ANVIL FOUNDRY ALL-GRAIN BREWING SYSTEM

[bleme]

The family was gone for the day so I got to brew in peace. I collected 6 gallons of water the night before because it takes a while to run through my filter. I started heating the water at 8am (110v) and quickly got in the zone. I was kind of shocked when I checked the time after cleaning and putting everything away that it was only 12:09!

 

[sweetcell]

Granted, there's a ton of hop matter and crap intertwined, but seems like a lot of wasted fluid.

embrace the waste. it's a normal part of brewing. you don't want that last 3/4 of a gallon dragging down the rest of the batch.

 

[RyPA]

embrace the waste. it's a normal part of brewing. you don't want that last 3/4 of a gallon dragging down the rest of the batch.

I ferment in a keg, and then drink from said keg. So I was thinking, should I just put everything in the keg since all of the crap will drop out eventually. But then the question is, does the hop matter impact the beer over time? Some is getting in there even when I leave the ~1 gallon or so behind, and the beers taste great, but I wonder if everything goes if I will see negative impacts. I'm thinking if I reduce that left behind wort, I can reduce the amount of water for the batch, which should bump up my efficiency.

 

[wepeeler]

Question for anyone using a Wilser bag in the 10.5 gal Foundry with no malt pipe. I emailed him and requested a bag that was no longer than 24". He sent me a bag that was 33" and when I emailed him to question it he says his users line the entire inside of the Foundry with it and have no scorching issues. He told me to try it, but I'm not trying it to find out I ruin another brew day and have another scorched bag. He seemed to think the bag that scorched for me was due to it being too large and bunching. He said I was the first to complain about the bag, but he would shorten it if I ship it back.

I'm going to send it back, but I'm wondering if anyone here lines their entire Foundry with a bag during the mash?

 

[RyPA]

Question for anyone using a Wilser bag in the 10.5 gal Foundry with no malt pipe. I emailed him and requested a bag that was no longer than 24". He sent me a bag that was 33" and when I emailed him to question it he says his users line the entire inside of the Foundry with it and had no scorching issues. He told me to try it, but I'm not trying it to find out I ruin another brew day and have another scorched bag. He seemed to think the bag that scorched for me was due to it being too large and bunching. He said I was the first to complain about the bag, but he would shorten it if I ship it back.

I'm going to send it back, but I'm wondering if anyone here lines their entire Foundry with a bag during the mash?

Is your bag resting on the heating element or are you using one of these jams?

https://a.co/d/cxsvAzC

 

[wepeeler]

Is your bag resting on the heating element or are you using one of these jams?

https://a.co/d/cxsvAzC

I keep it off the bottom with clamps, but I was recirculating too fast and not paying attention and it fell directly on the heating element. I was going to buy one of those "false bottoms", but I figure if the bag is short enough I wouldn't need one.

Edit - I bought the "false bottom" so I don't have to return the bag. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[RyPA]

I keep it off the bottom with clamps, but I was recirculating too fast and not paying attention and it fell directly on the heating element. I was going to buy one of those "false bottoms", but I figure if the bag is short enough I wouldn't need one.

Edit - I bought the "false bottom" so I don't have to return the bag. Thanks for the suggestion.

The bag has got to be pretty heavy to support using clamps, plus with the ease of use the false bottom is well worth the $20.

I am considering ditching the malt pipe and switching to a bag+false bottom.

 

[RyPA]

While we’re on the bag topic, how do you bag guys sparge? I am hoping to avoid building some kind of pully system, but i can if i have to.

 

[wepeeler]

The bag has got to be pretty heavy to support using clamps, plus with the ease of use the false bottom is well worth the $20.

I am considering ditching the malt pipe and switching to a bag+false bottom.

Yeah, makes sense.. I switched from a propane setup - 15 gal kettle and BIAB, so scorching wasn't ever a concern for me. I researched every AIO I could, and it seemed like the malt pipe wasn't worth my time. BUT, scorching could be an issue. Burned a hole in my bag 2 brew days ago and have been trying to figure out a solution ever since. When I get the longer bag, I was like, back to square one...That bbq grill "false bottom" came up a few times. I think it's the right choice. Thanks.

 

[wepeeler]

While we’re on the bag topic, how do you bag guys sparge? I am hoping to avoid building some kind of pully system, but i can if i have to.

I do full volume mashes and have a pulley system.

 

[RyPA]

I do full volume mashes and have a pulley system.

Does not sparging/rinsing result in some lost efficiency? Or is that known/expected and is just the cost of doing business using a malt bag?

 

[wepeeler]

Does not sparging/rinsing result in some lost efficiency? Or is that known/expected and is just the cost of doing business using a malt bag?

I get almost 80% mash efficiency, which I think is on the higher end. Step mashing and recirculating helps. I also brew a lot of lighter beers. Although I still get nearly 80% with my NEIPAs. Almost 17# of grain with just the bag.

 

[tracer bullet]

I use the pipe for like 5% beers, since the water / grain ration *inside* the pipe itself stays good. For heavier beers or Imperials it's bag and false bottom.

Theoretically the bags won't burn, but the grain will, and so in the end it's kind of the same thing anyhow.

I've slowly gone away from sparging. With a generous squeeze, there's hardly anything worth getting out. For the very rare time I sparge I use a bag, squeeze the grain over the kettle, move the bag to a pot of water, dunk / stir / squeeze again, and then pitch what I collected into the Anvil.

I'm a convert, and it took a while, but sparging... not needed / not worth it.

 

[RyPA]

I use the pipe for like 5% beers, since the water / grain ration *inside* the pipe itself stays good. For heavier beers or Imperials it's bag and false bottom.

Theoretically the bags won't burn, but the grain will, and so in the end it's kind of the same thing anyhow.

I've slowly gone away from sparging. With a generous squeeze, there's hardly anything worth getting out. For the very rare time I sparge I use a bag, squeeze the grain over the kettle, move the bag to a pot of water, dunk / stir / squeeze again, and then pitch what I collected into the Anvil.

I'm a convert, and it took a while, but sparging... not needed / not worth it.

Is using a pully pretty much a requirement for “going bag”? Or are there guys managing without one?

 

[tracer bullet]

Is using a pully pretty much a requirement for “going bag”? Or are there guys managing without one?

I do my 6.5 manually, the 10.5 with a pulley. Bag or pipe, either one.

Take your grain weight, roughly double it for the weight when wet, add the pipe weight if you use it, and then decide if you can lift it and manage the weight.

 

[refect]

While we’re on the bag topic, how do you bag guys sparge? I am hoping to avoid building some kind of pully system, but i can if i have to.

I don't sparge in mine. I just do full volume mashes. There isn't a really good way to do a proper sparge with this system to make it worth while. My brewhouse efficiency is anywhere from 65% - 70%. Higher grain bills are on the lower end, and smaller grain bills are on the higher end for me. I typically can gauge what my efficacy will be based on grain bill size and adjust accordingly.

 

[RyPA]

I use the pipe for like 5% beers, since the water / grain ration *inside* the pipe itself stays good. For heavier beers or Imperials it's bag and false bottom.

Theoretically the bags won't burn, but the grain will, and so in the end it's kind of the same thing anyhow.

I've slowly gone away from sparging. With a generous squeeze, there's hardly anything worth getting out. For the very rare time I sparge I use a bag, squeeze the grain over the kettle, move the bag to a pot of water, dunk / stir / squeeze again, and then pitch what I collected into the Anvil.

I'm a convert, and it took a while, but sparging... not needed / not worth it.

I do my 6.5 manually, the 10.5 with a pulley. Bag or pipe, either one.

Take your grain weight, roughly double it for the weight when wet, add the pipe weight if you use it, and then decide if you can lift it and manage the weight.

Yeah I have no problem lifting the basket, even when i did an imperial stout with 19# of malt, granted it was pretty heavy.

With the bag, does it remain the width of the foundry when pulled out, or does it expand where it becomes wider to the point you cant drop it back in?

 

[tracer bullet]

It gets tough to put it back, the grain does change shape to fit the bag. Not impossible but it's definitely work and you'll be wondering if the handle ends will tear it.

 

[Scottyward]

I have been using the Anvil 10.5 110 V for 4 years with a Wisler Bag. Originally I lined the Malt pipe with the bag but ran into problems with the malt not draining out of the bottom. I eventually began to line my foundry with the bag and then placed the malt pipe inside of that. My space and set up does not allow for a pully system. After the Malt pipe has been pulled up with sparging, then drained and removed, I pull the bag up and let the water drain out. Of course the fine particles are collected by the bag. To answer the original question; I have never had the bag melt or be damaged while resting on the bottom next to the heating element. I do pull the bag out while ramping up for the Boil. So, it is never in temps over 170 degrees. Over the years, I have pulled tips from this forum on ways to help with efficiency using the Pipe. Like the previous post, I also have had a 19 lb. gain bill in the pipe with no issues.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

So I haven't posted in quite a while, but hope this post answers some recent questions related to sparging and using a bag instead of malt pipe. I use the first gen foundry and I ditched the malt pipe probably after about my 20th batch or so. I brew with a wilser bag that was fitted to the kettle, not the malt pipe, and I use a brewzilla false bottom to keep the bag off of the element. I had to bend the feet of the false bottom into a "V" shape so that the false bottom is tall enough to clear the foundry's dip tube. There is about 1 gallon of wort below the false bottom. I also recirculate during the mash to the top of the lid that has loc-line on the inside that is formed to dispense the reciruculating wort below the liquid line. After mash out, I sparge. I sparge with the bag in place which I think helps with the grain bed set and undisturbed. During sparging I simply take the QD from the top of the foundry and move it to my second vessel and start pumping the wort slowly to the second vessel and I add one quart of sparge water at a time to the foundry. So this is like a poor man's fly sparge. Once I get ~6gallons into the second vessel there isn't much at all left in the bag itself. Thats when I tie the bag to my hoist (you can see in the pic the ghetto ladder on top of crates lol) that is at the top of a ladder and lift the nearly drained bag up and out of the foundry while I switch my hoses to pump from the second vessel back to the foundry. During this time I remove the false bottom as I don't keep it in during the boil. You may be able to spot some SS wires wrapped around the handles in the pictures. These wires are connected to the false bottom. Then I boil as usual after everything is pumped back to the foundry. This is the ONLY process I use even with grainbills that I could just simply do full volume no sparge on. I started with this method around batch #20 and I have over 90 batches done on the system total. I just wanted ONE method that I could be consistent on regardless of the beer. My mash/lauter efficiency is consistently 76-80%. On the largest grain bills (~24lbs) my mash efficiency dips a bit lower but still above 70%. Lastly, I freaking love those pinch clips. Super easy to use as well.

 

[bwible]

I really really despise that cheap little screw thing they give you to regulate the pump. I got a 1/2” valve from Lowe’s instead. It doesn’t exactly look professional but I like it better and it works alot better. I don’t feel like I have to lift the lid and check the flow every 3 minutes anymore. I had to order another set of the little white clips, 4 was not enough.

 

[tracer bullet]

Agreed, only used them once to try it and immediately went to a valve for the next brew and ever since. I'm sure they wanted to keep the price down...

Nice job rocking the original pump! If you ever change to the stainless head, you might be able to put the valve right on the pump. As I'm sure you know.

 

[RyPA]

Agreed, only used them once to try it and immediately went to a valve for the next brew and ever since. I'm sure they wanted to keep the price down...

Nice job rocking the original pump! If you ever change to the stainless head, you might be able to put the valve right on the pump. As I'm sure you know.

Yeah, an SS head is nice. This is a solid pump for $60, excluding the added hardware.

 

[greyghost]

Using the the ring that comes with the unit that holds the plate on top works great to hold the bag

 

[RyPA]

Using the the ring that comes with the unit that holds the plate on top works great to hold the bag

That does not come with the latest versions. I bought mine in May 2023 and it did not include the ring, or the plate.

 

[RyPA]

How much excess/leftover wort do you guys with a 10.5 have left in the foundry after transferring to a fermenter?

I ferment and serve in a corny keg and after transferring I had around 1.5g left in the foundry. I like having some left behind as I not want to transfer the hop matter and trub, but it seems like a lot of waste.

Ive been looking into getting an all rounder lately. With that i am thinking i can empty the foundry to the all rounder and send a full 5g of clean beer to the keg post fermentation.

 

[szap]

Is this because the keg is full or the wort stops coming at the Foundry tap?

 

[RyPA]

Is this because the keg is full or the wort stops coming at the Foundry tap?

Keg is full, I leave a few inches of head space for the krausen.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

How much excess/leftover wort do you guys with a 10.5 have left in the foundry after transferring to a fermenter?

Just two batches in on mine, but I have my profile tuned for 0.5 gal of trub (< that is trub & liquid left in the kettle after transfer). I got that just by measuring what was left after my first batch. I generally think that some trub into the fermenter promotes better fermentation and more clear beer, but too much just eats up space in the fermenter. I could see the desire to limit trub if fermenting and serving from a keg. I target 5.5 gal into the fermenter to transfer 5 gal into a keg.

 

[kevin58]

How much excess/leftover wort do you guys with a 10.5 have left in the foundry after transferring to a fermenter?

I ferment and serve in a corny keg and after transferring I had around 1.5g left in the foundry. I like having some left behind as I not want to transfer the hop matter and trub, but it seems like a lot of waste.

Ive been looking into getting an all rounder lately. With that i am thinking i can empty the foundry to the all rounder and send a full 5g of clean beer to the keg post fermentation.

Any wort left behind is part of your unrecoverable volume. Yes, it is kind of a waste but it is a factor in every brewing system large or small. If you are leaving behind more than necessary then you need to adjust your equipment profile. Imo, yes 1.5g is too much to leave behind.