Braumeister settings

[Oktoberfest]

Hello,

I've read countless posts and the BM manual and I am still at a loss as to how to program this thing as a single infusion mash. 1st brew tomorrow on 50l and I just want to keep it simple and do a 60 min mash with a 60 min boil. How does 1 program that into the BM? Do I just set the initial steps to 0 to bypass and set the sacc rest to 60 at desired temp?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Dan Pratt]

Set mash in temp to 70c, set time to 60mins on phase 1 and temp to 66c, set phase 2 to 15mins and 78c...set phase 3,4&5 to 0mins at 78c...set boil to 60mins at 102c and select hop additions.

 

[doon]

Why would you mash in at 70? Do you mean 60

 

[Oktoberfest]

Thank you for the replies. Settings make sense. Is the mash-in temp different from the phase 1 mash temp setting? If so, I'm guessing you mash in and the BM brings the temp up to the actual mash temp? Thanks again for your help!

 

[paulgcorfu]

it doesnt have to be. you could set the initial temp to your mash temp and then add grain ,the temp will drop slightly but the braumeister will soon restore it, but most people seem to mash in at about 40 and let the braumeister ramp up to actual mash temp

 

[Spiesy]

Just picked up my next gen 50L Brau, couple of questions please...

1. Grain absorption. I've been BIAB'ing for a few years which is essentially a similar process, but I've noticed the manual makes no reference to boosting strike water volume to account for grain absorption (generally 1L/kg). Do people do as the manual recommends and just top up after the grain has been removed, thereby mashing thin, or do you add a certain volume before you mash?

2. Evaporation rates. What sort of evaporation rates are people getting? Please specify if 20 or 50L Brau, %/hr preferred (so I can attempt to upscale any 20L figures). Do you add calculated volume before the boil or top up after the boil?

3. Dead space. What's the dead space in a 50L Brau amount to?

4. The crush. What mill setting do you guys advocate?

Probably going to be using the short malt pipe in my maiden brew, any tips graciously accepted.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cervantes]

4. The crush. What mill setting do you guys advocate?

I have a 20 litre so will let others answer your other questions, but the general consensus is that a crush of 1.2 mm provides best efficiency and good channel free flow of wort through the grain bed.

 

[Spiesy]

I have a 20 litre so will let others answer your other questions, but the general consensus is that a crush of 1.2 mm provides best efficiency and good channel free flow of wort through the grain bed.

Thanks mate. I got worried about the part in the manual about blocking the pump.

 

[doon]

You shouldnt block the pump unless you forget the screens! Sometimes i get grain escaping pipe but only a little bit and it generally just floats.

I have a 20l and pretty sure with a homemade dome i am getting 10% boil off per hour. Mill is 1.2mm.

G&G have said recently to sparge with 2l per kg of grain. I did last brew and ended up 4l over and 3 points under. There isna little instructional on their fb to do a double mash and get 85% efficiency

 

[doon]

Sorry its 2.5l per kg of grain they sparge with. Pretty sure they have scaled down this from using their 500l. Apparently they double mash on their 500l and get 800l of wort for their FWK's

 

[Black n Tan]

The information you seek. So I fill to 50L and sparge with 1L/kg (eg. 10L for 10kg batch). I top up with an extra 2.5L if I do a 90 min boil as opposed to a normal 60 min boil. I use a dome so your boil off may be a little different. I lose about 7L to trub etc ( I am willing to sacrifice quantity for quality), but you may lose less. View attachment 77090

 

[Spiesy]

Wow - that's some serious sparging - thanks for the input guys.

 

[danestead]

20L brau owner talking here so the info will obviously vary on your system. 1.2mm crush. 0.5L/kg absorption. Those shouldn't change. For mash in water volume, the first time you use it, fill the brau to maybe 15cm below the top of the malt pipe. Make sure you record how much water u put in. Add your grain then add water until it is just under the level of the malt pipe. This eases the strain on the pump because it doesn't have to pump the water up so high (the water level outside the malt pipe balances it). my volume is easy to calculate because 1cm is equal to 1L. Maybe work yours out so you can measure it with a measuring tape on the centre post in the brau.

 

[Crusty]

Wow - that's some serious sparging - thanks for the input guys.

I think the boys from Grain & Grape only sparge with that amount when pushing the BM to the max & double mashing.
For me, 52lt into the fermenter gives me 50lt to bottle or keg. I only get around 2lt left behind in the BM when transferring to the fermenter.
I measured my boil off & got 6lt/hr evaporation so I lose 9lt for a 90min boil or 9.2%/hr.

 

[Black n Tan]

I only get around 2lt left behind in the BM when transferring to the fermenter.

Hmmm. I leave a fair bit behind in the BM. Never got a cone from the whirlpool. I use brew bite or whirlfloc. But I do like my wort clear when transferring. So what is your process?

 

[Crusty]

Hmmm. I leave a fair bit behind in the BM. Never got a cone from the whirlpool. I use brew bite or whirlfloc. But I do like my wort clear when transferring. So what is your process?

I crush pretty open, nowhere near as fine as my Biab days.
I whirlpool manually, just with a wooden paddle around 15-20mins after the boil. I get a fantastic trub cone & leave very little behind. Trub can vary too according to recipe but I set mine up @2lts & consistantly hit my volumes into the fermenter. I use one whirlfloc tablet 10mins from the end of the boil for 52lt into the fermenter. I only leave a couple of litres behind in the fermenter as well. When I crushed fairly fine with Biab, I got 3.5 to 5lt of trub loss. Wort is crystal clear into the fermenter.

 

[Black n Tan]

Immersion chiller?

 

[Crusty]

Immersion chiller?

Yep!
I'll take some photos next brew.

 

[Crusty]

Note to self!.......Do not drink that extra glass & jump on the forum & talk about beer & equipment. I posted my 50lt BM profile which is not correct. Loss to Trub & Chiller should be 0. The profile for the BM for me is Lauter Tun Deadspace 2lt & Fermenter loss 2lt.

 

[megs8888]

What would be the best setting for the grain mill then? Or is that subjective dependant on whether it can be adjusted and model?