Terrible brew

[Brewbastic]

Good evening! I recently got back into brewing after a 2 year break. I am in the navy and did a move and just got busy so stopped brewing. I made an English Brown Ale last weekend and then this weekend I wanted to make a saison. I use a Anvil to make 3 gal batches and use fermonsters. I have always had issues with my sg being low and consistently having to use brewers crystals to bring up the sg, not sure why. Since I havent brewed in a while I ordered an all grain kit from Northern Brewer. Of course they dont sell 3 gal kits so it was a 5 gal kit. Normally I would have done math and converted it to a 3 gal recipe but this time I thought since my sg is always low anyways, I would use the whole kit except the hops and see if the sg hit the number, 1.056 for this style. Well I got it all going and noticed that the temps were very high, like 170 when the recipe called for a 149 mash. Nothing that I did would lower it so I wound up turning the anvil off completely. I managed to lower it to 157 and it got stuck there for quite a long time even after I stirred it and lifted the mash out of the wort. Once I got it down in the 150’s i put the lid on and kept the anvil off. After an hour, my sg was about 130 and it wasnt moving so I figured that the temps got too high and I was screwed. I had a 5 gal hefeweizen kit as well and knew that I would be throwing out some of the malt so i pulled my mash, spooned out quite a bit, and added a quarter of the hefe malts in an effort to raise my sg. My temps dropped to the low 140s so I went to start up the anvil but it would not start. I mean, the power was on but it would not heat. So i covered my wort and let everything steep for a half hour or so. The sg was at 1.038 at this point. I got some sparge water ready and did a slow batch sparge at 170, hoping to collect more sugars. Since I couldnt use the anvil to mashout, i got a couple pots to do the boil. Did that, with my hop spider, sanitized my wort chiller, added all the wort back to the anvil for the chill. After the chill I put it all in the fermonster, pitched my yeast, threw in my tilt and was shocked that the sg is 1.055, only .001 less than target sg! But it was an exhausting and stressful day. Now I need a new brewing system. Thinking of stepping up to a 5 gal system so I dont have to adjust recipes to make 3 gal. All of this to ask, which aio systems are ideal now adays? Hesitant to get another anvil but in all fairness I got my anvil in 2019 and it did sit in storage in Florida during the summer for 6 months. Any advise would be appreciated!

 

[hotbeer]

Seems you need to figure out the first brewing system. Going to a bigger Anvil will just be a bigger headache if you haven't figured it out. Small batches are easier to manage in virtually every way.

Scaling a 5 gallon kit to a 2½ gallon kit is just a matter of using half of everything. (with some caveats)

I think you were on the right track mashing in a pot. But you need to start out that way and just use your anvil for the boil if your stove won't boil that volume of wort hard enough for you.

I've been able to wrap my stock pot with large fluffy bath towels and it holds the mash temp pretty well if my strike temp is correct. Put the towels in a dryer just before so they are warm already and don't rob the heat from the mash.

Still, you need to do this often enough to get your mistakes figured out so you don't have to go crazy trying to fix the mistakes which often results in more mistakes. Plus it makes it very hard to figure out your mash and other efficiencies. So you'll never know how to adjust your grain bill to get the OG you wish.

Possibly some that use Anvil or other A-I-O's will have some tips for how to use your current one correctly. I've never used one or seen them used.

 

[Brewbastic]

I cant figure out my first brewing system though, as it died today. No matter what, I need to move on from it. Im here to get advice on which direction to go in. Im leaning towards a 5 gal system now. Whether that is an all in one or something else. I will not be getting another 3.5 gal anvil in an effort to figure that out first because to me, that ship has sailed. Dont get me wrong, i had to throw brewers crystals in my worts, but the beers turned out good. I just experimented today with more malts in an attempt to not need the crystals, and that was a success. The rest was a failure lol.

 

[Kickass]

brewers crystals

Sounds magical.

 

[Zambezi Special]

I cant figure out my first brewing system though, as it died today.

What happened?
Maybe just a fuse?

I can't recommend any system, but I am thinking that it may be a good idea to do a couple brews just on the stove to get a better idea of how it all works.
Then you know better what to look for

 

[Brewbastic]

It was not a fuse lol. I have already done brews on the stove, many years ago. I already know how it all works. My post seems to be confusing you all. The story was to vent. The issue that I'm looking for feedback on is this - my all in one died, can anyone recommend a system that you enjoy using?

 

[Tinwhistler]

I am enjoying my 220V 9.25 gallon BrewZilla 3.1.1 and FirmZilla 3.2. The BrewZilla was $299 on sale.

 

[Brewbastic]

I am enjoying my 220V 9.25 gallon BrewZilla 3.1.1 and FirmZilla 3.2. The BrewZilla was $299 on sale.

Thanks! Is the brewzilla the first aio system or have you used others as well? Is there anything that you dont like about the brewzilla?

 

[Kickass]

My current setup is, hands down, my favorite of everything I’ve brewed on.

I have a 15gal SS kettle with a blichman boil coil heating element. 220v power controlled by a worthog controller.

It’s a very simple BIAB with lots of power. Fast and efficient brew days compared to both my igloo mash tun method and 3 vessels propane method. I can’t say enough good things about it.

 

[Brewbastic]

My current setup is, hands down, my favorite of everything I’ve brewed on.

I have a 15gal SS kettle with a blichman boil coil heating element. 220v power controlled by a worthog controller.

It’s a very simple BIAB with lots of power. Fast and efficient brew days compared to both my igloo mash tun method and 3 vessels propane method. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Thanks! Now this is the type of thing I needed to read. I really like this setup. If the coil breaks it is much cheaper to replace than a whole aio system and that kettle looks nice. I brew in my kitchen now but I could just move the operation to the garage. The wife would appreciate that because she doesnt like the house smelling like hops etc lol.

 

[Tinwhistler]

Thanks! Is the brewzilla the first aio system or have you used others as well? Is there anything that you dont like about the brewzilla?

Brewzilla is the first and only AIO I have used. I no longer need the large 3 kettle systems I had in the past and I like the electric heating. The only thing I do not like is the display down low. I just ordered the parts to make it remote, so I can hang the display on the wall.

 

[Brewbastic]

Brewzilla is the first and only AIO I have used. I no longer need the large 3 kettle systems I had in the past and I like the electric heating. The only thing I do not like is the display down low. I just ordered the parts to make it remote, so I can hang the display on the wall.

Thanks for the info! I might wind up with this system.

 

[Christoff]

I've enjoyed my spike system. It's a bit pricey, but their customer service is really good. Make sure you do 220V though. Everything takes forever at 120V.

 

[Kickass]

I didn’t realize how poor my last brew session cleaning was until taking these pictures.

 

[PCABrewing]

I brew in my kitchen now but I could just move the operation to the garage. The wife would appreciate that because she doesnt like the house smelling like hops etc lol.

I got chased out of the kitchen after the second brew, and those were only 2 gallon boils. Aroma was bad enough but that was aggravated by boil over on the new cook top.
30 years later it has been all garage brews.

I am intrigued by the blichman coil, though I would still be relegated to the garage.

 

[Brewbastic]

View attachment 839097View attachment 839098View attachment 839099View attachment 839100
I didn’t realize how poor my last brew session cleaning was until taking these pictures.

Your setup looks great, thank you!

 

[Bobby_M]

If you're going to continue 3 to 5 gallon batches, the Blichmann Breweasy Compact is pretty sweet if you want to stay away from the all in one fully integrated units. These systems use the best of all different manufacturers, BrewHardware.com - High end, practical homebrewing hardware, accessories and ingredients for making beer, wine, mead, and cider.

Let me know if you want to talk it through.

 

[DosGatosBrewing]

Go to a 5 gallon system.
I'm still cheap and old school. All weather outdoor brewing. 10 gallon cooler mash tun, 15 gallon SS kettle on a 220K BTU propane burner. That kettle is the most expensive part of the whole system, kegs and all. It was Christmas gift one year from SWMBO.

 

[bwible]

The Anvil Foundry has a reset switch on the bottom. The Foundry will cut off if you try to turn it on with no water in it, for example. Mine needed to be reset when I first got it but the reset switch wasn’t working. I contacted support and they told me to unscrew the bottom and make sure the switch was plugged in/connected. Apparently this was a common problem that the switch was not being connected during assembly. Mine was not connected. Its a little plug under there that just has to be plugged in. After I connected it, I pressed it and it worked. Try pressing that reset switch and if that doesn’t work unscrew the bottom and make sure the switch is connected, then try again.

My Foundry also appears to have had a problem setting temp for as long as I’ve had it. It continues running all the freakin time after it reaches the set temp. I have set it for 152, wasn’t paying attention and it kept going to 163 and I had to turn it off. I have to watch mine all the time and turn it off and reset everything every time it does this - keeps going on and on after reaching the set temp. I got mine in 2020.

I only use it as a mash tun. I do not boil in my Foundry. After the mash is complete, I do not lift the basket. Doing this stirs up all the junk you just spent an hour recirculating with the pump to get rid of. I drain mine to my Anvil brewpot and boil on my stove.

Overall I like it but that temp issue is a pain. I run mine on regular 110v, and I’ve tried various power settings - 100%, 91%, 86%, off the wall numbers to see if I could get whatever logic it is to work better. But it does the same thing no matter what.

 

[Stikius]

It's tricky to answer without knowing what you plan spending. I enjoy brewing with my dirt cheap Grainfather S40. It's definitely not the best AIO one the market but it gets the job done. The only really shitty thing about it is the grainbasket's feet. They didn't waste to much love welding those...
Then I've made a few modifications to it. For example i drilled a hole in the lid to be able to recirculate with the lid on.
It's not possible to program anything on it really but I like to be engaged when I brew. That's also why I like stick shift better than automatic.
I would rather spend more money on the cold side, and will stick to the S40 until it gives up on me.

 

[bwible]

If money were no object, I’d be looking at a Braumeister

https://www.speidels-braumeister.de/en/braumeister/10-20-50-litre-braumeister.html

 

[day_trippr]

My Foundry also appears to have had a problem setting temp for as long as I’ve had it.

Maybe the thermostat wasn't connected either?

 

[PCABrewing]

My Foundry also appears to have had a problem setting temp for as long as I’ve had it. It continues running all the freakin time after it reaches the set temp. I have set it for 152, wasn’t paying attention and it kept going to 163 and I had to turn it off. I have to watch mine all the time and turn it off and reset everything every time it does this - keeps going on and on after reaching the set temp. I got mine in 2020.

Curious, how is the temp sensed.
Is it in a thermo-well or clamped somehow to the metal wall of the vessel?

 

[bwible]

Curious, how is the temp sensed.
Is it in a thermo-well or clamped somehow to the metal wall of the vessel?

I don’t actually know. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it does it at some point every brew session.

 

[Stikius]

I don’t actually know. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it does it at some point every brew session.

It's dot due to a stuck mash? If all the liquid is in the grain basket on top of the grains the heater is heating air only. Has happened to me a few times and I've wondered why there are 10°C temperature swings within a minute or two before I figured..

 

[Craiginthecorn]

If money were no object, I’d be looking at a Braumeister

https://www.speidels-braumeister.de/en/braumeister/10-20-50-litre-braumeister.html

I've tried several methods over the years, starting in the dark ages of the 1980s. In the last decade, I've brewed on the Grainfather G30 and G40 and Picobrew Z. Last year, I bought a 10L Braumeister V2. It seems crude in many ways. The controller is comparatively primitive. There's no built-in method for using the pump for moving the beer through a CFC or plate chiller, or pumping into a fermenter. Just a simple drain valve. It's slow, even though it's 220V. There's a relatively narrow range of gravities that can be brewed without jumping through extra hoops. It throws TEMP ERR errors too often. But...it produces superior wort with great clarity. It oozes quality in its construction. The nearly silent operation and the way the wort flows up and over the malt pipe is strangely soothing. And the range of gravities fits 90% of what I brew. I wish it was 11 or 12 L, though. For those who advocate the LoDo methods, there's no better homebrew sized off-the-shelf system when combined with its LoDo kit.

That all said, the brew system may be the least important aspect of producing good homebrew.