Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil

[Weezy]

I was basing it off the parts out of his video. Thats not a mkII pump and not a stainless immersion chiller he is using... now is it.

I think the point was that if you're going for a budget solution, you typically look for budget parts.

Scott, in the video, did you turn it back to 1600W when you wanted to start to boil?

On my induction, I get healthy boil down to 1500W. I get a very gentle roll at 1200W, with 3.7 gallons. The trick is time to get to the next temp! If this thing is working out pretty slow, you could just use less water in the boil and top off post boil or in the fermenter with an extra gallon.

 

[mhochman]

Can someone explain me the wattage settings? I see the post above this one, but I'm hoping for just a simple summary of each setting's purpose in terms of steps in the brew day.
Thanks

 

[Weezy]

Use the lower setting when you're just trying to maintain a temp.

 

[mhochman]

Use the lower setting when you're just trying to maintain a temp.

That's what I figured. Makes sense.

 

[mhochman]

Any questions just ask.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR3xMRvpbeI&feature=youtu.be

I understand what you were trying to do with recirculating the mash, but what is the goal of running the pump during the boil (that led to you losing the boil)?

Thanks.

 

[garrettbuckeye]

I understand what you were trying to do with recirculating the mash, but what is the goal of running the pump during the boil (that led to you losing the boil)?



Thanks.

My guess is to sanitize via heat. That's what I do the last 5 or so minutes of my boil.

 

[mhochman]

My guess is to sanitize via heat. That's what I do the last 5 or so minutes of my boil.

Ah, that makes sense. I don't use a plate chiller so I've never had to do that. I do put my immersion chiller in for the last 5 minutes or so.

 

[mhochman]

I know I keep throwing questions out there, but I am looking seriously at this for myself. The space at the bottom of the pot, while creating headspace during the mash I think it would be great for hops and other material to settle at the bottom of the boil. Surely that's the intended purpose, right?

 

[garrettbuckeye]

Perk of not having dip tube I guess. My hunch is that a diptube won't fit with Mash tube in place, but I have no idea.

I am very interested in this as well. I'd have bought it already if it was a PID controller.

 

[scottibones]

I think the point was that if you're going for a budget solution, you typically look for budget parts.

Scott, in the video, did you turn it back to 1600W when you wanted to start to boil?

On my induction, I get healthy boil down to 1500W. I get a very gentle roll at 1200W, with 3.7 gallons. The trick is time to get to the next temp! If this thing is working out pretty slow, you could just use less water in the boil and top off post boil or in the fermenter with an extra gallon.

Yes I did switch back to the 1600 watt setting to start the boil. I believe part of my problem was needing to use an extension cord and not having a heavy duty cord handy. The pump was also on the same circuit therefore lowering my available power even more. Next brew day will be better!

 

[scottibones]

I know I keep throwing questions out there, but I am looking seriously at this for myself. The space at the bottom of the pot, while creating headspace during the mash I think it would be great for hops and other material to settle at the bottom of the boil. Surely that's the intended purpose, right?

Perk of not having dip tube I guess. My hunch is that a diptube won't fit with Mash tube in place, but I have no idea.

I am very interested in this as well. I'd have bought it already if it was a PID controller.

I did address the dead space issue in a video I posted last night. Yes dead space gives a place for things to settle out in but a gallon or so is overkill in my opinion. I whirlpool so generally the stuff piles up in the middle. Anybody still on the fence about this I am posting an under the hood video tonight so you can see the inner workings of this unit.

 

[highland_brewer]

Seems about the right price point... for what it includes.

 

[augiedoggy]

I was basing it off the parts out of his video. Thats not a mkII pump and not a stainless immersion chiller he is using... now is it.

True but its also not at all the type of pump or you would normally use with such a small compact setup like the grainfather... The grainfather uses a tiny built in plastic 12v pump and an immersion chiller and thats really the comparable item that everyone including yourself keeps bringing up to judge this by.
Just my opinion but if you going to make a comment comparing the neatness and price of a grainfather to this it should be done with comparable and components that make more sense not just what the OP already had right? I believe that was the way Texas wine saw it too.

 

[mhochman]

I did address the dead space issue in a video I posted last night. Yes dead space gives a place for things to settle out in but a gallon or so is overkill in my opinion. I whirlpool so generally the stuff piles up in the middle. Anybody still on the fence about this I am posting an under the hood video tonight so you can see the inner workings of this unit.

I found the new video. Looks interesting. I look forward to following your progress as I make my decision.

 

[redarmy990]

i just bought the same system when it arrives i will post finidings.
This will be my first venture into all grain and i live in a condo so seemed perfect for me.

 

[Mobius570]

I got this over a month ago and finally got to use it tonight. Overall it's works pretty damn well for a 1600 watt system. I'm brewing inside since there is 24" of snow outside right now and I was able to bring 6 gallons of wort to a boil in about 30 minutes. It did however seem like an eternity to sparge since it's tall and narrow but it wasn't too bad. This will definitely be my main brew system from now on.

 

[skraeling]

I'm brewing inside since there is 24" of snow outside right now and I was able to bring 6 gallons of wort to a boil in about 30 minutes.

aint it great lol. im probably never brewing outside again haha.

 

[Mobius570]

aint it great lol. im probably never brewing outside again haha.

For sure! Wish I went electric years ago!

 

[fermentinginpa]

Excellent, mine is coming this Saturday but I won't be able to actually brew on it till Thursday after work.

 

[Mobius570]

I should also add, I hit just over 79 percent efficiency as well with this set up. I batch sparged and then used the wort from the kettle to rinse a few times over. I used 13.5 pounds of grain and hit 1.068 on my hydrometer. Over all I'm happy with those numbers for how simple this setup is to use.

 

[berndawg84]

Could you use a mesh bag and do BIAB with this setup? It seems pretty great for the price, almost too good to be true haha. I wonder what would be the advantage of the Grainfather over this one? I know the GF comes with a chiller and a recirculation pump, but not sure what other advantages of the GF might be. The only other thing I see is that the GF may accommodate a larger grain bill?

 

[Island_Dan]

So I may bite the bullet and get one of these but the only concern is the lack of accurate mash temps. It doesn't switch the heater on until 5 degrees below the target and overshoots the target when it does. I'm wondering if on your next brew Scott, that with a better power cord and dedicated circuit it may be more accurate? I'm waiting for your next brew to find out.

 

[Mobius570]

I used the stock cord plugged directly in and it was fluctuating about 3 to 4 degrees.

 

[keysersoze]

I should also add, I hit just over 79 percent efficiency as well with this set up. I batch sparged and then used the wort from the kettle to rinse a few times over. I used 13.5 pounds of grain and hit 1.068 on my hydrometer. Over all I'm happy with those numbers for how simple this setup is to use.

How'd you batch sparge? Did you end up using three vessels; M&B, lauter tun, and boil kettle (wort collector)?

 

[scottibones]

So I may bite the bullet and get one of these but the only concern is the lack of accurate mash temps. It doesn't switch the heater on until 5 degrees below the target and overshoots the target when it does. I'm wondering if on your next brew Scott, that with a better power cord and dedicated circuit it may be more accurate? I'm waiting for your next brew to find out.

I don't think the power was the issue with maintaining the mash temp. It is a thermostat with a programmed differential in this case I think insulating the pot would be the best option. The brew was also a full volume small batch which leads to a thinner mash less prone to holding heat. Next brew day should be next week as my fermenting fridge is currently full.

 

[scottibones]

Could you use a mesh bag and do BIAB with this setup? It seems pretty great for the price, almost too good to be true haha. I wonder what would be the advantage of the Grainfather over this one? I know the GF comes with a chiller and a recirculation pump, but not sure what other advantages of the GF might be. The only other thing I see is that the GF may accommodate a larger grain bill?

BIAB would be no problem as a matter of fact I will probably be doing just that. I don't know anything about the GF but this according to the manufacturer this will handle a 16 pound grain bill.

 

[Mobius570]

How'd you batch sparge? Did you end up using three vessels; M&B, lauter tun, and boil kettle (wort collector)?

Maybe batch sparged is the wrong term. I raised the grains out and used my heated sparge water to fill up the grain canister and let it filter out. I didn't fly sparge or use a method like that. Sorry still new to all grain.

 

[TexasWine]

I used the stock cord plugged directly in and it was fluctuating about 3 to 4 degrees.

Is there a way to change the hysteresis? If so, I would set it to 1.0

 

[Mobius570]

Edit: removed duplicate post

 

[scottibones]

Is there a way to change the hysteresis? If so, I would set it to 1.0

There is no user adjustable way to program that function. There may be a hidden interface like holding 2 buttons for 5 seconds or something like that maybe it's time to experiment.

 

[mhochman]

There is no user adjustable way to program that function. There may be a hidden interface like holding 2 buttons for 5 seconds or something like that maybe it's time to experiment.

I can't access their product blog from work, but maybe there is a place there to ask about this. I would think most home brewers would not want a six degree range to their mash, so perhaps they have some suggestions.

 

[Island_Dan]

I don't think the power was the issue with maintaining the mash temp. It is a thermostat with a programmed differential in this case I think insulating the pot would be the best option. The brew was also a full volume small batch which leads to a thinner mash less prone to holding heat. Next brew day should be next week as my fermenting fridge is currently full.

I only brew 2.5 gallon batches and plan to only do full volume mashes as I currently do with my biab setup. I plan to make a reflectix jacket. I'm interested to see if you do find a sub menu that may allow us to adjust the thermostat range. Thanks for your experimentation and efforts to answer all of our questions.

 

[skraeling]

There is no user adjustable way to program that function. There may be a hidden interface like holding 2 buttons for 5 seconds or something like that maybe it's time to experiment.

Thats what we have to do with the stock grainfather controller. its got a hysteresis from the factory of 2 (which makes zero sense).

theres a procedure to access the hidden menus so likely M&B has one as well.

 

[mhochman]

Thats what we have to do with the stock grainfather controller. its got a hysteresis from the factory of 2 (which makes zero sense).

theres a procedure to access the hidden menus so likely M&B has one as well.

Now we have to find that digital controller online. Maybe there are markings on the unit that can help us find it.

 

[scottibones]

I can't access their product blog from work, but maybe there is a place there to ask about this. I would think most home brewers would not want a six degree range to their mash, so perhaps they have some suggestions.

Sent this to Bill at Williams Brewing.

Is there a sub-menu or some other way to adjust the mash temperature offset? On my first brew with this unit with temp set at 151 it went down to 146 before it started heating then overshot to 157. I had it on the 1000 watt setting during the mash. This seems like an awfully big range and it did this twice during the hour long mash. Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks.

 

[mhochman]

Sent this to Bill at Williams Brewing.

Is there a sub-menu or some other way to adjust the mash temperature offset? On my first brew with this unit with temp set at 151 it went down to 146 before it started heating then overshot to 157. I had it on the 1000 watt setting during the mash. This seems like an awfully big range and it did this twice during the hour long mash. Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks.

Cool. Will be interesting to see the response.

 

[Mobius570]

Sent this to Bill at Williams Brewing.

Is there a sub-menu or some other way to adjust the mash temperature offset? On my first brew with this unit with temp set at 151 it went down to 146 before it started heating then overshot to 157. I had it on the 1000 watt setting during the mash. This seems like an awfully big range and it did this twice during the hour long mash. Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks.

I too can't wait to hear a response to this. Does a heating element need a delay like a fridge compressor does, so it doesn't burn out from turning on and off all the time? This would be the only reason I could think of as to why it would fluctuate so much.

 

[Weezy]

I too can't wait to hear a response to this. Does a heating element need a delay like a fridge compressor does, so it doesn't burn out from turning on and off all the time? This would be the only reason I could think of as to why it would fluctuate so much.

No.

The 146 to 157 swing sound like hot spots. Anything with active temp control needs constant recirculation.

 

[Island_Dan]

No.



The 146 to 157 swing sound like hot spots. Anything with active temp control needs constant recirculation.

I was thinking about that. I always do a recirculating full volume mash with my brews and hit 73-75% efficiency but I do squeeze the bag also at the end. I'm going to buy one tonight to join the experimental group.

 

[Island_Dan]

Ordered. If anyone else is buying one tonight, enter promo code stainless2 for two free stainless pint glasses.