Recent content by avmech

I would not double crush. I've had a stuck mash on this system and it sucks.

Cleaning: I give everything a rinse just to get all the chunks out. Then I use a 3/4" MGHT x 1/2" MPT Brass Garden Hose Fitting to back flush all the hoses, plate chiller, pump and hopback. I hook all the hoses back up and prepare for the cleaning loop. I reverse the plate chiller at this time...

Yea, I was tempted to go that route but read mixed reviews so I was hesitant. Then I read the directions and it just seemed a little hokey. Jury is still out on the 300 micron screen basket. If I detect reduced utilization from the hops then I may switch to the hop blocker. I'll still have...

The clogging was post boil as all the hops and trub got picked up on the way out of the kettle.

I have another brew day under my belt and I have more experiences to share. Recap: Last brew session used 5.2 pH stabilizer and yielded 60% efficiency. I also had major clogging at the temp probe after the pump. In my last post I stated that I felt this 90 degree elbow and temp probe was...

Thanks for the encouragement. I agree, I hear a lot of negative publicity on the 5.2. At the same time I do hear that under the right conditions it works as advertised. I think the biggest problem with 5.2 is that they claim to be a solution for everyone and every condition when in fact...

Precisely. Keep it in the clean loop and hot loop.

Great video! I only have one brew down on my system so I will use your info and techniques to try and bump my numbers. My first batch I used 5.2 and I tested the pH with narrow range test strips (they are the three color narrow range from 4.0-7.0 in 0.2 increments). My pH stayed in the 5.2 to...

I'm sorry, I misread where you referenced the hop blocker and not the hop rocket. I do not have the hop blocker and I decided against it because I didn't like the design or the reviews. I felt a spider-ish design and a hopback was a failsafe design. I could be wrong, time and experience...

I am an aircraft engineer...everything I do has redundancy :mug: I felt the large stainless steel basket would be great at containing hops of all forms, but doesn't do much for trub. I like the idea of having a trub collector in line as well. My old BK was a keggle with stainless steel...

My first brew with the BE went pretty smooth. I had a grainbill of 25lbs so I calculated that I needed 16 gallons of water. I set strike temp at 159 and let it come up to temp. The BK obviously hit 159 first and then it took about 15 minutes for the MT to stabilize. After dough-in I set the...

UPDATE: Just got shipping notification yesterday that my order has shipped and will deliver on Friday. About a 5 week lead-time. Other people with open orders should start seeing shipping notifications.

Since this thread seems to be all things BrewEasy, I will add some information. I ordered the 10G electric BrewEasy on November 7th. I still have not received the product and there is no sign of it showing up anytime soon. Customer service from Great Fermentations has been great and they...