Speidel Sent me a Braumeister Cable

[Broothru]

My average efficiency (mash) hovers between 81% and 83%. I don't condition prior to crush but I do use a 3-roller Monster Mill MM3 with the primary gap set at 35mm. It seldom use rice hulls, but I do have a pound on hand for an upcoming Pivo Grodziskie that has a 100% smoked wheat grist bill. And I always do a two-step mash, mashing in at 55C, sacc. rest at 62, dextrin rest at 70C, mash out at 78C. Time and exact temperatures vary with sacc. and dextrin rests depending on recipe and style specifics, but my mash efficiencies are almost always in the 81-83% range. 90% is obviously an outlier. Finding the right grain to strike water ratio in the half-batch setup has been a challenge, but I'm getting closer to dialing it in.

 

[Pennine]

My average efficiency (mash) hovers between 81% and 83%. I don't condition prior to crush but I do use a 3-roller Monster Mill MM3 with the primary gap set at 35mm. It seldom use rice hulls, but I do have a pound on hand for an upcoming Pivo Grodziskie that has a 100% smoked wheat grist bill. And I always do a two-step mash, mashing in at 55C, sacc. rest at 62, dextrin rest at 70C, mash out at 78C. Time and exact temperatures vary with sacc. and dextrin rests depending on recipe and style specifics, but my mash efficiencies are almost always in the 81-83% range. 90% is obviously an outlier. Finding the right grain to strike water ratio in the half-batch setup has been a challenge, but I'm getting closer to dialing it in.

What times do you use at your steps?

 

[Broothru]

Oh, I have quite a list of different mash profiles I’ve built over the years for the Braumeister, but in a practical sense I only use a few of them any more:

Profile Sacc. Dextrin Mashout

Hoch-Kurz Ale 64C/:25 min. 70C/:45 min. 76C/:15 min.

Hoch-Kurz Lager 63C/:40 min. 68C/:50 min. 76C/:15 min.

Crisp, Fermentable 62C/:40 min. 70C/:20 min. 77C/:15 min.

Dry, Lite, High ABV 62C/:40 min. 72C/:20 min. 76C/:15 min.

Malty, Sweeter 62C/:20 min 72C/:40 min. 78C/:15 min.

As you can see, they’re all very similar with only small tweaks around the margins to accommodate the whims and nuances of the different sources I used at the time I researched them. There’re probably 50 or more profiles that I’ve constructed, but these are the only ones I use. In a practical sense, 1 degree Celsius = 1.8 degree Fahrenheit, so a 4C difference is not insignificant, and neither is a :20 minute to :40 minute time swing. Still, they are minor tweaks across a bigger target.

The more likely reason I have so many placed so close together in value is that it’s tedious and easy to forget to reprogram the old-style control box on the Braumeister, and old guys are sometimes prone to forget certain tasks. There’s more room for forgivable error if the variables are more closely spaced together.

 

[Pennine]

Oh, I have quite a list of different mash profiles I’ve built over the years for the Braumeister, but in a practical sense I only use a few of them any more:

Profile Sacc. Dextrin Mashout

Hoch-Kurz Ale 64C/:25 min. 70C/:45 min. 76C/:15 min.

Hoch-Kurz Lager 63C/:40 min. 68C/:50 min. 76C/:15 min.

Crisp, Fermentable 62C/:40 min. 70C/:20 min. 77C/:15 min.

Dry, Lite, High ABV 62C/:40 min. 72C/:20 min. 76C/:15 min.

Malty, Sweeter 62C/:20 min 72C/:40 min. 78C/:15 min.

As you can see, they’re all very similar with only small tweaks around the margins to accommodate the whims and nuances of the different sources I used at the time I researched them. There’re probably 50 or more profiles that I’ve constructed, but these are the only ones I use. In a practical sense, 1 degree Celsius = 1.8 degree Fahrenheit, so a 4F difference is not insignificant, and neither is a :20 minute to :40 minute time swing. Still, they are minor tweaks across a bigger target.

The more likely reason I have so many placed so close together in value is that it’s tedious and easy to forget to reprogram the old-style control box on the Braumeister, and old guys are sometimes prone to forget certain tasks. There’s more room for forgivable error if the variables are more closely spaced together.

Thanks that's helpful, I used the hoch kurz timing of 30/30 and a mashout quite a bit. I like your small variations though.

 

[Willy]

If I decide to pull the trigger on the 2018 Braumeister (still fence sitting, weighing pros/cons)... I don't think I will get the Lo Oxygen kit (just make my own which looks very doable). Same for the smaller mash pipe ... I would just do a slightly larger batch size (7 or 8 g) and be fine.

Oddly enough... The larger fermenter is a big plus as it would fit inside my inkbirded freezer for a big batch lagers.

 

[Pennine]

If I decide to pull the trigger on the 2018 Braumeister (still fence sitting, weighing pros/cons)... I don't think I will get the Lo Oxygen kit (just make my own which looks very doable). Same for the smaller mash pipe ... I would just do a slightly larger batch size (7 or 8 g) and be fine.

Oddly enough... The larger fermenter is a big plus as it would fit inside my inkbirded freezer for a big batch lagers.

$600 is such a steal for it, I would have a hard time not buying it even though I have no need for that much beer. They retail for $4k now it looks like.

 

[Broothru]

If I decide to pull the trigger on the 2018 Braumeister (still fence sitting, weighing pros/cons)... I don't think I will get the Lo Oxygen kit (just make my own which looks very doable). Same for the smaller mash pipe ... I would just do a slightly larger batch size (7 or 8 g) and be fine.

Oddly enough... The larger fermenter is a big plus as it would fit inside my inkbirded freezer for a big batch lagers.

The LoDO kit adds two important pieces to the mix that you probably won’t be able to fabricate without high heat cutting tools and a template. The floating plate you could do with a deep dish pizza pan, but the diameter might be a mismatch for getting a close fit.

For me, the essential part is the reinforcing plate (not the perforated plate) that holds the top screen and inverted perforated plate securely and tightly on top of the malt pipe. That’s the essential part that you might not be able to replicate easily.

The perforated top plate, like the bottom perforated plate, is a slightly smaller diameter than the malt pipe, so it won’t hold the screen in place when configured for LoDO mashing. When assembled, going UP from the grain bed, the sequence is (all mounted on top of the malt pipe), is top screen, perforated plate,
slotted reinforcing plate, with the mash cap floating on the wort/strike water.

The first photo shows the reinforcing plate over the screen and perforated plate. The second picture is the mash cap in place over the screen and plates.

If it looks strange, it’s because they’re on top of the half-batch malt pipe.

 

[Pennine]

We should probably start a new friends of the braumeister thread for these discussions...