Sous Vide Brewing Experience?

[BrewinInPA]

I may try using a solution of muriatic acid and water as a last resort to try to clean this thing.

 

[tracer bullet]

Crazy idea that wouldn't be worth it - use the sous vide to heat water that would get pumped through a wort "chiller" that is placed in the mash.

 

[BrewinInPA]

I feel kind of dumb.. after all, WORT in the hell did I think was going to happen?

 

[RevDroz]

I feel kind of dumb.. after all, WORT in the hell did I think was going to happen?

Trial by error. I am sure others, like myself, have thought about it.

 

[BrewinInPA]

I was upset at the time, but it's something you vorlauf about lauter ....

 

[GoodTruble]

Crazy idea that wouldn't be worth it - use the sous vide to heat water that would get pumped through a wort "chiller" that is placed in the mash.

I thought about a double boiler set up where you put mash kettle inside a larger kettle with water controlled by sous vide. But at some point, this becomes too elaborate of a work around to just buying an electric brewer.

 

[Bobby_M]

This is a reasonable way to hold mash temps in a BIAB rig that will be fired on a burner for the boil phase. I much prefer to electrify the entire kettle including the boil process so in that case, the heat source is already sorted for the mash phase as well. Conversely I find my recirculating eBIAB kettle to be a better Sous Vide rig than any drop in immersion deal out there. Faster heat times and better water movement, not to mention almost unlimited space.

 

[phutrick]

I've been using this technique for years without any real issues - I have an Anova that I bought for cooking and I just attach to the side of the kettle outside the bag. You have to fiddle with the rotation of the device to avoid having the bag sucked in, but once you get it dialed in the temp differential across different parts of the mash is at most 1-2 F. Because I already had the device this was a way to do BIAB for just the cost of the bag.

I haven't seen the issue with caramelized wort burning on - but I haven't tried it with high gravity beers. I'm doing a full-volume mash, so that might be the issue. I just clean it off with PBW (or in a pinch, dish soap...).

Edit: And it can certainly hold 154 F just fine even without kettle insulation, although it can't raise 7.5 gal to strike temp in a reasonable amount of time. I brew stovetop so the Anova is just a little boost for the gas stove.

 

[BrewinInPA]

Thinking about trying to revive the sous vide with a muriatic acid solution. Bartenders friend didn't even TOUCH this mess.

 

[enkamania]

Did you use a hop spider? I've never seen mine act like this. Once I'm done, I sous vide in a water and some vinegar.

 

[BrewinInPA]

The problem was that I used the sous vide for ALL the mash heating not just to hold temps... and It was a triple rest mash.

The "doosh" didn't help it at all.

 

[GoodTruble]

I am a coward. I abandoned my plans after seeing BrewinInPA's photo and because the Brewzilla model I wanted came back in stock. Sorry for planting that destructive seed man. I hope your sous vide survives.