ANVIL FOUNDRY ALL-GRAIN BREWING SYSTEM

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I always have concerns that rotating the spigot will loosing the nut on it and potential cause it to leak.

I hear you! When I have done it I rotate clockwise so it's in a "tightening" direction.

But I just have it pointed to the side and leave it there. I drain what I can then tilt to get the rest so I can max out what I get w/ minimum trub. I honestly never move it anymore. Well, I clean it often but don't move it during the brewing process.

 

[DarrellQ]

What's your process for turning the dip tube with the Foundry full?

I just turn it from the outside and as TB said, the inside goes along for the ride. After a couple dozen brews, have never had a leak (knock wood!)

 

[Mekchu]

I hear you! When I have done it I rotate clockwise so it's in a "tightening" direction.

But I just have it pointed to the side and leave it there. I drain what I can then tilt to get the rest so I can max out what I get w/ minimum trub. I honestly never move it anymore. Well, I clean it often but don't move it during the brewing process.

When you say you "drain what I can then tilt" I interpret that to mean you have raised the unit off the floor so wort can flow by gravity into the fermenter. Is that correct? I'm curious how folks transfer wort: by gravity or pump and why.

 

[Knightshade]

I've got mine kinda lifted on a small furniture dolly. Has made it a 'wee' bit easier to move a couple inches here and there if I need to during brew day. And if I have to reset the damn thing for some reason, stupid button underneath the unit is a little easier to reach.

I use a pump to transfer. No way that thing (10.5) is going up on the counter to transfer via gravity. I'm only 5'6" so I have to guess I'd be on a damn ladder to lift up the mash basket if that were the case. Although I have done this when I thought my pump was broke one time. Lifted the damn thing while it was full up on a chest freezer so I could transfer. Handles held, but not something I would want to routinely do by any stretch of the imagination.

 

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Ahh, yeah - I have a 6.5 and it's on a counter top.

I think you could still tilt a 10.5 while on the floor, but would have to do it before it runs dry and gets air in the pump.

Good reminder how everyone has a different setup.

 

[Bassman2003]

One solution is to build a wooden stand or get a crate to elevate the unit just above your fermenter. Leave it there the entire brew day.

 

[cmac62]

Or something like this might work for you. Rolling Hydraulic Table Lift Rolling Cart 500 lb Capacity – Duints

I use a pump since I have the whirlpool arm anyway, I just stick it in the fermenter and turn on the pump, get some good aeration also.

 

[Brewdog80]

Pump. way easier and safer than any table.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Will be keeping my eye on this. About the only thing I don't like about the 10.5gallon foundry is the fact that during slow times of the year, I wish I could do 10gallon finished batches and split them into two fermonsters. Interesting the malt pipe has integrated a removable false bottom looking exactly like blichmanns false bottom with buttons.

Perhaps @highland_brewer has one (or will soon) to review? Curious what the actual inside diameter is on this one.

https://www.anvilbrewing.com/foundry-18

 

[Knightshade]

Will be keeping my eye on this. About the only thing I don't like about the 10.5gallon foundry is the fact that during slow times of the year, I wish I could do 10gallon finished batches and split them into two fermonsters. Interesting the malt pipe has integrated a removable false bottom looking exactly like blichmanns false bottom with buttons.

Perhaps @highland_brewer has one (or will soon) to review? Curious what the actual inside diameter is on this one.

https://www.anvilbrewing.com/foundry-18

Or if you're tired of being limited by the 16lb weight limit. 36lb weight limit on this one, with a 5G minimum batch size. Looks interesting for sure. Short Circuited Brewers seems to have become the unofficial/official brewtuber for Blichmann, so something is probably coming soon.

 

[mbg]

Will be keeping my eye on this. About the only thing I don't like about the 10.5gallon foundry is the fact that during slow times of the year, I wish I could do 10gallon finished batches and split them into two fermonsters. Interesting the malt pipe has integrated a removable false bottom looking exactly like blichmanns false bottom with buttons.

Perhaps @highland_brewer has one (or will soon) to review? Curious what the actual inside diameter is on this one.

https://www.anvilbrewing.com/foundry-18

Since you already have a 10.5 might be best to get another. I have two 10.5's and last time I brewed on both of them I delayed the second kettle by about an hour so I could use my chiller and pump on both brews.

 

[BrewersVocation]

So I just bought a Blichmann BrewEasy for 10 gallon batches.... Honestly I don't see much benefit with it compares to Anvil. What benefits or perspectives am I missing?

 

[jdauria]

Or if you're tired of being limited by the 16lb weight limit. 36lb weight limit on this one, with a 5G minimum batch size. Looks interesting for sure. Short Circuited Brewers seems to have become the unofficial/official brewtuber for Blichmann, so something is probably coming soon.

He said in Foundry FB page that a review video of the new 18 gallon system will be posted Sunday.

 

[Knightshade]

So I just bought a Blichmann BrewEasy for 10 gallon batches.... Honestly I don't see much benefit with it compares to Anvil. What benefits or perspectives am I missing?

I've yet to see the BrewEasy IRL, but my assumption is that you can replace the heating element/controller if it fails and/or break the entire thing down and throw it in the dishwasher if you so chose. Not so much an option w/the Foundry.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have a problem, 10.5 version 2, somehow the basket is stuck on the ball valve and I cant pull it up, anyone have this happen?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

turned the ball valve up side down and it worked, but not sure what happened, I'm guessing you cant have the hooks on the side of the ball valve

 

[Brewdog80]

turned the ball valve up side down and it worked, but not sure what happened, I'm guessing you cant have the hooks on the side of the ball valve

Yeah, the angled tube caught a foot, surprised you couldn't rotate basket.

 

[DarrellQ]

Would appreciate you input regarding temperature consistency and accuracy. I've had my Foundry for over a year now and have done 16 brews with it. I have never checked the mash temperature with a temperature probe (highly accurate) until recently. In doing so, I notice that, although the Foundry reads the mash temp at 151, for example, with the temp probe sticking through the top of the malt pipe several inches into the mash, or in the liquid that surrounds the malt pipe, it measures the temp to be 146. Please note: I follow the process per the Foundry's manual although I set my strike temp 2 degrees lower than what the manual calls for. I begin recirculating 10 minutes into the mash. I've repeated this throughout the 1 hour mash and through several brews and had the same results. What could be causing this? Should I adjust the Foundry so that temp probe measures at desired mash temp?

 

[Saunassa]

Used mine to brew a stout in the house yesterday. The biggest issue using it in the garage has been moving it outside to rinse and dump. Was going to build a platform for it and the pump but then thought, do it easy. Went to HF and bought a large hand truck on sale. Dang, could roll it to sink to chill, lift it up and pour out the dregs. Used a 5 gallon stock pot to hold and carry out the malt pipe, dump, rinse and bring inside to finish cleaning. Easiest day ever.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I've had a terrible time with low efficiency on mine, I'm also having issues with a constant foaming boil, either that or if I stir the center shooting up, the boil element seams to pulse which doesn't help creating a rolling boil it creates more problems, I've tried reducing the power to 90% and that helps but I never get a rolling boil, just foam boils pulsing

 

[Saunassa]

Do you have poor mash conversion efficiency or post boil? Mash efficiency is usually 95% or better for me. For the boil after my 60 minute hop addition has come back to a boil I turn it down to 98% so the heater runs more continuous. It is a gentle boil and not a rolling one like propane does. I do average the 2qt boil off they specify in the manual.

 

[Knightshade]

I've got the same cart from Harbor Freight, but I use it to haul the IC water output out to the front yard for cleaning, rinsing, etc.

My itty bitty brew space.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I've had a terrible time with low efficiency on mine, I'm also having issues with a constant foaming boil, either that or if I stir the center shooting up, the boil element seams to pulse which doesn't help creating a rolling boil it creates more problems, I've tried reducing the power to 90% and that helps but I never get a rolling boil, just foam boils pulsing

Im assuming you are on 240V? I am using 240V 10.5gallon system and typically use 100% to get it to a boil and then turn it down to 85-87% for a nice boil.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Im assuming you are on 240V? I am using 240V 10.5gallon system and typically use 100% to get it to a boil and then turn it down to 85-87% for a nice boil.

yes and after 3 quick brews I'm still not dialed in, too used to my hands off 25 gallon 3 pot system, the point of buying this is to make it easier lol

 

[Noob_Brewer]

yes and after 3 quick brews I'm still not dialed in, too used to my hands off 25 gallon 3 pot system, the point of buying this is to make it easier lol

Whats your crush like? Not sure if you are using a bag or malt-pipe or both. Reason why I ask is that perhaps (not totally sure) but if you get a good bit of flour sediment on the bottom, Im wondering if even mild scorching/browning might be the reason. I use a bag (no malt-pipe) with a brewzilla false bottom. I crush at 0.030" (using feeler gauges on a cereal killer). Even though I don't really agitate my mash much at all after mash in other than gentle recirculating I do get some flour buildup on the bottom for my NEIPAs particularly. Every so often, I use bar keepers friend with a non-abbrasive sponge and wipe out any mild browning I see on the bottom. Just a thought but not sure.

EDIT: with the explanation above Im really referring to the constant foaming during boil, not the low efficiency.

 

[Saunassa]

I had not connected the foaming I used to get with my NB hull wrecker (cereal killer) when I used a bag in propane heated pot. Now with the 3 roller and recirculating pump during mash I don't have much trub and the foam usually goes always after 30 minutes boiling.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I've got my crush set to .05 , same as I've used for 12 years with my last system and I've always had a 85% brewhouse efficiency, before the foam always dissipated with a 5500 watt element always on 100% and a 25 gallon kettle brewing a 14.75 gallon wort down to 12 gallons, this is probably just a new learning curve., I do recirculate at 50% now and the mash seams fine as long as I stir a few times, the boil seams to be the issue

 

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I had some time this weekend and scrutinized my 6.5 Foundry dimensions as it pertained to how much water I mashed with. Thought others would be interested since much of it will apply to those and the 10.5's as well.

I've always followed the 1.25 - 1.50 qts ratio of mash water / pound of grain for many years with my propane brews, and on my first batch with the Foundry I did the same. Oops, facepalm, I could quickly tell how dry the mash was because I hadn't thought about all the dead space. Later I made some quick guesses at 3/4 gallon lost under the basket and another 10% on the sides. AI've run that way for a year or so but looking at it more carefully it turns out I'd undershot both of those as well.

The volume under my grain basket and I presume pretty much any other grain basket was 0.97 gallons, which can reasonably be rounded off to "1 gallon".

The volume around the sides of the basket was surprisingly about 30% there. I measured 11-5/8" diameter for the kettle and 9.75 for the basket. Running the math said the inside of the basket was about 70% of the total cross sectional area leaving of course 30% on the outside. It's more than it seems at a glance. The dimensions are rounded a little and don't accommodate for the thickness of the basket wall and so on, so not ultra precise, but very much in the ballpark I believe.

So to decide how much water is really needed to hit that sort of ratio, my new process is:
1) Pick a number, let's say 1.25, for the ratio
2) Multiply it by grain weight (for example, 6 lbs grain in a 6.5 Foundry for a 2.5 gallon Pale Ale would need 1.25 x 6 = 7.5 qts of water)
3) Account for additional water outside the sides of the basket to actually have that volume on the inside (7.5 qts plus another 7.5 times 1 over 70% or put differently 7.5 / 0.70 = 10.7 qts)
4) Add the gallon underneath (10.7 + 4 = 14.7 qts)

So with my example above I don't need 7.5 qts of water for that ratio, I need actually almost double, 14.7, to actually get me where I want.

Lots to hope for here - that it made sense, it helped someone, and that I didn't fudge it up along the way.

It's about to make me ditch the basket and go with a bag, that's for sure.

 

[Knightshade]

I've just been going w/the recommended water volume according to the manual. This past brew, I modified a recipe to account for only 65% efficiency for a 1.087. Ended at 1.085, with a little over 3 liters left in the Anvil that I didn't want to transfer to fermenter, a hair over if I count the volume left in the tubing.

Wondering if anybody has added on the additional brackets that now come w/the current Foundry. I'll be doing so before my next brewday. I could NOT...no matter what I did keep that stupid ring from popping out. Had to have my daughter hold it down while I lifted up the basket. Had the mash finished about 15 minutes later, I would have been sitting around waiting for somebody to get home.

 

[slurms]

Just recently got a 10.5gal Foundry and am pretty excited to use it. Though, my main concern is efficiency. Had it pretty nailed down/consistent with my BIAB setup in a 10 gallon boil kettle. Seems the malt pipe will take a hit on efficiency because of the dead space, needing a bigger crush if recirculating, etc.

For those who use a bag in the Foundry instead of the malt pipe, what size bag do you use? I imagine you need a tall, skinny one to fit the shape. I don't think I'd want to use my 10 gallon BK bag since it's pretty wide and will muffin-top grain when pulled out and get wort everywhere. Anyone have any suggestions/recommendations?