050 SG 880 betwen 1.050 and 1.075 70ish % ...over 1.075 60ish % ...its been very consistent now ....you just have to adjust your recipe based on accept the numbers...If you are way off you are probably not using the proper amount of water
Borneogoat
Active Member
A couple of you mentioned adjusting the pump during mash recirculation. I've been running mine full open each time and hadn't even considered restricting it. I've been assuming maximum flow would equal best efficiency.... Is there any reason I shouldn't be running the pump wide open?
Seems people crush the grain to different levels, e.g. schiersteinbrewing = .050" vs MerlinWerks = .039". Is this personal preference or COFI vs Bag or something else? I've been assuming a finer crush would equal a greater efficiency. Maybe that isn't true???
I've also wondered about the circulation in a partially full COFI. If a COFI is 2/3 full of grain, say 15lbs which is common, then the resistance to wort flowing through the lower 2/3 of the holes of the copper pipe will be greater than the resistance through the holes the upper 1/3. Liquids generally flow through the path of least resistance and it follows that less wort will flow through the grain-hindered lower holes than the grain-free upper holes.
Seems people crush the grain to different levels, e.g. schiersteinbrewing = .050" vs MerlinWerks = .039". Is this personal preference or COFI vs Bag or something else? I've been assuming a finer crush would equal a greater efficiency. Maybe that isn't true???
I've also wondered about the circulation in a partially full COFI. If a COFI is 2/3 full of grain, say 15lbs which is common, then the resistance to wort flowing through the lower 2/3 of the holes of the copper pipe will be greater than the resistance through the holes the upper 1/3. Liquids generally flow through the path of least resistance and it follows that less wort will flow through the grain-hindered lower holes than the grain-free upper holes.
Rhumbline
Well-Known Member
There is a video where the developer mentions a concern with large grain bills where unrestricted flow could lower the liquid level enough to expose the heating element. I started out cautious, but have since realized this isn't a problem.
As for the partial COFI fill, what you say makes sense but compare what is going on with a typical mash or BIAB. The wort is being circulated through the grains.
As for the partial COFI fill, what you say makes sense but compare what is going on with a typical mash or BIAB. The wort is being circulated through the grains.
I tend to average 80% mash efficiency for low- to modest-strength beers (up to 1.075), with 74-75 for overall efficiency. For high gravity beers (in the 1.100 OG range), it can be as low as 65% mash efficiency and 56% overall. I set my brewhouse efficiency to 70% and that gets me in the ballpark for most beers. For high gravity beers, I've set up a profile with 60% brewhouse efficiency. I use a 15 gallon kettle and brew 5.2 gallon batches, and I crush at .40. I do a constant recirculation, but at a fairly low rate. I think that helps with the mash efficiency significantly. I have an electric system that makes mashing steady and predictable.
I'd heard the BIAB gets low efficiency, but I never reached these numbers when I was sparging (always was stuck in the mid-to-low 60%), so I've been happy with this system.
I have the 15 Gallon COFI with about 30 brews. The 5 / 6 gallon brews with 11 to 14 lbs of grain will yield about 75% for me. With the big brews, the efficiency goes way down, 60%. The brew supply store crushes my grain and I have been thinking about a finer grind. Another matter that I am thinking about is with pulling the grain and then grinding it that way, The grain bed is layered, 2 row, oats etc. With the old mash tun we mixed it up, Wonder if this has an effect?
I ran a .030 gap for quite a few batches and even with the pump output pretty restricted I would pump all the wort from under the basket/bag and have excess wort on top of the grains. In a sense a stuck sparge. I kept adjusting my mill out until the issue stopped which was around .037. Then in this discussion https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=543873 about recirculation. On page 6 starts the coarse grind discussion and this article on page 7 https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/v...e-efficiency-for-small-brewers-craft-brewers-
I tried the coarse grind method, loved it and haven't looked back since.
In the search for more information about full mash re-circulation systems I've read a few of the threads about similar systems (Blichmann BrewEasy, BrewHa BIAC). From what I've read, the best flow rate for re-circulation is as fast as possible (up to about 2gal/min) without getting a stuck mash. This helps with the stability of the grain bed and reduces temperature gradients. The rate will vary depending on grain crush and the amount of adjuncts in the grist. At higher flow rates (above 2 gal/min) the grain bed becomes more compacted and is more likely to develop channeling toward the bottom where you don't want to rake.
This leads to the big tip to improve efficiency which is to rake the top 1/3 of the grain bed every 15 minutes during re-circulation. Not deep enough to affect the filter bed but enough to prevent channeling. Blichmann also stresses water chemistry in the manual for the BrewEasy system and mentions that the water used must contain at least 100 ppm Ca.
Borneogoat
Active Member
I've just speed read through that long thread. The moral of the story seems to be: crushing to dust might not be all it's cracked up to be! And I should try a 0.04-0.05" mill gap to see if that helps my efficiency. Thanks, I already mash for 75-90min so this is an easy change to make.
Beavdowg
Well-Known Member
According to FedEx I should be getting my BrewBoss 15 gal w/ COFI, swirlboss, and 10" tablet today!!
puremalice
Active Member
mcgimpkins
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I'll try this out, I'm interested to see how it works for me. Are you using the COFI or a bag? Did you notice an improvement in efficiency? Any improvement in taste/quality? I see according to different people on that thread that it seems results may vary.
I am using a bag and a False bottom. I jumped from 75% mash eff to 80% on a typical grain bill. Did an ordinary bitter, pretty small grain bill I hit 86%. Taste and quality, I haven't noticed any difference.
Schumed
Well-Known Member
puremalice
Active Member
I will try this on Saturday. I have been messing with my grind a lot. I tried conditioning the grain and going all the way down to .025 but I noticed when I pulled the cofi the water was running off the top. I have moved it up to about .032 right now with conditioned grains and the grain bed was better and I had an overall efficency of 75% on a 5 gallon batch.
Darin said it is a common mistake that people make by double crushing their grains.
"Efficiency varies based on the recipe, grain crush, etc. Biggest mistake my customers make is over crushing the grain. They consider it BIAB and lots of forums have people stating to double crush grain for BIAB. Not so with the COFI system. Standard crush. My efficiency varies, but I use 77% as my design efficiency. Sometimes I get 75 other times 80. I've had customers report as low as 65 and others getting mid 80's. I can say water treatment is very important, that the water is treated appropriately for style. My water is so alkaline that I have to start with 80% RO and add salts and minerals for every batch. made a huge difference in my efficiency.
So I think I will conditiion my grains and move my gap to .040 and see what I get.
I have the 15 gallon, cofi, 220v BB. I use a hop spider and I put in a pickup tube even though Darin does not recommend it. Each brew is a step to a more streamlined process.
I am considering buying the Brew-Boss. I have only read good things thus far about Darin and his system. Does anyone have any bad experiences using is system. One thing that bothered me was the 90 day warranty. Anyone have the brew boss crap out on them?
I also agree with Darin on water treatment. My water is horrid, I start with 100% ro water (less than 10ppm TDS at the local grocery store) and treat to style and ph. Since I started doing that my efficiencies improved greatly as well as my end product (this was when I was using a igloo mash tun).
I use a dip tube that I made out of 1/2in copper, it has about a 3/8in gap between the tube and kettle. So far it hasn't caused any issues.
My next batch I am going to try conditioning the grains and see what happens.
I use a dip tube that I made out of 1/2in copper, it has about a 3/8in gap between the tube and kettle. So far it hasn't caused any issues.
My next batch I am going to try conditioning the grains and see what happens.
puremalice
Active Member
Hey Guys,
One of the things I have done is to just use a google doc to create my brew day scripts. I know a couple of people have done something simular but I wanted something that I could upload existing scripts into so I can edit and also I wanted to be able to add a line in the middle of the script easily.
So I just created this spread sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NAJcw-EzDL3dVPB5O6I2UQOzweCtpgnMluZjSpwKey8/edit#gid=0
Any "step 1" I have it turn red to know it will stop and require input.
Then you will have your file in the sheet to edit as you would want. It is really a more simple process than it seems. If anyone is interested I can do screenshots as well.
You could also do this with MS Excel but I don't have that and I like the mobilitly of a cloud based program.
One of the things I have done is to just use a google doc to create my brew day scripts. I know a couple of people have done something simular but I wanted something that I could upload existing scripts into so I can edit and also I wanted to be able to add a line in the middle of the script easily.
So I just created this spread sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NAJcw-EzDL3dVPB5O6I2UQOzweCtpgnMluZjSpwKey8/edit#gid=0
Any "step 1" I have it turn red to know it will stop and require input.
- Make a copy of the BB template to your google drive.
- You just have to copy the .stp file from the tablet to your desktop and rename it to a csv file.
- Then open the google doc and clear out the existing steps.
- Click in cell row 2 column 1.
- Then click file import file.
- The on the upload tab browse to your saved csv file.
- You will then be prompted on how you want to upload the file.
- You want to append the current file and select character as comma.
- Make whatever changes you want.
- Save the file as a CSV and download and open in notepad and remove the first line and then you can save the file as a .stp file
- Move the new file to your tablet and you are good to go
Then you will have your file in the sheet to edit as you would want. It is really a more simple process than it seems. If anyone is interested I can do screenshots as well.
You could also do this with MS Excel but I don't have that and I like the mobilitly of a cloud based program.
Schumed
Well-Known Member
only issue I've had is with the chugger pump which falls under chugger not brew boss and its been minor...essentially the pump needs regular maintenance such as lubing and oiling is what I've been reading
I wouldn't worry about the 90 Day warranty Darin stands behind his product and will make things right if there is any issues.
mines gone through over 50 batches since I got it and is still working fine. I did totally fry my controller unit though. Darin helped me replace it and the one heating element I damaged. The kettle was fine
Will-D
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My 20 gallon with COFI filter should be here Tuesday 
I've brewed my last couple of batches using my electric keggle and standard BIAB just to get a better understanding of it and so far I love it. Can't wait to try the new set up. Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to the hoist almost as much as everything else
I've brewed my last couple of batches using my electric keggle and standard BIAB just to get a better understanding of it and so far I love it. Can't wait to try the new set up. Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to the hoist almost as much as everything else
puremalice
Active Member
Hey guys I am curious as to how you clean your hoses and system? The cofi, element, and kettle are pretty obvouse but the hoses, chiller and everything else I am not so sure about.
Currently after brewing I break down the entire system and give it a rinse and quick scrub with the sponge. Then I put it all back together and run water throw everything to purge out the lines and chiller. The I heat up about 5 gallons to warm up the water to about 100 degrees and add in some one step and run it through the whole system.
Then I would break down then entire system.
Am I doing to much? I feel like the cleaning is taking to long.
Thanks for your input.
Rex
Currently after brewing I break down the entire system and give it a rinse and quick scrub with the sponge. Then I put it all back together and run water throw everything to purge out the lines and chiller. The I heat up about 5 gallons to warm up the water to about 100 degrees and add in some one step and run it through the whole system.
Then I would break down then entire system.
Am I doing to much? I feel like the cleaning is taking to long.
Thanks for your input.
Rex
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