Benefits and Disadvantages of Single Vessel Brewing Systems

[DU99]

Nothing mentioned about The Braumeister which has been around before the Grainfather so this article is not true representation of single vessel brewing and BIAB is single vessel brewing also..

 

[DU99]

People tend to forget this site has members all over the world.The Braumeister is available world wide including Australia not just Europe

 

[PrivateWiddle]

Hi Shawnbou,
That makes sense. If I was going to get into no-sparge brewing then I could get away without a HLT altogether. I'm thinking of getting a GF because space is a big issue for me. The Braumeister seems to be overkill so this seems perfect.
I've heard that decoction is very difficult to pull off with a BM, I don't know if I'll ever do it but am curious if its possible using a GF.

 

[chezhed]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7206971#post7206971 this is a rough diagram of what I did....but I believe changes have been made to the connections since this one and not sure it will work exactly but probably the concept is the same.
and hopefully this link will show the picture
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/tndc9siflo4xicn/AAA5chGFdUxRESIPc-JcTZpua
If not and you need one, PM me and I will send it.

 

[nzm]

Hi Shawn,
Nice article. As you might expect, there are a lot of Grainfather owners here in NZ. The early models had some issues but the company that makes them is very responsive and listens to, and often implements, customer input. The latest model, especially the upgraded wort chiller, looks quite nice and is still considered good value locally. The Braumeister is well thought of here as well but too expensive for most of us and limited to those who want to do 60 L batches...and have the spare cash.
The main reason for my post is to mention the modification a few of us have done. The STC-200 controller that comes with the Grainfather works fine but doesn't allow much automation. If an owner is keen and technically inclined, it can be replaced with a programmable version of the STC-1000 with the single vessel firmware offered free here https://github.com/matsstaff/stc1000p. With this you can automate stepped mashing and include alarms for hop additions, much like the Braumeister. It also has the advantage of being easily reversible. There is a short write up on the process at http://homebrewery.nz/process/grainfather-stc-1000/. Note our units are 230 VAC.
This is the same STC-1000 that many people use to control a fermentation chamber (including me) but with different firmware offered on the same site.
cheers

 

[shawnbou]

Cheers! Thanks for some great ideas for alternatives. - Shawn

 

[shawnbou]

Hi Liam - I haven't done a decoction yet, but there's a video online of a single decoction helles brewed on the Grainfather. Google "helles decoction grainfather" and you'll find it. Hope that helps. - Shawn

 

[TexasWine]

Is the STC-1000 rated for ~14 amps (1650 watts/ 120 volts)? Everything I've read about the STC-1000 says it is rated for 10 amps, nothing more.

 

[PrivateWiddle]

Hi,
Thanks that's a good video, exactly what I wanted to know - Liam

 

[nzm]

TexasWine,
Good point, the 230 V system draws less than 10 amps so it isn't an issue here. However, you are correct that the installed relays are limited to 10 amps so the heating relay would have to be replaced with a higher capacity one for North American use. There are some guides online on how to replace the mechanical relays with suitable solid state ones. Even 230 V owners do this sometimes because the mechanical relays can fail.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Came across a webpage last night for a 5 gallon electric BIAB system with the capacity to recirculate the mash and everything fits nicely on your countertop. The more I look at it, the more I'm starting to think it's exactly what I've been looking for. http://brausupply.com/collections/biab-systems/products/unibrau-120v-5-gallon-brew-boss-automated-brew-system

 

[stonebrewer]

Shawn - Got my stainless steel basket in today and it looks great! Another HBT sponsor made it...reading today I forgot about the UniBrau system, yet another great option that I looked at. It's great because you brew and ferment in the same vessel...and it is a work of art!
Cheers!

 

[rtc]

The "Non-boil" issue on the Zymatic isn't really an issue at all. The Z boils at 207F but agitates the wort the entire time. DMS leaves the wort at 170F and either needs the agitation that the Zymatic has or needs the breaking of surface tension that a slightly higher heat boil would have. There are no DMS issues with the Zymatic. After all, boil-temp in Denver is around 202F and there are some pretty decent beers that come out of that area.

 

[PrivateWiddle]

Thank you thinking1, great tips. - Liam

 

[BarleyAndVine]

I also use the Grainfather personally and sell it in my store. We also use it with all our brewing classes. We have brewed about 10 batches of beer with the Grainfather and it has worked flawlessly. What we have experienced recently are people who are purchasing the Grainbrother and then purchasing parts instead of just buying the grainfather. I have not heard how well this has turned out. Has anyone tried tricking out a Grainbrother?

 

[Denny]

What are the other concerns? What's so magic about that last 5 degrees?

 

[Denny]

Have youbrewed on a Zymatic? How do you knowyget better control and beer from other systems? I've brewed on a Grainfather and I can tell you that a Zymatic gives you much better control and repeatability.

 

[Denny]

Oversimplify the process? No, the Zymatic just removes the drudgerypart.

 

[luqout]

I would like to address the Grainfather clogging issue - the way the Grainfather's chiller works is a bit counterintuitive: while brewing my first batches I ran the chiller and waited till it cools the wort to the right temperature and it clogged! However, after I had resorted to watching the GF instructional videos on this matter, I haven't had any issues ever since: you should turn the pump and cold water inlet on, wait until the wort hose gets cold, stop the pump, direct the wort hose into the fermenting vessel and turn the pump on again. No issues with clogging at all and the chilling and wort transfer is under 10 minutes. I've done about 20 brews on GF since I got one and I highly recommend this unit. It's efficency is about 80% and the end product is incredibly satisfying. Yesterday I brewed a Beer Geek Breakfast clone based on the recipe from the Mikkeller's book and the boil volume was designed to be 25 litres at FG 1.074. I managed to extract 27 litres at the very same FG as stated in the recipe, so it just confirms the mashing efficency.

 

[RealToast]

I made my first beer on the stovetop in my kitchen, 5-gal. I had purchased gear that was needed from the brew shop and hardware store. As a first timer , the process was a bit messy and a bit unwieldy in my kitchen area. Weeks later I went to the brew shop to get what I needed for for my second batch and saw the Grainfather sitting there, displayed for sale. I bought it on the spot. Yes, it was pricey. But, I could see that I would eventually have spent that money in dribs and drabs over a period of time as I learned more and improved my gear. I've since made two batches, a pale ale and a citrus IPA with the Grainfather and would never look back! I made the batches in my back yard with plenty of space. Cleanup was a snap. The system worked perfectly with no guessing on temps and volumes. Most notably, the counter-flow cooler was a dream compared to trying to quick-cool my wort in an giant ice bucket. This article is spot-on for both the pros and cons. As for getting to mash and boil temps, it could be quicker (I'm in US). But 15-20-mins isn't too bad. I used the time for cleanup and preparation for next steps, and hardly noticed. Traditionalists may sniff at such a setup -just as skiers used to dismiss snowboarders back in the early '80s. But, for this newb, GF leapfrogged me immediately into shortening the learning curve to making excellent beer. I'm spending less time on trial-and-error experimentation and more time on the recipe, timings, and execution.

 

[RealToast]

My pump system clogged with my first attempt with the Grainfather at the most inopportune time - when initializing the counter-flow cooling process. I was able to fix the issue by turning the pump off and disassembling ball valve, near the top of the tube from the pump. Inside the ball valve is a spring where hops had log-jammed and formed a tight plug. I poked the hop plug out of the spring and reassembled the ball valve and was back in business; all in about 3 mins. I've heard that others have just removed the ball valve guts all together as a quick remedy. The clog was a first-timer issue. It's not happened since.

 

[shawnbou]

Good advice, RealToast. Thanks. I have been using a hop spider with the Grainfather for every batch since the first couple, and it's been working great. But there was one time that I had so much hops in the spider that the bag came loose from the collar and all that hop matter got in the wort anyway ... and it was a lot. I'll check the ball valve if I ever get a clog again. Cheers!
- Shawn

 

[shawnbou]

Thanks, rbell. Since posting this article, I've been hearing a lot about the systems from Brau Supply, and I'm actually considering one myself for my next major purchase. Cheers! - Shawn

 

[shawnbou]

DU99 - Thanks for the feedback. The intent of the article was just to highlight some of the general advantages and disadvantages of the concept while referencing those options I've looked into or used, rather than attempting to comprehensively analyze all of the options that are out there. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
But yes, there are a lot of other options out there and Braumeister is one of the most popular. I'll let others weigh in with specific experiences about it. Cheers!
- Shawn

 

[2Kegger]

I bought one of these a few years ago, and I love it! http://www.highgravitybrew.com/store/pc/BIAB-Electric-Brewing-System-240V-269p3987.htm It's a boil in a bag system, but I actually sparge with it. I use the basket and the bag for the mash, but only a portion of the water like a regular all grain batch. I heat up the sparge water ahead of time and put that in a 5 gallon cooler an set it aside. Once the mash is done, I hook up a hose from my cooler to the lid and let the water flow in as I drain it from the bottom of the pot. The sprinkler head on the lid works great for distributing the sparge water. It easily gets to a boil, but it does run off a 240 outlet. I did install an exhaust in my basement for the moisture during the boil, but it's great to be able to brew indoors in the winter here in WI. I love electric brewing.

 

[WarmGas]

I have a GF and brew indoors as we have no garage and it rains a lot here in New Zealand. (Yes, I have the 240 V AC version and it boils like mad). I think most people who have experienced clogging on the Grainfather may be forgetting this crucial step: you MUST turn the valve down on the recirculation pipe to reduce flow when using the wort chiller and transferring to your fermentation vessel. This not only allows the wort to cool down to a lower temperature but it really helps in PREVENTING CLOGGING. I have made some really hoppy beers where the bottom of the GF and the pump inlet screen thing is completely invisible due to massive amounts of gloppy trub. No clogging, ever.
I have just bought a hop spider though and am playing around with that just to make cleanup less messy.
I also dissasmble and clean the ball valve on the recirc pipe every time during clean up. There is always some trub or stuff caught in the spring. Takes all of 65 seconds to take apart, rinse and reassemble. This might also help explain why I have had no clogging issue.
On my 18th brew now with the GF and am continually impressed with it. (I don't work for the company even though I live in NZ. I don't even know these guys). Highly recommended!