From Kit to Anvil

[Thazo79]

Alright, I have a simple question that maybe someone can help me with.
I recently got an Anvil Foundry, and already thoroughly cleaned it to remove the manufacturing oils.
Since this is the first time I am going to use the Anvil Foundry system, I bought an all-grain kit from Austin Homebrew because I wanted to do a simple recipe that has already been thought out for my first run. But I just noticed that the kit calls for a different volume(less amount) of strike/mashing water volume than what the tables in the Anvil Foundry manual suggest I should use for the same weight of grain.

Which one should I go with for the 8 lbs grain bill?

Austin Homebrew kit suggests:
Strike/Mash water volume 2.5 gallons
Sparge water volume 5 gallons
total finished 6 gallons

Anvil Foundry suggests:
Strike/Mash water volume 5.5 gallons
Sparge water volume 1 gallon

My gut tells me to follow the Anvil suggestions. Sorry if this is such a basic newbie question, but I am a newbie.

 

[lumpher]

Go with Anvil's suggestions. I've used Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil's suggestions for mine for 2 years, (after semi-retiring my keggles and burner after 11 years) and my beer comes out good.

 

[Thazo79]

Go with Anvil's suggestions. I've used Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil's suggestions for mine for 2 years, (after semi-retiring my keggles and burner after 11 years) and my beer comes out good.

Thank you for your reply.
That is what my gut was saying to do; knowing that your's came out well, makes me feel a lot more confident.

 

[capt_yo55arian]

Anvil def. Mash would be like spackle if using just 2.5 gallons b/c of dead space on bottom and sides.

 

[Kickass]

I’m not familiar with brewing on that setup so if my suggestions are physically not possible, disregard.

There are many ways the get to the same final volume and none are really wrong, maybe just less effective/problematic.

When I was batch sparging (I think the process anvil incorporates) I usually aimed for equal parts mash and sparge water. That usually got me close to “recommended” mash thickness. I settled on this because I saw no measurable or perceptible differences when shooting for a thin (2 qt/lb) or thick (1 qt/lb) mash. Others may defend thin vs thick mash and I’m not saying they’re wrong, only that it didn’t make difference to me so I settled on simplicity.

I guess my point is, read up on what and why you’re doing it then go from there. That way you can determine why one option or the other might be better for your brew. Here are two articles that describe mash this.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/03/22/mashing-thick-or-thin/
https://byo.com/article/managing-mash-thickness/
Cheers and welcome to an incredible hobby!

 

[Thazo79]

Anvil def. Mash would be like spackle if using just 2.5 gallons b/c of dead space on bottom and sides.

OH yeah. That too!

 

[Thazo79]

I’m not familiar with brewing on that setup so if my suggestions are physically not possible, disregard.

There are many ways the get to the same final volume and none are really wrong, maybe just less effective/problematic.

When I was batch sparging (I think the process anvil incorporates) I usually aimed for equal parts mash and sparge water. That usually got me close to “recommended” mash thickness. I settled on this because I saw no measurable or perceptible differences when shooting for a thin (2 qt/lb) or thick (1 qt/lb) mash. Others may defend thin vs thick mash and I’m not saying they’re wrong, only that it didn’t make difference to me so I settled on simplicity.

I guess my point is, read up on what and why you’re doing it then go from there. That way you can determine why one option or the other might be better for your brew. Here are two articles that describe mash this.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/03/22/mashing-thick-or-thin/
https://byo.com/article/managing-mash-thickness/
Cheers and welcome to an incredible hobby!

Thank you for pointing me into a direction, with a couple resources, that will give me a little more knowledge on the mash vs spare volumes. I appreciate it! And now, I'm off to check them out...

 

[bwible]

The Foundry has a large amount of space under the basket. I have the 6.5 and there is just about a gallon’s worth of space under the basket. I don’t know what it is in the 10. Pour water in until it reaches the bottom of the basket. Measure it and see how much it is. Then add that amount to your mash water.

The Foundry works best with the pump recirculating the wort and the liquid from the dead space in the bottom back to the top.

 

[bwible]

If I had 8 lbs I’d figure 8 * 1.5 = 12 / 4 = 3 gallons mash water. My Foundry 6.5 has a gallon of dead space under the basket so my mash water would be 4 gallons.

Then you have to account for grain absorption and losses to dead space. I always cut the grain bill in half and use that.

So I mashed in with 4 gallons. 8 * 1.5 = 12 - 4 = 8 + 4 you added for dead space = 12 you can expect to draw off 3 gallons. If you have 12 and you want 20 qts then your sparge water needs to be 8 qts or 2 gallons.

 

[cmac62]

I'm guessing your in the 10.5 Foundry. I've been using mine for the past year or so and love it. When I do sparge I will usually do it with 1 to 2 gals depending on grain bill, the more grain the more water. I also do what some have started calling a dunk sparge. I put the room temp water in a bucket (old cooler MT) and just dunk the basket in a couple of times. I also use the spout and pour it over a few times, when doing this I have been consistently getting efficiency in the 80s. Bottom line, for me I'd go with more mash water than sparge for sure. Good luck.

 

[Thazo79]

I'm guessing your in the 10.5 Foundry. I've been using mine for the past year or so and love it. When I do sparge I will usually do it with 1 to 2 gals depending on grain bill, the more grain the more water. I also do what some have started calling a dunk sparge. I put the room temp water in a bucket (old cooler MT) and just dunk the basket in a couple of times. I also use the spout and pour it over a few times, when doing this I have been consistently getting efficiency in the 80s. Bottom line, for me I'd go with more mash water than sparge for sure. Good luck.

Fascinating! I think it is interesting that you mentioned dunking the used-grain filled mashed pipe in bucket of room temp water(which I assume will be poured into the Anvil Foundry afterwords). Why does the dunk method use room temp instead of the higher temps(170-ish* F) seen in the traditional batch sparge pour-over method? And do you use the dunk in conjunction with sparge? Or do you just choose which one to use per style of brew?

 

[kevin58]

I do full a volume/no sparge mash on my 10.5 and was surprised the first time I used it as to how spot on the suggestions in the manual were. I never questioned them since.

One tip to get better mash efficiency... the Foundry has an inherent efficiency flaw built into the dimensions of the unit. If using the recirculation pump the water in between the malt pipe and the outer kettle sides does not get pulled into the pump. So when you pull the malt pipe at the end of your mash it is the equivalent of pouring plain water into your mash tun... it will dilute your mash and lower the SG. If you lift the malt pipe once or twice (I do twice) you can increase your efficiency from something near the mid 70% range to the low 80%'s

 

[doug293cz]

Fascinating! I think it is interesting that you mentioned dunking the used-grain filled mashed pipe in bucket of room temp water(which I assume will be poured into the Anvil Foundry afterwords). Why does the dunk method use room temp instead of the higher temps(170-ish* F) seen in the traditional batch sparge pour-over method? And do you use the dunk in conjunction with sparge? Or do you just choose which one to use per style of brew?

Temperature of the sparge water does not affect mash efficiency, unless the conversion efficiency of the initial mash was less than 100%. If conversion isn't done when you start sparging, and you haven't done a mash-out, then conversion can continue during the sparge, thus increasing conversion, and mash, efficiency. In the case of (near) 100% conversion efficiency cold water sparging has been shown to be just as effective as hot water sparging.

Sparging is just rinsing the spent grains with fresh water to rinse more sugar out of the grain mass. It can be a batch process (drain fully, add sparge water, drain fully again), which can be repeated multiple times, or a continuous process (add sparge water at the top while draining wort out the bottom.) Dunking in a bucket is just another way to do a batch sparge, that is useful when mashing in a bag or basket.

Brew on

 

[Thazo79]

I do full a volume/no sparge mash on my 10.5 and was surprised the first time I used it as to how spot on the suggestions in the manual were. I never questioned them since.

One tip to get better mash efficiency... the Foundry has an inherent efficiency flaw built into the dimensions of the unit. If using the recirculation pump the water in between the malt pipe and the outer kettle sides does not get pulled into the pump. So when you pull the malt pipe at the end of your mash it is the equivalent of pouring plain water into your mash tun... it will dilute your mash and lower the SG. If you lift the malt pipe once or twice (I do twice) you can increase your efficiency from something near the mid 70% range to the low 80%'s

You mean lift and lower the mash pipe twice during the mashing process itself? If so, does the grain fall through the pipe bottom? I have the newer button design pipe bottom as opposed to the older ones with all the holes. I bought rice hulls to use on my first brew since it has flaked wheat in the grain bill. Would the rice hulls be enough to prevent the grain from filtering through the pipe bottom whilst lifting and lowering the pipe during mash?

 

[tracer bullet]

So, how many gallons are you planning to brew? 8 lbs grain is a strange one for me. It's more like 6.5 lbswhen I'm using my Anvil 6.5 (maybe 8 for a heavier stout). For the 10.5, if your'e aiming for a 5 gallon batch, 8 pounds sounds really low.

As for the 6.5 and 10.5, there's a lot of dead space. Just a hair less than a gallon under the pipe, and almost another 30% of the remaining volume is outside of the basket. You can end up with some fairly dry mashes if you aren't careful.

Generally agreed to start with the anvil amounts. And yes try to lift and lower the basket a few times, and stir your mash, for a more even / higher extraction. Lift /lower is mostly to mix the nearly plain water on the sides of the pipe in with the rest of the wort. It makes a difference. Do be careful with putting th basket back in too fast though, depending on what you're brewing and your water it might actually come up the sides and overflow.

 

[doug293cz]

You mean lift and lower the mash pipe twice during the mashing process itself? If so, does the grain fall through the pipe bottom? I have the newer button design pipe bottom as opposed to the older ones with all the holes. I bought rice hulls to use on my first brew since it has flaked wheat in the grain bill. Would the rice hulls be enough to prevent the grain from filtering through the pipe bottom whilst lifting and lowering the pipe during mash?

Lifting and lowering is most effective at the end of the mash. With the standard recirc arrangement, the highest concentration wort is in (and under) the pipe. So, when you lift the pipe, the wort that remains in the spent grain is the highest concentration wort. By lifting and lowering the pipe several times, you get a more homogeneous sugar concentration throughout all of the wort, so the concentration in the pipe is lower, and less sugar gets trapped in the grain when you drain the pipe.

If you lift the pipe slowly enough, you shouldn't get grain falling out thru the false bottom.

Brew on

 

[Thazo79]

So, how many gallons are you planning to brew? 8 lbs grain is a strange one for me. It's more like 6.5 lbswhen I'm using my Anvil 6.5 (maybe 8 for a heavier stout). For the 10.5, if your'e aiming for a 5 gallon batch, 8 pounds sounds really low.

As for the 6.5 and 10.5, there's a lot of dead space. Just a hair less than a gallon under the pipe, and almost another 30% of the remaining volume is outside of the basket. You can end up with some fairly dry mashes if you aren't careful.

Generally agreed to start with the anvil amounts. And yes try to lift and lower the basket a few times, and stir your mash, for a more even / higher extraction. Lift /lower is mostly to mix the nearly plain water on the sides of the pipe in with the rest of the wort. It makes a difference. Do be careful with putting th basket back in too fast though, depending on what you're brewing and your water it might actually come up the sides and overflow.

Ah ok! I'm making a stout. Its an all-grain kit that I got from Austin Homebrew. It is supposed to be a Beamish-ish clone and result in 5 gallon. Grainbill: 6 and 1/4 lb Pale Ale malt, 1/2 lb flaked wheat, 13 oz roasted barley, and 6 oz black malt. It also includes additive sugar to add during the boil, so maybe that is why the grain seems low? I got the kit, because I thought it would be simpler for a first brew.

 

[Thazo79]

Lifting and lowering is most effective at the end of the mash. With the standard recirc arrangement, the highest concentration wort is in (and under) the pipe. So, when you lift the pipe, the wort that remains in the spent grain is the highest concentration wort. By lifting and lowering the pipe several times, you get a more homogeneous sugar concentration throughout all of the wort, so the concentration in the pipe is lower, and less sugar gets trapped in the grain when you drain the pipe.

If you lift the pipe slowly enough, you shouldn't get grain falling out thru the false bottom.

Brew on

You answered my questions perfectly! Thank you so much!

 

[DuncB]

Even though cold water sparge has been mentioned as equally efficient, if you have the facilities to do a hot sparge you are adding hot sparge to hot liquid in your anvil. This will reduce your heating time to get to the boil. So it might be more efficient for you in other ways such as time!

 

[doug293cz]

Even though cold water sparge has been mentioned as equally efficient, if you have the facilities to do a hot sparge you are adding hot sparge to hot liquid in your anvil. This will reduce your heating time to get to the boil. So it might be more efficient for you in other ways such as time!

Correct, I was thinking about mentioning that, but forgot before I hit "Post."

You only save time when using hot water for sparge if you have a separate vessel and heat source to heat the sparge water. If you have to preheat sparge water in your BK, you don't save any time overall.

Brew on

 

[cmac62]

This is a great thread for us Anvil users. ANVIL FOUNDRY ALL-GRAIN BREWING SYSTEM

 

[kevin58]

You mean lift and lower the mash pipe twice during the mashing process itself? If so, does the grain fall through the pipe bottom? I have the newer button design pipe bottom as opposed to the older ones with all the holes. I bought rice hulls to use on my first brew since it has flaked wheat in the grain bill. Would the rice hulls be enough to prevent the grain from filtering through the pipe bottom whilst lifting and lowering the pipe during mash?

No, the grain stays put. I have never used rice hulls.

 

[Thazo79]

No, the grain stays put. I have never used rice hulls.

Too late. I already used them and the result wasn't great, but that might have been operator error. I'm going to do a quick little write-up in in a minute

 

[Thazo79]

Alright, I did it. I brewed my first beer.
There were a few bumps but nothing serious:

1. The rice hulls did not want to sink to the bottom and floated even when putting in the grain. I tried soaking the rice hulls before I put it into the pipe, but I am guessing that they need more time to become water-logged to sink to the bottom.
2. The recirculating pump still got bogged down a couple of times. It took me a while to dial it in with the valve at the bottom of the Foundry. About a tad less than 45* seemed to do it. Twas slower than I thought.
3. I bought the liquid Wyeast smack pack, but forgot to pull it out of the fridge until about when the boil started.
4. The chiller only got down to about 85*F and then stalled so I went ahead and transported the wort into the sanitized fermentor with the pump, after sanitizing the nozzle. I waited until it hit 70 before pitching the yeast. 7:45 pm
5: I seem to have lost more wort to evaporation than the Foundry accounts for. I should have had 5 gallon after sparring and boil, but I ended up with a little over 4 gallons. Not sure what happened there..
5. My house temp fluctuates so I have a brew fridge set-up and an external controller for it so that it stays between 64 and 70...but its upstairs. As I tried to transport the fermentor bucket from the kitchen to the upstairs brew fridge, the star san in the airlock started to get sucked inside. So I removed the air lock and transported it with an open bung. Ugh. I hope I didn't just ruin the batch. I haven't brewed beer before so I don't know how common and easy wild yeast infestation can occur. I sprayed everything down with a star san spray bottle.
6. Oh my gravity reading looked a little more than 1.042. (lifting pipe up and down twice, 170* sparge, and pressing a bit on the spent grain with an aluminum bowl) Hard to tell exactly as the beer was really aerated in the bucket and quite foamy, but I looked a little higher than 1.040 but who knows.

Here are the things I learned:
1: I might try to soak the rice hulls overnight next time, if I use them next time that is.
2: Take out the yeast earlier in the process
3. Gotta figure out a way to transport the fermentor easier. No room downstairs for another fridge. Maybe tape over the bung hole until I get upstairs? Then respray it the bung and airlock, place the air lock in?
4. Get a graduated cylinder, duh.

I have to say though, I am loving this device, and I can already tell that I am going to love this hobby!

 

[DuncB]

I have only used oat hulls as that's all we can get here. They are basically the same.
I just add some grain, throw in handfull of hulls, stir and repeat. The hulls work mixed in not as a layer across the bottom of your mash.
Always good to make sure your yeast is viable, I think those wyeasts normally swell up when they are activated and warmed.
Put it on your checklist. Some brewing programs will have facility for reminders.
I wouldn't worry that some starsan was sucked in or that air got in during your transport maneouvre. Top of wort is covered in air until yeast gets going and either uses the oxygen or it gets blown away by CO2 production. No harm will come from the starsan and air ingress.
First brews are never " easy " but you do learn a lot. I don't have a graduated cylinder for my hydrometer .

Measure as much as you can volumes pre sparge, post sparge post boil, fermenter and gravities along the way so that you learn what gets lost where and then can compensate on later brews.

I do squeeze my grains and have about 0.5 litre loss per kg of grain. Others don't squeeze and just adjust.

You don't have to boil on full power just boil.

 

[Thazo79]

I have only used oat hulls as that's all we can get here. They are basically the same.
I just add some grain, throw in handfull of hulls, stir and repeat. The hulls work mixed in not as a layer across the bottom of your mash.
Always good to make sure your yeast is viable, I think those wyeasts normally swell up when they are activated and warmed.
Put it on your checklist. Some brewing programs will have facility for reminders.
I wouldn't worry that some starsan was sucked in or that air got in during your transport maneouvre. Top of wort is covered in air until yeast gets going and either uses the oxygen or it gets blown away by CO2 production. No harm will come from the starsan and air ingress.
First brews are never " easy " but you do learn a lot. I don't have a graduated cylinder for my hydrometer .

Measure as much as you can volumes pre sparge, post sparge post boil, fermenter and gravities along the way so that you learn what gets lost where and then can compensate on later brews.

I do squeeze my grains and have about 0.5 litre loss per kg of grain. Others don't squeeze and just adjust.

You don't have to boil on full power just boil.

Thank you for all the advise! I appreciate it!

 

[tracer bullet]

First, congrats! Yeah the first few times are a bit crazy. You'll get there. Don't be afraid to make yourself a cheat-sheet for nex time.

I weight out my rice hulls ahead of time and mix them in with the bag of dry grain. Later it all goes in together. Has always worked well and even if some float they don't for long with all the stirring.

The pump shouldn't flow quickly, it's just enough to help maintain an even temperature and you get a little free clearing action as well as the grain bed acts like a filter. Something like 1/4 to 1/3 of it's "full on" speed and volume is plenty.

Smacking the yeast ahead of time isn't mandatory, it can help "wake" them and let you know they are working, but it's OK without it. Don't sweat it.

Chilling depends a lot on your ground water temperature. Some can only go so far until you need a 2nd option. As long as you end up at yeast pitching temperatures (typically mid to high 60's for ales) within a reaosnable amount of time before anything else starts growing, you'll be fine.

Figuring out your water levels and losses can be hard. I'm an engineer so I kind of liked figuring it out, but it definitely took some work. The markings on the Anvil might not be perfect, water changes volume as it chanbges in temperature (!), some stays with the grain, and so on. Next time, watch the levels along the way and record them, as well as temperature. For a 5 gallon batch don't be surprised to see the volume drop at least 1/8 and up to 1/4 gallon as it cools from a boil to room temperature, just due to the temperature change. You can then work things backwards... if you want to end w/ 5 gallons cold, maybe aim for 5-1/4 after boiling, maybe that means 5-3/4 before boiling (10.5 unit on 120 is often cited to lose only 1/2 gallon), and etc.

When you checked gravity, when was the 1.042 recorded? You'll get one reading after the mash, another if you add in DME (dried malt extract), andother after boiling as the wort gets thicker due to water evaporation...

 

[Thazo79]

First, congrats! Yeah the first few times are a bit crazy. You'll get there. Don't be afraid to make yourself a cheat-sheet for nex time.

I weight out my rice hulls ahead of time and mix them in with the bag of dry grain. Later it all goes in together. Has always worked well and even if some float they don't for long with all the stirring.

The pump shouldn't flow quickly, it's just enough to help maintain an even temperature and you get a little free clearing action as well as the grain bed acts like a filter. Something like 1/4 to 1/3 of it's "full on" speed and volume is plenty.

Smacking the yeast ahead of time isn't mandatory, it can help "wake" them and let you know they are working, but it's OK without it. Don't sweat it.

Chilling depends a lot on your ground water temperature. Some can only go so far until you need a 2nd option. As long as you end up at yeast pitching temperatures (typically mid to high 60's for ales) within a reaosnable amount of time before anything else starts growing, you'll be fine.

Figuring out your water levels and losses can be hard. I'm an engineer so I kind of liked figuring it out, but it definitely took some work. The markings on the Anvil might not be perfect, water changes volume as it chanbges in temperature (!), some stays with the grain, and so on. Next time, watch the levels along the way and record them, as well as temperature. For a 5 gallon batch don't be surprised to see the volume drop at least 1/8 and up to 1/4 gallon as it cools from a boil to room temperature, just due to the temperature change. You can then work things backwards... if you want to end w/ 5 gallons cold, maybe aim for 5-1/4 after boiling, maybe that means 5-3/4 before boiling (10.5 unit on 120 is often cited to lose only 1/2 gallon), and etc.

When you checked gravity, when was the 1.042 recorded? You'll get one reading after the mash, another if you add in DME (dried malt extract), andother after boiling as the wort gets thicker due to water evaporation...

Sadly, I did make what I thought was a thorough cheat sheet, but alas there are always unforeseeable issues. So I suppose I will tweak the list from what I learned in this experiment. And thank you on the congratulations.

And yeah, the quarter opened valve seemed to be the speed which didn’t clog and slow the pump line. So that makes sense. I will just use it at that speed for now on,

As for the ground water, we’ve already had days almost hit 100F here in north Texas, and although the last couple days have been cooler, I’m sure the ground water is warmed up. Funny thing, after the foundry stalled at chilling to 85f and after transferring the wort to the plastic bucket fermentor, it chilled down on its own fairly quickly. Whatever.. I pitched the yeast at 72F which was the highest point for this yeast until I put it in the fridge to get it to mid 60’s. The airlock is going to town right now btw. Smells great when the door is opened!!

I didn’t know that you were supposed to check gravity so much until you and DuncB mentioned it. So I only took a gravity reading before pitching the yeast, by dropping the sanitized hydrometer in the fermentor. The beer was very foamy, I aerated the wort by allowing it to splash about when pumping into the fermentor, so the reading might be off a notch or two. It was hard to see, but it appeared to be 1.042. Also the temp.. so I was using an app to adjust the gravity reading to the temp of the wort.
Next time I’ll do more readings.

 

[tracer bullet]

If you think you'll stick with the hobby, get a refractometer. Only takes a few drops to check gravity. The hydrometer is A-OK as well but ideally you pull a small sample and don't put it back if it's measured anytime after boiling (including after fermentation). There are small tubes for that (similar to a graduater cylinder but maybe fitting just a little more tightly meaning you don't have to pull quite as big of a sample). Do keep the hydrometer though, because refractometers aren't accurate after fermentation due to the alcohol present.

My checkpoints are:
1) After mashing
2) After boiling
3) After fermentation

#1 and #2 are also very important to note your volumes as well (mentally adjusting for temperature if needed). My mental adjustments are - 6.0 gallons cold = 6-1/8 at mash temp and 6-1/4 at boil temps. That's not precise but it's decently close enough. You do need to know if your Anvil is correct as well of course.

This might be a good time to mention having a little DME on hand for emergencies. You can check your gravity with a refractometer after mashing and before boiling. Let's say you expect to have 1.053, but it's only 1.040 or so. You can add your DME to boost it up. You'll end up with a slightly different recipe than intended but it might be the lesser of two evils.

There are 101 little things to know about makign beer. Over time you'll get most of them pretty well figured out and it'll be 2nd nature. There's a definite learning curve. You might watch some Anvil related videos now as well, and see some things people do that you hadn't thought of. With a brew day under your belt a lot more things will make sense.

 

[Thazo79]

Hmmm. Well, the morning after the brew (last friday), the airlock was busy, now I don’t see much of any activity.
My brew fridge is reading somewhere between 63-66F which is within the range for Wyeast1084(60-72F), I added nutrient during the boil too. Does fermentation activity start out strong, slow down, and then pick back up? Or is it stalled? Also, my fermentor bucket is for 7 gallons and there is only 4.5-4.75 gallons in there. Could that cause a stall?

Here is a video of the morning after, about 12 hours after pitch.

 

[tracer bullet]

There's a chance it's finished. This would be the time to take a hydrometer reading. Paying attention to sanitation of course.

 

[Thazo79]

Ok. I haven’t checked the gravity yet.
What I did was time it, this morning. I stared at the airlock until I saw the airlock lift, then started the stopwatch and waited until the next lift.

I got one bubble through the airlock every 39 seconds.

I guess I wasn’t staring and waiting long enough. Such a stark difference from 12 hours after the pitch though.

 

[Saunassa]

Alright, I did it. I brewed my first beer.
There were a few bumps but nothing serious:

1. The rice hulls did not want to sink to the bottom and floated even when putting in the grain. I tried soaking the rice hulls before I put it into the pipe, but I am guessing that they need more time to become water-logged to sink to the bottom.
2. The recirculating pump still got bogged down a couple of times. It took me a while to dial it in with the valve at the bottom of the Foundry. About a tad less than 45* seemed to do it. Twas slower than I thought.
3. I bought the liquid Wyeast smack pack, but forgot to pull it out of the fridge until about when the boil started.
4. The chiller only got down to about 85*F and then stalled so I went ahead and transported the wort into the sanitized fermentor with the pump, after sanitizing the nozzle. I waited until it hit 70 before pitching the yeast. 7:45 pm
5: I seem to have lost more wort to evaporation than the Foundry accounts for. I should have had 5 gallon after sparring and boil, but I ended up with a little over 4 gallons. Not sure what happened there..
5. My house temp fluctuates so I have a brew fridge set-up and an external controller for it so that it stays between 64 and 70...but its upstairs. As I tried to transport the fermentor bucket from the kitchen to the upstairs brew fridge, the star san in the airlock started to get sucked inside. So I removed the air lock and transported it with an open bung. Ugh. I hope I didn't just ruin the batch. I haven't brewed beer before so I don't know how common and easy wild yeast infestation can occur. I sprayed everything down with a star san spray bottle.
6. Oh my gravity reading looked a little more than 1.042. (lifting pipe up and down twice, 170* sparge, and pressing a bit on the spent grain with an aluminum bowl) Hard to tell exactly as the beer was really aerated in the bucket and quite foamy, but I looked a little higher than 1.040 but who knows.

Here are the things I learned:
1: I might try to soak the rice hulls overnight next time, if I use them next time that is.
2: Take out the yeast earlier in the process
3. Gotta figure out a way to transport the fermentor easier. No room downstairs for another fridge. Maybe tape over the bung hole until I get upstairs? Then respray it the bung and airlock, place the air lock in?
4. Get a graduated cylinder, duh.

I have to say though, I am loving this device, and I can already tell that I am going to love this hobby!

Number 2 on your list about the pump bogging down, was this recirculating during the mash? If so you don't want to restrict the water into the pump, you use the ss 'pinch' style restrictor on the silicone tube between the pump and the ss tube into the lid. About a foot from the stainless pipe in this pic


I have a 10.5 and do 2.25 qts per pound for all my brews, then I just use a gallon or so warm water to sparge after lifting and hanging mash tube. Whatever is needed to hit boil volume.

 

[Saunassa]

 

[Thazo79]

I was wondering what that little device was for. It didn't list its function or placement on the assembly, so I just put it aside. Ive been just using the lever, but it makes more sense to use that after the pump. Will be doing that next time. Thank you SO much for your advice!

 

[Saunassa]

@Thazo79 just make sure your clamps are secure on the pump output side. I did not and a 'bit' may have squirted out.

 

[Thazo79]

@Thazo79 just make sure your clamps are secure on the pump output side. I did not and a 'bit' may have squirted out.

Ironically the issue I am having is more on the chiller coil. I clamp the hose down tight and yet it still leaks. But not enough to cause trouble to the brew, but it sure makes a mess on the flor outside the anvil. I had to put a towel under neathe to capture the drips. Also it doesn't chill it down mash low enough in the summer here in Texas. I'm going to have to modify it, either add another coil in a bucket of ice that the water cools down in before it enters the chiller coil in the Anvil 10.5. dunno. It will be easier to chill the wort in winter.

 

[tracer bullet]

I cranked one of these onto my recirc pipe, then added a 1/2"NPT ball valve for flow control, then a 1/2" NPT to 1/2" barb off the other side with a hose clamp. It's probably overkill, but just sharing the idea.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HBYJJBR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Saunassa]

I have a immersion chiller from NB which has fittings like that and uses a stiffer plastic tubing and does not leak. Right now I added in a second hose clamp on each tube and it helps but still not perfect. I am thinking a trip to hardware store to buy longer stiffer tubing to clamp on and a pair of those pipe fittings too is in order.

 

[DarrellQ]

I do full a volume/no sparge mash on my 10.5 and was surprised the first time I used it as to how spot on the suggestions in the manual were. I never questioned them since.

One tip to get better mash efficiency... the Foundry has an inherent efficiency flaw built into the dimensions of the unit. If using the recirculation pump the water in between the malt pipe and the outer kettle sides does not get pulled into the pump. So when you pull the malt pipe at the end of your mash it is the equivalent of pouring plain water into your mash tun... it will dilute your mash and lower the SG. If you lift the malt pipe once or twice (I do twice) you can increase your efficiency from something near the mid 70% range to the low 80%'s

This is exactly what I do. I lift the malt pipe at the 20 and 40 minute mark of the mash. This improved the efficiency and flavor of my beer significantly.