This is exactly what I was looking at getting the M&B to do. Could you elaborate a little on your process and setup? Do you full boil no sparge or sparge? Do you mash recirc? With this setup would installing a dip tube work?
Thanks
Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil
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This is exactly what I was looking at getting the M&B to do. Could you elaborate a little on your process and setup? Do you full boil no sparge or sparge? Do you mash recirc? With this setup would installing a dip tube work?
Thanks
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I try hard to keep things simple. I set the heat to 154. when it reaches temp I pour my grains into a wilserbrewer bag and stir to remove clumps. then I wrap a sleeping bag over the whole thing and leave it for an hour. It drops a bit and the heater kicks in once or twice over the hour, I'm not worried about it. Then I lift the bag with the collander and set it above the m&b to drain into the kettle while the temp is coming up to boiling. Its designed with little bolts sticking out to rest on the rim. Since I lose a little water with the adsorption of the grains, I add a bit of semi hot water through the bag to rinse the grains. After the 60 minute boil I use an immersion chiller to get the temp down. I use a recirc pump in my old 10 gal pot to push ice water through the chiller. since i'm in florida that will get me down to 70 degrees in about 30 minutes. I pitch the yeast pop the lock on it and set it in a walmart bucket half filled with water and I float 3-4 frozen water bottles to keep the temp down in high 60's. (i gotta get another fridge). Primary for 3 weeks, cold crash and rack to keg. 3 days at 25 psi and it's good to go.
Anybody know how to fit a stainless steel piece to the back of the spigot of this thing for gathering the wort in the deadspace at the bottom?
I can't see it being discontinued. I just got the new Williams catalog and it is on the cover.
I purchased a mash and boil and it was leaking during it 1st cleaning, never even got to brew with it..the cheap gasket on the inside was chewed up..idk might have to return it..the only reason i bought this this was to make brew day easier..but so far its just a head ache..its pretty cheap so i guess you get what you pay for
A QC issue like that would explain why Mainer is having so much trouble buying one. If a whole batch went through like that, they would have pulled them. I'm sure Williams will make it right though. I have been buying from them for a while and have always gotten impeccable customer service.
upon looking closer at the gaskets..the opening where the ball valve goes in has a crack in it..so its definitely getting returned..williams brewing is a great company this is not a refection on them..things happen but i would advise against the mash and boil..spend the extra couple of bucks and get something of higher quality just my 2 cents
Good to know. Bought a robobrew with the pump.
I talked to Williams, they said the mash and boil will be in in about a week or so. They have been saying that for a few weeks though...
Ignore.
They told me via Facebook message they'd be back in stock no later than this Monday. So... we'll see...
Well i ate my words with the mash and boil..i was gonna send it back but i decided to tinker around with it first and threw on a new gasket..the little crack caused no problems..i was shocked how good it performed, held temps,boiled 6.5 gallons no problem and very easy to operate..glad i did not send it back..for 300 you cant go wrong. is it the highest quality? No but did its job ..and williams brewing does have top notch customer service will be shopping there again
Good to know. Yours was the first negative feedback I'd heard about the system. They have a reputation for standing by their products.
Cool. I'm staring at one in my living room right now. Pretty well made for 300 bucks.
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Living room is a strange place to brew, but then again, I've been to Carbondale .. I know what you people are like. ;-)
skraeling
Scientist Extraordinaire
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They are a strange people for sure.
Im about to brew in my spare bedroom with the mash and boil..i got a fan in the window good to go
Friend makes beer in the bathroom...
Friend makes beer in the bathroom and uses the tub...
Friend makes beer in the bathroom and uses the tub...We are totally messed up.
I've been brewing all-grain on the stovetop in an apartment (with no outdoor space) for years but have recently begun looking at ways to speed up my brewday and lessen my equipment "footprint" within our (small) place so the Mash & Boil seems like it might check a few of those boxes... especially considering I'm not really concerned with brewing anything over 7-8% abv these days anyhow...
I've read through this entire thread, and it has been incredibly helpful, but does anyone in a similar situation have additional thoughts/input/advice before I take the plunge?
I've read through this entire thread, and it has been incredibly helpful, but does anyone in a similar situation have additional thoughts/input/advice before I take the plunge?
I decided to go with a robobrew with a pump. I was able to take a look at the mash and boil (didn't brew on it), and it looked pretty good for the price. I originally got it with the plan of hooking up a recirculation pump and was going to connect and old grainfather controller to it. Got too lazy and thought the robobrew would save me most of the effort for a bit more money. I will say, the mash and boil looked like a nice little piece of equipment. Better quality than I expected.
Just got my Mash and Boil been doing extract on and off. More off for the last few years. I started brewing in my youth back in the UK. Again started with extract then moved on to all grain. Using a plastic bucket with a kettle element with a thermostat ( very crude but it was a commercial product).
I have just read through this whole thread, at times I was thinking had I made a mistake with all the talk of the temp fluctuation, so with risk of being shot down in flames is the five degrees drop ( BTW I have run test with water my temps drop 4-5 deg but don't seem to overshoot) a deal breaker?
Has any body used it to ferment in?
I have just read through this whole thread, at times I was thinking had I made a mistake with all the talk of the temp fluctuation, so with risk of being shot down in flames is the five degrees drop ( BTW I have run test with water my temps drop 4-5 deg but don't seem to overshoot) a deal breaker?
Has any body used it to ferment in?
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i know there's a drop in temp during mashes, but I can't say I have any problem with it. It's under the KISS principle. I've no issues with the beer quality I've been making, and it makes it an unbelievably simple brew day. I'm not into fermenting in it, as I do like an airtight seal on my carboys which would be tough to get on the m&b. plus I don't want to tie it up for several weeks. I've been more than happy with mine, though I understand people that want more precise control would worry.
fwiw- I'm doing biab with it and have relegated the strainer basket it comes with to a parts carrier.
fwiw- I'm doing biab with it and have relegated the strainer basket it comes with to a parts carrier.
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wow. if he leaves the window open and does an open fermentation with wild chicago yeast like they do in belgium, that's pretty hard core.
of course the fact that he doesn't bathe for two months fits with the carbondale mystique...
I am considering purchasing the Mash & Boil. I am tired of propane and using coolers, etc. Plus my propane unit is rusting badly and will need replacing soon.
I have a question about outdoor temperatures. I live in the Chicago area and I don't brew indoor because of the smell. In the winter I brew in my garage and I use a garden hose to connect to my chiller but in the winter that really sucks. I actually stopped brewing in the winter because of it.
How feasible would it be to brew using this in this in a garage with the door shut, then move it full of wort back into the house to hook my chiller up to a sink to chill? How heavy is the unit empty? I have no issues carrying a 5 gallon fermenter but of course this will be hot. I would actually only have to get it into the house which is 5 feet from where I could brew with this, then I would put it on a cart and wheel it to the sink.
If that doesn't work I need to look into other ways of chilling. Thanks for any advice you can give.
I have a question about outdoor temperatures. I live in the Chicago area and I don't brew indoor because of the smell. In the winter I brew in my garage and I use a garden hose to connect to my chiller but in the winter that really sucks. I actually stopped brewing in the winter because of it.
How feasible would it be to brew using this in this in a garage with the door shut, then move it full of wort back into the house to hook my chiller up to a sink to chill? How heavy is the unit empty? I have no issues carrying a 5 gallon fermenter but of course this will be hot. I would actually only have to get it into the house which is 5 feet from where I could brew with this, then I would put it on a cart and wheel it to the sink.
If that doesn't work I need to look into other ways of chilling. Thanks for any advice you can give.
kc.rkitek
Well-Known Member
I too am in the process of putting together a new brewing rig with the Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil...I don't have it yet (waiting for delivery), but I think it may be too stress on the outer shell of the vessel to move with 5.5 gallons of wort. The wort alone will weigh around 50# I think. 1 US gallon of water = 8.34#, 5.5 will be just short of 46#. I'd guess that wort probably weighs a fuzz more per pound than straight water...let's say that's 50# for the wort.
I can't locate any weight spec for the Mash & Boil, however on Amazon the estimated shipping weight is 30#...seems a little high to me, but even if we shaved 10# off that weight, you'd be looking at moving 70# total, roughly. That seems to me like way more load (torsional?) than you should put on thin-ish sheet metal at 2 relatively small areas even though it is cylindrical. I'm not an engineer, but that's what my gut is telling me. I'm sure someone who already has it has tried to move it post-boil though. I wonder how thick the sheet metal is; maybe it has the strength.
kendrid, you say you don't like to brew indoors because of the smell? What smell? Personally, the smell of sweet grain & wort and hops is one of the things that I like about brewing. My wife even likes it. Btw, I'm considering buy a Mash & Boil. The only thing is, I wonder how easy it is to pull a decoction with M&B. I like to do a decoction mash for German lagers and wheats.
My very first brew was a small batch indoor on the stove and I have to say that wasn't a great smell. I love the smell of fresh hops but grain & wort not so much.
I am seriously considering brewing in a bathroom we have on the second floor. It has two doors and I could just turn on the exhaust fan and open the window. With both doors shut the majority of smell will go outside.
Great point about the quality of the sheet metal. I am not going to move the unit with wort in it. I'll either suck it up and use a hose in the winter (kept in the basement when not in use) or I could drain into my current kettle and carry it inside but that would be one more thing to sanitize and clean. It is very thick and I know it can handle being moved.
I brewed in a bathroom with a small tub window and a standard (50cfm) bath fan and it wasn't enough. I bought a cheap vortex fan, propped it up in the window and it worked great. I do have more boil power(3200 watts) and a bigger diameter pot, so YMMV.
There are some threads here on how many CFM you need which is dependent on a lot of factors.
Im currently on the fence about getting one also, I'm in the same climate as you, but I do plan to brew inside. This winter I was thinking about maybe just going with the no chill route. Sticking it in the cube then setting it outside on my deck to chill over night without having to waste a bunch of water. If you come up with any other ideas post back.
One thing that ive been curious about is, can you add a dip tube of some sorts to help make sure you're getting the max amount out of the kettle when you're finished? What about a whirlpool arm?
The idea of no more propane burner, coolers, etc made me quickly want to go electric. I actually researched electric brewing about 6 months ago and only saw the huge units that required new electrical outlets.
In regards to outdoor chilling, with the electronics snow and cold might not be good for it long term.
I will be making one of these to help with temperature loss during the mash. One huge advantage of electric is that I can leave the garage door closed which will smell like crazy but keep the ambient temperature reasonable.
I should have specified, I don't intend to stick the mash n' boil outside. I would transfer the wort after the boil was over to a no chill cube, then let that sit outside to cool overnight or something. I plan to insulate mine with reflectix also.
I was wondering what you meant by cube. I have never heard of that.
That isn't a bad idea for water free chilling. Early on in my brewing years ago I would stick the pot in the snow and use my copper chiller with it.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
Its usually the other way around with people complaining of the hop smell..
