100L 1V BIAB recirc build - The BREWT

[buckerooni]

I used a 1mm disc on mine, and it looks about the same... works perfect.

Buckerooni, let me know how you go getting the burrs off. I never really managed to clean mine off, they would just end up on one side of the pot or the other. As a result cleaning it is a pain, and sponges get ripped to shreds. I just rely on chemical cleaning rather than mechanical cleaning now.

just an SS 1mm disc from the big green shed. Adding the cuts was time consuming and yeah, soo many burrs. I ended up using both my dremel and individually deburring every slot as well as a few rounds with the *** disc and came up pretty clean.


with this build I definitely had to come to terms with not getting some tasks completed on the day I started them!

 

[fdsaasdf]

just an SS 1mm disc from the big green shed. Adding the cuts was time consuming and yeah, soo many burrs. I ended up using both my dremel and individually deburring every slot as well as a few rounds with the *** disc and came up pretty clean.

Thanks very much. I have a 1mm cutting disc and some *** discs, no dremel but we'll see how we go.

 

[buckerooni]

the mistake I made with my slots in the grain basket is that are they are too long and due to the thin base being so flimsy, they make quite a gap. Next time I'd make them half to a third as long.

 

[malt junkie]

A braumeister screen would fix that issue, available from grain and grape.

 

[buckerooni]

very tempting. it would change the way I'd have drilled out the bottom of the pot

I'm also having trouble with getting enough wort above the grainbed, as the 38L pot is taller than wider and isn't a great match for a 100L pot. Will remove some of the clearance I have between the elements and the inner pot via adjusting the ss bolt/legs.

gonna give the 56L another go. even though it sticks out higher than the outer pot, I might end up with a better overall result - better grain bed and flow.

 

[malt junkie]

No not the filter plate!! the mesh screen!! (the one linked is 350mm Diameter), just throw it in the bottom of the pot before you start,

 

[wobbly]

I'm also having trouble with getting enough wort above the grainbed, as the 38L pot is taller than wider and isn't a great match for a 100L pot. Will remove some of the clearance I have between the elements and the inner pot via adjusting the ss bolt/legs.

gonna give the 56L another go. even though it sticks out higher than the outer pot, I might end up with a better overall result - better grain bed and flow.

Why not just drill some holes in the side of the inner pot at a level to allow enough wort to cover the grain bed and if/when you want to use the full height of the inner malt pipe cover the holes with a piece of a silicon baking dish of suitable diameter to stretch over the inner malt pipe

There was a photo of how this was done on a Braumeister malt pipe to accommodate smaller mashes in a 50lt unit. I will see if i can track down the photo and post it here

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[wobbly]

Found it

Cheers

Wobbly

 

[fdsaasdf]

the mistake I made with my slots in the grain basket is that are they are too long and due to the thin base being so flimsy, they make quite a gap. Next time I'd make them half to a third as long.

Thanks for sharing that, I'm yet to slice open my malt pipe but was considering how I could offset the slots to avoid compromising the integrity of the base. I was also planning to leave an un-slotted area in an X pattern so the area I drill holes for feet & the centre overflow pipe remains sturdy.

 

[buckerooni]

here's how little flow I got over the grainbed, and this was with only 10kg of grain in a 38L pot in 61L of wort!

After mash in I let it settle for at least 10 mins before turning the pump on verrry gradually. It would channel more at a lower flow rate:

So upping it kinda worked out better, as you can see here:

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ja0G2gJWQ[/media]

 

[buckerooni]

Thanks for sharing that, I'm yet to slice open my malt pipe but was considering how I could offset the slots to avoid compromising the integrity of the base. I was also planning to leave an un-slotted area in an X pattern so the area I drill holes for feet & the centre overflow pipe remains sturdy.

Good thinking, next time I might just punch out big *** holes in the pot and use the brau mesh over the top - for $35 it's barely worth doing a DIY hack job that won't have the finish or the finesse, keep the integrity of the pot, reduce burrs and should make cleaning easier. seems easier than chucking a mash tun false bottom in there too.

 

[rude]

That was my way of thinking
mash tun false bottom or is it not fine enough

 

[malt junkie]

10kg of malt in 38L is pretty much par for liquid to grain ratio. Thicker mash and extraction goes down, and bigger chance of sticking the mash.

 

[buckerooni]

been a while, finally got around to adding the lower input value on the BREWT, so wort will recirc over the 2 elements, and had to add another valve, so flow is controlled at both top and bottom inlets:

carport hung winch, as I brew just outside my garage, mounting that winch somewhere had me scratching my head until I came up with the top mount approach:

boiling up a storm, 55L in 100L top, no need for the sprayer just yet:

a quick vid:

 

[buckerooni]

inside the pot with the elements removed (thanks tri-clover removable hotpods from brewhardware) - wort output on left, lower wort return on right, those elbows sure are handy

 

[buckerooni]

getting pretty poor efficiency (~60%) - even with finer milling and I think it's due to the large gap between the inner and outer pot - probably about 20L of quite stagnant water that never gets passed through the grainbed properly. The 2nd return port near the base doesn't move this water enough. Could put a higher 3rd return port into this gap but, well, this basket has some nice features like the down hooks for drainage, and if it doesn't yield better results the port idea may be the go.

https://cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/300-micron-304ss-mesh-brew-basket-suit-95l-vessel

 

[Jangles]

Do you run more elements on the kettle or fired with gas ?

 

[buckerooni]

Do you run more elements on the kettle or fired with gas ?

I run 2 x 4500w ULD camco elements with a Brauduino controller. Heats 80L at 1c per minute!

 

[captnhaddock]

getting pretty poor efficiency (~60%) - even with finer milling and I think it's due to the large gap between the inner and outer pot - probably about 20L of quite stagnant water that never gets passed through the grainbed properly. The 2nd return port near the base doesn't move this water enough. Could put a higher 3rd return port into this gap but, well, this basket has some nice features like the down hooks for drainage, and if it doesn't yield better results the port idea may be the go.
https://cheekypeakbrewery.com.au/300-micron-304ss-mesh-brew-basket-suit-95l-vessel

To be fair, it's easy to get poor conversion rates with biab. I've struggled to get into the 70% range with my setup (similar to your idea : 58L keggle w/ a SS grain basket) and have found that a slightly courser grind w/ longer sparge time, paying attention to my mash PH (and actually adjusting when needed) and if all else is failing simply adding additional alpha and beta enzymes has allowed me to get nearer to 75-80% conversion rates. I have not found that increasing my sparge flow rate to make much of a difference.

 

[buckerooni]

To be fair, it's easy to get poor conversion rates with biab. I've struggled to get into the 70% range with my setup (similar to your idea : 58L keggle w/ a SS grain basket) and have found that a slightly courser grind w/ longer sparge time, paying attention to my mash PH (and actually adjusting when needed) and if all else is failing simply adding additional alpha and beta enzymes has allowed me to get nearer to 75-80% conversion rates. I have not found that increasing my sparge flow rate to make much of a difference.

good to know, will grab on of the kegland PH meters when they're back in stock.

by sparge I assume you mean lifting basket, using circa 78c water. Is this more efficient than just mashing out?

what are the enzymes you use - this is the only one I could find with my quick search: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lauzyme...ers-distillers-cooks-and-bakers-/182970422826