Spike Solo Owner's Thread

[sleev-les]

Here’s another question. The main power plug that goes into the he back of the controller: it comes out very easy. Some mentioned it is a twist lock but it clearly is not. It shifts no more than a 1/16” and still will unplug from that position. What have you guys done to keep it from unplugging during a brew?

 

[RogerGrahl]

Here’s another question. The main power plug that goes into the he back of the controller: it comes out very easy. Some mentioned it is a twist lock but it clearly is not. It shifts no more than a 1/16” and still will unplug from that position. What have you guys done to keep it from unplugging during a brew?

I had trouble with this at first, too. I wasn’t getting the plug all the way into the socket. Once I juggled and wiggled it into place, I could get it to twist slightly and it has been fine ever since. It doesn’t twist vey much…a few degrees is all.

 

[sleev-les]

I had trouble with this at first, too. I wasn’t getting the plug all the way into the socket. Once I juggled and wiggled it into place, I could get it to twist slightly and it has been fine ever since. It doesn’t twist vey much…a few degrees is all.

I finally got it to twist. 1/16” of an inch max. Would feel better if it was a better lock but should hold.

 

[Tobin Bottman]

Hi all, new to this thread and Homebrewtalk generally. Some quick background for reference. I have been homebrewing for five years, only getting more and more avid, with 62 brews completed. I share a 15 gallon system I built over the years with a friend, but have been using a Brewzilla for the last couple of years for solo, experimental batches. Given my predilection to brewing, I decided to invest in the 20 G Spike Solo + recently to take advantage of the 220V power and the potential of larger batches. Got a great bargain bin deal but do wish I had just gone with the 15...prior to purchasing I didn't think I could do full 10 gallon batches in the 15 not realizing I just couldn't do HUGE 10 gallon batches. Oh well. I have done 5 batches in the Solo and am starting to learn its ways. I have a couple of overarching thoughts and some questions I thought I would pose to the group.

Thoughts:
-Brewing 5 G batches on the 20 is tricky. I switched to no sparge for the first time ever using Brewsmith software for grain/water estimates. Otherwise the grist was so dry it was ridiculous.
-I just always mash for 90 minutes now - especially if using Pilsner malt. Otherwise my mash efficiency was spotty as others have noted.
-Doing a 90 minute boil is also tricky. My wort gravity is always way below the Brewsmith or my own estimate or previous experience, but my OG is way high (and wort volume way low) after a 90 minute boil, even if I lower the element to 70% as recommended by Spike. So I end up adding even more water to the mash, which lowers the wort gravity even more! This thing is tricky...my Brewzilla and the big 15 gallon system are just so reliable and predictable....
-End of boil waste is so high. Between the kettle deadspace and hoses, it really compounds the above issues. I read some folks actually drain the kettle through a strainer to up fermenter volume. Lifting the 20 with a couple gallons of liquid in it alone seems daunting though.

So, on to questions:
-Has anyone attached their pump directly to the kettle output? Would have to remove the butterfly valve and rely upon the pump valve I guess? The Uni-Brau is set up this way.
-I use an Exchilerator and like the water savings by racking directly into the fermenter rather than recirculating...but since the whirlpool never gets a nice chill to it, my kettle is full of loose trub at the end of the boil that I either pump into my fermenter or have a BUNCH of waste. What do you all do about this?
-Has anyone come up with a good hop/trub blocker for the outlet of the kettle to help alleviate this? My first batch I used whole cone hops thrown into the kettle and the Exhilerator clogged within about 15 milliseconds. THAT was quite the first brew day on the Solo.
-And has anyone made some sort of sparge fitting for it? Given relatively low mash efficiency, coupled with a clear (no pun intended) need of a good long vorlauf to keep the boil relatively free of husk material, it seems like it would be a good thing.
-Lastly, Spike, if you ever look at these posts, have you considered a kettle hop/trub attachment for the kettle output or a sparge fitting like some of your competitors have? If not, you might want to consider it...

All for now, thanks in advance for the information dump! Super excited to be part of this.

And total side note - if you are in the Portland, OR area and are interested in setting up a yeast sharing program, let me know. I hate to dump great yeast just because I won't be brewing a certain style for a while. I have a conical so harvesting healthy and happy yeast is super easy and I am happy to share.

Thanks all,

Tobin

 

[mscroggi]

Nice setup. Where did you get the spreader bar to lift the Spike basket ?

I think that spreader bar is actually a gambrel that is usually bundled with a hunters game hoist. That thing looks perfect for hoisting the basket. I like the looks of this one - game hoist

 

[sleev-les]

Can any share any changes to the baselineBeersmith Profile for the 20G? I've seen variances and going to adjust, but my grain absorption was more than calculated so my pre boil volume was about a half gallon too low I also need to adjust loss to fermenter to about .25 gallons on the CF10 vs the baseline of 1G. After all set and done I had 9 gallons into the fermenter so adjustments definitely needed. Hopefully that is all I need.

 

[Tobin Bottman]

Hi all. To reduce waste, especially when brewing 5 gallon batches on my 20 G Solo, I was toying with attaching the pump directly to the kettle outlet. Has anyone else tried this? It would mean deleting the kettle outlet valve but I figure I can rely on the pump valve instead? Would appreciate any input others might have.

Thanks !

 

[Biggz1313]

Hi all, new to this thread and Homebrewtalk generally. Some quick background for reference. I have been homebrewing for five years, only getting more and more avid, with 62 brews completed. I share a 15 gallon system I built over the years with a friend, but have been using a Brewzilla for the last couple of years for solo, experimental batches. Given my predilection to brewing, I decided to invest in the 20 G Spike Solo + recently to take advantage of the 220V power and the potential of larger batches. Got a great bargain bin deal but do wish I had just gone with the 15...prior to purchasing I didn't think I could do full 10 gallon batches in the 15 not realizing I just couldn't do HUGE 10 gallon batches. Oh well. I have done 5 batches in the Solo and am starting to learn its ways. I have a couple of overarching thoughts and some questions I thought I would pose to the group.

Thoughts:
-Brewing 5 G batches on the 20 is tricky. I switched to no sparge for the first time ever using Brewsmith software for grain/water estimates. Otherwise the grist was so dry it was ridiculous.
-I just always mash for 90 minutes now - especially if using Pilsner malt. Otherwise my mash efficiency was spotty as others have noted.
-Doing a 90 minute boil is also tricky. My wort gravity is always way below the Brewsmith or my own estimate or previous experience, but my OG is way high (and wort volume way low) after a 90 minute boil, even if I lower the element to 70% as recommended by Spike. So I end up adding even more water to the mash, which lowers the wort gravity even more! This thing is tricky...my Brewzilla and the big 15 gallon system are just so reliable and predictable....
-End of boil waste is so high. Between the kettle deadspace and hoses, it really compounds the above issues. I read some folks actually drain the kettle through a strainer to up fermenter volume. Lifting the 20 with a couple gallons of liquid in it alone seems daunting though.

So, on to questions:
-Has anyone attached their pump directly to the kettle output? Would have to remove the butterfly valve and rely upon the pump valve I guess? The Uni-Brau is set up this way.
-I use an Exchilerator and like the water savings by racking directly into the fermenter rather than recirculating...but since the whirlpool never gets a nice chill to it, my kettle is full of loose trub at the end of the boil that I either pump into my fermenter or have a BUNCH of waste. What do you all do about this?
-Has anyone come up with a good hop/trub blocker for the outlet of the kettle to help alleviate this? My first batch I used whole cone hops thrown into the kettle and the Exhilerator clogged within about 15 milliseconds. THAT was quite the first brew day on the Solo.
-And has anyone made some sort of sparge fitting for it? Given relatively low mash efficiency, coupled with a clear (no pun intended) need of a good long vorlauf to keep the boil relatively free of husk material, it seems like it would be a good thing.
-Lastly, Spike, if you ever look at these posts, have you considered a kettle hop/trub attachment for the kettle output or a sparge fitting like some of your competitors have? If not, you might want to consider it...

All for now, thanks in advance for the information dump! Super excited to be part of this.

And total side note - if you are in the Portland, OR area and are interested in setting up a yeast sharing program, let me know. I hate to dump great yeast just because I won't be brewing a certain style for a while. I have a conical so harvesting healthy and happy yeast is super easy and I am happy to share.

Thanks all,

Tobin

I've attached my pump straight to the kettle before. It worked fine, but with the pump, my 3 way valve and ball valve it seems quite heavy and didn't feel comfortable putting all that weight on the TC weld on the kettle. I'm sure it would be fine but I just didn't feel comfortable doing it.

I use an exchillerator as well and I recirculate back into the kettle. Once cooled, I'll then recirculate without going through the exchillerator for about 10 minutes then I let it sit for 10 minutes with the pump off. This gives me a nice compact cone of trub and hop debris in the center of the kettle and super clear wort going to my fermenter.

See my point above about keeping that stuff out of my pump. Now, as far as whole cone hops go I haven't used those yet and will 100% take your experience into mind. I think I'll use a hop spider or a bag for whole cones. Blichmann has a hop shield that goes on the pickup tube, wonder if it will fit our spike kettles.

I personally don't sparge and I actually got rid of my spike basket. It was a pain to deal with the stuck mashes and low efficiencies so I bought a custom stainless steel mesh basket that fits perfectly inside of my kettle from Utah Biodiesel/ArborFab. Best decision I've made yet with this system. I'm getting mash efficiencies of 85% and Brewhouse Efficiencies of close to 75% (lower because the amount of work I leave behind in kettle).

 

[PINbeer]

Anyone gotten one of the newer baskets with holes on the sides (original like mine only has on the bottom) and done a comparison? I'm wondering if it's worth purchasing one. I'm also wondering whether Spike would add the holes as a mod if you sent back your original. Will be asking them.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

Anyone gotten one of the newer baskets with holes on the sides (original like mine only has on the bottom) and done a comparison? I'm wondering if it's worth purchasing one. I'm also wondering whether Spike would add the holes as a mod if you sent back your original. Will be asking them.

We would love to sell you another one however save your money. There is no brewing benefit other than one more protection to frying your element.

 

[PINbeer]

We would love to sell you another one however save your money.

Thanks for the quick response and saving me a call.

 

[HopChef]

After a long hiatus from brewing (went from home brewer, to pro, to failed pro, and now back to home brewing, that's for another thread), and exhaustive research on the state of home brewing today, the Spike Solo+ 20g was my choice! I've watched every video and trolled every thread and it just met every criteria I had for managing wort production in a simpler set up (my pilot system at Heroic was a Spike 50g e-herms). Can't wait to get my first batches in to start establishing my numbers. Thanks to all here for the input.

My primary question is why everyone is so focused on increasing efficiency versus establishing consistency? The experiments in getting 5-10% more out of a system designed to hit 70% sound interesting, and there are some great ideas for getting a more consistent conversion, but it all sounds like a lot of work with the wrong goal in mind. Pro brewers are aiming at 80-90% total depending on style brewed. Chasing over 90 with longer sparges can lead to quality issues (tannin extraction, polyphenols, grain bitterness). What I haven't seen are consecutive brews at the same numbers or what techniques were used to ensure consistency. If you dial it in at 70% and you get within a point or two above or below every time, what is the point of chasing numbers that don't impact the quality of the beer?

My plan is to do 3 simple brews with similar gravities (thinking porter, pale, and a helles), nothing sticky or dense, nothing with a ton of hops to effect post boil volumes, work the profile in Beersmith, and work the SOP so that I'm not the variable. Water chemistry, proper ph, consistent crush, and consistent mash temps are where I usually focus. Any ideas on other techniques to get consistency?

 

[Tobin Bottman]

I've attached my pump straight to the kettle before. It worked fine, but with the pump, my 3 way valve and ball valve it seems quite heavy and didn't feel comfortable putting all that weight on the TC weld on the kettle. I'm sure it would be fine but I just didn't feel comfortable doing it.

I use an exchillerator as well and I recirculate back into the kettle. Once cooled, I'll then recirculate without going through the exchillerator for about 10 minutes then I let it sit for 10 minutes with the pump off. This gives me a nice compact cone of trub and hop debris in the center of the kettle and super clear wort going to my fermenter.

See my point above about keeping that stuff out of my pump. Now, as far as whole cone hops go I haven't used those yet and will 100% take your experience into mind. I think I'll use a hop spider or a bag for whole cones. Blichmann has a hop shield that goes on the pickup tube, wonder if it will fit our spike kettles.

I personally don't sparge and I actually got rid of my spike basket. It was a pain to deal with the stuck mashes and low efficiencies so I bought a custom stainless steel mesh basket that fits perfectly inside of my kettle from Utah Biodiesel/ArborFab. Best decision I've made yet with this system. I'm getting mash efficiencies of 85% and Brewhouse Efficiencies of close to 75% (lower because the amount of work I leave behind in kettle).

Interesting! I have not had the stuck mash issues others have had (yet!) but am brewing an oatmeal stout tomorrow so will report back. I have not made the switch to a direct mount pump yet but I think I will at a minimum I will set up a three way valve so I can recirculate and whirlpool prior to chilling without the hose swapping I currently do resulting in wort loss and potential pump cavitation.

And a total side note: For users of BrewSmith, does the program seem to under estimate wort gravity (to a worrying level) and under-estimate OG? That is routinely the case for me. I am enough of a luddite that I am not sure if that is something I can tweak in the settings but it is certainly way less accurate then the Brewzilla and three vessel equipment profile presets.

Thanks all. Also, currently bottle conditioning my third annual batch of brett 11 month aged Columbia River Gorge peach saison. So if you are in the Portland (OR) area and have a fun bottle to trade am happy to share.

Cheers,

Tobin

 

[RogerGrahl]

After a long hiatus from brewing (went from home brewer, to pro, to failed pro, and now back to home brewing, that's for another thread), and exhaustive research on the state of home brewing today, the Spike Solo+ 20g was my choice! I've watched every video and trolled every thread and it just met every criteria I had for managing wort production in a simpler set up (my pilot system at Heroic was a Spike 50g e-herms). Can't wait to get my first batches in to start establishing my numbers. Thanks to all here for the input.

My primary question is why everyone is so focused on increasing efficiency versus establishing consistency? The experiments in getting 5-10% more out of a system designed to hit 70% sound interesting, and there are some great ideas for getting a more consistent conversion, but it all sounds like a lot of work with the wrong goal in mind. Pro brewers are aiming at 80-90% total depending on style brewed. Chasing over 90 with longer sparges can lead to quality issues (tannin extraction, polyphenols, grain bitterness). What I haven't seen are consecutive brews at the same numbers or what techniques were used to ensure consistency. If you dial it in at 70% and you get within a point or two above or below every time, what is the point of chasing numbers that don't impact the quality of the beer?

My plan is to do 3 simple brews with similar gravities (thinking porter, pale, and a helles), nothing sticky or dense, nothing with a ton of hops to effect post boil volumes, work the profile in Beersmith, and work the SOP so that I'm not the variable. Water chemistry, proper ph, consistent crush, and consistent mash temps are where I usually focus. Any ideas on other techniques to get consistency?

HopChef, you are a real brewing master. This is the great advice and is one of the best posts I have read on this forum. Thank you! As for other ideas, consider environmental factors if you are brewing outside. Temperature and humidity can affect your boil off rate. That’s one of the reasons I moved inside and use a steam condenser lid.

 

[Biggz1313]

And a total side note: For users of BrewSmith, does the program seem to under estimate wort gravity (to a worrying level) and under-estimate OG? That is routinely the case for me. I am enough of a luddite that I am not sure if that is something I can tweak in the settings but it is certainly way less accurate then the Brewzilla and three vessel equipment profile presets.

You're using the prebuilt spike equipment profiles correct? If so, have to make sure you set your elevation correctly in the equipment profile. Also, what % power do you have your controller set to during the boil? Are you using a steam condenser?

 

[Biggz1313]

My primary question is why everyone is so focused on increasing efficiency versus establishing consistency? The experiments in getting 5-10% more out of a system designed to hit 70% sound interesting, and there are some great ideas for getting a more consistent conversion, but it all sounds like a lot of work with the wrong goal in mind. Pro brewers are aiming at 80-90% total depending on style brewed. Chasing over 90 with longer sparges can lead to quality issues (tannin extraction, polyphenols, grain bitterness). What I haven't seen are consecutive brews at the same numbers or what techniques were used to ensure consistency. If you dial it in at 70% and you get within a point or two above or below every time, what is the point of chasing numbers that don't impact the quality of the beer?

I personally ditched the spike basket because of exactly what you're saying. Consistency was non-existent. Post mash gravities were all over the place and I never knew if I was going to have a stuck mash or not. Had to babysit the thing the entire time because there's no "overflow" holes in the basket to prevent scorching the element. Now that I've switched to a custom stainless mesh basket, I don't have to babysit it anymore, I can stir my mash whenever I want without worry of grain in my wort, my mash efficiencies are now pushing 85% (from sub 70% with the spike basket) and I don't have to vorlauf for 15 minutes because I can just "squeeze" my mash bed to get the remaining wort out. So though I do have higher efficiencies it wasn't my goal, consistency was and just so happened to get a good bump in my efficiencies as well. I would say ultimately I'm much happier with the mesh basket because it improved basically everything about my brew day, I save time (shorter mashes, no vorlauf, can multitask because I don't have to babysit for a element dry fire), I get higher efficiencies and I am waaaay more consistent batch to batch.

That was just my experience and thought processes that got me to where I am today. Some things that annoyed me may by no big deal to others so to each their own and YMMV.

 

[Tobin Bottman]

You're using the prebuilt spike equipment profiles correct? If so, have to make sure you set your elevation correctly in the equipment profile. Also, what % power do you have your controller set to during the boil? Are you using a steam condenser?

Hi Biggz1313. I am using the 20 G Solo equipment profile. I am at a whopping 125' elevation! Once boiling I reduce the power to 70% per Spike's recommendation. I do not have a steam condenser lid. For the 5 gallon batch brew I just finished today, I added 8 gallons to the kettle, boiled for 60 minutes and ended up with about 5.75 gallons left in the kettle which ended up being about 5.5 gallons in the fermenter - as hoped. I still can't get the 90 minute boil volumes dialed in. So BeerSmith estimated my wort gravity as 1.050 and I hit 1.048 - close enough. BUT BeerSmith estimated my OG was going to be 1.062. My actual OG was 1.058. And this is after adding about 2 pounds of grain on top of the original recipe that I made on my old Brewzilla (which had an OG of 1.065 btw).

Hey, the beer tastes good so at least there is that. I would just love some better predictability.

Thanks for your input!

Tobin

 

[Biggz1313]

Hi Biggz1313. I am using the 20 G Solo equipment profile. I am at a whopping 125' elevation! Once boiling I reduce the power to 70% per Spike's recommendation. I do not have a steam condenser lid. For the 5 gallon batch brew I just finished today, I added 8 gallons to the kettle, boiled for 60 minutes and ended up with about 5.75 gallons left in the kettle which ended up being about 5.5 gallons in the fermenter - as hoped. I still can't get the 90 minute boil volumes dialed in. So BeerSmith estimated my wort gravity as 1.050 and I hit 1.048 - close enough. BUT BeerSmith estimated my OG was going to be 1.062. My actual OG was 1.058. And this is after adding about 2 pounds of grain on top of the original recipe that I made on my old Brewzilla (which had an OG of 1.065 btw).

Hey, the beer tastes good so at least there is that. I would just love some better predictability.

Thanks for your input!

Tobin

Would you be willing to share screen shots of your equipment profile for both the 60min and 90min boils? Also if you're always missing your OG low but your expected/predicted volumes throughout the brew are accurate then you have some mash issues to clear up. Could be your crush (grain mill gap too wide), could be channeling in your grain bed. Just trying to think of all the possibilities here.

 

[Adam Zerwick]

I personally ditched the spike basket because of exactly what you're saying. Consistency was non-existent. Post mash gravities were all over the place and I never knew if I was going to have a stuck mash or not. Had to babysit the thing the entire time because there's no "overflow" holes in the basket to prevent scorching the element. Now that I've switched to a custom stainless mesh basket, I don't have to babysit it anymore, I can stir my mash whenever I want without worry of grain in my wort, my mash efficiencies are now pushing 85% (from sub 70% with the spike basket) and I don't have to vorlauf for 15 minutes because I can just "squeeze" my mash bed to get the remaining wort out. So though I do have higher efficiencies it wasn't my goal, consistency was and just so happened to get a good bump in my efficiencies as well. I would say ultimately I'm much happier with the mesh basket because it improved basically everything about my brew day, I save time (shorter mashes, no vorlauf, can multitask because I don't have to babysit for a element dry fire), I get higher efficiencies and I am waaaay more consistent batch to batch.

That was just my experience and thought processes that got me to where I am today. Some things that annoyed me may by no big deal to others so to each their own and YMMV.

Would you mind attaching a pic of your custom basket? I'm also going the route of ditching the Spike basket and was planning on the whole false bottom + brewbag... Never even considered a different basket.

 

[Biggz1313]

Would you mind attaching a pic of your custom basket? I'm also going the route of ditching the Spike basket and was planning on the whole false bottom + brewbag... Never even considered a different basket.

I will try and do this tomorrow. I'm out of town at the moment. I bought it from Utah Biodiesel who I think had a sister company ArborFab make it and ship it cuz I'm in Ohio. But here's a link to their sites: Stainless Brewing Filters For Beer, Wine, Coffee, Tea and More! - Hop Spider, Hops Holder, Hop Strainer Cup, Keg Filter, Kettle Screens, Stainless Steel Mesh, Custom - Utah Biodiesel Supply or Welcome to Arbor Fabricating - Specializing in Stainless Steel Mesh and Perforated Filters

 

[Biggz1313]

Would you mind attaching a pic of your custom basket? I'm also going the route of ditching the Spike basket and was planning on the whole false bottom + brewbag... Never even considered a different basket.

Here she is. I got it just a tad bit too tall so I the lid to the kettle rests on top of the basket so if you decide to go this route allow for more room than you think when it comes to height of the basket. It doesn't really effect anything really it's just a little tall. Also don't spend the money on the press plate, you can just go to webstaueantstore.com and buy a stainless steel pan lid that works just as good and is less than half the price of the press plate they offer.

 

[HopChef]

Here she is. I got it just a tad bit too tall so I the lid to the kettle rests on top of the basket so if you decide to go this route allow for more room than you think when it comes to height of the basket. It doesn't really effect anything really it's just a little tall. Also don't spend the money on the press plate, you can just go to webstaueantstore.com and buy a stainless steel pan lid that works just as good and is less than half the price of the press plate they offer.

Very interesting. Do you have any issues with clarity or do you get sufficient flow through the grain bed to end up with clear wort? That would be my only concern with the technique, but if you've got that figured out and are getting consistent extraction over 80% then kudos!

 

[Biggz1313]

Very interesting. Do you have any issues with clarity or do you get sufficient flow through the grain bed to end up with clear wort? That would be my only concern with the technique, but if you've got that figured out and are getting consistent extraction over 80% then kudos!

I use whirlfloc in the boil but otherwise I rack borderline crystal clear wort to the fermenter. I even pull this basket out before boil and use a big stainless steel frying pan lid to squeeze as much out of the basket as I can. This is a much more enjoyable and more consistent brew process compared to the Spike basket. Did the Spike basket work? Absolutely! Is this method easier, less time intensive, more efficient, and allows me to use the full potential of my 15g kettle (no dead space) IMHO 1000% yes.

 

[Oceangrace24]

Word to the wise.. don't use fresh pumpkin in a spike solo 20gal mash. ask me how I know...

 

[Fidelity101]

Ok...we need pictures.

 

[mscroggi]

What he said! ^^^^ Pics pics!!!

 

[Oceangrace24]

Oh, there are no pictures. But let's just say next time I will put the pumpkin in a bag. Worst stuck mash ever, ended up stirring almost the entire time to keep from scorching my element, which I did a little. Way too mush grain then got through. Mash temp no where close to set temp I assume due to all the stirring. Missed OG by 10 points. I did this same recipe before in an igloo cooler without any issues. Then I added liquid chocolate in the the conical after fermentation was complete. Another mess. I had this big glob of pumpkin/chocolate in the bottom. LOL. if this beer ends up drinkable, it will be a miracle.

 

[Tobin Bottman]

But I bet it will! My buddy and I made a completely experimental holiday warmer with Kveik yeast and juniper berries but then left it to sit in a second use 5 gallon bourbon barrel for two weeks. Well fast forward 52 weeks later and we thought we better finally get it out of the barrel. We thought there was no way it would be drinkable. Well, it is one of the most complex, well balanced Oud Bruin-style beers I have ever experienced. So have faith! As long as your fermentation is clean, you are probably going to be pleasantly surprised.

But thanks for the heads up with the pumpkin/Solo issue - noted!

On a side note, that 5 gallon barrel had evaporated to about 3.75 gallons, but the gravity read the same on a hydrometer as when we racked to the barrel a year ago. What is the effect on the what was 9.2% ABV? Is there a way to calculate the gain? Or did the alcohol evaporate too?

 

[mscroggi]

I thought I would share this little ditty about storage options for the larger kettles:

I am a new owner of a 20 Gal Spike kettle and have built a compact brewing rig on wheels that I pull into the center of the shop, brew, and roll back against the wall for storage. One issue I wanted to resolve is a good way to cover the kettle to keep dust out while not in use. I didn't want to do a trash bag since it's so flimsy (although this would work fine). Previously I had purchases those cheap, durable, reusable bags like what Ikea uses to cover my shop tools. I thought maybe I could find something along those lines big enough to cover the 20 Gal kettle. (this is a bit of a challenge since the pump and valves extend from the kettle making it pretty wide).

Searching in Amazon for '72-Gallon Reusable Garden Waste Bags' I found very large heavy bags that turned out to be a very good cover for the kettle.
Everyone in amazon is essentially selling the same cheapo bag so I just found the cheapest price and committed to buying a 3 pack for $17 (I only needed the one but decided I could use the extras at the house anyway)

Not exactly an engineering feat, but it might help somebody.

Ciao,

 

[Willis66]

Here she is. I got it just a tad bit too tall so I the lid to the kettle rests on top of the basket so if you decide to go this route allow for more room than you think when it comes to height of the basket. It doesn't really effect anything really it's just a little tall. Also don't spend the money on the press plate, you can just go to webstaueantstore.com and buy a stainless steel pan lid that works just as good and is less than half the price of the press plate they offer.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, I am going to order one for my Wort Hog / Spike Solo set-up, and try to sell the spike basket. Would you please answer a few questions?

1. How do you recirculate the wort over the grain bed with this system? I use the port on the basket now.
2. How much clearance between the kettle and the basket did you leave?
3. Related to 2, did you add the resting feet, or just use some Z clips like the Clawhammer basket?

I have a Blichmann boil coil so my legs will need to be different. This is my set-up.