Braumeister - Tips & Tricks

[redwing_al]

Hey everyone, for the fun of it, I created this collaborative map. Let's created a global view of Braumeister owners. I have added mine:https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... u7E_M_58-A

If you want to add yours, follow the link and use the "add marker" to post the location. I have placed mine in the middle of the city in which I live, not necessarily my home address.

Link: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... u7E_M_58-A

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

Have you ever stopped to give your impellers a good clean? I haven't. The pumps get a good run of PBW through them and the impellers usually get a rinse after I tip the unit on its side, but today I took a good look at them...filthy.

There are lots of crevices for **** to hide. Obviously in between the channels, but there are also small tunnels running through the impeller as well. The following embarrassing photo is after 10 mins in PBW and a bit of toothpick through the holes. I am leaving again overnight in fresh and ultra concentrated PBW. Will get the toothbrush out tomorrow.



Pretty disgraceful I let it get this bad, but I'd take a bet there's at least a few BM owners who haven't paid much attention to this part of cleaning, so I thought I'd share...

 

[Dan Pratt]

My impeller used to be like that until I changed my processs for post brewing so I understand how you feel.

I used to just rinse/clean with water but now Im running 80c water with a strong PBW solution through the BM outlet tap, into Kiaxen pump, CFC and return to BM while the BM pump is also running. I let that run at that temp for 20-30mins then flush with cold water and put starsan in for 5mins. The impeller and pump housing is the cleanist its ever been.

I had tried the soak overnight but found that the impeller has like you know, very hard to get to places, flushing with 80c PBW solution for a while works great.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

Hmm. I use PBW *almost* every brew and always run it through the pumps. Maybe not hot enough....

 

[Dan Pratt]

Hmm. I use PBW *almost* every brew and always run it through the pumps. Maybe not hot enough....

Increase the temperature for best effect! As you know the pump/s cut out @ 88c which is why I run mine @ 80c

I just use 20L of Hot tap water which is already at 58c and then pour that into the BM with the PBW already in the base of the BM and then turn on the system heat and set manually and vent the pump/s and leave it for the time required.

 

[RobW]

I like to wash and rinse first to get rid of the particulate matter, then run the pump with fresh PBW in hot water.
After that let it soak for a day or so and then rinse and dry.

 

[Dan Pratt]

I like to wash and rinse first to get rid of the particulate matter, then run the pump with fresh PBW in hot water.
After that let it soak for a day or so and then rinse and dry.

sorry I should have mentioned that the process I use now is after a good cleaning with the bristal brush and rinsed out, then the PBW & Hot water is used.

 

[Crusty]

I'd like to mention a couple of points that may or may not happen to you but it's happened to me.
I assumed there may be something wrong with my BM but now know that this is normal & if it happens to you, don't panic like I did & abort the schedule, just be a bit more patient.

1. I added my immersion chiller 15mins before the end of the boil & after about a minute or so, the boil countdown time froze & stopped flashing. I thought, ****, it's **** itself, so I just timed it manually until the end of the boil. The actual problem was that the BM sensed the temp dropping below 97degC & it would of resumed & continued the countdown once it hit 98-99degC. This is not a fault, the BM is supposed to do that & will not countdown until a stable boil temp has been reached, even after the timer has commenced. Let it go, it will continue as normal.

2. I reached my boil temp of 99-100deg but the countdown timer would not flash & begin it's countdown. I let it go for a minute or more & once again thought that my BM has a problem. Again, I aborted the programme & manually boiled for the 90mins. This again is completely normal & the countdown timer will only commence once a stable temp has been reached. This can actually take up to 4mins so again, don't hit the panic button like I did & think there's something wrong. It will commence, just be patient.

To test the above two issues I've had, I deliberately made the BM drop temp whilst boiling, the timer froze & I waited to see what would happen. Once a stable boil temp was reached, the timer continued where it left off.
Next, I let the BM heat up to boil temp & @99deg, the timer began flashing & away it went. Completely normal behavior.
Depending on your brewing environment, the stabilizing boil temp may be longer or shorter than my example but again, relax & leave it alone.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

Increase the temperature for best effect! As you know the pump/s cut out @ 88c which is why I run mine @ 80c

I just use 20L of Hot tap water which is already at 58c and then pour that into the BM with the PBW already in the base of the BM and then turn on the system heat and set manually and vent the pump/s and leave it for the time required.

I've always used hot water, but this week I let it get to 75 and did an hours circ rather than the usual ten min. Maybe it's because I cleaned them really well last week, maybe it was the heat, but they are looking great after a brew.

 

[Black n Tan]

The other day I set mine to 102C to clean and filled with hot taps water (around 50c) and homemade PBW and let it boil for about 10 minutes (well until my wife went into the laundry and it looked like a swedish sauna). The stainless looked as good as new, so I think the hotter the better. Yes the pump will cut out, but not before it has given the pump a good flush.

 

[Crusty]

The other day I set mine to 102C to clean and filled with hot taps water (around 50c) and homemade PBW and let it boil for about 10 minutes (well until my wife went into the laundry and it looked like a swedish sauna). The stainless looked as good as new, so I think the hotter the better. Yes the pump will cut out, but not before it has given the pump a good flush.

How much PBW are you using & how much water?
I did the same thing but maybe I didn't use enough PBW. It cleaned up ok but I thought it would of been a bit harder on tide lines & a bit better at removing crap on the element. It's sparkling clean now but I still had to use some elbow grease.

 

[Dan Pratt]

lately I have been using about 1g per litre.

 

[Crusty]

lately I have been using about 1g per litre.

Ok cool.
I'm probably being a bit too tight arse on the PBW.
I'll up the concentration.
Cheers

 

[Black n Tan]

Usually I just use 1tbsp and enough water to cover the element. For that super wash I used 3Tbsp and enough water to cover the elements by about 5cm (to allow for boil off).

 

[Crusty]

Usually I just use 1tbsp and enough water to cover the element. For that super wash I used 3Tbsp and enough water to cover the elements by about 5cm (to allow for boil off).

I usually only use 1tbs & also enough water to cover the element allowing for boil off.
I'll whack a couple of tbs in next time.

 

[doon]

I dont know if im imagining things but it seems since I started using a dome and having the bm boil harder the elements are way easier to clean. Spray with hose quick eipe and they are done

 

[dicko]

I dont know if im imagining things but it seems since I started using a dome and having the bm boil harder the elements are way easier to clean. Spray with hose quick eipe and they are done

It is funny you say that doon,
I thought I was dreaming but I have noticed that the crap wipes off a lot easier since the dome went on.

I have not mixed my latest lot of home made PBW and I have cleaned mine the last two brews with dish washing liquid with a dish mop and hot water...it works fine but I do give a good rinse.

 

[doon]

Yep havent done a pbw was on it for ages now as it comes up way better then it did without dome. The elements used to be encrusted in stuff

 

[mikk]

Funnily enough, I've found cleaning much easier by procrastination. A few hours with the lid on after the brew day is complete, with the slops still in the unit result in gunk coming off the walls and element a lot easier later on. Nice to be lazy occasionally...

 

[Dan2]

Funnily enough, I've found cleaning much easier by procrastination. A few hours with the lid on after the brew day is complete, with the slops still in the unit result in gunk coming off the walls and element a lot easier later on. Nice to be lazy occasionally...

I like your method mikk!
I'll try that next time.
I wonder what happens if you leave it sit for a day or 2 (actually, I know what happens - yucky)

 

[zoigl]

I use Napisan without any scent, a pink plastic bottle. I buy it when Coles have it on special. I rinse out most of the trub, fill the BM with water to the thread on the central shaft, add about a cup of Napisan, place the malt tube inside sans seal. And crank the temp up to 79c, leave it over night and it's clean as a whistle. I believe it is very similar to PBW and a whole lot cheaper.
Next day, I fill the BM again with fresh water and soak for a while to get rid of any napisan residue.
I then turn it upside down, remove the pumps and check for cleanliness.
To drain the BM I attach a garden hose to the tap (push on, without any fittings) and drain into our drain or the garden.
A product for commercial cleaning windows and SS fridges etc, Halo, in a squirt bottle gets rid of the water marks on the outside, I wouldn't use it inside. It's also good for SS kegerators. I get it from Godfreys Vacuum cleaner shops.
For the copper dome, Bar Keeper's Friend, a product from the USA is hard to beat, It makes copper really spiffy without effort.
You should look to the internet for this, although, I have seen it in David Jones occasionally.
Recently, I bought a huge SS round washing bowl, Chinese, about $20- $30 Aus. There is a guy at the fisherman's market each sunday, and also he has a shop in North Adelaide. As soon as my copper hood is removed from the BM, it goes into this bowl and is covered with water, all the sticky stuff just falls off, a large plastic bowl should work too. Just don't let it dry before cleaning, is a big job then.
Anyway, my $0.02 worth. :beerbang:

 

[dicko]

I have been experimenting with the opportunity to do a high gravity brew with my 20 litre BM and this is what I did today to achieve a reasonable result.



Dicko’s Method

On my BM with my efficiency I find that a 1.075 og beer will need 7.7 kg of grain

This recipe has 0.750kg of crystal.

If I had have steeped the crystals in my recipe separately I would have achieved a 1.081 beer from the mash tun with the same volume of grain and just added the steeping from the crystal to the boil.

The basic theory behind my procedure below is that once the sugars are partially washed from the grain husks and are suspended in the water to form wort, then the volume of the grain in the mash is less by that amount of sugars.

Your personal figures will vary with the mash efficiencies within your system.

Weigh and crush the grain keeping the crystal and the balance of the base malt in a separate container which represents the difference between 5 kg and the total grain needed.

Measure your water to the 25 litre mark and then subtract the amount that represents the extra grain absorption above 6kg.
In my case this is 1.7kg x 0.66litre = 1.12litres.
So you will have approx 24 litres of water in the kettle for the mash. Add the extra water to the sparge amount.
I feel I could bring this volume down even further to around 23 litres and sparge the extra litre.

Bring the BM to dough in temp…I use 38deg.
Tip 5kg of crushed base grain into the malt pipe as per normal and mix thoroughly.
Lift the malt pipe onto the bottom pegs on the malt pipe and support it on the BM stirrup.
DO NOT lift the malt pipe completely out of the kettle as you will then introduce crushed grains into the wort through the bottom centre hole in the screen.

Insert the top plate and gently push the mash down the malt pipe…I gained 150mm of depth in the pipe.
Drop the malt pipe back into position slowly as it will take a little while for the wort to rise up through the grain again. I found by leaving the top screen on it saved any grain coming over the top.

Add the rest of the grain which in my case was 2.7kg of grain to the top of the malt pipe. Add only small amount and stir well as you go.
When the grain is in and wet then place the top screen back on and gently compress the grain so that you can install the cross bar and wing nut.

I need to add that I have a rubber seal on my top screen and this prevented any grain from escaping. This is something that may need to be watched if you are “riding bareback” without the rubber. :lol:

Now just start your program from the dough in as you normally would.
I have noticed as the mash becomes hotter the flow increases through the malt pipe. Although it is slower than normal I would assume this happens anyway in any mash size.

I might add at this stage that I would not advise a full volume mash with this method as I feel it would come very close to overflowing the kettle. This would be up to the courage and daring of the operator :lol:

I have lifted the top plate and stirred the mash at the middle of each mash step except for mash out when I stirred it at the beginning of the step as I wanted to achieve a clear wort.
I must point out that the grain bed was fairly solid and actually rather than stir I pushed a piece of stainless flat bar about 2.5mm thick and about 25 mm wide from the top of the bed to the bottom. You could use a large knife or similar for this process.
I did this stirring or stabbing because I was doubtful of good extraction but I can’t tell now as I got to my pre boil gravity as predicted. VERY HAPPY. I will have to try another mash without stirring to find out.

I also stabbed the grain bed for the sparge as I found it was fairly slow and I was getting impatient.


Here is my recipe

Dicko’s Doppelbock

Pre Boil Gravity 1.062
Post Boil OG 1.075
Predicted FG 1.015.

Batch Size 25l in kettle after cooling
IBU 23.9 calculated No Chill at 27

Grain
68.6% Vienna
21.8% Pilsener
9% Caramunich
0.6% Carafa 2

Mash
Dough in 38 deg
10 mins at 40 deg
10 mins at 50 deg
60 mins at 60 deg
20 mins at 70 deg
20 mins at 77 deg

Hops
44gr of Spalt 5.2%aa at 60 mins
32gr of Hallatau Mittlefrau 3.0%aa at 10 mins (no chill)

Yeast
63gr of S189. coz that’s the only lager yeast I have at the moment.

Water
Total water (ppm):
Ca: 128 / 128
Mg: 11 / 11
Na: 0 / 0
Cl: 69 / 69
SO4: 124 / 124
Cl to SO4 Ratio: 0.55 / 0.55

Alkalinity (CaCO3): 70
RA: -28
Estimated pH: 5.42
Added the chalk only to the mash.


And here are some pictures.





Not a bad result out of a 20 litre BM

 

[brewchampion]

WFT Dikko???
You got images of the braumeister doing that?
I'm lost!

 

[dicko]

WFT Dikko???
You got images of the braumeister doing that?
I'm lost!

A 5 hour video can be difficult to achieve when brewing off the cuff on a wim and a thought of how it can all come together to achieve what I needed to achieve, however, give it a go if you need to brew a bigger than normal beer.
I am extremely pleased with my result and will be doing it again.

 

[dicko]

Brewchampion,

This is the space in the malt pipe that is gained after doughin.
I gained approx 150mm and that is where I fitted the extra grain in to bring the gravity up.

 

[dicko]

My little Sunday morning effort to make a bit of brewing equipment is achieved more easily when most of the brewing community is in church h34r: :lol:

I decided that a Duda Diesel hop spider was out of the question with cost for my BM so this is what I have done to achieve the same result.

First up I bought one of these

http://kegking.com.au/hop-spider.html

Then I went to the local boat chandlary shop and bought a half inch s/steel skin fitting.










The extra hole is because I miscalculated the centre of the bracket once it was bent but it works just the same anyway.

I will use it in anger on my next brew

 

[MattSR]

Hi Dicko,

Love the hop spider.

I have a question about the malt-repacking method above, would it be possible to simple leave the malt pipe in place, and push the top plate down to free up space? Or is the reason for lifting the pipe to remove the water/malt liquor in order to make more room? I figure that maybe it's possible to just wear some thick gloves and push the plate down to make room for more malt..

Cheers,
Matt

 

[dicko]

Hi Matt,

The reason to lift the malt pipe is so that the wort runs out of the grain husks and actually leaves the space to add some extra grain.
If you leave the malt pipe in place then the husks are floating in the mash and wont allow you to add much more malt at all.
To be honest I haven't tried it the way you mentioned and on thinking about it it may work....you could give it a try and then lift the pipe if it doesn't work....nothing lost really.

Just remember not to lift the malt pipe higher than the first lugs otherwise if you expose the centre hole of the bottom screen then grain will fall out and into your wort.

If you try it please report back on here if you can to let us know your results.

Just a bit OT but my Dopplebock is in the lager fridge as I type and the sample is extremely tasty :chug: :icon_drool2:

 

[MattSR]

Hi Dicko,

Gave it a try with a Little Creatures Bright Ale clone last night. I didn't add any extra malt as I just wanted to see how much room I could make in the malt pipe.

The grain bill was 11.2KG and by hand I could compress the wet malt to free up 140mm of free space. The thing that did occur, was that as I compressed the malt by hand, the water/malt liquor in the outside section rose up, and that was the limiting factor.

So in this instance, I compressed the grain, saw 140mm of space before the water would have reflowed back into the malt pipe. I didn't add any more malt as 11.2kg was already about a kilo more than the recipe called for.

I'm going to do a Russian Imperial Stout at some stage so I'll see how much extra I get in with that brew.

Cheers
Matt

 

[dicko]

Great stuff Matt,

you do need to drop the amount of mash liqueur (water) to allow for the extra grain that will cause the water to be higher than the malt pipe as you described.
Without complicated equations regarding water volumes if you were doing a big mash and used 23 litres instead of 25 litres as a normal mash then you would not be too far wrong with the volume to cover the elements and still allow enough to flow through the malt pipe. Just sparge the extra two litres at the end of the mash but check that the element is covered during the mash process.

I am pleased someone else is having a go at this as I really believe it gives the BM a great deal of flexibility with making a big beer.

Cheers