Hunter's Basement E-Brewery Build

[hunter306]

Once the mash started circulating, I knew we were in better shape and I was able to breathe a little, hahah.

My next conundrum is figuring out how to filter out the extra junk in the finished wort from the boil kettle. We used all pelleted hops this time around and no hop bags, so next time I may bag them just to avoid the extra gunk that got transferred to the fermenter.

 

[Setesh]

My next conundrum is figuring out how to filter out the extra junk in the finished wort from the boil kettle. We used all pelleted hops this time around and no hop bags, so next time I may bag them just to avoid the extra gunk that got transferred to the fermenter.

You can always let it sit for 20-30 minutes then use a racking cant to pull from the top. That's what I did before I modified my dip tube to pull from higher in the kettle. Now I make 6.5 gallon batches and leave a gallon behind. I get 5.5 gallons of clear wort into the fermentor, and 5 gallons into the keg. Works great for me. The bigger the batch that you make the less the loss as a percentage of the whole.

 

[Heffe53]

Congrats on the successful brew Hunter. I soloed a 10 gallon batch today with keggles. Couldn't get the mash to pump through and then I realized I forgot to open one of the HERMS valves. Stupid me. I used a refractometer worth automatic temperature adjusting and according to the Brewers friend calculator achieved 95% efficiency. I don't know if this was a fluke or what but I was satisfied greatly with panel as well as the whole process. If anyone needs some extra motivation to go electric and ditch propane this thread should provide.

 

[beernutz]

That is some beautiful work Hunter, both the basement construction and the brewery. I'm curious whether you have been keeping track with how many hours you have invested in this project so far?

 

[Trippel-A]

Once the mash started circulating, I knew we were in better shape and I was able to breathe a little, hahah.

My next conundrum is figuring out how to filter out the extra junk in the finished wort from the boil kettle. We used all pelleted hops this time around and no hop bags, so next time I may bag them just to avoid the extra gunk that got transferred to the fermenter.

We just run everything from the boil kettle through a mesh strainer into the fermenter. No filter nor false bottom necessary, and we figure we need to aerate the wort, anyway.

 

[crane]

One thing I was quite surprised by was the amount of left over liquid in the boil kettle with the hop-blocking screen I bought from Kal's shop. I expected the dip tube would get more of the actual liquid as we weren't running the pumps at full open. We slowed them down significantly, to try and improve the pickup but ultimate it probably left a good 1gal in the bottom of the kettle.

I also have the hop strainer that Kal uses but I'm using it on a keggle. I have found that you need to keep scraping the hops off the top of it to keep wort flowing into it otherwise it will start pulling air and the dip tube will loose the syphon. When that happens I will leave about a gallon behind. Otherwise I only leave behind a few cups.

 

[Setesh]

We just run everything from the boil kettle through a mesh strainer into the fermenter. No filter nor false bottom necessary, and we figure we need to aerate the wort, anyway.

I have found that method to keep hops out but not the cold break. What you can do is add an extra step. Fill your carboy up to the top. Wait about 30 minutes or so until all the junk settles, then rack into another carboy and stop when you start picking up trub. This is what I do with lagers and batches where I am going to re-pitch the yeast. It results in a completely clear wort. The yeast cake you get from this method is absolutely perfect, and great for re-pitching. There are people who argue that you need the hot break for the nutrients it has, but according to Chris White and Jamil Z there is plenty of hot break left in solution to provide the necessary nutrients.

 

[brewman !]

I don't understand the big deal about separating out the hops when there will be a ton of cold break anyway. Both Dave Miller and Gordon Strong recommend separating the trub from the wort prior to fermentation.

The boil kettle (with lid attached) is sterile after the boil. Why not chill back into the boil kettle, leave the wort sit for 4 to 8 hours to leave the trub settle and then rack into the fermenter and pitch ?

 

[hunter306]

Some good thoughts, I think next time around we'll be running it into a Conical anyway, so I'll let cold break settle, dump off the trub and then pitch. Already went this far, may as well get the conical rocking too

Here's a pic of the beer fermenting this afternoon, got some nice clean smelling activity from both airlocks. The Wyeast 1056 starter seems to have taken right off:

 

[Roadie]

Glad you got it worked out!


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[brewman !]

Some good thoughts, I think next time around we'll be running it into a Conical anyway, so I'll let cold break settle, dump off the trub and then pitch.

I'd love to hear how this works. I suspect you'd lose a ton of wort dumping the trub out the bottom.

Let us know.

 

[hunter306]

I'd love to hear how this works. I suspect you'd lose a ton of wort dumping the trub out the bottom.

Let us know.

If I end up only drawing beer from above the trub layers in both of these fermenters I'm looking at roughly a gallon and a half of loss. Since the conical is designed for this purpose, I suspect loss difference will be negligible.

As always, I'll be sure to share the results. Lots of learning these first few batches on all new equipment. Once we have got our losses dialed in across the entire process, I'll be much happier.

 

[Itsott]

Looking good.


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[kona_dude]

Usually after you get your processes dialed in you go and change something else. At least that is how I am great build by the way!


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[Huaco]

http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Hop-Spider-with-seam-welds_p_158.html

Forget about the hop strainer. More people have much more trouble with them than don't. I use the largest hop screen/Spider from stainless brewing .com

 

[hunter306]

Thanks Huaco, I was doing some reading and I'm thinking the same thing. Found a few others complaining of similar performance concerns when trying to chill the batch quickly to prevent those off flavors.

 

[Huaco]

Yeah, best part is, you can make a late hop addition and start chilling. After a few minutes simply pull the strainer out. DONE!

 

[hunter306]

Gathered up some pictures of the first brewday for you guys to check out. We were pretty excited to get it fired up!

First Crush, which looked a bit shredded to me:

So, we regapped the mill and tried a bit more grain:

Prepping one of the fermenters for the wort, in requisite safety attire... =D

Measuring out one of the late hop additions (3oz, 1 Amarillo, 1 Citra, 1 Simcoe):

Mashing the grain:

Observing the mash, since we were still really leary from the stuck one 12hrs earlier...

And finally, Brother and Co-Brewer watching the boil:

First batch is still bubbling away after 60hrs (2.5 days). Healthy Krausen on the wort so far and both seem happy. We've been maintaining 61-65 degree temperatures so hopefully we get a decent clean fermentation. More updates to come!

 

[ImNoExpert]

Awesome! How do you think the system holds up to non-electric, non-partially automated? I'm planning on doing something similar (once the kids are in school and no more daycare costs) and want to hear your feelings. Is it worth the cost and time?

 

[dcbc]

Awesome! How do you think the system holds up to non-electric, non-partially automated? I'm planning on doing something similar (once the kids are in school and no more daycare costs) and want to hear your feelings. Is it worth the cost and time?

I'll throw in some support for temperature controlled mash while you wait to hear back from Hunter (though I can't speak for electric, which I'm sure is great).

But having mashed in a cooler for a few years before switching to a temp. controlled, direct fired MLT, I can say that it's great! No more obsessing about strike water temp. I just guess about 6--8 degrees over, and dough in. If I'm low, it will be fixed. Step mashes are a matter of the push of a button.

If anything, the brew day is a bit longer due to the ease of mashing out in spite of the time increase of doing so.

Having the HLT ready to go when I'm ready is great, too.

In short, to quote Mr. Beuller, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly suggest you pick one up."

That said, I made great beer in my old cooler.

 

[hunter306]

Awesome! How do you think the system holds up to non-electric, non-partially automated? I'm planning on doing something similar (once the kids are in school and no more daycare costs) and want to hear your feelings. Is it worth the cost and time?

I have to confess, I was a straight Extract brewer before this system so I really didn't have experience trying to closely regulate a mash and sparge with non-automated equipment. Given the trouble we had holding a desired temperature in our steeping step back during the extract days, the Electronic PID controls are awesome.

My 2 Cents: The system 'looks' way more complex and complicated to use than it actually is. Once I have a few more brews under my belt I'll be better equipped to review the overall process but so far, the most obnoxious downside is dealing with liquid left in the hoses, coils and fittings when you disconnect them for the next step. I found pinching hoses lets me control that, but the pumps and fittings still make a mess.

That is a tiny gripe though, one of those things that would never be a big deal if it were in a production space. Otherwise, I think it's really awesome. Set the temps of the HLT and you can essentially walk away (not advocating this, but really, it's impressive how well the temps are handled).

I think mashing and the false bottom causing our first stuck mash was simply a learning curve of our lack of familiarity with the All-Grain process.

With that being said, I highly encourage you to get an electric kettle and even a single pid in the mix. It's pretty awesome!

 

[Heffe53]

I used to brew all grain with a cooler MLT and kegs using propane. I built something very similar to Hunter's only I used kegs and I can attest they The electric system makes the brew day WAY more enjoyable. No more worrying about mash temperature or hovering over the propane manifold trying to regulate the flame. I highly recommend the move to anyone.

Hunter, I can't remember if you used the same quick disconnects as Kal or if you got the ones that use the "flip lock" method. I bought the latter ones and they do tend to make a mess if not careful. Two things I learned with them: 1) make sure all valves are closed prior to disconnecting them, 2) disconnect from the highest point first and let the little bit of liquid drain out. Then disconnect the lowest point and let gravity do the draining.

 

[Heffe53]

Also, I suspect if we were to use the same ones Kal used we wouldn't have this problem add they should self seal upon being disconnected. If only bargain fittings had them in Stock when I went on my shopping spree....

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

My 2 Cents: The system 'looks' way more complex and complicated to use than it actually is. Once I have a few more brews under my belt I'll be better equipped to review the overall process but so far, the most obnoxious downside is dealing with liquid left in the hoses, coils and fittings when you disconnect them for the next step. I found pinching hoses lets me control that, but the pumps and fittings still make a mess.

I totally agree! After a couple of brews it's cake. But the liquid lost in hoses is a pain, just have to account for it, which you will once everything is dialed in.

 

[Itsott]

I gotta find one of those sweet sink setups.


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[Trippel-A]

Is it uncouth to ask how much it all cost?

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[hunter306]

Also, I suspect if we were to use the same ones Kal used we wouldn't have this problem add they should self seal upon being disconnected. If only bargain fittings had them in Stock when I went on my shopping spree....

I actually was curious about this, but even the quick-disconnects Kal recommends do not stop the flow when you disconnect them. That would make cleaning the hoses extremely difficult too, so probably best that they don't.

 

[hunter306]

I gotta find one of those sweet sink setups.


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I bought a 'Regency' branded one from the:

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/

It looks like they're running a special on them right now. If you find one that can be shipped via standard services (it'll say how it ships on the product page) their prices are pretty reasonable. Their 'Common Courier' service for larger items is a bit expensive though.

 

[hunter306]

Is it uncouth to ask how much it all cost?

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I didn't keep very good notes on costs for this project, but I estimate (if you include the finishing work I did in the basement) that it was around 6k.

 

[Huaco]

As far as dripping wort making a mess while DC'ing the hoses...
get a couple of these for your brew stand.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MR6I9I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20