Brew in a Basket - 82L pot with 56L malt pipe

[fdsaasdf]

Only one, I've been very busy with paying work.

I upped the malt load to 6.5 kg, hoping this would improve clarity by reducing bed permeability. Didn't seem to affect it much but I did get slightly better extraction, 94% without trub losses, 89% after losses according to Brewer's Friend. The figures are not as accurate as usual as my scales decided to give up the ghost so I'm going off wort volume not mass.

I've decided since brewing time is a bit of a premium at the moment that I'm going to rebuild the system and increase the volume, this build will incorporate a larger, stainless version of the lauter plate. It won't happen until after vintage in May but I'll write it up when it does happen.

Also I got the problem with trapped air again so I'm going to try to work out a way of releasing the trapped air (possibly a standpipe attached to the lauter plate)

Fair enough. I'll be much busier later in the year so am trying to get all equipment work done and sorted so I can get brewing on the occasional weekends that I can fit in a brew day.

I'm very interested to see how your lauter plate goes, best of luck with it and hopefully we'll get to see a write-up when you're done


A slight change of plans for my build - thanks to the buy and sell forum I've scored a coil and urn that will function as a combined HLT/HERMS, which wasn't going to be included until down the track but the opportunity was too good to miss. Build is tentatively scheduled for the last couple of weekends of this month...

 

[fdsaasdf]

Build is complete, grinding work was tedious but after assembly and a lot of BKF, TSP and Starsan everything is clean and passivated for the first batch. Didn't get around to etching volume marking just yet.

I also tried out the HLT/HERMS setup in a BIAB brew to keep up supply in the meantime and I was very happy with the result - ramp time for a double batch was around 1 degree every 2 minutes between 67 and 78 which is comparable to my old gas-fired kettle.

 

[rude]

Throw up a few pics if you don't mind love to see

 

[fdsaasdf]

Here are a few pics of the build so far. Will try and remember to take some more when I next brew.

 

[fdsaasdf]

Have just finished my second mash with this unit and am pretty happy so far. First brew had a few hiccups (fittings around the LBP that leaked with wort and not water), but I still hit 80% efficiency and the cleanup was a breeze. Second brew have just hit 74% mash efficiency - which is ok given that it's a very complex grain bill.

Temperature stability with the HEX is great, and ramp times with the 3 ring burner + 2400W element are awesome. With a little more practice I could be knocking out 42L no-chill batches with 60min mash & 60min boil inside 4hrs from strike water / milling.

Just waiting for 1 more stainless threaded pipe and then I will have everything hard-plumbed barring the pump hoses.

 

[leonjw]

very cool looking build. I like your wort return! What did you use to make the holes in the silicone hose?

 

[fdsaasdf]

Cheers. I just used a slow drill with 2mm bit, the holes are roughly spaced around 8-10mm apart.

 

[nosco]

Whats the drainage like with the malt pipe? and how does it go with filtering the wort?

Ive already got my pot to make a malt pipe. I just need the time to make it.

 

[fdsaasdf]

The malt pipe drainage and filtering seems fine. It could probably do with some fine mesh to make a finer filter to reduce sediment escaping before the grain bed forms but it's not a significant issue as once I recirc and whirlpool through one tap and drain through the other which has a bazooka fitted there doesn't appear to be any noticeable sediment collected in the no-chill cube.

I'm particularly impressed with how effective the LBP is for whirlpooling. I had a nice little trub cone form in the middle of the pot.

 

[Matplat]

How are you controlling sparging? And what sort of grain:liquor ratio did you have in the mash? 80% is pretty bloody good!

 

[fdsaasdf]

How are you controlling sparging? And what sort of grain:liquor ratio did you have in the mash? 80% is pretty bloody good!

Sparging was controlled by guestimation, I have a ball valve on the urn outlet and it was about 2/3 open.

Ratio was about 3:1 - I don't have the recipe in front of me at present.

I think I may have been lucky with the kettle sour (it was actually 79.7% so not quite over the magic 80). My boil was quite vigorous this time so final volume was closer to 41L, still ~72% brewhouse efficiency which I'm happy with.

 

[Dazzbrew]

2 circuits works well, I occasionally run my urn with an additional over the side 2200 W immersion heater on an extension lead.

Hey Bribie G, do you recommend those OTS elements? i have noticed on some of the product discriptions that there is a 100mm min & 300mm max liquid level. i can understand the minimum level but surely the element can be mounted higher for deeper liquids?

 

[S.E]

Hey Bribie G, do you recommend those OTS elements? i have noticed on some of the product discriptions that there is a 100mm min & 300mm max liquid level. i can understand the minimum level but surely the element can be mounted higher for deeper liquids?

The max height is probably recommended as the element wouldn’t work efficiently mounted too high. Heat rises so lower is best, if it was mounted at the top of the pot liquid at the bottom would not heat up.

 

[Dazzbrew]

if thats the only reason then that's ok for what i will need it for.

 

[Boxcar]

IMO, for inspiration, ideas and some equipment/parts links, check out the various long DIY threads where people have based their design/work on existing commercial 1V systems like Braumeister (Braumeister NEXTGEN and Braumiser), Brew-Boss and of course Grainfather.