Most useful/annoying - The brewing process

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Just thought I'd start this as I was thinking the other day how handy and easy certain parts of brewing are and how trying other parts are.

For me - the most useful parts of my system are my bottling bucket and 30L Birko urn - The bucket I use for measuring water, bulk priming wort, bottling and many things in between. The urn has saved me a lot of hassle, pots and pans and the risks of boiling water.

Most annoying are the bottles.. Collecting, sanitising, filling, rinsing. I would move to kegs but am constrained with space, but don't wish to worry about the extra power usage of a separate fridge, and/or gas bottles or the like.

Anyway, thought it might be good to hear everyone's report on the subject.. I'm sure some don't mind things that other hate but some tips will be picked up for sure.

 

[TimT]

Most useful at the moment is the heat pad, which, with the heater, is keeping my brews warm in winter.

Most annoying is that f&^&*%^&* &%^&*&%*ing bloody syphon that I could never get the hang of, and ended up throwing out in a fit of pique.

 

[Beertard]

I like my bottles, my precious, most annoying for me is hitting or not hitting step mash temps. Gas might help here but I'd planned erectric gravity fed all along.

 

[Beertard]

Oh and running out of drinkies

 

[pilgrimspiss]

The following is a list of process and equipment upgrades that really stepped up my all grain brewing skills, repeat-ability and efficiency:

• Custom RIMS
• Temperature controlled fermentation fridges with fans installed.
• Accurate thermometers (installing mash master gauge on my mash tun, and using a liquid mercury thermometer for double checking everything).
• Ensuring I use and hit accurate measurements for weight, volume and time.
• Developing a brew day routine from grain crush through to cleanup.
• Accurate record keeping.
• Slowing down my fly sparging routine and not rushing my brew day.
• Moving to an electronically controlled brew rig to ensure repeat-ability (eg pumps, PID's, electric elements).
• Growing my own Hops and Barley to better understand what goes in my beer.

These are things that still annoy me:

• Copper Immersion chiller. I always seem to have leaks from fittings / hoses etc when i use my chiller, doesn't matter what I bloody do!! and it always sits funny around my boil elements, I'm still coming up with a new plan for that.
• Emptying and cleaning my RIMS. I currently have it mounted vertically to ensure the wort covers the element the whole time. It works REALLY well to ramp temps, clarify and never had and problems with scorching but a PIA to clean. Need to fit some quick release style fittings to get the element in and out.
• Little Brown Pumps - I run two on the rig but I've managed to snap inlet / outlets off of four of them now regardless of how I mount and support them. Need to upgrade to chuggers or something stronger.
• 3V size. - This rig is currently only big enough to make 22litre (into fermentor) batches. I need to triple that I think.

Cheers
Matty.

 

[mje1980]

Most useful would have to be a bag, to brew in. Allowed me to get rid of a HLT and an esky tun and just have one vessel for brewing.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Oh and running out of drinkies

Its worse when there are drinkies and they get frozen in the freezer.

 

[pedleyr]

I hate my grain bag getting stuck inside the lip of my keggle.

I've been resisting just cutting the top right out because it'd be hard to cover it with a lid but the bag bulges so much below the lip, on bigger grain bills it's really getting on my nerves.

 

[slcmorro]

Ped, just do what I do. Tie a rope to the bag, then lift with one hand swiftly while tying the rope off with the other to a cleat or something similar. Minimal spillage if you're quick enough.

 

[The Judge]

• Growing my own Hops and Barley to better understand what goes in my beer.

Cheers
Matty.

wtf? you grow your own barley!? How big is your property dude

 

[mr_wibble]

Most useful at the moment is the heat pad, which, with the heater, is keeping my brews warm in winter.

Most annoying is that f&^&*%^&* &%^&*&%*ing bloody syphon that I could never get the hang of, and ended up throwing out in a fit of pique.

Auto-syphon. Worth it's weight in gold.

(although the big one just doesn't fit into demijohns)

 

[pilgrimspiss]

wtf? you grow your own barley!? How big is your property dude

Got 3 acres at the moment, trying to sell up and buy closer to 20 acres so I can grow more Barley!! LOL. the mrs hates me.

 

[Midnight Brew]

Most useful: Pulley for hoisting the bag, SS ruler so I can measure volumes in the kettle, refractometer for readings during mash and boil, yeast freezing.

Most annoying: Bottling, cleaning bottles, sanitising bottles. Looking at omitting these from my brewery.

 

[mje1980]

I've only used my auto siphon once, but it's a pretty good bit of gear I reckon. Can be a bitch to prime, but i found a few quick pumps got it going great. The coiled hose is too short and is ridiculous with the coiling, so you have to hold it in the bucket, or fermentor but it's no big deal.


Hmmmm I have 2 carboys which is why I bought it, so I hope it fits

 

[Tahoose]

Most annoying is that f&^&*%^&* &%^&*&%*ing bloody syphon that I could never get the hang of, and ended up throwing out in a fit of pique.

I'm with you mate, could get it to work with a bucket of water but never with wort, now I just make sure a tap, hose and gravity are included in my process.

Accurate thermometer
Refractometer

I like the process but my system is just a little too hands on. When I think about it, it adds up to about 6v. I'm holding off on upgrading so that one day I can buy a braumister.

 

[Truman42]

The most useful thing Ive added to my brewery is not so much equipment but process improvement. Over almost 2 years of brewing on my system Ive improved my process so that brew day always runs smoothly.

But these things have also helped..

My new brew rig on castors.

Electric brew controller with Pids. Just set and forget and wait for the alarm to go off.

I have a small tray under my pump to catch spills which saves mopping the garage floor. My plate chiller also sits in a washing tub for the same reason.

Using a hop spider.

Upgrading from a brown pump to a march pump.

Upgrading to quick disconnects on all of my hoses.

Fitting a thermometer to my plate chiller

Most annoying part about brew day would have to be cleaning my mash tun, scooping out the grains etc. Although ive improved that process too.

 

[bullsneck]

I hate milling.

But I don't want to add a motor.

I guess I'll have to get over it.

 

[mckenry]

The most useful and most hated thing I have is my Blichmann Beer Gun.

Firstly I have to over-gas my kegs by 10% - thats bloody hard to guess
Then if the beer is too highly carb'd the beer is all froth and I cant counter fill any bottles.
Relieve the pressure for another day or two then try to bottle. Cant drink a decent beer in between.
Then after over carbing I have to let it get back to normal carb before I can pour a regular beer.
Its messy, a pain in the arse, but oh so good when it works well....

Love/hate me and my Beer Gun.

 

[Tex083]

I have a keggle boiler and I hate cleaning it! The top has been cut in circle and trying to wash it out is a bustard, also its heavy compared to SS pot.

Love: HERMS coil and PID
Refractometer
Drinking home made beer and not buying much beer now

 

[Tahoose]

I hate milling.

But I don't want to add a motor.

I guess I'll have to get over it.

haha i'm the same, I think ahhh it's not too bad it will only take me 10 mins, about 4.5kg into a 5 kg grain bill i'm really over it.