Indoor BIAB

[Mer-man]

That's awesome. Great work!

 

[p_p]

Arguably the most important addition to my setup is my chest freezer with STC 1000 temperature controller.

STC 1000View attachment 240151

7.1 Cubic ft. Chest FreezerView attachment 241580

Heat SourceView attachment 241581View attachment 241582

This allows me to ferment two 5.5 gallon batches at a time; assuming similar yeast requirements for each, at the optimal temperature for any given yeast and/or recipe requirement.

Crash cooling is also possible.

An immediate an obvious improvement in my beer was the result of this added control. I would encourage anyone with space and means to get a similar setup.

I appreciate this is an old post, but I wonder if you could tell me how your set up has performed? Do you get undershoots that result in the heater kicking in, followed by an overahoot, And so on?

Thanks

 

[Gavin C]

I appreciate this is an old post, but I wonder if you could tell me how your set up has performed? Do you get undershoots that result in the heater kicking in, followed by an overahoot, And so on?

Thanks

Not a bother mate.

It performs very well. I don't use the heater at all any more. I'll need it if I ever do a Saison I suppose but otherwise it's redundant.

I don't get much if any undershoot. The temperature is very stable at set point +/- 0.3°C

When I need to ramp the temperature I just set it to where I want it to get to and let the fermenting beer passively rise to that point over a day or two. Once it reaches the higher point it is once again stable.

Very simple, very effective. Nice clean, boring, uneventful fermentations are the norm.

 

[p_p]

Not a bother mate.

It performs very well. I don't use the heater at all any more. I'll need it if I ever do a Saison I suppose but otherwise it's redundant.

I don't get much if any undershoot. The temperature is very stable at set point +/- 0.3°C

When I need to ramp the temperature I just set it to where I want it to get to and let the fermenting beer passively rise to that point over a day or two. Once it reaches the higher point it is once again stable.

Very simple, very effective. Nice clean, boring, uneventful fermentations are the norm.

Thanks for that Gavin, I just wired mine and decided not to wire a heater. I did a test run with water a did get an undershoot grater than expected.

How much liquid is usually on your fermentor? Where is your temp probe located?

 

[Gavin C]

Thanks for that Gavin, I just wired mine and decided not to wire a heater. I did a test run with water a did get an undershoot grater than expected.

How much liquid is usually on your fermentor? Where is your temp probe located?

5.5 gallons + whatever volume of starter remains after decanting. (0.2-0.5L usually)

I position the probe like so, taped to the glass and insulated from the air in the chest freezer.

 

[Alan_P]

Nicely done!
You just reminded me I need to get my hop spider done and get rid of all the small bags..

 

[Gavin C]

Beautiful winter's day in north Texas and football. How 'bout a clean crisp boring lager. Entering this one in the upcoming Blue Bonnet Brewoff. A great beer I reckon. Fingers crossed.

German Pilsner OG 1.047 FG 1.008 IBU 36 SRM 3.6







Aaaaaahhh.

 

[slym2none]

One day, I am gonna have a beer that pours that clear...

 

[Gavin C]

One day, I am gonna have a beer that pours that clear...

Thanks Slym.

There was a recent thread discussing beer clarity.

This was my contribution. Nothing revolutionary or new.

 

[pretzelb]

I should consider entering that contest but I don't think I have anything worthy right now.

 

[Gavin C]

I should consider entering that contest but I don't think I have anything worthy right now.

Seems there are a few HBT members enrtering and/or attending. Here's a thread about that. I'm hoping to be able to attend.

I'd be sporting some HBT stickers but I don't have any. Orange rose in my lapel will have to do.

 

[Gavin C]

Brewed another German Pilsner this morning with a few changes.

Single noble hop this time. No Saaz used. Tettnager

Simplified grain-bill. (~1% Melanoiden malt deleted, Pilsner and acidulated malt only)

A hybrid mash profile with a single decoction was used.

Target OG same as before, 1.047.

My whirlpool arm has shorted my cooling time by about 30%. I don't miss the dial thermometer.

Mash Profile


Whirlpool Arm and Cold-break


Preboil SG and OG

 

[Gavin C]

Another fun brew today. Decided to have a crack at a Märzen.

A pretty simple recipe aiming for the very lighter end of the style's color range (~7) and incorporating a step mash with a a single decoction to somewhat emulate a traditional approach.

Grain bill


Mash Profile


Brew Day Numbers were what I wanted.



Reusing some yeast (Saflager 34/70) from my last Pilsner. I harvested the yeast after racking to the keg 1 week ago.

Slurry Calculator


Slurry

 

[kadozen]

You were right. Nothing revolutionary here. Just rock solid process. Wonderful pictures from, start to finish.

 

[jwalk4]

Gavin,

I think in previous posts you mentioned that you lager in your kegs (I might be wrong). Do you have a separate fridge for that purpose? What temp do you lager and serve at?

 

[Gavin C]

Gavin,

I think in previous posts you mentioned that you lager in your kegs (I might be wrong). Do you have a separate fridge for that purpose? What temp do you lager and serve at?

Hey @Jwalk4

You're correct. Once the beer is at FG and after any planned time spent at warmer temperatures it is cold crashed in the fermentation chamber (chest freezer I showed earlier in the thread) to -0.5°C

2 weeks is about the average time from brew day to racking to the keg. The timing is however dictated entirely by the yeast aided by the fermentation profiles I employ.

I have yet to taste a need for a prolonged diacetyl rest in my lagers. So far the results have been OK.

Then the beer is racked to keg, lagered and carbonated at 1.0°C till it's ready. For this I have a second chest freezer (identical to the other one) that I use for lagering/cold conditioning.

When the pipeline is healthy it's a great way to have a keg or three full and conditioning/lagering.

Hope that helps

 

[jwalk4]

Thanks, Gavin!

Can you convince my non-drinking girlfriend to let me get another appliance strictly for brewing?

 

[jtratcliff]

Can you convince my non-drinking girlfriend to let me get another appliance strictly for brewing?

Have her bathed and sent to his chambers... He'll see what He can do....

 

[Bosh]

Bits of escaped wort stick to everything in the kitchen so I`m brewing in my veranda with a freaking industrial strength heating stick alone. The thing can get a nice roiling boil for a ten gallon batch.

 

[OkanaganMike]

I use a sterile syphon starterView attachment 321192



I got this one from amazon

That link sent me to a colander page on Amazon lol

 

[Gavin C]

That link sent me to a colander page on Amazon lol

This was a reply to someone looking for the colander I use.

Here is the sterile syphon starter if that's what you are seeking.

Let me know if there is something else you are looking for? I'd be happy to post a different link if you are looking for anything in particular that I showed in the thread.

 

[jtratcliff]

Bits of escaped wort stick to everything in the kitchen so I`m brewing in my veranda with a freaking industrial strength heating stick alone. The thing can get a nice roiling boil for a ten gallon batch.

Which stick do you use? I'm thinking of going from stovetop to electric in the basement.... I don't think the current heat stick i use to supplement my gas stove can boil 8+ gallons by itself.

 

[Bosh]

Which stick do you use? I'm thinking of going from stovetop to electric in the basement.... I don't think the current heat stick i use to supplement my gas stove can boil 8+ gallons by itself.

Can't seem to find the brand name on the device itself and not sure where my wife got it from (was Christmas present because my wife is awesome) sorry. But any high voltage one should be fine, a lot of the industrial ones are made for heating up 100 gallon water wants for farm animals so they won't freeze etc. so they're pretty damn powerful.

 

[Gavin C]

I enjoyed some success last night at a local beer competition.

The Texas Blue Bonnet Brew Off

I managed to snag a gold and a bronze.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Congrats Gavin. I really need to get around and make a batch of your vienna.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Well deserved I'm sure, good for you Gavin! Congratulations.

 

[TexasWine]

Congrats Gavin!

 

[Gavin C]

Congrats Gavin. I really need to get around and make a batch of your vienna.

Well deserved I'm sure, good for you Gavin! Congratulations.

Congrats Gavin!

Thanks very much for the kind words.

@pricelessbrewing
I'll post the Vienna recipe once I get the score sheets back if the feedback is favorable.

 

[iijakii]

What about the pils?

 

[Gavin C]

What about the pils?

I'll post that one up soon. Not much to a Pils recipe really. The judges liked it.

Pilsner Feedback


The Vienna however could do with some tweaking. It scored well but could be better with some edits.

Vienna Feedback