Robobrew - why wouldn’t it work?

[Boomer]

so my biggest complaint with the Robobrew, only complaint, really, is that you can’t put a big grain bill in it. I feel like about 12-13 pounds is max...

Or is it?

Why couldn’t a guy just put the little black cap on the pipe that runs down the middle and load the grain all the way to the top and use not use the top screen?

Seems reasonable. Someone disprove this before I try it!

 

[Rev2010]

Well the official maximum grain bill size is 18lbs. I can't see why you couldn't just fill past the sealed tube, just be sure to monitor your recirculation and make sure it's not pumping faster than it's draining through the grain bed. Definitely wouldn't fill as high as the lift handle holes.


Rev.

 

[Boomer]

A little more information - I want to make a stout around 12% and don’t think I can use the Robobrew, as designed, to hit those numbers (without using extract).

So, here are my choices, as I see them:

1) Use extract
2) Mash twice
3) Smaller batch
4) Try what I’m suggesting in the first post

What would you do, and why?

 

[Boomer]

Well the official maximum grain bill size is 18lbs. I can't see why you couldn't just fill past the sealed tube, just be sure to monitor your recirculation and make sure it's not pumping faster than it's draining through the grain bed. Definitely wouldn't fill as high as the lift handle holes.


Rev.

That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Do you have one? If so, what’s your take on the 18 pound statistic? I say no way in hell unless you’re doing a 2-3 gallon batch.

 

[Rev2010]

That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Do you have one? If so, what’s your take on the 18 pound statistic? I say no way in hell unless you’re doing a 2-3 gallon batch.

I have one but I haven't done the first beer with it yet, Memorial Day weekend is going to be my first go with it. Prior to the Robobrew I mashed in a Rubbermaid cooler and boiled in a Blichmann kettle on a propane burner in my old backyard. In an apartment now hence the Robobrew, and the fact that I hated that I couldn't brew when the weather was bad outside before. So yeah, truth be told I'm not too familiar yet with the volume of grain in the unit, just saying that sure you can go past the middle pipe with the silicone cap on. IMO, mashing twice sounds like the best idea. Extract is great too but you won't have full grainbill control. Only issue I see with mashing twice is having to reduce the sparge water amount for each mash. Or, if you happen to have a prior mash tun like the rubbermaid cooler you can dump both grain batches in it and sparge it as one whole. Either way, there's a workaround


Rev.

 

[Boomer]

Agreed.

I’m gonna build this big stout this weekend and try it with the black cap over the pipe. It just seems way too easy for something not to go wrong. I think I’m also going to let the top screen rest on top of the grain bed to help disperse the flow a little.