Speidel Braumeister (brewmaster)

[hfk2]

Your crush looks similar to mine. I do think I get too much flour. I've noticed that after 6 to 7 minutes of adding the grain to the pipe I have to pause and gently redistribute the grains. I use my paddle and just poke down through the bed until the density feels equal all around. I also found I have to be very careful about getting grains into the main pot. My last batch some grain got into the pump and not only made a rackety noise, but stop pumping all together. Fortunately I used my March pump to pump wort through the BM pump intake hole which cleared it out. Yambor44 maybe your bed was too compacted combined with the cloth filter maybe being out of place, the wort found the path of least resistance. My first batch I found channeling at the outer edge of the pipe and around the center post. If the problem was the new impellers I would think that when the wort is ramping up to the boil, while the pump is running, it would be shooting up like a geyser, but you didn't say that happened. A few pages back an Australian said his shop where he bought his BM made cloth filters with a drawstring that fit around the SS sieve. Maybe you could have someone make on and try it out. My SS screens don't lay flat so when I add the grain some slips underneath the bottom and some comes out the top, so these aren't the cure all either.

 

[Yambor44]

Your crush looks similar to mine. I do think I get too much flour. I've noticed that after 6 to 7 minutes of adding the grain to the pipe I have to pause and gently redistribute the grains. I use my paddle and just poke down through the bed until the density feels equal all around. I also found I have to be very careful about getting grains into the main pot. My last batch some grain got into the pump and not only made a rackety noise, but stop pumping all together. Fortunately I used my March pump to pump wort through the BM pump intake hole which cleared it out. Yambor44 maybe your bed was too compacted combined with the cloth filter maybe being out of place, the wort found the path of least resistance. My first batch I found channeling at the outer edge of the pipe and around the center post. If the problem was the new impellers I would think that when the wort is ramping up to the boil, while the pump is running, it would be shooting up like a geyser, but you didn't say that happened. A few pages back an Australian said his shop where he bought his BM made cloth filters with a drawstring that fit around the SS sieve. Maybe you could have someone make on and try it out. My SS screens don't lay flat so when I add the grain some slips underneath the bottom and some comes out the top, so these aren't the cure all either.

That is excellent to know. I am thinking it's the crush as well. I sent that person a PM about where to get the drawstring filters and he gave me the email for the guy. I think I sent him an email and never heard back. I just sent him another one.

I think I will try wet mill malt conditioning on the next crush.

 

[tomroeder]

That crush looks pretty pulverized. My Barley Crusher does the same thing if I don't malt condition/wet mill. When I don't wet mill, I get dough balls the size of grapefruits (10 gallon batch). When I wet mill, the dough in goes smooth, as does the sparge. Rice hulls may cure your problem too. I have never bought them before, but I think they are dirt cheap.

 

[makomachine]

My vote is change one step in your process to determine on your next batch. Either a draw string filter or rice hulls. I think it's crush related as it looks a bit on the fine side from what I can see in the pics. Rice hulls or wet mill would be my next step if I was modifying. Let us know how the next session goes.

 

[waynemil]

i agree. I put 8oz of rice hulls in every time and have never had a stuck mash. Pretty cheap insurance to insure a smooth brew day.

Wayne

My vote is change one step in your process to determine on your next batch. Either a draw string filter or rice hulls. I think it's crush related as it looks a bit on the fine side from what I can see in the pics. Rice hulls or wet mill would be my next step if I was modifying. Let us know how the next session goes.

 

[waynemil]

Ok, from your accent I am guessing you are from the south--Texas--Memphis:cross: I am guessing you have very hot ground water. When I was using my brewmagic with a plate chiller, it was suggested to run the hose connected to the chiller through a bucket filled with ice and cold water. One more step in the process, but it guaranteed ice cold water in the chiller and it really seemed to help. Give that a try next time. If it does not work, talk to the experts at any of the local home brew shops. Can you also post the information of the guy who does the drawstring for the filters?

Thanks and good luck.

Wayne

Man I don't know what the deal is then. I know for my system, the chiller works best if the water running thru it is fast. Yesterday took over an hour at the slow water rate.

I have done just as you described twice and both times it took 45-50 minutes to get to 68.

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Ok, from your accent I am guessing you are from the south--Texas--Memphis:cross:

OT: Wayne, actually I am assuming he is a Florida native. The further north in Florida you go, the more South you get Ocala has been historically more farm/ag country then anything. Those type of accents are not uncommon for natives from certain parts of FL.

I can say this as I grew up there and just moved away about 11-12 years ago. In fact I played against Daunte Culpepper at Ocala Vanguard when I was a Senior in high school.

 

[Yambor44]

My vote is change one step in your process to determine on your next batch. Either a draw string filter or rice hulls. I think it's crush related as it looks a bit on the fine side from what I can see in the pics. Rice hulls or wet mill would be my next step if I was modifying. Let us know how the next session goes.

Definitely. I will only do one change at a time.

 

[Yambor44]

OT: Wayne, actually I am assuming he is a Florida native. The further north in Florida you go, the more South you get Ocala has been historically more farm/ag country then anything. Those type of accents are not uncommon for natives from certain parts of FL.

I can say this as I grew up there and just moved away about 11-12 years ago. In fact I played against Daunte Culpepper at Ocala Vanguard when I was a Senior in high school.

You are dead on. I was born and raised in Gainesville them moved and finished 8-12th grades in Starke which is where I'm sure I picked up my "accent". Moved to Ocala in 91.

Where did you go to high school?

Back to Wayne. I use ice water for the entire chilling process pumped thru the chiller with a sump pump.

 

[gustavf]

Not sure. I made 4 batches with the same crush, one was the exact same grain bill so I'm at a lose.

The "volcano" is almost definitely because the crush is too fine. It has happened to me, and a few others I know, but adjusting the milling has helped. I even think it is mentioned in the user's guide somewhere.

 

[hfk2]

gustavf, do you find that you grind your grains coarser since you have been using the BM. I in the past mashed in a 10 gallon cooler and used the same grind for the BM as I did for the cooler mashing, but think I should grind a little coarser. Any of our European BM users have any opinions on this?

 

[gustavf]

Yes, I grind slightly coarser than I used to when I had a more traditional mash tun.

 

[DeGarre]

Little by little we are getting there, by eliminating processes...My 1st brew my milled grain looked exactly like Yambor44's pictures: some husks and lots of flour. The efficiency was also somewhat lower than in my 2nd brew (no mash shooting out though) where I milled coarser: less flour although seemed to have intact grain a lot more. Problem with the BM provided basic grain mill: either on or off, very difficult to get the middle of the road result. Loosen the screws just a little bit and grain just comes through intact. precision work required.

I got the metal filters and find it difficult to place the top one onto the mash without splashing liquid and thus some malt onto the filter because I have to drop it a bit. Need to figure out some pliers etc that I can use to just gently place it on top of the mash. Or get the one that is tied to the edge of the metal thingy.

 

[hfk2]

I'm thinking of getting some stainless steel or copper thin wire and tying the mesh to the sieve in a few places to hold it in position. It shouldn't take a minute to put together and can be taken apart fast to clean.

 

[Yambor44]

I'm thinking of getting some stainless steel or copper thin wire and tying the mesh to the sieve in a few places to hold it in position. It shouldn't take a minute to put together and can be taken apart fast to clean.

I think there is a pic somewhere with someone using SS paperclips. What about those?

 

[gustavf]

I got the metal filters and find it difficult to place the top one onto the mash without splashing liquid and thus some malt onto the filter because I have to drop it a bit. Need to figure out some pliers etc that I can use to just gently place it on top of the mash. Or get the one that is tied to the edge of the metal thingy.

I have the textile filters and some malt always leaks past them. I would not worry too much about a little splashing.

 

[Yambor44]

Here it go:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/speidel-braumeister-brewmaster-229225/index7.html#post2878366

 

[hfk2]

thanks yambor44, I'll give it a try.

 

[gustavf]

I'm thinking of getting some stainless steel or copper thin wire and tying the mesh to the sieve in a few places to hold it in position. It shouldn't take a minute to put together and can be taken apart fast to clean.

I got hold of a cooling rack for cakes, similiar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AS05HO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


A few minutes with some pliers and it was perfect for holding the filter in place. (Speidel obviously have the tools to machine steel. I cannot understand why they shipped the textile, lighter than water, filters without anything to hold them in place.)

Edit: Old news. Found way back on page 25: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/speidel-braumeister-brewmaster-229225/index25.html#post2877886

 

[Yambor44]

Just wanted to throw this out there. You can also fit the 50L malt pipe and sieves in the dishwasher with the top tray removed! Little by little...

 

[waynemil]

I'm such a knucklehead--All I had to do was look left to your profile, but I was so fascinated by the cinematography i could not take my eyes off the screen

You are dead on. I was born and raised in Gainesville them moved and finished 8-12th grades in Starke which is where I'm sure I picked up my "accent". Moved to Ocala in 91.

Where did you go to high school?

Back to Wayne. I use ice water for the entire chilling process pumped thru the chiller with a sump pump.

 

[clasley]

Tested a simple mod on my 20l unit to add more of a whirlpool to the pump output. Used a 1" length of 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD silicone tubing press fit into the pump output with a 1/2" copper street elbow on top. Fits nicely under the bottom of the malt pipe and left me with a nice center cone. If you're using an immersion chiller there should just be enough room under the bottom plate of the malt pipe to replace the elbow with a 45 degree elbow directing the wort up to distribute the heat better.

I didn't run into any issues adding this to the mix - don't curse my name if you try it and do. I can't imagine removing the malt pipe and fishing around in hot wort to work this out would be much fun.

-Chris

 

[Yambor44]

I'm such a knucklehead--All I had to do was look left to your profile, but I was so fascinated by the cinematography i could not take my eyes off the screen

OMG I almost lost my beer!!

 

[Yambor44]

Chris,

I'm lost a bit. Did you try it on a brew day or with just cool water? I would imagine you wouldn't want to add that until after you removed the malt pipe eh?

Rob

 

[clasley]

Wanted something under my 20l to keep it from sliding around and keep the stainless 'feet' from scratching my new stainless table. Found just the thing at the local auto parts store - car door edge guard. Comes in a few colors (I went with clear) and it's cheap, <$4 for 2x27" pieces. I used a heat gun to soften up the bends around the corners. I'm sure there are several manufactures out there but here are the details on what I found to work:

Cowles Products U-Door Edge - T3800

-Chris

 

[clasley]

Did you try it on a brew day or with just cool water? I would imagine you wouldn't want to add that until after you removed the malt pipe eh?

Threw caution to the wind and tried it on my last brew day, a Belgian Dubbel with 13.5 lbs of grain. Put it in before I added water - heated, added the malt pipe and crossed my fingers. Ran the entire process with it in place without a hitch. Next time I may not be so lucky but it seems to be pretty solid.

-Chris

 

[Yambor44]

Threw caution to the wind and tried it on my last brew day, a Belgian Dubbel with 13.5 lbs of grain. Put it in before I added water - heated, added the malt pipe and crossed my fingers. Ran the entire process with it in place without a hitch. Next time I may not be so lucky but it seems to be pretty solid.

-Chris

Cool. Good to know. Let us know if that changes.

Good find on the edge tamer. EVERY time I have brewed I cut my finger(s) when cleaning the BM out when I lift and dump...EVERY time.

 

[makomachine]

This thread rocks! I'm definitely going to try Chris's whirlpool mod when I get mine as that's something I was thinking about. I mean you have a pump... Why not a whirlpool integrated? Brilliant!

You'll have to keep us updated on how the mod holds up through your next few brew sessions. The only thing I can think it might impact is that the pump has to work a bit harder on the bend to keep up the circulation through the grain bed. If you didn't have a problem with a large malt bill though, it would appear to not be an issue.

Rob - wondering if this would help or hurt your channeling issue?

 

[Yambor44]

Chris - How many pumps are on the 20L?

 

[Yambor44]

This thread rocks! I'm definitely going to try Chris's whirlpool mod when I get mine as that's something I was thinking about. I mean you have a pump... Why not a whirlpool integrated? Brilliant!

You'll have to keep us updated on how the mod holds up through your next few brew sessions. The only thing I can think it might impact is that the pump has to work a bit harder on the bend to keep up the circulation through the grain bed. If you didn't have a problem with a large malt bill though, it would appear to not be an issue.

Rob - wondering if this would help or hurt your channeling issue?

Good question - thoughts?

Rob