Speidel Braumeister (brewmaster)

[dinnerstick]

just cooling after my first brew day, it went like a dream. very pleased!!! ~50% flaked wheat was no problem at all, thanks to above posters for advice. i am much poorer monetarily but much richer in spirit than a few short days ago

 

[Yambor44]

just cooling after my first brew day, it went like a dream. very pleased!!! ~50% flaked wheat was no problem at all, thanks to above posters for advice. i am much poorer monetarily but much richer in spirit than a few short days ago

Awesome! Congratulations!

 

[dinnerstick]

speidel inc should really provide a handsome kickback to those of you who pimped, tested, and trialed their machine here on hbt, that's the only reason i was comfortable plunking down so much coin

 

[Obliviousbrew]

speidel inc should really provide a handsome kickback to those of you who pimped, tested, and trialed their machine here on hbt, that's the only reason i was comfortable plunking down so much coin

I agree this thread its been great help. In my case it has been crucial to decide to get this set up (spending a lot of &euro

 

[Alchemy]

Just pulled a taste out of my first brew on the braumeister, a sam adams alpine spring clone i call "pedal time" (i bike a lot), day 11 (secondary for 4 days.

This is the best beer i have made yet by far! sooooo much better than the extract and partial mashes i made before, and it hasnt even been aged/chilled/carbed yet!

Once i hit 14 days i am going to keg it, should i leave it in the keg at around 65 to 70 for a week before chilling and carbing or should i just pop it in the fridge and put co2 on it for a week or two?

I cant get over how good this tastes and how easy this machine was to use

 

[Yambor44]

Just pulled a taste out of my first brew on the braumeister, a sam adams alpine spring clone i call "pedal time" (i bike a lot), day 11 (secondary for 4 days.

This is the best beer i have made yet by far! sooooo much better than the extract and partial mashes i made before, and it hasnt even been aged/chilled/carbed yet!

Once i hit 14 days i am going to keg it, should i leave it in the keg at around 65 to 70 for a week before chilling and carbing or should i just pop it in the fridge and put co2 on it for a week or two?

I cant get over how good this tastes and how easy this machine was to use

If you are not leaving it in the primary for 3 weeks then I would suggest a week in the keg for an extra week of conditioning.

 

[Alchemy]

If you are not leaving it in the primary for 3 weeks then I would suggest a week in the keg for an extra week of conditioning.

I can do either or, it is in "secondary" right now as I have a conical and I dropped the trub a few times when I hit the final gravity and it had stopped. My question is , when I keg it in 3 days do I condition for a week at room temp or cold?

 

[Yambor44]

I can do either or, it is in "secondary" right now as I have a conical and I dropped the trub a few times when I hit the final gravity and it had stopped. My question is , when I keg it in 3 days do I condition for a week at room temp or cold?

Whichever you have room for. I usually run a pipeline. Starts out at 30 psi for 5-7 days at room temp 75-78. Then into a temp control freezer at 35 degrees and no gas attached, just whats left in there. Then onto the kegerator to serve.

 

[Alchemy]

Whichever you have room for. I usually run a pipeline. Starts out at 30 psi for 5-7 days at room temp 75-78. Then into a temp control freezer at 35 degrees and no gas attached, just whats left in there. Then onto the kegerator to serve.

K, think I will go to keg room temp no co2 for a week so I can free up the conical and then keg at 12psi at 38 for a week

I have other stuff to drink while I wait

 

[bcryan]

what do you guys think about this for a bm table. sick of killing my back lifting the malt pipe out. have a look. cheers

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-hydraulic-lift-table-94822.html

 

[Obliviousbrew]

what do you guys think about this for a bm table. sick of killing my back lifting the malt pipe out. have a look. cheers

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-hydraulic-lift-table-94822.html

Looks very nice but I think moving my 50l brau full of hot wort can't be safe. I prefer spending less money and just build a pulley. Anyway looks sweet.

 

[Yambor44]

Looks very nice but I think moving my 50l brau full of hot wort can't be safe. I prefer spending less money and just build a pulley. Anyway looks sweet.

With that table though, he can hook the pipe to a set point above and then lower the table effectively pulling the pipe up to drain.

I think it looks like a nice table for the money and can do many things.

 

[Obliviousbrew]

With that table though, he can hook the pipe to a set point above and then lower the table effectively pulling the pipe up to drain.

I think it looks like a nice table for the money and can do many things.

Im sure that will work like a dream. If you have to buy a table i'll go with it if you already have one I will stick to the pulley and spend the cash in something else. Don't get me wrong I love hardware and gadgets but muy cash flow has gone low after spending all that money in the unit

 

[Alchemy]

spend the money on some weights and do upright rows!

 

[bcryan]

spend the money on some weights and do upright rows!

I hear ya but you must have the 20L. 50 is heavy!!!

 

[dinnerstick]

what's the consensus among bm users with immersion chillers, do you run the pump once you get down to that point where cooling slows right down? i have been selectively re-reading the thread but couldn't find that many opinions on the subject. how happy is the pump with lots of hop pellet debris and break material? for whole hops i would use a hop sock. thanks

 

[DeGarre]

what's the consensus among bm users with immersion chillers, do you run the pump once you get down to that point where cooling slows right down?...

My water is 4 degrees C (39 F) - it doesn't really slow down at all although the first 10 degrees are super fast.

...how happy is the pump with lots of hop pellet debris and break material? for whole hops i would use a hop sock. thanks

I only use whole hops and a hop rocket.

 

[shecallsmeblue]

I've read majority of this thread, and I don't think it was covered well, or I missed it, but I have a question for you guys using the smaller malt tube with the 50l. I plan to buy one of these systems soon, but want to make sure I buy smart. (Unlike I did with my first AG system, using a 5gal cooler that I out-grew in like two months.) How successful have your 5 gallon batches been with the 50l system? Using it this way can I make higher gravity 5 gallon batches in the machine without the need for DME or excessive boiling? I normally make 5 gallon batches, but don't want to limit myself too much with gravity limits, as I am a fan of larger brews. I also would like to make the occasional 10 gallon batch, so I think the 50l is best for me, but would like more input. Thanks guys!

 

[stevedasleeve]

I am also interested in any responses to these questions. I'm spending much of the summer in Edinburgh and figured I'd set up my brewing rig there.

 

[Alchemy]

I've read majority of this thread, and I don't think it was covered well, or I missed it, but I have a question for you guys using the smaller malt tube with the 50l. I plan to buy one of these systems soon, but want to make sure I buy smart. (Unlike I did with my first AG system, using a 5gal cooler that I out-grew in like two months.) How successful have your 5 gallon batches been with the 50l system? Using it this way can I make higher gravity 5 gallon batches in the machine without the need for DME or excessive boiling? I normally make 5 gallon batches, but don't want to limit myself too much with gravity limits, as I am a fan of larger brews. I also would like to make the occasional 10 gallon batch, so I think the 50l is best for me, but would like more input. Thanks guys!

The smaller malt pipe from what i gather will only allow so much grain and you will be limited to "smaller" 6 percent abv beers using the regular no dme no extra boiling method. the 1.059 limit applies to the 20l and 50l no matter the malt pipe unless you were to boil for a long time.

The problem lays with the pumps not being able to circulate if you cram too much grain in there...there is another method however to get a bigger beer, just do a double mash

Mash with half your grain then remove the grain, add new grain and mash again. It will add some time to your brew day but that i think is the best way to do it with this system.

I for one have never understood the obsession with huge beers, i might have one on a cold winter night but for the most part i want a highly drinkable beer that doesnt knock me on my ass after one....everyone has their tastes though if all you brew are huge barley wine knock your socks off 22 percent beers then maybe this isnt the system for you :fro:

 

[shecallsmeblue]

Thanks for the reply. It's not so much of a huge beer obsession as trying to avoid unecessary limitations. I like the idea of splitting the grain and doing a double mash though. I only rarley brew large beers, but I do brew a barleywine and an IIPA once a year. I guess those two occasions arent enough to convince me not to purchase one. This looks like it will not only make my brew days simpler, but will also clear up some space! 50l it is!!

 

[Obliviousbrew]

I don't see why a lot of people talk about a 1.059 limit. In the first beer that i brew with the system I hit 1.068 with no dme or sugar additions. I'm shure I can hit 1.070 easly. Just don't follow the instructions in the manual

 

[shecallsmeblue]

That was my next question actually. Assuming one hits a high effeciency, they should be able to reach above the afore mentioned gravity limit. I may try a few SMaSH brews with different techniques (i.e. "sparging" with separately heated water) to see what MY limits are with the BM.

 

[bcryan]

I've done 1068 with ease with room for more.

 

[Obliviousbrew]

That was my next question actually. Assuming one hits a high effeciency, they should be able to reach above the afore mentioned gravity limit. I may try a few SMaSH brews with different techniques (i.e. "sparging" with separately heated water) to see what MY limits are with the BM.

This is what I do: If you have the 50l setup I don't think you'll have any problems packing the short malt pipe to the max as the 50l has two pumps and the malt pipe is shorter than the one in 20l setup so IMHO the pump will not struggel that much with a bigger grain bill. Remember also that your boil off rate will be bigger as there is more surface area.
In the middle of the mash I pause the system take out the malt pipe and re-stir the grain. If your grain bill is at the max capacity do it a couple of times.
When the mash is complete i take off the malt pipe and te first screen, and very gently cover the hole in the middle and wash te grain with 1.5 liters of 78° water.
The way you crush your grain will play an important part too some people say a fine crush some a little coarser acording to the manual its better to grind coarsley. Hope this helps. And I am sorry about my english

 

[Obliviousbrew]

When the mash is complete i take off the malt pipe and te first screen, and very gently cover the hole in the middle and wash te grain with 1.5 liters of 78° water. english[/QUOTE]

I meant 1.5 liters per kilo

 

[mlloret]

Wow!! I have just finished my second batch and for my BM50 i made the sparging with 1 liter per kilo. But it is true that to reach 50 liters i had to add 4 or 5 liters of water before boiling

 

[Alchemy]

I don't see why a lot of people talk about a 1.059 limit. In the first beer that i brew with the system I hit 1.068 with no dme or sugar additions. I'm shure I can hit 1.070 easly. Just don't follow the instructions in the manual

I just did a 1.070 yesterday to test it and everything went fine, i do have the newer more powerful pump but it sounds like it will work either way

 

[Batfink]

I just did a 1.070 yesterday to test it and everything went fine, i do have the newer more powerful pump but it sounds like it will work either way

I did my third brew on the 50l last weekend, a 5 gallon batch with a grain bill of 11.5 lb and hit 1.069, using the small pipe obviously, and with a 60min boil. Did stop and stir the mash six times at pump breaks and sparged with 5 litres. I would have fit a couple of pounds or so more in the maltpipe, so you could probably kick it up a notch. As I'm more into high gravity beers I really want to see how high you can go with a full malt pipe, thorough stiring during pump breaks, sparging and a 120min boil. My guess is somewhere around 4 - 4.5 gallon of 1.085.

 

[Alchemy]

I did my third brew on the 50l last weekend, a 5 gallon batch with a grain bill of 11.5 lb and hit 1.069, using the small pipe obviously, and with a 60min boil. Did stop and stir the mash six times at pump breaks and sparged with 5 litres. I would have fit a couple of pounds or so more in the maltpipe, so you could probably kick it up a notch. As I'm more into high gravity beers I really want to see how high you can go with a full malt pipe, thorough stiring during pump breaks, sparging and a 120min boil. My guess is somewhere around 4 - 4.5 gallon of 1.085.

I will continue to push the grain bill as i get used to the system and post on results

I wonder if i welded an extension onto the malt pipe and the top of the system if i could just add more grain that way by making it taller.