StenbergBrewing
Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2013
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 1
Hello everyone. This is my first post on HBT. I recently bought a full Blichmann top tier setup with 3 Boilermakers, 2 burners, March 815 pump, and all the fancy tubing and couplings. I had money saved up (over $3000) and wanted a brand new system that will make me less ghetto and last forever. I have been brewing for years all grain with a cooler setup until now.
I brewed my first batch the other day in a HERMS method with my old chiller in the HLT up top. I had a lot of troubleshooting throughout the day but expected never brewing HERMS or on the blichmann before. At the end of the day, I was exhausted and almost second guessing my decision.
Making things worse, I brewed a 10 gal batch 100% wheat yesterday with a buddy on his BIAB (brew in a bag) system. It was incredible how easy it was. His efficiency was 80%, we could use 100% wheat (no husk), cleanup was much simpler, and the brewday was about an hour less compared to MLT methods. On top of this, the cost is potentially much less since you only need one burner and pot.
I guess my question is opposite to most BIAB brewers out there. I am looking for advantages to brewing with the full Blichmann, pump, auto sparge ie:traditional method. Effeciency difference is almost nill. I had to spend way more money and need more space etc. I know the Blichmann looks fantastic, is built with quality but I could still brew with new blichmann gear in a BIAB method and still impress my buddies.
My biggest concern is beer quality. I take it seriously. I want to brew the best beer I can. I am currently not concerned about the cost savings just beer quality! Does traditional methods produce better beer than BIAB? Is there a disadvantage to BIAB with a full wort mash (very dilute)? Is there any literature to back this up other than peoples opinion about how their beer tastes? I need to justify the purchase of this expensive Blichmann system. Help please im feeling conflicted and considering selling already if i cant find any answers...
An artistic vid we made of brewing on my Blichmann first batch: [ame="http://youtu.be/1oQ49sKJ7gg"]http://youtu.be/1oQ49sKJ7gg[/ame]
I brewed my first batch the other day in a HERMS method with my old chiller in the HLT up top. I had a lot of troubleshooting throughout the day but expected never brewing HERMS or on the blichmann before. At the end of the day, I was exhausted and almost second guessing my decision.
Making things worse, I brewed a 10 gal batch 100% wheat yesterday with a buddy on his BIAB (brew in a bag) system. It was incredible how easy it was. His efficiency was 80%, we could use 100% wheat (no husk), cleanup was much simpler, and the brewday was about an hour less compared to MLT methods. On top of this, the cost is potentially much less since you only need one burner and pot.
I guess my question is opposite to most BIAB brewers out there. I am looking for advantages to brewing with the full Blichmann, pump, auto sparge ie:traditional method. Effeciency difference is almost nill. I had to spend way more money and need more space etc. I know the Blichmann looks fantastic, is built with quality but I could still brew with new blichmann gear in a BIAB method and still impress my buddies.
My biggest concern is beer quality. I take it seriously. I want to brew the best beer I can. I am currently not concerned about the cost savings just beer quality! Does traditional methods produce better beer than BIAB? Is there a disadvantage to BIAB with a full wort mash (very dilute)? Is there any literature to back this up other than peoples opinion about how their beer tastes? I need to justify the purchase of this expensive Blichmann system. Help please im feeling conflicted and considering selling already if i cant find any answers...
An artistic vid we made of brewing on my Blichmann first batch: [ame="http://youtu.be/1oQ49sKJ7gg"]http://youtu.be/1oQ49sKJ7gg[/ame]