Opinions wanted on brewing system choice

[jseyfert3]

In other news, since I'm considering all grain, I figure I ought to do some study first. I'm ordering How To Brew, 4th Edition. Among other sources (like HBT) I'll read up on all grain before I make a final choice.

If you do go 220v, make sure you are using a dedicated 220 GFIC. Always smart when dealing with water

Absolutely. I offered some opinions to someone on another thread last night who was suggesting GFCI was not needed: Yet Another 240 Anvil Question

 

[verboten]

If I were doing it again, I would probably go with the big Brewzilla, I now have a lot of money and time tied into building a system, and the brewzilla would do everything I built mine to do just by pulling it out of a box. But, I have a pretty system that is pretty much exactly what I want now

 

[NSMikeD]

In other news, since I'm considering all grain, I figure I ought to do some study first. I'm ordering How To Brew, 4th Edition. Among other sources (like HBT) I'll read up on all grain before I make a final choice.


Absolutely. I offered some opinions to someone on another thread last night who was suggesting GFCI was not needed: Yet Another 240 Anvil Question

GFCI adds better protection than a fuse and is recommended (and often code) when working near water - like brewing. A fuse protects the wires from burning in an overload (like you becoming the ground). However it will be too late for you. The GFCI trips when there is an imbalance (like you becoming the ground) way before the fuse tripping and hopefully before it's too late for you.

You will spill. Like in your bathroom and kitchen, it makes sense to have a CFCI wherever water and electricity are close. It's not necessary for the Foundry but it's good practice. If the circuit is already part of the GFCI, then you are covered. Most folks put an inline GFCI for 220 with the foundry since they are either making an extension/converter cord or adding a box , but the circuit should be on a GFCI regardless of 110v or 220v and for any eBIAB, IMHO.

Palmer's earlier edition is online . I often use it as a refresher.

http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

[jseyfert3]

GFCI adds better protection than a fuse and is recommended (and often code) when working near water - like brewing. A fuse protects the wires from burning in an overload (like you becoming the ground). However it will be too late for you. The GFCI trips when there is an imbalance (like you becoming the ground) way before the fuse tripping and hopefully before it's too late for you.

You will spill. Like in your bathroom and kitchen, it makes sense to have a CFCI wherever water and electricity are close. It's not necessary for the Foundry but it's good practice. If the circuit is already part of the GFCI, then you are covered. Most folks put an inline GFCI for 220 with the foundry since they are either making an extension/converter cord or adding a box , but the circuit should be on a GFCI regardless of 110v or 220v and for any eBIAB, IMHO.

That is pretty much exactly what I said in the other thread that I linked to, and why I said I absolutely would have a GFCI.

 

[NSMikeD]

That is pretty much exactly what I said in the other thread that I linked to, and why I said I absolutely would have a GFCI.

nice,.


as for 220v. best I can tell is there is two factors to consider with the heating element in eBIAB. Obvious is time - how long will it take to get up to temp/boil and the 220v's are the clear winner. But secondly, and I can't be specific, but it has to do with how the element heats and scorching. The reviews on the Anvil Foundry and from their own propaganda claim the elements heat more evenly so that they wont scorch the bottom when going full speed ahead at 220v. Add that the anvil has simple but secure switch from 110cv to 220v makes that feature a plus as you can start at 110v and then later upgrade your brew area to 220v and just flip the switch.

 

[Dancy]

Hi
I also have a bad back & have made the following setup (see photo's) I brew in a Brewster Beacon on the counter top & have made a winch using scaffold poles & some pulleys which I use to raise the malt pipe after mashing. I have a GF conical fermenter sat on a cart which I made (on wheels). After chilling the wort I push the cart next to the Brewster & pump the chilled wort into the GF conical. I can then sit on a stool & bottle.
The malt pipe does sit on the top of the Brewster but I have only taken a photo of it fully raised clear.
Probably not the best setup but it works ok

Very nice set-up! However, I live in a one bedroom condominium (854 sq ft) with a small kitchen - so I'd be overwhelmed with all that. I currently use 1800 Watt induction cooktop with an 8 gallon kettle for heating and boiling and a 10 gallon Igloo for mashing. I have my fermenter on a small rolling cart in the kitchen to move it out of my way as I make meals, do dishes, etc. I bottle in the kitchen as well -- I sanitize the bottles in the oven a day or two before and then sit on a stool and grab a bottle at time out of the oven to fill it from a bottling bucket on same cart. What we do to brew beer . An Anvil Foundry, BE Mash & Boil, etc. are appealing options (with a pump, I think).

 

[Snuffy]

I have a 110V system which takes 30-45 minutes to come up to mash temp and again to boil. I mostly do 3G batches these days so heat up times are more like 30 minutes. I've never used a 240V system personally, but from reading reviews the heat up times are about half that of the 110V systems. Personally I like having a little time to get things cleaned, etc but my overall brew day length ends up being closer to 5-6 hours. I also vorlauf about 3G on average and sparge which both add time as well.

I have the pump-less 110v model of Mash and Boil as well. Never mashed with a pump so I don't know what I'm missing there, but it works well with just manually pouring wort in the pipe over the grain. It also has both 1600 and 1000 watt element settings - which keep the mash temp swings to a minimum. You bring it up to temp on 1600 and then drop to 1000 to hold temp. Flip back to 1600 to come up to boil. It always takes mine about 45 mins to go from room temp to boil. Maybe 30 mins from mash temp to boil. I've learned to go wash and sterilize stuff while it heats up and it doesn't seem to take so long. Testing the temp with a thermometer during mash has revealed that the fluctuation shown on the display is not actually varying that much in the mash. I played with compensating the temp settings some and then came back to just setting at the prescribed mash temp and let her go.

If I could change anything about the M&B it would be:

Locate the display where it can be read more easily. If you locate the unit near the floor so you can stand there and easily sparge with the pipe raised, you'd have to get on your knees to see the screen. If you elevate it for easy screen access, you need a step stool to pour in the sparge water. Maybe a remote control screen add-on that connects with a cord or some kind of phone app bluetooth thing.

It'd be nice if it was a couple inches deeper to accommodate a false bottom and still allow the whole mash pipe to fit down in the unit.

Stepped mashes are a pain to manipulate manually and wait on so I don't do em. It'd be nice to program that in and let it handle it.

Grain capacity claims 16lb max. Most I've ever tried is 14 and that was tough enough to stir. Don't want to try 16. There are 5-gal big beers that you can forget about brewing in the M&B unless you want to split them up or go back to extract.

All-in-all, it's a good solid unit and makes good all-grain beer for a reasonable price. I picked mine up on a Black Friday deal on Amazon for $249 + free shipping. It's relatively easy to clean. You do need to disassemble the spigot and clean that well. Watch the parts closely when they come out. There are 2 thin oddly shaped directional gaskets that go on either side of the ball in the valve. You have to turn the unit off and stir like hell when you add extract because it scorches pretty easy over the element. Watch it closely and don't leave the lid on when it comes to a boil. Well timed stirring usually settles down the foam pretty quick. Some of this is true of just about any electric unit.

The Anvil system looks good too. Especially their screen positioning. Surprised their 10.5 gal unit is rated at only 16lb. I've heard of issues with early Robobrew units, but I think that's worked out now. I'm just gonna brew with this until I either kill it or come across something else I can't live without at a reasonable price.

 

[Dancy]

I have the pump-less 110v model of Mash and Boil as well. Never mashed with a pump so I don't know what I'm missing there, but it works well with just manually pouring wort in the pipe over the grain. It also has both 1600 and 1000 watt element settings - which keep the mash temp swings to a minimum. You bring it up to temp on 1600 and the drop to 1000 to hold temp. Flip back to 1600 to come up to boil. It always takes mine about 45 mins to go from room temp to boil. Maybe 30 mins from mash temp to boil. I've learned to go wash and sterilize stuff while it heats up and it doesn't seem to take so long. Testing the temp with a thermometer during mash has revealed that the fluctuation shown on the display is not actually varying that much in the mash. I played with compensating the temp settings some and then came back to just setting at the prescribed mash temp and let her go.

If I could change anything about the M&B it would be:

Locate the display where it can be read more easily. If you locate the unit near the floor so you can stand there and easily sparge with the pipe raised, you'd have to get on your knees to see the screen. If you elevate it for easy screen access, you need a step stool to pour in the sparge water. Maybe a remote control screen add-on that connects with a cord or some kind of phone app bluetooth thing.

It'd be nice if it was a couple inches deeper to accommodate a false bottom and still allow the whole mash pipe to fit down in the unit.

Stepped mashes are a pain to manipulate manually and wait on so I don't do em. It'd be nice to program that in and let it handle it.

Grain capacity claims 16lb max. Most I've ever tried is 14 and that was tough enough to stir. Don't want to try 16. There are 5-gal big beers that you can forget about brewing in the M&B unless you want to split them up or go back to extract.

All-in-all, it's a good solid unit and makes good all-grain beer for a reasonable price. I picked mine up on a Black Friday deal on Amazon for $249 + free shipping. It's relatively easy to clean. You do need to disassemble the spigot and clean that well. Watch the parts closely when they come out. There are 2 thin oddly shaped directional gaskets that go on either side of the ball in the valve. You have to turn the unit off and stir like hell when you add extract because it scorches pretty easy over the element. Watch it closely and don't leave the lid on when it comes to a boil. Well timed stirring usually settles down the foam pretty quick. Some of this is true of just about any electric unit.

The Anvil system looks good too. Especially their screen positioning. Surprised their 10.5 gal unit is rated at only 16lb. I've heard of issues with early Robobrew units, but I think that's worked out now. I'm just gonna brew with this until I either kill it or come across something else I can't live without at a reasonable price.

I just ordered BE M&B with pump an hour ago from William’s. They currently have them priced at $299 with pump, $249.99 w/out. I ordered the cam lock conversion kit and a hop spider and will likely order a Wilser bag for the malt pipe. Sure, I wish the control panel was higher up on the unit but I can live with it. I am confident I can make some good beer

 

[Coastalbrew]

I just ordered BE M&B with pump an hour ago from William’s. They currently have them priced at $299 with pump, $249.99 w/out. I ordered the cam lock conversion kit and a hop spider and will likely order a Wilser bag for the malt pipe. Sure, I wish the control panel was higher up on the unit but I can live with it. I am confident I can make some good beer

Good call on the bag. Adding a bag is the only upgrade I've made to my system and it is definitely worth it. Enjoy your new toy!

 

[sleev-les]

So I’m going back and forth between the Mash & Boil and the Anvil Foundry. The GF is too high for my budget. However, the AF has the tight mash temp control as well. My question is, can you really tell the difference in your beer thanks to the tighter mash temp control?

If I did it all over again, I would have went with the Foundry instead of the M&B. I did notice significant temp shift as I had other probes watching temps so it ended up being a turnoff. The best way to tell if there is a noticeable difference is repeatability. Brew the same recipe again and see if you notice a difference on the next go. There are a few beers that I've dialed in and want the same thing each time so I let my OCD kick in and make sure everything is as tight as possible. I'm sure others have a larger tolerance curve than I do haha, but each person is different.

 

[Brewer_Dad]

I finally got an Anvil Foundry - 10.5 Gal - 240V. Just put the purchase order, It's going to be shipped from the US, and it is still 200 bucks cheaper than getting a Brewzilla 3.1 here.

I'll be selling my old setup, just gonna keep a kettle for heating the sparge water.

Hopefully I won't regret it LOL

 

[Snuffy]

Good call on the bag. Adding a bag is the only upgrade I've made to my system and it is definitely worth it. Enjoy your new toy!

Is the bag used to line the mash pipe? If so, does that interfere with flow at all or with stirring the mash?

Dumping and cleaning the pipe is kind of a PitA. If a bag helps with that it would be worth it. I just don't want to slow down the flow of wort thru the bottom of the pipe during Vorlauf or sparge. It can be kinda slow with with a thick mash sometimes as-is. With a pump you would need to regulate the flow some I would imagine to keep it from outrunning the volume in the bottom of the kettle.

 

[tracer bullet]

The bag will definitely affect flow rate, simply put it is an obstruction. That said, it isn't much of one.

If you feel on the edge of stuck sparges I'd add a little rice hull to your next grain bill. After I started doing that (half pound for normal brews, full pound for Imperials), I've never had another problem again.

Con - make sure you don't tear the bag on any temp sensors or other odds and ends.

Pro - a little extra efficiency if you are willing and able to lift and spin the bag (to help squeeze the grain a little)

You do still have to clean the bag, I don't know that it's any better than a malt pipe. But it certainly will keep your pump clear and for me that's worth it.

 

[Coastalbrew]

Is the bag used to line the mash pipe? If so, does that interfere with flow at all or with stirring the mash?

Yeah, I line the mash pipe with the bag. In my experience it actually improves flow through because it prevents the grains from clogging the holes in the bottom of the mash pipe. The last batch I made a few weeks ago, was over 25% rye and wheat malt combined and it drained like a champ. Stirring is different with the bag, but not problematic IMO.

Be patient and go with the learning curve of a new system. It took me a few batches to dial in my process, but now that things are dialed in I'm loving it, and wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Snuffy]

Yeah, I line the mash pipe with the bag. In my experience it actually improves flow through because it prevents the grains from clogging the holes in the bottom of the mash pipe. The last batch I made a few weeks ago, was over 25% rye and wheat malt combined and it drained like a champ. Stirring is different with the bag, but not problematic IMO.

Be patient and go with the learning curve of a new system. It took me a few batches to dial in my process, but now that things are dialed in I'm loving it, and wouldn't change a thing.

That makes sense. No bits in the holes should actually improve flow. And cleaning the pipe is the worst part of the whole cleanup. Might give it a try soon. Thanks.

 

[Coastalbrew]

Yeah the bag makes cleanup way easier too.

Cheers!

 

[jseyfert3]

Before I got into and even after all grain BIAB I used a 240v Advantco induction burner with both a 5.5 and 7.5 gal kettle. I brewed in my garsge.

Great for extract kits, LME, and eventually used it for my entry into all grain BIAB.

What kettles do you use with that? I've never used an induction stove before, but I know you need pans with an iron or other ferrous core or they won't heat.

 

[McKnuckle]

Most decent stainless steel kettles work with induction; they just need a magnetic bottom. I also have the same 3500W Avantco. It's got dozens of batches on it, and I still use it occasionally for BIAB even though my main rig is a Speidels Braumeister.

 

[Cato1507]

What kettles do you use with that? I've never used an induction stove before, but I know you need pans with an iron or other ferrous core or they won't heat.

I used a ssBrewtech and an Anvil kettle.