Unboxing the Nano from CO Brewing

[jabba11]

I'm not sure what they could do besides recommend a clamp. If they create a new version that would help. I wonder if the connection was 1/2 if you could bury the manifold deeper into the grain bed.

I was recommending that people reciculate while adding grains but I'm not sure with the manifold. Last brew I found it got in the way of stirring the grains and I found dough balls while throwing my grains out. I think it might be better to add the grains first, then attach the manifold, and then start the pump.

I add the grains and stir vigorously then let it sit for about 30 seconds and place the manifold on top. I mean stirring like I do is doing more than any recirc could do to mix the grains and water together. When I have to stir (and I didn't with non wheat beers at all) I simply pick it up with one hand and stir with the other. on a side then the other side of the cross bar. Kind of PITA but not a huge deal really.

 

[jabba11]

If you're using a standard chugger just get a triclover T off the pump. You'll need to clean a T and a valve but should be fine just running one pump.



I believe it's after a wheat heavy beer and no circulation under the basket, when you send the element to 100% to heat towards boil. If you're heating to boil at 65% it must take forever to get there. I haven't even pulled my element out of the kettle after my last two brew days, it's clean after just wiping it down.

I already had a bunch of the parts to do this and so I ordered the recirc fitting and T and Ill let ya know how it works out with the standard pump. I don't really think I plan to "whirlpool" so much as just create some movement under there and see what happens.

 

[02RedWS6TA]

I add the grains and stir vigorously then let it sit for about 30 seconds and place the manifold on top. I mean stirring like I do is doing more than any recirc could do to mix the grains and water together. When I have to stir (and I didn't with non wheat beers at all) I simply pick it up with one hand and stir with the other. on a side then the other side of the cross bar. Kind of PITA but not a huge deal really.

I just left my dough ball destroyer under it last time but didn't have to do anything. Would still be about to use it no problem. Like you I just mix the crap out of them then throw it on top.

I already had a bunch of the parts to do this and so I ordered the recirc fitting and T and Ill let ya know how it works out with the standard pump. I don't really think I plan to "whirlpool" so much as just create some movement under there and see what happens.

Should be fine, that's all I do really. Just have the valve open enough I can see the liquid moving. Once the mash is over and I start heating up I open it all the way just to move anything off the element that may have settled.

 

[02RedWS6TA]

30# batch tonight. 12# of wheat in it, it was my cherry wheat base recipe that I've burned twice now. Never touched the mash, never had any issues. Brew was the most painless yet. Video to come, new set up is definitely working for me.

 

[02RedWS6TA]

Finally having a good streak on this thing. 3 brews in a row went great. Struggling with gravities but at least it's brewing like it's supposed to. Rebrewed the wheat beer that gave me trouble and it went really well. 12# of wheat in it, no issues

 

[jabba11]

Finally having a good streak on this thing. 3 brews in a row went great. Struggling with gravities but at least it's brewing like it's supposed to. Rebrewed the wheat beer that gave me trouble and it went really well. 12# of wheat in it, no issues

what struggles are you having? just hitting numbers or constantly different or variable?

 

[02RedWS6TA]

what struggles are you having? just hitting numbers or constantly different or variable?

Just hitting numbers. I spent my first 10 brews just trying to make it brew like it should. I'll start seeing what I can do to up my efficiency now.

I'll sacrifice some alcohol for it running smoothly though. Most of my beers end up around 5% which is good for the styles I do. I'm doing research now for my next beer which will be a large 10% imperial porter or stout so I might lower my crush a bit and see how it goes.

 

[Horseflesh]

My efficiency has been all over the place... First batch 68%, recent batches higher with the last batch at 82%. I do tend to poke the mash and turn it over while I am waiting around, and I wonder if this boosts efficiency over what you get with just the pump.

I do want to get that SS manifold, or something like it, so I can hopefully walk away and get consistent efficiency... whatever it is.

 

[jabba11]

My efficiencies seems reasonably close. I would thin kyours probably have to do some with the stirring but may have other factors. Mine gets pretty close to 72-75 most of the time. I used to get higher with my old setup but I certainly don't get the 80's they said. Its a bit of a trade off for the simplicity of electric I guess. I will say I think th emanifold is a good investment though. heres a pic of mine with the T and other stuff installed. I havent run a test on it yet. I'm also not real fond of all this weight on the kettle fitting and will probably develop a solution to that soon.

 

[RollE2k]

But the trade-off is not because it is electric - but rather that it is single kettle design. Triple kettle electric HERMS will be the best system if we are talking about efficiency, wort clarity, and running problem free... but there is the big problem of extra space, more cleaning and higher investment cost...
Myself i choose single kettle system mostly because of the compact size...

 

[jabba11]

But the trade-off is not because it is electric - but rather that it is single kettle design. Triple kettle electric HERMS will be the best system if we are talking about efficiency, wort clarity, and running problem free... but there is the big problem of extra space, more cleaning and higher investment cost...
Myself i choose single kettle system mostly because of the compact size...

valid points, I don't think its compact size was a factor for me as much although I doubt I could ket a three kettle system where mine is sitting now I think I could have easily set a traditional setup in place somehwre in my basement. The simplicity of it, price, capability and of course it being electric were probably my biggest factors. I will admit like most I'm still "dialing" it in to be what I want it to be and to work in a consistent manner. That's part of the fun though in some ways. I mean I haven't had to dump anything LOL and I am getting there. We talk a lot about our issues etc but the thing makes beer and does it well as long as you are paying attention just like any system.

 

[Horseflesh]

I'm also not real fond of all this weight on the kettle fitting and will probably develop a solution to that soon.

I don't like this at all either, and I don't have as much weight as you do. One errant step and I worry the whole thing might snap off. That's a big lever sticking out and I hope that weld is strong!! I have started putting a step-stool right over that contraption to help keep me from stepping too close.

But the trade-off is not because it is electric - but rather that it is single kettle design. Triple kettle electric HERMS will be the best system if we are talking about efficiency, wort clarity, and running problem free... but there is the big problem of extra space, more cleaning and higher investment cost...
Myself i choose single kettle system mostly because of the compact size...

I decided I would rather have an electric, partially-automated single kettle system instead of gas-fired, manual controlled 3-vessel system. I don't love the cloudy wort, but... It does clear in the keg. No regrets, and I am sure glad the system is small too.

 

[jabba11]

I don't like this at all either, and I don't have as much weight as you do. One errant step and I worry the whole thing might snap off. That's a big lever sticking out snf I hope that weld is strong!! I have started putting a step-stool right over that contraption to help keep me from stepping too close.



I decided I would rather have an electric, partially-automated single kettle system instead of gas-fired, manual controlled 3-vessel system. I don't love the cloudy wort, but... It does clear in the keg. No regrets, and I am sure glad the system is small too.

I don't have terribly couldy wort but I will admit it is generally cloudier than my old trad sparge setup. I have noticed when its running the wort is really clear so its always kind of a bummer to lift the basket and have it get all cloudy LOL I mean who doesn't like clear wort LOL but like you I haven't noticed ANY real difference in final product

 

[akthor]

Exactly. I'd rather throw a few more dollars of grain in an have the lower efficiency than having a more complicated system and especially where I'm at now something that takes up more space.

 

[Horseflesh]

When I made Yooper's outmeal stout it looked like chocolate milk, no exaggeration. It partially cleared during fermentation but it wasn't until it was kegged for a week that it dropped clear... I flushed a couple of pints and then it was good to go. Until that happened I wondered if I was hosed.

I could actually see crud settling in the keg lines during this time, which I never saw with my old Igloo cooler setup.

A similar thing happened when I made a cream ale with some corn... It tasted OK but looked like horchata (!), and the test pints left a clear slime (!!) on the sides of the glass. I guess that was the corn at work? Again, I wondered if it was ever going to clear... but it did.

So, I am not really worried about cloudy wort, but SO much gunk comes through that I would like to find some way to mitigate it. I have been hesitant to cold crash in the keg fermenter lately, after getting scared of the oxygen boogeyman....

 

[jabba11]

When I made Yooper's outmeal stout it looked like chocolate milk, no exaggeration. It partially cleared during fermentation but it wasn't until it was kegged for a week that it dropped clear... I flushed a couple of pints and then it was good to go. Until that happened I wondered if I was hosed.

I could actually see crud settling in the keg lines during this time, which I never saw with my old Igloo cooler setup.

A similar thing happened when I made a cream ale with some corn... It tasted OK but looked like horchata (!), and the test pints left a clear slime (!!) on the sides of the glass. I guess that was the corn at work? Again, I wondered if it was ever going to clear... but it did.

So, I am not really worried about cloudy wort, but SO much gunk comes through that I would like to find some way to mitigate it. I have been hesitant to cold crash in the keg fermenter lately, after getting scared of the oxygen boogeyman....

geesh no I have not experience that. I make a milk stout with oatmeal etc in it and honestly the last batch I made was the best I ever made and was perect in color. I will say that I didn't do a sparge on it (accident that I plan to do everytime now). I haven't seen any depreciable change in the cloudiness of my beers from the tap at all. I don't cold crash either. 4 weeks ferment 2 weeks in the keg carbing at room temp then into the kegerator when needed

 

[02RedWS6TA]

My efficiencies seems reasonably close. I would thin kyours probably have to do some with the stirring but may have other factors. Mine gets pretty close to 72-75 most of the time. I used to get higher with my old setup but I certainly don't get the 80's they said. Its a bit of a trade off for the simplicity of electric I guess. I will say I think th emanifold is a good investment though. heres a pic of mine with the T and other stuff installed. I havent run a test on it yet. I'm also not real fond of all this weight on the kettle fitting and will probably develop a solution to that soon.

You could use and adjustable pipe stand or just a 2x4 with a V cut in it. Pipe stand would work great though.

 

[akthor]

Just a short piece of hose that will go from the kettle to the pump. So the weight of everything isn't supported by the kettle connection.

 

[jready]

Did another NEIPA last night really happy with the site glass swap for whirlpool. Had a nice cone in the center. 18 oz of hops and I haven't even done dry hop yet!

 

[LouBrew13]

Did another NEIPA last night really happy with the site glass swap for whirlpool. Had a nice cone in the center. 18 oz of hops and I haven't even done dry hop yet!

I'm looking for a decent NEIPA recipe. That's a huge amount of hops. I love that the whirlpool gets them together so nicely. Please tell us how it ends up. Cheers

 

[02RedWS6TA]

I'm looking for a decent NEIPA recipe. That's a huge amount of hops. I love that the whirlpool gets them together so nicely. Please tell us how it ends up. Cheers

I updated my NE IPA brew video with my full recipe tonight. A tasting video is uploading but on 3mb DSL it'll be a day or so lol. Turned out great. Both my pale ale and IPA turned out fantastic.

 

[jready]

I'm looking for a decent NEIPA recipe. That's a huge amount of hops. I love that the whirlpool gets them together so nicely. Please tell us how it ends up. Cheers

I have made this one many times now and have fiddled with the grist and hop additions to where I feel it is dialed in. My friends and neighbors love it. Tapped 10 gallons 2 weeks ago and I am Dow to two now. I keep it pretty simple.

20 lbs Marris Otter
4 lbs white wheat
3 lbs flaked oats
1 lbs cara foam/pils (either work)

Mash temp at 152 I go 90 min

Hops:

1.5 oz Warrior 60 min
@5 min 6 oz total here you can change things up the batch I did this week was 2 oz each of Mosaic, Citra, Amarillo I have done all Mosaic all Citra all Galaxy (all Mosaic is my favorite)

Same amount of hops whirlpool @ 170 30 min

Dry hop same amount. People are all over the board here but I find my batches usually take 10 days to reach FG. I like to dry hop somewhere around day 5. I cold crash and transfer to my brite tank ASAP after fermentation is done.

 

[LouBrew13]

I have made this one many times now and have fiddled with the grist and hop additions to where I feel it is dialed in. My friends and neighbors love it. Tapped 10 gallons 2 weeks ago and I am Dow to two now. I keep it pretty simple.

20 lbs Marris Otter
4 lbs white wheat
3 lbs flaked oats
1 lbs cara foam/pils (either work)

Mash temp at 152 I go 90 min

Hops:

1.5 oz Warrior 60 min
@5 min 6 oz total here you can change things up the batch I did this week was 2 oz each of Mosaic, Citra, Amarillo I have done all Mosaic all Citra all Galaxy (all Mosaic is my favorite)

Same amount of hops whirlpool @ 170 30 min

Dry hop same amount. People are all over the board here but I find my batches usually take 10 days to reach FG. I like to dry hop somewhere around day 5. I cold crash and transfer to my brite tank ASAP after fermentation is done.

Thank you that is a fairly straightforward recipe and certainly open to tinkering. This is 10 gallons right? Thanks and cheers

 

[jready]

Thank you that is a fairly straightforward recipe and certainly open to tinkering. This is 10 gallons right? Thanks and cheers

Yep and you should tinker!! I think so much is up to interpolation in this style!! Love to hear what whorls for you.

By the way I have gone back and forth on Conan or London Ale III. I find LA3 to be more reliable.

 

[RollE2k]

On my system with 16-gallon kettle (15.5" diameter) and a 14.5" diameter mash basket, made by colorado brewing systems.. with 400micron bottom mesh i did brew a quite strong IPA (not DIPA) two weeks ago... I did wet condition the grains before milling, which gave big nice whole husks from the malts...
Mashed with 29lbs of grain, and approx 10 - 10.5 gallons of water... no wheat or oat. This resulted in working circulation but very very slow, so after the grainbed had sat on the bottom of the basket i opened the pump up almost full, and just let it flow over the top edges of the mash basket...
After mashing i did sparge with a little over 6 gallons of water...
The sparge was insanely slow, and probably took at least 40min totally.. on the good side i got approx 80% brewhouse efficiency, which is great.. and the clearest wort i have ever had into the fermenter... OG 1.072 which was higher than my expected 1.068

So two good things - but since this system seems to have problem with larger grain-bills i'm quite happy that i have ordered a new mesh sided basket, which is on the way to me as we speak right now. Will try this one in a few weeks also, with approx same grain bill, except a bit less caramel malts.
I should add that i'm running "Ultimate sparge arm" for recirculation, rather than the whirlpooling or ssbrewtech manifold. Anybody having luck with high gravity ales and this system, with good efficiency.

 

[Horseflesh]

After my last batch I found a scorch mark on my element. This one little spot has always been hotter than the rest of the element--it collects browned gunk, while the rest of the element stays clean. The browned part is still easy to clean so I haven't worried about it. But the spot seems to be getting even hotter now, since it turned black and crusty!

Are hot spots normal for electric elements? I'll be relieved if someone says yes, but this doesn't look right to me, especially since it's been changing over time.

FYI my boil maintain power is 65% with about 7.5 gal in the kettle. I have the PLC system so the switch from 100% to maintenance power happens automatically when the kettle hits 207.6 F -- thanks to the automation there's no chance I did something differently on this batch to make this happen.

 

[02RedWS6TA]

My standard element did that in the same spot every time.

 

[jabba11]

After my last batch I found a scorch mark on my element. This one little spot has always been hotter than the rest of the element--it collects browned gunk, while the rest of the element stays clean. The browned part is still easy to clean so I haven't worried about it. But the spot seems to be getting even hotter now, since it turned black and crusty!

Are hot spots normal for electric elements? I'll be relieved if someone says yes, but this doesn't look right to me, especially since it's been changing over time.

FYI my boil maintain power is 65% with about 7.5 gal in the kettle. I have the PLC system so the switch from 100% to maintenance power happens automatically when the kettle hits 207.6 F -- thanks to the automation there's no chance I did something differently on this batch to make this happen.

mine does this too almost in the same spot. I clean it about every third batch as it takes that long to get this bad

 

[Horseflesh]

Thanks guys!

I wrote to CBS too, and they are going to replace it. If you have the same spot, keep an eye on it and check with them if you think it is getting worse.

@02RedWS6TA -- I can't remember, did you replace with a ripple element?

 

[cyclonebeer]

After my last batch I found a scorch mark on my element. This one little spot has always been hotter than the rest of the element--it collects browned gunk, while the rest of the element stays clean. The browned part is still easy to clean so I haven't worried about it. But the spot seems to be getting even hotter now, since it turned black and crusty!

Are hot spots normal for electric elements? I'll be relieved if someone says yes, but this doesn't look right to me, especially since it's been changing over time.

FYI my boil maintain power is 65% with about 7.5 gal in the kettle. I have the PLC system so the switch from 100% to maintenance power happens automatically when the kettle hits 207.6 F -- thanks to the automation there's no chance I did something differently on this batch to make this happen.

That is a defective element. I had to replace my original element and bought a ripple integrated element from Brewhardware (nice to be able to disconnect the cable at the kettle). The first time I used it, it had a scorched spot on it just like the picture. I asked Bobby about it and he sent a replacement immediately.

 

[Horseflesh]

The ripple element with TC and disconnect is pretty nice. If I need another replacement I'll do that.

I saw at Brewhardware they recommend 3000 W for boiling 5-7 gallons, which is about 55% power on a 5500 W element. I have been running at 65%, but CBS today also recommended reducing power to 50% or less for 5 gallon batches.

 

[jabba11]

I run my 10 gallon batches (12 gallons total at start) at around 62 but ya 5 gallon batches I think I was running around 55 even though I don't do many

 

[02RedWS6TA]

Thanks guys!

I wrote to CBS too, and they are going to replace it. If you have the same spot, keep an eye on it and check with them if you think it is getting worse.

@02RedWS6TA -- I can't remember, did you replace with a ripple element?

Yes, I got a non shiney version from the electric brewery.

 

[zman_]

So, to jump in on this topic - I have a 20g kettle + whirlpool arm, solid sided basket, etc from CBS. Currently, I am running propane as my heat source as I rent and can't get a 240V circuit. I normally do 10 gallon batches (11g into fermenter).

I just read through all of the posts here and have seen lots of people with similar issues getting an effective mash recirculation going. I have done 3 batches with this setup, the first a max-out full volume mash, I was able to fit 28.5# of grain in the basket (with no room to spare) with enough water for an 11g batch with a massive kettle hop load (so lots of extra for that absorption). I was able to get some kind of recirculation going on this batch, but wasn't super concerned with it. The next batch I did was a ~4.5% session IPA, full volume mash. After letting the grain bed settle for ~10-15min with low flow, I was able to crank up the pump until it was running 100% open.

Recently, I attempted to push the system again: 35# of grain (with 8# of oats) in ~14.5g of water with 2-3g of water held back for a pour-over sparge after lifting the basket. I wasn't able to establish any sort of recirculation and my first runnings and pre-boil gravities were pretty crap as my mash efficiency had taken a big hit. By my calculations, even with the "dead" volume under the kettle, this shouldn't have been too far off the 1.25qt/# mash thickness that most other systems shoot for. This experience led me to search out ways to make sure my mash efficiency stays high when attempting higher gravity beers/etc.

From reading through this topic I have come up with the following tweaks/improvements:

1. Swap the normal whirlpool arm for something that returns to the top of the grain bed. It seems like the SS Brewtech manifold has been popular and worked better than a simple silicone tube. Can anyone comment on this? Are there any alternative products that people have used with success?
2. Rice hulls. I haven't used any previously since I was doing full-volume mashes and never had any issues, but given the dyanmics of the solid sided basket they could help here.
3. Increasing mill gap to ~0.045 or so. I have my mill gap pretty fine right now (leftover from doing "traditional" BIAB) and increasing should help.
4. Beta-glucan rest? I normally brew heavily hopped IPAs with wheat/oats/etc so performing a ~15-20min rest @ ~104-110 (I think) could be helpful. Reading through, I have seen mixed opinions about this, and haven't seen any clear examples of how people actually achieve this. Would people suggest to heat "strike" water sufficiently to hit this temperature, mash in, perform the rest, before heating the entire mash+grains up to desired mash temperature? Or do people generally pull/lift the grain before heating the water up to a new "strike" temperature?
5. Are there any other things that I am missing that could help with my issue(s)?

 

[mcgimpkins]

So, to jump in on this topic - I have a 20g kettle + whirlpool arm, solid sided basket, etc from CBS. Currently, I am running propane as my heat source as I rent and can't get a 240V circuit. I normally do 10 gallon batches (11g into fermenter).

zman, I don't know your rental setup, however just something to think about, if you have an electric stove, or dyer hookup, you could always wire into one of those.

1. Swap the normal whirlpool arm for something that returns to the top of the grain bed. It seems like the SS Brewtech manifold has been popular and worked better than a simple silicone tube. Can anyone comment on this? Are there any alternative products that people have used with success?
   
   I stumbled upon the Brewtech manifold before reading this thread. I find it to work a lot better than the whirlpool arm and if I throttle the pump to about 1/2 and don't have any wheat, barely, oats, or other sticky grains, it seems to keep a pretty consistent mash.
   
   
2. Rice hulls. I haven't used any previously since I was doing full-volume mashes and never had any issues, but given the dyanmics of the solid sided basket they could help here.
   
   Rice Hulls work really well, just put 0.5 lbs for a 5 gallon batch or 1 lbs for a 10 gallon batch. I don't use them with every batch, only when I have any sticky grains (i.e. wheat, barely, oats), and have found that I can run the pump full open and get good recirculation.
   
   
   [*]Increasing mill gap to ~0.045 or so. I have my mill gap pretty fine right now (leftover from doing "traditional" BIAB) and increasing should help
   
   Right now I have mine set at 0.039, that seems to work well. I did have it at 0.045, which in my experience took my efficiency down about 2-3%. I didn't notice a big difference in the recirculation. Try it out at 0.045 and at 0.039 and see which you like better. I would not recommend going finer as your recirculation will probably back up and stick.
   
   [*]Beta-glucan rest? I normally brew heavily hopped IPAs with wheat/oats/etc so performing a ~15-20min rest @ ~104-110 (I think) could be helpful. Reading through, I have seen mixed opinions about this, and haven't seen any clear examples of how people actually achieve this. Would people suggest to heat "strike" water sufficiently to hit this temperature, mash in, perform the rest, before heating the entire mash+grains up to desired mash temperature? Or do people generally pull/lift the grain before heating the water up to a new "strike" temperature?
   
   John Palmer has a write-up on it here: http://howtobrew.com/book/section-3/how-the-mash-works/the-protein-rest-and-modification
   
   I've done a Beta-glucan rest on a couple of beers with less modified malts. It seems to help out with flow issues, however not as much as rice hulls do. I probably wouldn't recommend using it unless your base malts are less modified. Instead your probably better off using rice hulls.
   
   If you are going to do a Beta-glucan rest, it is much easier if you are on electric, heat your water up to the strike temp, probably somewhere around 110F-114F and put your grains in. Hold temp and after 15-20 minutes, turn on your propane and heat up to your mash temp while recirculating. You don't need to pull your grans, since they should be kept off the bottom of your kettle and should not scorch in the basket.

 

[Horseflesh]

The last time I brewed I accidentally used an old Beersmith config, and had some extra water in the mash. It was really loose and turned over really easily with the pump. My efficiency went up from the usual 75-85% to 92%! But keeping the mash that loose means boiling off a lot of extra water, about 0.75 gal for a 5 gal batch.

 

[cyclonebeer]

As a CBS owner, I've been following this thread for a long time. Seems to me that the recurring issues have to do with owners of solid side baskets. I got my rig before they were an option, and I'm glad for it. This weekend I brewed a 10 gallon batch of Braufessors NE IPA. 3 lbs of flaked products. I did not do a beta glucan rest. I did do a 165 deg. mash out and stirred about every 15 min with a 24" French Whip (great tool). Because my re-circulation fitting goes through the wall of the kettle I had to hold back about 3 gallons of water for a sparge. Nothing fancy. Ran the pump wide open without issues and got 90% e "post sparge". My recirc setup is just a length of 1/2" silicone tubing setting on top of the grain bed. Again, nothing fancy. Depending upon how I lay the tubing, I can get a nice whirlpool going. I truly think that the solid side basket was a step backwards and if any of you are having flow issues, you should consider a different basket. Maybe Tim should too. Just my 2 cents.

 

[jabba11]

As a CBS owner, I've been following this thread for a long time. Seems to me that the recurring issues have to do with owners of solid side baskets. I got my rig before they were an option, and I'm glad for it. This weekend I brewed a 10 gallon batch of Braufessors NE IPA. 3 lbs of flaked products. I did not do a beta glucan rest. I did do a 165 deg. mash out and stirred about every 15 min with a 24" French Whip (great tool). Because my re-circulation fitting goes through the wall of the kettle I had to hold back about 3 gallons of water for a sparge. Nothing fancy. Ran the pump wide open without issues and got 90% e "post sparge". My recirc setup is just a length of 1/2" silicone tubing setting on top of the grain bed. Again, nothing fancy. Depending upon how I lay the tubing, I can get a nice whirlpool going. I truly think that the solid side basket was a step backwards and if any of you are having flow issues, you should consider a different basket. Maybe Tim should too. Just my 2 cents.

Im no fluid dynamics expert or anything. I can imagine the reason for the hard sided basket was more to force a flow through the entire grain bed instead of just "wherever it comes out". personally I don't have many issue. The issues I have are minute (some scorching with wheats). All my other beer including those which contain oatmeal, flaked barley etc don't seem to have any issue. Admittedly I wish I could actually try a soft sided basket and see if theres a difference etc. The addition of the ss brewtech manifold definitely helped mine but I still had scorching and so Im working to gently whirlpool underneath the basket to see what that does. Im gonna do that this weekend so it will be interesting to see. PArt of a new system is discovering what works for you. If I keep having issues Ill try the soft sided basket as well eventually. I don't mind fiddling like that. its a hobby. I will say the large systems that CBS is producing now had better work without issue for the brewhouses utilizing and I imagine they do or at least I certainly haven't heard anyone having issue with them. its not like I cant make beer with mine or something, we are mostly just looking for ways to improve. Id bet money that CBS (Tim) is following this thread FWIW.

 

[jabba11]

zman, I don't know your rental setup, however just something to think about, if you have an electric stove, or dyer hookup, you could always wire into one of those.

1. Swap the normal whirlpool arm for something that returns to the top of the grain bed. It seems like the SS Brewtech manifold has been popular and worked better than a simple silicone tube. Can anyone comment on this? Are there any alternative products that people have used with success?
   
   I stumbled upon the Brewtech manifold before reading this thread. I find it to work a lot better than the whirlpool arm and if I throttle the pump to about 1/2 and don't have any wheat, barely, oats, or other sticky grains, it seems to keep a pretty consistent mash.
   
   
2. Rice hulls. I haven't used any previously since I was doing full-volume mashes and never had any issues, but given the dyanmics of the solid sided basket they could help here.
   
   Rice Hulls work really well, just put 0.5 lbs for a 5 gallon batch or 1 lbs for a 10 gallon batch. I don't use them with every batch, only when I have any sticky grains (i.e. wheat, barely, oats), and have found that I can run the pump full open and get good recirculation.
   
   
   [*]Increasing mill gap to ~0.045 or so. I have my mill gap pretty fine right now (leftover from doing "traditional" BIAB) and increasing should help
   
   Right now I have mine set at 0.039, that seems to work well. I did have it at 0.045, which in my experience took my efficiency down about 2-3%. I didn't notice a big difference in the recirculation. Try it out at 0.045 and at 0.039 and see which you like better. I would not recommend going finer as your recirculation will probably back up and stick.
   
   [*]Beta-glucan rest? I normally brew heavily hopped IPAs with wheat/oats/etc so performing a ~15-20min rest @ ~104-110 (I think) could be helpful. Reading through, I have seen mixed opinions about this, and haven't seen any clear examples of how people actually achieve this. Would people suggest to heat "strike" water sufficiently to hit this temperature, mash in, perform the rest, before heating the entire mash+grains up to desired mash temperature? Or do people generally pull/lift the grain before heating the water up to a new "strike" temperature?
   
   John Palmer has a write-up on it here: http://howtobrew.com/book/section-3/how-the-mash-works/the-protein-rest-and-modification
   
   I've done a Beta-glucan rest on a couple of beers with less modified malts. It seems to help out with flow issues, however not as much as rice hulls do. I probably wouldn't recommend using it unless your base malts are less modified. Instead your probably better off using rice hulls.
   
   If you are going to do a Beta-glucan rest, it is much easier if you are on electric, heat your water up to the strike temp, probably somewhere around 110F-114F and put your grains in. Hold temp and after 15-20 minutes, turn on your propane and heat up to your mash temp while recirculating. You don't need to pull your grans, since they should be kept off the bottom of your kettle and should not scorch in the basket.

rice hulls definitely beneficial. I have used them almost since I started brewing even before my CBS system. They cost next to nothing, don't change the flavor at all, improve flow and filtering. its a win win. The beta rest...I have been doing it but honestly haven't seen that this has much effect on sticking UNLESS I stir it often doing the rest. Then the bed seems to "set" better and I can ramp up and have better flow. May be a coincidence maybe not. Im not sold 100% on it yet really

 

[cyclonebeer]

Are there any other things that I am missing that could help with my issue(s)?

Feel free to stir your mash. I've thought a lot about re-circulation and what the benefits are. I think (and feel free to disagree) that one of the primary benefits of re-circulation is keeping a constant mash temp. Consider this. If your grain is at mash temp, and you're surrounding that grain bed with an envelope of constant temp wort, there is no place for heat to escape. Thats a good thing. Any mechanical "sweeping" of sugars from the grains that you get from re-circulation is a bonus - buts lets face it. Re-circulating wort is going to take the path of least resistance, whether its through the side walls of an all mesh basket or through channels in the grain bed itself. If the grain bed were fluidized, re-circulation would work marvelously, but its not. Stick a spoon in your mash and you can feel that it's dense at the bottom. I don't think that any of us should rely solely re-circulation to mechanically liberate sugars from the grain. I really think that regular stirring of the mash does the trick.
For big grain bills, I would absolutely hold back some water for a sparge. Mashing thicker and sparging should help you gain some gravity points.
The SS Brewtech manifold looks like a slick tool. I think its benefit is that it probably creates more channels in the grain bed, and that's not all bad. I'm sure that it helps with the flow through a solid side basket.
Finally, mill gap is going to be directly related to your basket type. I just checked mine with a feeler gauge and I'm set at .025". From what I've been seeing on this thread, I would not recommend that for a solid side basket.
Final shout out to jabba11. My daughter graduated from KSU. What a neat town you live in. Sorry to hear about Grandpa Bill.