Anvil Foundry 6.5 threads,all things 6.5

[Martys1]

I am starting a thread for all things related to the Anvil Foundry 6.5 electric brew kettle.Because the 6.5 is different then the 10.5,there needs to be a place to post all things related to using , brewing, recipes, tips and troubles related to the AF6.5.I purchased one to make smaller batches ,but I find im still brewing 5 gallon batches.
All brewers with an AF6.5 are invited to post.

 

[tracer bullet]

I too have a 6.5 but haven't found much to be unique to it. Perhaps the ratio of dead space can be surprising but otherwise...

(nearly a gallon underneath and another 30% on the sides is a lot for us when we don't fill the thing up as high)

 

[kevin58]

-

 

[Martys1]

 

[Martys1]

No problem with dead space , FB.1.050 anvil 6-6.5 hoppy pilsner

 

[Martys1]

Spell correct strikes again Fg 1.050

 

[doug293cz]

Spell correct strikes again Fg 1.050

That looks more like an OG, not an FG.

Brew on

 

[tracer bullet]

Dead space becomes an issue w/ higher gravity beers. Try an Imperial stout and you'll either have to remove the basket and run a bag, or have a mash the consistency of oatmeal.

 

[Martys1]

I could just use my 15 gallon keggle over propane for that.I just like a shorter brew day. It’s how I keep three taps going.

 

[Martys1]

Ok back to the thread , I have been brewing lagers since I have a space that stays between 55-60f, so I’ve been fermenting with w34/70, so 4 and k97.The beers are finishing at 6.5 abc.The Nobel hops are very tasty, they are recipes I’ve came up with after a lot of brewing, The AF 6.5 will do the job .

 

[capt_yo55arian]

Dead space becomes an issue w/ higher gravity beers. Try an Imperial stout and you'll either have to remove the basket and run a bag, or have a mash the consistency of oatmeal.

I've been thinking about grabbing a bag for the 10.5 foundry. Recently been using the small batch adapter on all my full volume brews... Now im questioning myself on why im even doing it? Thought process= less area for the recirculating wort and/or sparge water to flow out from (forcing it through the bottom of the grains).... But... If I run a bag, isn't that the same issue? Water can recirculate from any point w/ a bag. I get that it has more contact w/ grains, but doesn't the pump recirculation nullify the dead space (to an extent).

 

[capt_yo55arian]

I've been thinking about grabbing a bag for the 10.5 foundry. Recently been using the small batch adapter on all my full volume brews... Now im questioning myself on why im even doing it? Thought process= less area for the recirculating wort and/or sparge water to flow out from (forcing it through the bottom of the grains).... But... If I run a bag, isn't that the same issue? Water can recirculate from any point w/ a bag. I get that it has more contact w/ grains, but doesn't the pump recirculation nullify the dead space (to an extent).

My bad, just realized this is a thread for 6.5.

 

[Martys1]

My bad, just realized this is a thread for 6.5.

You are right about the recirculating pump. That and and the manufacturer recommended to stir the top 1/3 of the grain pipe. You can also lift it up a few times.

 

[kevin58]

My bad, just realized this is a thread for 6.5.

Exactly! There is already a thread for Anvil Foundry owners which is inclusive of all things 6.5 so a lot of us are scratching out heads wondering why this one was necessary. This thread is just scattering information unnecessarily.

I would advise any 6.5 owners to visit the ANVIL FOUNDRY ALL-GRAIN BREWING SYSTEM thread since all your questions will have a greater chance of being answered, if not already answered over there.

 

[Martys1]

Sometimes it’s not about about questions being answered but exploring recipes, tricks ,brew tips and general information about the AF6.5

 

[jdauria]

I have the 10.5, but considering buying a 6.5 also for small batches and to use as my main system when I downgrade to 3 gallon batches in the near future. Age and a bad back means lugging 5 gallon carboys is becoming an issue. Anyway, question ,does the current version of the 6.5 come with the new Blichmann style bottom in the malt pipe?

 

[Martys1]

Sorry, I am not familiar with the Blichmann style bottom,here are photos with a tape measure so you can see the spacing of the rows.Recirculating the wort through the grain pipe makes for clear wort.

 

[kevin58]

No need to buy a whole new system. The 10.5 works very well with small batches. If your 10.5 has the newer basket with the Blichmann style false bottom it will work great. If not and you have the old style then the small batch adapter is your buddy.

 

[jdauria]

No need to buy a whole new system. The 10.5 works very well with small batches. If your 10.5 has the newer basket with the Blichmann style false bottom it will work great. If not and you have the old style then the small batch adapter is your buddy.

Yeah I have used the small batch adapter to make some 2.5 gallon batches. One thing I don't like when doing that thought is that the 10.5 volume markings start at 5, so no way for volume measurements on small batches, unless I make measuring stick.

 

[renstyle]

Here are some Anvil 6.5 specific tips I have used:

I do MIAB with a 5 gallon round cooler, can make any 19L batch up to 1.080 without top-off post-boil. If you make a smaller batch, barleywines are within your grasp!

The cooler has very minimal hardware, and with my version of the AF 6.5 grain basket, I find the lets allow it to fit PERFECTLY atop my cooler to make sparging very simple.



Then, get a 23L corny keg to ferment in. Fill to the weld line, mine is 21L, which results in 19+L of finished beer to transfer into a regular-sized corny keg.

 

[renstyle]

Sometimes it’s not about about questions being answered but exploring recipes, tricks ,brew tips and general information about the AF6.5

Yes. My tips/tricks are irrelevant to a 10.5 model, the malt pipe alone will handle most grain+full-immersion combos for a Corny/19L/~5gal batch.

Another I learned by accident: If for whatever reason you need to do a fermenter top-off to meet your volume, Brewfather (and likely most other brewing tools) split out the "post-boil" and "OG" to account for the top off. Discovered this on the first few extract batches.

Armed with this information I have held back a 2L bottle of RO water stashed in the freezer during the brew day to enable:

1. faster cooling - dump the 2L 10C-ish degree water at flameout for a quick chill, as you are starting your chiller (twice during summer)
2. to cover any excess boil-off (I run at 240V, 75%) to make my 21L fermenter volume (only once)

Why consider this? Because each grain bill is different, but the AF 6.5 has (realistic) 23L max wort in the kettle. Sometimes you want a more vigorous boil, so max volume would be slightly less. Your two options are to either make a smaller batch, or get creative

I am certain many folks have read my 6.5 + cooler posts over the months and wondered why I try so hard with a smaller kettle. The 2.5 and 3 gallon batches, with or without MIAB, are fairly pedestrian on the 6.5, as that's what it is made for.

It only gets interesting when you attempt to push the envelope!

 

[Adam Zerwick]

Here is my current AF 6.5 setup which I'm really enjoying:

- EZ clean bulkhead w/ push in diptube
- Blichmann linear flow valve
- Anvil TC adapter for the lid
- TC BLQD to FNPT adapter
- Locline for mash recirculation
- Brew bag 400um
- Trubtrapper
- Spincycle overboard for whirlpool

With this setup I consistently get about 75% mash efficiency up to 1.065 OG without a sparge. Crush size is about .028" and conditioning the malt. Target 3.25 gallons into fermenter.

I'd planned on replacing the bulkhead with the EZ clean bulkhead so I could use a Hopstopper 2.0. The EZ clean bulkhead doesn't fit through the hole in the kettle but a step bit makes quick work of that. With the updated bulkhead I decided to go with the linear flow valve for ease of cleaning/disassembly. For now I've started using the Trubtrapper in place of the Hopstopper since it's so much easier but I might eventually go back to using the Hopstopper.

 

[renstyle]

@Adam Zerwick nice bit of kit there!

I have not seen that TrubTrapper used in an AF until today!

 

[renstyle]

Does anybody with a 6.5 AF currently use one of the chillers made specifically for the All-In-One systems?

The first two on my radar is the JaDeD Scylla & Cu S.S. AIO-Tri-Coil and I am sure there are others.

Currently, since I already have a round cooler, I fill it with pre-made ice+water and the stock SS IC coil, then feed that output to a simple $40 25' copper chiller in my kettle. It works with the hardware I have on hand, but a single coil in the kettle would be ideal.

I wasn't sure if these chillers were of a standard height to accommodate both the 10+ gal units as well as the smaller (shorter) units as they have the same diameter?

Was also curious as to the displacement factor?

 

[Martys1]

Brewed another 5.5 gal batch.I adjusted my grain mill to .040,previous.038,036.the wort flows nicely through the grain pipe.And the wort is lower than in the the sides of grain pipe so it was recirculating the mash properly.Not so at .036-.038

 

[dlm3]

I have the 10.5, but considering buying a 6.5 also for small batches and to use as my main system when I downgrade to 3 gallon batches in the near future. Age and a bad back means lugging 5 gallon carboys is becoming an issue. Anyway, question ,does the current version of the 6.5 come with the new Blichmann style bottom in the malt pipe?

Does the 10.5 have the same diameter and same amount of dead space in the bottom below the basket, compared to the 6.5? Looking at photos it appears that the 10.5 is just taller. I'm considering the 10.5, but other than it just being deeper, would brewing smaller batches on the 10.5 be any more difficult or different than on a 6.5?

 

[tracer bullet]

Correct the 10.5 is identical just deeper. Same gallon under the basket, same 30% of the diameter of the unit lost around the sides of the basket.

 

[jdauria]

Does the 10.5 have the same diameter and same amount of dead space in the bottom below the basket, compared to the 6.5? Looking at photos it appears that the 10.5 is just taller. I'm considering the 10.5, but other than it just being deeper, would brewing smaller batches on the 10.5 be any more difficult or different than on a 6.5?

Only real difference is when doing smaller batches in the 10.5, there are no volume markings below 5 gallons, which makes it a crapshoot knowing if you hit your volumes unless you make some type of dipstick to measure. Though I wonder if there is any difference in boil off rate too since of the larger headspace a small batch has in the 10.5?

 

[GPNewBrew]

Does the 10.5 have the same diameter and same amount of dead space in the bottom below the basket, compared to the 6.5? Looking at photos it appears that the 10.5 is just taller. I'm considering the 10.5, but other than it just being deeper, would brewing smaller batches on the 10.5 be any more difficult or different than on a 6.5?

The difference with the 6.5 is that the ratio of dead space to batch size is very high. For example, if I want to make a 2.75 gallon batch (fermenter volume), I need a total of about 4.3 gallons for BIAB, per my profile. When I pour 4.3 gallons into the 6.5, over half of that ( ~ 2.5 gal) winds up as dead space that never directly touches the grain. That makes for a Very compact mash bed together a good conversion. Trying to do a sparge is even more difficult because of the amount of mash space you have in malt pipe. If you hold back even a gallon of water for sparge, your mash is really thick and dry. So that is a big difference between the 10.5 And the 6.5 - more room!

 

[Martys1]

Pretty sure the so called dead space is a brewers wifes tale, I have an Anvil 6.5 and regularly brew beers that are 6.5 anvil, when I brew with the recirculating pump on, the wort is 2 or 3 inches below the grain pipe,I keep the wort moving, keep it clear, keep it moving, Beer no fear……..