ANVIL FOUNDRY ALL-GRAIN BREWING SYSTEM

[Noob_Brewer]

I'm sure it's discussed somewhere in this thread, but TLDR.

Has anyone had luck with pushing the limits with the amount of grist in the 10.5 gallon? I am itching to brew a chocolate/coconut imperial stout and came across the below recipe, which calls for 20lbs. If this isn't possible, can someone provide advice on reducing grist and supplementing ABV through other means?

https://hazyandhoppy.com/chocolate-coconut-imperial-stout-recipe/

This depends on whether you are using the malt-pipe or a bag on a non-foundry false bottom. I did an imperial stout a while ago which pushed the limits of which I desire to push no further. It was brutal and thick to fit it all. I use a wilser bag and a brewzilla false bottom so I can fit more grains than the malt-pipe. That beer had 25.75 total lbs of grain....one of those lbs was a pound of rice hulls. So 24.75lbs of actual grain. efficiency took a hit and sparged a **** ton. Again it was brutal but in the end I ended up with 1.100 of wort going into the fermenter with a good long boil (IIRC it was 2hrs). Search my name in this thread and I think you should find it.

 

[tracer bullet]

I've done 22lbs, bag but no pipe, and wouldn't go higher, personally. Starts to feel like making oatmeal. For huge beers just add some DME. With that type beer you will never know.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I'm sure it's discussed somewhere in this thread, but TLDR.

Has anyone had luck with pushing the limits with the amount of grist in the 10.5 gallon? I am itching to brew a chocolate/coconut imperial stout and came across the below recipe, which calls for 20lbs. If this isn't possible, can someone provide advice on reducing grist and supplementing ABV through other means?

https://hazyandhoppy.com/chocolate-coconut-imperial-stout-recipe/

Here it is. Post number 2,335 lol. ANVIL FOUNDRY ALL-GRAIN BREWING SYSTEM

 

[RyPA]

This depends on whether you are using the malt-pipe or a bag on a non-foundry false bottom. I did an imperial stout a while ago which pushed the limits of which I desire to push no further. It was brutal and thick to fit it all. I use a wilser bag and a brewzilla false bottom so I can fit more grains than the malt-pipe. That beer had 25.75 total lbs of grain....one of those lbs was a pound of rice hulls. So 24.75lbs of actual grain. efficiency took a hit and sparged a **** ton. Again it was brutal but in the end I ended up with 1.100 of wort going into the fermenter with a good long boil (IIRC it was 2hrs). Search my name in this thread and I think you should find it.

Thanks for the info. I have one of these jams in my Amazon cart, so maybe I'll go the BIAB route to buy me some space. This recipe is 5 lbs less than yours so it sounds like I can pull it off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G1B1YJM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A3J055FHBJJDOR&th=1

 

[AlbertaBeer]

Holy long thread!! I read the whole thing while waiting for my anvil 10.5 to arrive. It showed up last night, hope to brew my first this weekend. 10 years ago I brewed a lot of 2 gallon, all grain batches in my 700 sq ft condo downtown seattle. I now have a 2 bedroom house with a garage in Arizona. anxious to get started with it. One change I noticed in my unit that I haven't seen anyone mention, though I did see it on a video, I believe they changed the controller so with 4 screws, you can remove the controller with relitive ease.

Awesome! Yes that must be a new ‘feature’ as my foundry that I had bought in the spring doesn’t have the 4 screws like that.

I’ve been mindful of getting any liquid on it. I have had a few oops moments and boiled over, but it hasn’t caused any issues with it yet!

 

[kevin58]

I tried the plastic wrap and the silicone bead around the top and sides but the dammed thing still fogged up. That issue plus others I'm sure I've mentioned before lead me to sell my 10.5 for an SS Brewtech SVBS. The control panel on that unit is separate from the main kettle so I can plug it in and set it off to the side. It is never in a location where any liquid can get at it. Yes, it is far more expensive but there are other benefits that made it worth it for me. You get what you pay for I guess.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

I tried the plastic wrap and the silicone bead around the top and sides but the dammed thing still fogged up. That issue plus others I'm sure I've mentioned before lead me to sell my 10.5 for an SS Brewtech SVBS. The control panel on that unit is separate from the main kettle so I can plug it in and set it off to the side. It is never in a location where any liquid can get at it. Yes, it is far more expensive but there are other benefits that made it worth it for me. You get what you pay for I guess.

Fair enough, that’s pretty much always the case, gotta pay to play!

Being new to the hobby I still don’t think you get better bang for your buck as far as an entry level AIO. If I weren’t new to the hobby or if/when this one bites the dust I would have spent the extra

 

[kevin58]

100% agreed. You can't beat what you get for the money. I've been brewing for 20+ years and I bought the Foundry to extend my brewing into the winter months when below freezing temps shut down my season. Having a bit of experience however probably made me more sensitive to the drawbacks of the system and they grated on my nerves perhaps more than they would on some others.

 

[iflanzy]

I've had some troubles with big brews on my 6.5 so I took the suggestion of a friend and bought a false bottom to use my BIAB bag and planning on brewing without the malt pipe. My question on this now is what's the best way to recirculate and sparge? I bought one of these wort aerators a while ago based on some suggestions on various forums but no one mentioned how to attach it to the Anvil recirc setup. Is there a better way or is the wort aerator still the way to go?

 

[IslandLizard]

My question on this now is what's the best way to recirculate and sparge? I bought one of these wort aerators a while ago based on some suggestions on various forums but no one mentioned how to attach it to the Anvil recirc setup. Is there a better way or is the wort aerator still the way to go?

Welcome to our forums!

That wort aerator you linked to is to be used at the end of the brew, when transferring chilled wort to your fermenter aerating it on it's way down. It's basically a small spray head. There are other methods to aerate (or oxygenate) your (chilled) wort before pitching wet (liquid) yeast. When pitching dry yeast (chilled) wort doesn't need aeration or oxygenation.

In no way it should be used during recirculation. You don't want to aerate the returning hot wort, you want it gently spreading onto the surface without introducing air.* Oxygen being the bad boy here.

* It's actually best returning the wort slightly underneath the surface to limit air (oxygen) uptake.

 

[iflanzy]

Welcome to our forums!
That wort aerator you linked to is to be used at the end of the brew, when transferring chilled wort to your fermenter aerating it on it's way down. It's basically a small spray head. There are other methods to aerate (or oxygenate) your wort before pitching wet (liquid) yeast. When pitching dry yeast it doesn't need aeration or oxygenation.

In no way it should be used during recirculation. You don't want to aerate the returning wort, you want it gently spreading onto the surface without introducing air. Oxygen being the bad boy here.
It's best returning the wort slightly underneath the surface to limit air uptake.

Not sure I follow. This was specifically linked in other forums and in some youtube videos. It's essentially the same as the Clawhammer wort sprayer people often retrofit to this system and others. I'd like to believe at lower pump speeds, it's totally fine to be used the same way. Your last point mentioned running the wort recirc underneath the surface? The standard spreader plate already doesn't do that when using the malt pipe. If there are alternatives I should look into to recirc while using the bag, feel free to let me know or link to those options.

 

[szap]

Some may already know this but I thought I'd go ahead and throw this cleaning method out there. I had not given the inside of my Foundry a good scrubbing and it developed the brown stain on the walls. I know about PBW and bar keepers friend, but what I tried is a scoop of oxiclean in the foundry, fill it with water and then set it to boil for an hour or so. Then I empty and rinse it out. It looks brand new and no scrubbing.

I wish I would have taken a before picture but this is the inside of my 3 year old Foundry (which I hadn't given a deep clean in over a year) after using the oxiclean and boiling water.

 

[mkopec1]

Just did my first brew on my new 10.5 Anvil last night with my kid and it was a great experience. Of course since it was my first, I had to take the time to properly clean the whole system before even adding the water so it took a bit longer. I only have 120v and it would be quite an undertaking to get 240V set up in my house since I would have to add an entire sub electrical box so not going to do this anytime soon. Another problem I had was I did not have a hydrometer, Amazon was supposed to deliver it last night but they pushed this back a day so I didn't get a chance to do any readings. The recipe was a simple Blonde American ale with 10 lb of pale ale 2 row and 4 oz of honey malt. And using some 60/15/0 boil time additions American hops to get roughly 20 IBU. I should have taken the pre boil wart and saved some in the fidge as well as the post boil so I could test this today with a hydrometer, but did not think of this yesterday.

Mash was roughly 4.5 gallons of strike at 156 which put me at 153 for the mash in and it then, within like 10 min quickly stabilized at 152 and it pretty much kept it there for the entire hour at 70% power with the recirc pump going. At first I still had it at 100% and it would overshoot the temp to 154ish before again stabilizing at 152, so the decrease in power kept it perfectly at 152 for the remainder of the mash cycle. I used the malt pipe this time but I did get the brew in bag option so I will try this next time to see if I like it better. I then mashed out at 170F for 10 min which took the system like 15 min? to get there from 152, then held it there for 10 min with recirc still on. Then I sparged with 2 gallons of 170ish water for a final volume of about 6.2 gallons. Mash overall was great, set it and forget it if you remember to turn the power down to roughly 70% at 120V.

Then I se the thing to boil while sparging and it took about 45-50 min to get there. I did not mind this though since it allowed me to dump the grains, and clean the mash pipe in the mean time. I boiled this for 90 min with the hop additions at 60/15/0 min.

Cooling down after boil using the included wart chiller was about 15-20 min to take it down to 68F using my water which is at 55F or so. Honestly I think the time was reasonable but could probably get better using copper chiller vs the SS chiller, but really whats to complain about a 20 min or so chill time?

Drained this into my 6.5 gal carboy using the pump, pitched the safale -05 yeast dry and 12 hours later its taking off already.

Cleaning was not bad either, just fill the thing up with hot water and a few scoops of PBW and let the thing recirculate while I cleaned it with a sponge. Then rinsed it a few times and its all good to go for next time. total cleaning time was roughly 30 min? But that accounts for filling the thing up with the hot water too. Next time I will keep some of the hot water coming from the chiller in a large pot so I will use this hot water to clean it with. A thought that came to me after everything was done.

All in all it was a great experience brewing with the foundry 10.5. It was nice to spend some time with the kid which is usually down in the basement playing his vidja games. We shared some barley pops along the way and he genuinely showed an interest in the process. Hoping this continues since he likes his crafty beers and I hope this first batch showcases how great fresh homebrew beer can be.

 

[cmac62]

Just did my first brew on my new 10.5 Anvil last night with my kid and it was a great experience. Of course since it was my first, I had to take the time to properly clean the whole system before even adding the water so it took a bit longer. I only have 120v and it would be quite an undertaking to get 240V set up in my house since I would have to add an entire sub electrical box so not going to do this anytime soon. Another problem I had was I did not have a hydrometer, Amazon was supposed to deliver it last night but they pushed this back a day so I didn't get a chance to do any readings. The recipe was a simple Blonde American ale with 10 lb of pale ale 2 row and 4 oz of honey malt. And using some 60/15/0 boil time additions American hops to get roughly 20 IBU. I should have taken the pre boil wart and saved some in the fidge as well as the post boil so I could test this today with a hydrometer, but did not think of this yesterday.

Mash was roughly 4.5 gallons of strike at 156 which put me at 153 for the mash in and it then, within like 10 min quickly stabilized at 152 and it pretty much kept it there for the entire hour at 70% power with the recirc pump going. At first I still had it at 100% and it would overshoot the temp to 154ish before again stabilizing at 152, so the decrease in power kept it perfectly at 152 for the remainder of the mash cycle. I used the malt pipe this time but I did get the brew in bag option so I will try this next time to see if I like it better. I then mashed out at 170F for 10 min which took the system like 15 min? to get there from 152, then held it there for 10 min with recirc still on. Then I sparged with 2 gallons of 170ish water for a final volume of about 6.2 gallons. Mash overall was great, set it and forget it if you remember to turn the power down to roughly 70% at 120V.

Then I se the thing to boil while sparging and it took about 45-50 min to get there. I did not mind this though since it allowed me to dump the grains, and clean the mash pipe in the mean time. I boiled this for 90 min with the hop additions at 60/15/0 min.

Cooling down after boil using the included wart chiller was about 15-20 min to take it down to 68F using my water which is at 55F or so. Honestly I think the time was reasonable but could probably get better using copper chiller vs the SS chiller, but really whats to complain about a 20 min or so chill time?

Drained this into my 6.5 gal carboy using the pump, pitched the safale -05 yeast dry and 12 hours later its taking off already.

Cleaning was not bad either, just fill the thing up with hot water and a few scoops of PBW and let the thing recirculate while I cleaned it with a sponge. Then rinsed it a few times and its all good to go for next time. total cleaning time was roughly 30 min? But that accounts for filling the thing up with the hot water too. Next time I will keep some of the hot water coming from the chiller in a large pot so I will use this hot water to clean it with. A thought that came to me after everything was done.

All in all it was a great experience brewing with the foundry 10.5. It was nice to spend some time with the kid which is usually down in the basement playing his vidja games. We shared some barley pops along the way and he genuinely showed an interest in the process. Hoping this continues since he likes his crafty beers and I hope this first batch showcases how great fresh homebrew beer can be.

Sounds like you had a great day.

 

[sdbbp]

I'm having a hard time finding recent information about the minimum batch size for the 10.5. With new models, between the 6.5 and 10.5, I see ~$80 in cost and 9 inches in height, but will I be happy brewing 2.5-3G batches in the 10.5?

I'd go with the 6.5, but for concerns with grain capacity for high gravity brews. Any ability to brew 5G batches would be pure bonus.

Anything else to be aware of that I might be losing going with the 10.5 instead of 6.5 focusing on small batches?

 

[tracer bullet]

6.5 and 10.5 are identical diameters, identical dead spaces under the baskets, identical heating elements. The only difference is the 10.5 being taller. Anything you can do in a 6.5 you can do in a 10.5 equally well.

I run a bunch of 2.5 and 3.0 gallon batches in my 6.5 all the time. I've only done bigger batches in the 10.5 but I am 100% positive it'd be the same for handling the smaller ones. I'd go 10.5 if you think you'll ever do bigger batches. Otherwise if storage space is an issue and / or you are dead certain you'll only ever do small batches, save a few bucks to get the 10.5.

The only downside to a small batch in the 10.5 is that the walls being higher will make the occasionally things slightly more inconvenient. Like you'll have it on the floor or a stand instead of a countertop.

 

[szap]

Only issue I've found a problem with is the 10.5 foundry immersion cooler is not tall enough to reach a 2.5 or 3 gallon batch. If you have another cooling method then it works great for small brews.

 

[Saunassa]

Only issue I've found a problem with is the 10.5 foundry immersion cooler is not tall enough to reach a 2.5 or 3 gallon batch. If you have another cooling method then it works great for small brews.

This is what I have run into myself. Had to stretch the chiller to begin with when making 6 gallon batches. End up lifting it out and dropping my other chiller down with the hoses routed up. Worry about contamination but gets the small batches chilled.

 

[sdbbp]

Thanks for the info. I'll have to go check if my existing IC has any more reach than the factory one. I like ICs and am not itching to switch to a CFC just for this.

I plan to focus on small batches to gain experience, and until I have access to 220V in a year or so, after which I'd consider getting a 15G system for unlimited 5G batches.

So perhaps I shouldn't worry about the grain bill limitations, and just get creative for any big beers.

 

[tracer bullet]

Good point on chiller heights, I don't use what came with them. Sorry I didn't even think of that aspect.

 

[bwible]

I'm having a hard time finding recent information about the minimum batch size for the 10.5. With new models, between the 6.5 and 10.5, I see ~$80 in cost and 9 inches in height, but will I be happy brewing 2.5-3G batches in the 10.5?

I'd go with the 6.5, but for concerns with grain capacity for high gravity brews. Any ability to brew 5G batches would be pure bonus.

Anything else to be aware of that I might be losing going with the 10.5 instead of 6.5 focusing on small batches?

It says you can do small batches in the 10.5. You can probably do 2.5 - 3 gallons. Go to their site and you can read the manual.

At first, I think they had some kind of ring or adapter you had to put in the earlier models to cover holes in the bottom of the basket or something for small batches. I’ve read a few things that say they improved the design of the basket and I’m not sure if they still have that with newer models. And that wort chiller issue would definitely be a concern.

The biggest difference to think about is the grain capacity. The 6.5 has an 8 lb grain capacity. Even for 2.5 - 3 gallon batches there’s only so much you can do with 8 lbs. its fine for a 3 gallon average strength batch. I can get 3 gallons up to about 1.057 or something like that - just a little shy of 1.060. For some weaker beers like bitter, mild, American Lager, etc I can even manage a 5 gallon batch.

If you like to brew stronger beers - RIS, barleywine, Doppelbock, etc you are not going to be able to do that with 8 lbs. Your options are going to be to supplement with extract ($) or go to another system like an old cooler setup if you have one. And you will not have the temp control for step mashes and you will lose features. I considered a double mash but haven’t tried that yet,

The 10.5 says the capacity is 16 lbs. I didn’t buy the 10.5 because I don’t have a 220v outlet anywhere I can use. I’m not sure how well the 10.5 runs on 110v. Maybe others who have one can comment on that. The 6.5 runs just fine on 110v.

If you can run it, the 10.5 seems like a no-brainer. If it were up to me and money was no concern I’d be looking at one of those Speidel systems though.

 

[kevin58]

It says you can do small batches in the 10.5. You can probably do 2.5 - 3 gallons. Go to their site and you can read the manual.

At first, I think they had some kind of ring or adapter you had to put in the earlier models to cover holes in the bottom of the basket or something for small batches. I’ve read a few things that say they improved the design of the basket and I’m not sure if they still have that with newer models. And that wort chiller issue would definitely be a concern.

The biggest difference to think about is the grain capacity. The 6.5 has an 8 lb grain capacity. Even for 2.5 - 3 gallon batches there’s only so much you can do with 8 lbs. its fine for a 3 gallon average strength batch. I can get 3 gallons up to about 1.057 or something like that - just a little shy of 1.060. For some weaker beers like bitter, mild, American Lager, etc I can even manage a 5 gallon batch.

If you like to brew stronger beers - RIS, barleywine, Doppelbock, etc you are not going to be able to do that with 8 lbs. Your options are going to be to supplement with extract ($) or go to another system like an old cooler setup if you have one. And you will not have the temp control for step mashes and you will lose features. I considered a double mash but haven’t tried that yet,

The 10.5 says the capacity is 16 lbs. I didn’t buy the 10.5 because I don’t have a 220v outlet anywhere I can use. I’m not sure how well the 10.5 runs on 110v. Maybe others who have one can comment on that. The 6.5 runs just fine on 110v.

If you can run it, the 10.5 seems like a no-brainer. If it were up to me and money was no concern I’d be looking at one of those Speidel systems though.

You can use up to 19+ pounds in the 10.5 by using just a bag. The 10.5 works just fine on 110v it just takes longer to reach strike and boil temps. Also, if you are used to a vigorous boil just be aware you won't get that using 110v but it works just fine.

 

[bwible]

This is what I have run into myself. Had to stretch the chiller to begin with when making 6 gallon batches. End up lifting it out and dropping my other chiller down with the hoses routed up. Worry about contamination but gets the small batches chilled.

A possible workaround for the chiller would be to just use the Foundry as your mash tun for the small batch. When the mash is complete, drain to your brewpot and boil on top of your stove. For a 2.5 - 3 gallon batch you should be able to get away with that.

 

[tracer bullet]

Indeed, the 10.5 can go closer to 22 with a bag but you are certainly at the tip top. It does however include enough water to actually mash and not just result in oatmeal. Sparge in a separate vessel is recommended so you don't leave too much dense wort behind, and of course if your'e doing 22lbs it might be for an Imperial so plan to boil a lot longer than normal. But it is doable.

I've fit 11.5 pounds of grain in the 6.5, using a bag, and same thing - quite full, but doable. Made 3 gallons of Imperial stout.

 

[sdbbp]

I've fit 11.5 pounds of grain in the 6.5, using a bag, and same thing - quite full, but doable. Made 3 gallons of Imperial stout.

Thanks for the confirmation that this can be done! I'd rather do this in a 6.5 than deal with IC depth (mine will reach down 15") for small batches in a 10.5.

 

[sdbbp]

Those who use a whirlpool device with the AF, how far from the top or bottom do you position the outlet?

Related, how deep is the 6.5 kettle from lip to bottom? That dimension isn't exactly derivable from the dimensions on the Anvil site.

 

[RyPA]

Those who use a whirlpool device with the AF, how far from the top or bottom do you position the outlet?

Related, how deep is the 6.5 kettle from lip to bottom? That dimension isn't exactly derivable from the dimensions on the Anvil site.

This is the anvil swirly arm in a 10.5 AF. I put a QD in for perspective/scale

 

[Grizwold1]

6.5 is 14.25 inches deep.

 

[Brushwood Brewing]

Has anyone replaced the weldless drain valve on the Foundry with a welded triclamp or camlock fitting? I'm curious if the double-wall would create issues in trying to have it welded. It would be really nice not to have to get out the wrenches to unscrew and disassemble the drain valve for cleaning.

 

[kevin58]

Has anyone replaced the weldless drain valve on the Foundry with a welded triclamp or camlock fitting? I'm curious if the double-wall would create issues in trying to have it welded. It would be really nice not to have to get out the wrenches to unscrew and disassemble the drain valve for cleaning.

I've never used a wrench to assemble or disassemble the Foundry ball valve. Hand tight is all you need.