Multiple Concurrent Small Batch Brewing

[CascadesBrewer]

I bought four 10 liter electric water boiler/urns and plan to BIAB in them.

How much did they cost? Do you plan to boil in the urn as well? I could see something like this being a good solution just for doing 1 small batch at a time. I have done a handful of 1 gallon all-grain batches mashing in a 2 gallon beverage cooler with a bag. It works okay, but an electric vessel with temp control and masing and boiling in a single vessel sounds appealing. It might make the process easy enough for me to give it a try again.

 

[tdf]

Another option, particularly if you don’t already have the controller setup like @Bobby_M is to get some gigaworts from northern brewer. Double walled 15l urn with a built in controller, perfect for 8-10L biab. They are often on sale for $199 (including right now).

 

[Bobby_M]

How much did they cost? Do you plan to boil in the urn as well? I could see something like this being a good solution just for doing 1 small batch at a time. I have done a handful of 1 gallon all-grain batches mashing in a 2 gallon beverage cooler with a bag. It works okay, but an electric vessel with temp control and masing and boiling in a single vessel sounds appealing. It might make the process easy enough for me to give it a try again.

They were $85 each shipped. I don't have a lot of hope in using the built in analog thermostat. I'm more concerned about keeping the boil in check but it's 1,000 watts so it shouldn't be too crazy. Since I'm building this as an experimental brewing rig, I'm just leaning towards building a control box with a 240v/30 amp input, which I already have access to, and running four controllers and 4x 120v outputs. I almost got too thrifty for my own good and nearly pulled the trigger on MyPin PIDs but I thought better of it and will probably go with the Auber DSPR120s. I have a couple dual channel SSRs to keep it more compact and since I'm only switching a total of 4,000 watts, I can get away with a single medium sized heat sink.

While I don't have an unlimited budget, the knowledge gained over the course of a couple years will easily justify the ~$400 on the kettles/bags and another $400 on a precise controller. Knowing how much tinkering I like to do, it may end up being an expensive frankenstein's monster.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

While I don't have an unlimited budget, the knowledge gained over the course of a couple years will easily justify the ~$400 on the kettles/bags and another $400 on a precise controller. Knowing how much tinkering I like to do, it may end up being an expensive frankenstein's monster.

Sounds like some good content for your YouTube channel! (at least for us beer geeks!)

 

[IslandLizard]

I bought four 10 liter electric water boiler/urns and plan to BIAB in them.

Much hinges on how well you can insulate those urns.
Are you planning on recirculating these mashes?

I'm just leaning towards building a control box with a 240v/30 amp input, which I already have access to, and running four controllers and 4x 120v outputs.

My emphasis.^
As you know, don't forget a 40 amp "neutral" wire going into your controller box too.

 

[Bobby_M]

The urns are double walled with an air gap so they should hold pretty well.

My main brewing controller already has a L1/L2/N/G pass through with outlet (not under the control of the main PID at all. It's only going to be drawing 16 amps so I can technically run 12/4 cable to the new controller but I already have the 10/4 on hand so will go with that. It's load balanced so 16 amps per phase so L1 and L2 will see 16 amps each but the neutral won't be carrying any current if all the elements are drawing equally. Think sub panel. If both elements on L1 are drawing full load but neither of the elements are drawing any current, the neutral sees a max of 16 amps. If both elements on L1 are full load and only one element on L2 is drawing full load, the current on the neutral is only 8 amps.

 

[Bobby_M]

Progress.

I verified that the 10L urns can definitely boil wort (too aggressively) and even with an SG of 1.085, the relatively high density element doesn't seem to scorch. It will be less of an issue once I modulate the power input down from 1000 watts.

1.5 gallons strike + 4LB of grain in the 6" diameter basket is the absolute maximum this 10L kettle can handle without grain spilling out of the basket or the lid pushing wort out. Sparging with one quart brought preboil to the expected 1.5 gallons. With no power modulation, this 10L coffee urn boils off .25 gallons per half hour or .5 gallons per hour and the boil is just too aggressive. The thermal overheat fuse also trips occasionally.

I talk a bit about building a lo-fi controller but since I already have four Auber DSPR-120 units and a bunch of other parts, I'm going all in on the controller.

I'll be using two dual channel SSRs on a single heatsink.

 

[mashdar]

Really cool. Thanks for update!

 

[Bobby_M]

The project has been long in the making but I'm getting really close to firing up my first four way batch. I have the best intentions to make every batch a piece of youtube content. I'm not going for ultra production value, but part of my incentive to putting all this work into brewing four simultaneous batches is to share the education I get out of it.

To that end, every other four way experiment (at least), is going to be one chosen by the collective via a poll. In order to talk about these experimental split batches as a category of content, and to talk about the brewing system with consistency, I'm looking for some feedback on what to call the system.

There have been some kitschy names in the industry already for tiny batch brewing systems; e.g. Picobrew. I narrowed vocabulary down to represent the experimental/comparative purpose, the capability of FOUR batches and the fact that they are small (less important attribute in my mind). I also have to be able to say it without tongue twisting. I don't think all aspects of the system need to be represented and all this is just for fun anyway... Fire away with your favorites out of the list below, or suggest others (not Brewy Mc' Brewface)

BrewMatrix
Compara-mash Nano
Flavor Lab
Flavor Lab 4
Flavor Quest 4000
FlavorForge 4X
Flavorquest Wort Lab
Juxtabrew GX4
Juxtabrew Micro
Juxtabrew Nano
Juxtamash Matrix
MaltMaster Quad
Mash Quest Micro
Micro Mash Contrast
Micro Mash Innovator
Micro Mash Matrix
Micro Mash Quartet
Micro Mash Tetra
Mini Mash Matrix
Quad Brew Matrix
Quad Brew Nexus
Quad Mash Labs
Quad Mash Quest
QuadCraft Brewer
QuadraBrew Lab
SynchroBrew
Tetra Brew
Tetra Malt Master
Tetra Mash
Tetra Mash Nano
Wort Lab Matrix
Wort Lab Wizard

 

[day_trippr]

I like BrewMatrix

 

[IslandLizard]

I like BrewMatrix

I second that.^

 

[day_trippr]

2nd place would be the unlisted QuadBrew

 

[T Murph]

I too like BrewMatrix., IMO it covers the experiment very well.

 

[Agent]

For simplicity sake, I'd vote Mr. Beer

Though there may be a copyright issue out there that I'm forgetting about....

 

[mac_1103]

I'm looking for some feedback on what to call the system.

Quadrophenia.

 

[Bobby_M]

How about Tetra Zymatrix?

 

[day_trippr]

Even my mind blanks when I read that - and I know what you're up to...

 

[mashdar]

How about Tetra Zymatrix?

I think you're over-complicating it! BrewMatrix ticks a lot of marketing boxes.

You could Call it BrewMatrix4 if you really want to work the number in there. BX4 for short? (Biggest down side to BrewMatrix is BM initialism.)

Other ideas:

• BrewPilot
• MashMatrix
• QuadKettle
• MultiMash

I think BrewMatrix has a good ring to it, though.

 

[sibelman]

With apologies to Willy the Shake: What's in a name? Four beers, by any other name, would taste as sweet.

4Brew

 

[kevin58]

QuadBrew Lab

 

[Broken Crow]

 

[CascadesBrewer]

He might need a beard to be an actual Brew Matrix, but he at least needs something to drink:

Or maybe...

 

[Whisky River]

He might need a beard to be an actual Brew Matrix, but he at least needs something to drink:

View attachment 849720

Or maybe...

View attachment 849723

That looks like it’s the new AI version, the positronic brew matrix.

 

[IslandLizard]

How about Tetra Zymatrix?

I would steer well clear of any inferences to Zymatic or Picobrew.
Tetra <> Tetris (game) connotation?

 

[mashdar]

I would steer well clear of any inferences to Zymatic or Picobrew.
Tetra <> Tetris (game) connotation?

All the pieces had 4 squares in them

(edit: and tetra is a greek root for 4)

 

[Bobby_M]

I would steer well clear of any inferences to Zymatic or Picobrew.
Tetra <> Tetris (game) connotation?

Tetra means four. Tetris is a play on that because each piece is made of four squares.

Picobrew Zymatic was a play on Zymurgy and Automatic. Zymatrix was an attempt at Zymergy and Matrix. I'd be more concerned about brand confusion is I was actually trying to make a product. Moot anyway since I think it's a reach.

 

[Bobby_M]

I think it's going to be Brew Matrix or Micro Brew Matrix. Something about including the size of the batches sticks to me.

 

[Broken Crow]

But "B4" would save ink!

 

[Bobby_M]

 

[mashdar]

I wish I could thumbs up multiple times.