Williamswarn Personal Brewery

[Bribie G]

I may have posted elsewhere but when lagers were first made by UK breweries around the turn of the 19th Century (Allsops, Wrexham Lager Company etc) they were all fermented under pressure. At beervana the other year I was talking to the BIAB guy who had a stall there and he recommended fermenting lagers under pressure using a conical and a valve. Nothing new here.

Might give it a go in a cornie for next year if I decide to do lagers in the comps again.

 

[pk.sax]

Not to mention that commercial hectolitre breweries brew bland piss with the methods they employ.

Fermenting under pressure with bottom fermenting yeast pitched in massive doses compares very poorly with what home brewers do and why they do it so. Then again, I've met home brewers that ferment their beer using us05 at ambient in qld temps and can't fault themselves.

If this floats your boat, then you've already signed the cheque.

Else, there are cooling jackets out there (not cheap) and Ross sells an adjustable pressure relief gauge/valve. Also, there are available cleaning solution canisters that can be hooked up to gas, you could hook it up and force in clearing agents etc under pressure differential quite easily. Then push out the trub using a bit of pressure and serve it out of the fermenting keg. This stuff is out there to do what this wankjob brewery does, it's nothin new, neither revolutionary. If commercial brewing practices were such great stuff for home brewers then we'd have miniature 5-6 vessel brew houses or some such madness.

I saw the cascade fermenters in Hobart, they've got primary fermenters with PRVs that they then transfer off to bright tanks for a few days to a week or so ageing after. Even a home brewer sort of loosely tightening the lid on his fermenter and putting it in a temp controlled fridge does roughly the same thing.

You've doing not much more than regurgitating a sales pitch, are you surprised no one wants to take you seriously?!

 

[Elz]

Home brewing I believe is largely a personal journey which takes people down different paths, some prefer lagers, some ales some drinking sessional beers and people also have a preference for different equipment. Having just commenced my journey and being in a relative privileged position in that I was able to afford to purchase a WW I have found that I truly loving this craft. This system has given me the confidence to trial different fermenting techniques and I have brewed great tasting beers ( I may not yet be good brewer but i do know what quality beer is. hic! ). My journey towards finding beer nirvada is just starting but I have found a tool which accompanies my passion. Again its not for everyone but for those that do choose this path the rewards are out there.

As a lot of people are saying my 2-3.5 cents worth

 

[Beerisyummy]

Home brewing I believe is largely a personal journey which takes people down different paths, some prefer lagers, some ales some drinking sessional beers and people also have a preference for different equipment. Having just commenced my journey and being in a relative privileged position in that I was able to afford to purchase a WW I have found that I truly loving this craft. This system has given me the confidence to trial different fermenting techniques and I have brewed great tasting beers ( I may not yet be good brewer but i do know what quality beer is. hic! ). My journey towards finding beer nirvada is just starting but I have found a tool which accompanies my passion. Again its not for everyone but for those that do choose this path the rewards are out there.

As a lot of people are saying my 2-3.5 cents worth

Pics please! Show us a glass!

 

[MastersBrewery]

Yes you can buy equipment to do all that this machine does, but you have to put it together, adjust temps and presures as you fermented, and yep even the clarification can be done. Thing is this thing does it itself, set and forget, thats the point. Yeah it's a little over priced and I mean a little, what would a morebeer conical with temp control will set you well back to get here, it won't take preasure above 5 psi and has no preasure control. I think they're over by about $1500, that said I think a Lambourgini is also over priced.

I think most of us have taken some of what the Manufacturer has stated to the OP, as fasical, I believe it's called the hard sell. I don't think the OP has in anyway stated the manufacturers statements are gospel, indeed if White labs or WYeast read this thread I'm sure the manufacturer will be getting some mail possibly of the legal kind.

End of the day it is a piece of equipment designed to do a job in specific way unattended, does it do that job ? Elz seems to think so.

 

[shaunous]

Yes you can buy equipment to do all that this machine does, but you have to put it together, adjust temps and presures as you fermented, and yep even the clarification can be done. Thing is this thing does it itself, set and forget, thats the point. Yeah it's a little over priced and I mean a little, what would a morebeer conical with temp control will set you well back to get here, it won't take preasure above 5 psi and has no preasure control. I think they're over by about $1500, that said I think a Lambourgini is also over priced.

I think most of us have taken some of what the Manufacturer has stated to the OP, as fasical, I believe it's called the hard sell. I don't think the OP has in anyway stated the manufacturers statements are gospel, indeed if White labs or WYeast read this thread I'm sure the manufacturer will be getting some mail possibly of the legal kind.

End of the day it is a piece of equipment designed to do a job in specific way unattended, does it do that job ? Elz seems to think so.

Pretty much what I said but a well shorter version.

I spent $30k purchasing and restoring a 64' Belair into a hydro suspension bouncing lowrider. It was a way cool car and fit me plus 5 young ladies, but I coulda bought a brand new Holden Captiva.

Anyway, if it works for you and your happy with it, than it's your money and your method.

 

[thebigwilk]

If this is fermenting away siting where my kegerator currently sits in my games room, there would be a bit of friction coming from the missus about the smells that the fermenting beer would be pumping out (not real good when you have guests over). + 1 for splitting up the process.

 

[Elz]

Pics please! Show us a glass!

Mmmmm cold beer, well at least 3.7o C cold (first brew American amber ale)

 

[shaunous]

Looks like beer to me.

 

[Beerisyummy]

Looks like beer to me.

I guess the real proof is in how it tastes. I'd drink it to find out.

I wonder, if it was priced at $1k would people still be as harsh on the product?
The BM seems ridiculously overpriced to me, so I guess this falls into the same category.

In true AHB style, could someone point out where to buy the components to build a similar setup at a fraction of the cost?

 

[Wortgames]

if it was priced at $1k would people still be as harsh on the product?

I'd buy 2 in a heartbeat, throw away the last plastic in my brewery and dump my fermenting fridge out with the hard rubbish.

 

[Beerisyummy]

I'd buy 2 in a heartbeat, throw away the last plastic in my brewery and dump my fermenting fridge out with the hard rubbish.

It was a serious question.
If you take away the cost element, how does the system rate?

 

[Parks]

It was a serious question.
If you took away the cost element, how would the system rate?

Pretty sure it was a serious answer too. I would say if it was under $2k there would be *a lot* more interest. It does look like a good piece of equipment, just really overpriced and inflexible at that price point.

 

[MastersBrewery]

I guess the real proof is in how it tastes. I'd drink it to find out.

I wonder, if it was priced at $1k would people still be as harsh on the product?
The BM seems ridiculously overpriced to me, so I guess this falls into the same category.

In true AHB style, could someone point out where to buy the components to build a similar setup at a fraction of the cost?

I think I said in an earlier post it could be done, done well and at less cost, but someone like matho or the like would need to program it up for me as I have no skills in that department. A 22gal pressure fermenter (160psi tested) is US$640.00 plus shiping from the US. temp control....lets use what we always do a fridge (not quite as blingy but will do the job) say $200 set up, preasure control say $300 (hydrostatic meter and digital massflow controler) then probably another $350 in TC clamps and valves and such. So say just over $2200 and able to do 15-18 gal.

then there would be the cost of a kegarator on top to serve

ED oh and I forgot that some poor bugger would have to do a fair bit of testing to create usable profiles for temp vs pressure fermenting in the controller)

 

[MastersBrewery]

And I'll be sure to post a build thread when I start building mine after my lotto win next Tuesday full costings included.... think I might be short above on importing that big bugger of a fermenter

 

[Liam_snorkel]

See ya.

 

[Yob]

Have you checked out the ghetto thread?

Innovation and invention are plenty praised..

 

[Camo6]

Varied opinions, open discussion and critiquing. My god, that sort of crap should be restrained to internet forums, not here.

 

[bradsbrew]

I don't have a problem with the fermenter itself or if people choose to buy one and use it. If people are happy to spend the hard earned and have a play with a bit of bling that's great, hopefully they can give genuine feedback and comparisons to their old method. I personally would not buy one because I am a tight arse and would prefer to spend the money on other things that I believe are better, but hey that's my choice.

However, I do have a problem with some of the brewing advice the manufacturer is giving. Some of it is very poor.

Cheers

 

[pcmfisher]

Isn't it just a big fancy one of these?
They ferment under pressure and make world class beer from a can h34r: