Brew Day What Have Ya Got - 2023

[Classic Brewing Co]

8 hours ago, Mickep said:

First AG brew day for me. More pics than details. 

Big shout out to Al, @iBooz2 for all his help with this - couldn't have got this done without your support mate so cheers.

Did his COPA AG recipe and hit all the numbers pretty much - so I made beer in the end. Can't wait to ferment it and have a taste.

To every one here many thanks for the help and support you give so freely - just awesome stuff Guys and

Brilliant stuff Mick, no more opening tins how you do go lifting on off the table & also removing the bag.

[Cheap Charlie]

9 hours ago, Mickep said:

First AG brew day for me. More pics than details. 

Big shout out to Al, @iBooz2 for all his help with this - couldn't have got this done without your support mate so cheers.

Did his COPA AG recipe and hit all the numbers pretty much - so I made beer in the end. Can't wait to ferment it and have a taste.

To every one here many thanks for the help and support you give so freely - just awesome stuff Guys and Gals

 

 

 

Is that the 35L digiboil? Great brew cave btw

[Tricky Micky]

1 hour ago, Cheap Charlie said:

Is that the 35L digiboil? Great brew cave btw

Yeah it is mate. It's my garage, slowly turning it into the brew house. 

[Tricky Micky]

2 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Brilliant stuff Mick, no more opening tins how you do go lifting on off the table & also removing the bag.

Phil, everything went okay until I had to sparge - I got wort everywhere, bloody bag hung over the edges and I couldn't read the quantity numbers on the interior of the digiboil...anyway the bride was there to help out. I'll regroup and make a plan for the next one.

Other than that seemed to go smoothly and now I have a FWK of my own to brew.....Thanks to @iBooz2

[Tricky Micky]

3 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Excellent stuff Mick.  It sounds like everything went well.  With a Sensei like @iBooz2, how could it go wrong?

Exactly Shamus, Everything went well because @iBooz2, Al, is a legend. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed by any stretch but his brew day rundown was just awesome and even I could follow it. Even had a taste of one of his COPA's prior to my first batch - so I know how good this brew can be - fingers crossed.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Mickep

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, Mickep said:

Phil, everything went okay until I had to sparge - I got wort everywhere, bloody bag hung over the edges and I couldn't read the quantity numbers on the interior of the digiboil...anyway the bride was there to help out. I'll regroup and make a plan for the next one.

Other than that seemed to go smoothly and now I have a FWK of my own to brew.....Thanks to @iBooz2

That's the problem I have ATM if I put the Brew Zilla up higher enough to read the control panel, it's too hard to lift the malt pipe out.

Too low & you bust your back bending down to see the damn thing, that's why I am going to build something like this.

With a simple pulley set-up, it will work for me. In my case it won't raise the bag but the malt pipe.

 

[Tricky Micky]

9 hours ago, RDT2 said:

Nice work mate, well done it will taste awesome! 

Already had a sneaky cheeky taste of the COPA at Al's man cave - very very noice! If mine is half as good i'll be a happy bloke.

[Tricky Micky]

4 hours ago, ozdevil said:

great  Stuff @Mickep  on your 1st   a.g biab  

no looking back now,  i am sure your 1st A.G will be fantastic 

 top Stuff @iBooz2 for helping @Mickep into the fab world of All Grain Brewing

 

A big shout out to you Ozzie @ozdevil, mate as well. Thanks for your support as well.....just awesome stuff all round.

 

[Tricky Micky]

10 hours ago, stquinto said:

Quick joke: What do you call a bloke with a rabbit in his a*se ? Warren !

Boom boom !

 Hahaha. I'd call him constipated. Thanks for your kind words mate much appreciated.

[Tricky Micky]

This is the recipe I used for the COPA gifted to me from @iBooz2.

Pre boil gravity 1.040

Post Boil gravity 1.046

PH 5.9 (might up the Lactic acid from 4 ml to 5 ml next batch.)

The volumes (brewday) were a bit different to what is written in the BF recipe page so efficiency was probably better than stated. Haven't entered all the brew day info into the software yet - gotta get my tiny brain around that stuff yet.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Mickep

[iBooz2]

2 hours ago, Mickep said:

Phil, everything went okay until I had to sparge - I got wort everywhere, bloody bag hung over the edges and I couldn't read the quantity numbers on the interior of the digiboil...anyway the bride was there to help out. I'll regroup and make a plan for the next one.

Other than that seemed to go smoothly and now I have a FWK of my own to brew.....Thanks to @iBooz2

All good Mick, it's a pleasure to help a bloke like you who really appreciates the effort given.

We can fix that reading of the volumes issue by zeroing in on the mash volumes and sparge volumes for next time so you will not even have to look at those.  For example (and only an example as I have not gone over you stats for your first one yet) mash with say 25 L volume and sparge with exactly 10 L.  Once we get these volumes correct you will just sparge until you have no more sparge water left and that will give you the required pre-boil volume without even looking.

If you have a big enough pot you could do a batch sparge by lifting the grain bag up, draining as best you can then drop it into the sparge water but you need a big pot so it does not overflow.  Once batch sparged you could lift the grain bag up and allow to drain as best you can again, pop it in a bucket to take outside then just tip the sparge/wort-y water into the Digiboil.

[iBooz2]

@Mickep when you go to ferment your COPA, swirl up that jar of fresh CCA yeast I gave you and tip the lot in.  Don't worry about separating the un-hopped beer of the top as there will be bugger all.

Pitch at 17 and hold at 17 for two days, then up it by 1 C per day until at 22 C and hold there for two days.

After that you can cold crash quite quickly over a couple of days, say 18 C then 12 C then 6 C then 2 C just to give your fridge compressor a rest during this hot spell we are having ATM.

[RDT2]

2 hours ago, Mickep said:

Phil, everything went okay until I had to sparge - I got wort everywhere, bloody bag hung over the edges and I couldn't read the quantity numbers on the interior of the digiboil...anyway the bride was there to help out. I'll regroup and make a plan for the next one.

Other than that seemed to go smoothly and now I have a FWK of my own to brew.....Thanks to @iBooz2

I use the digiboil as well but just bought the brewzilla malt pipe separately as I got sick of the cleaning the bag and it’s better/cleaner for sparging. I took the centre pipe out and replaced it with a stainless bolt! So easy to use!

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, RDT2 said:

I use the digiboil as well but just bought the brewzilla malt pipe separately as I got sick of the cleaning the bag and it’s better/cleaner for sparging. I took the centre pipe out and replaced it with a stainless bolt! So easy to use!

Its good when some parts/brands can be interchangeable with each other.

[ozdevil]

19 hours ago, RDT2 said:

I use the digiboil as well but just bought the brewzilla malt pipe separately as I got sick of the cleaning the bag and it’s better/cleaner for sparging. I took the centre pipe out and replaced it with a stainless bolt! So easy to use!

@Mickep  if you choose to go the same way as RDT2  

you will also need the 35l bz 3.1.1 false bottom   to actually hold the  mash tun in place.

further more you can  make a make shift bz out of your digiboil  by buying a pump  and then you can recirculate the wort during the mash

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by ozdevil

[Tricky Micky]

19 hours ago, RDT2 said:

I use the digiboil as well but just bought the brewzilla malt pipe separately as I got sick of the cleaning the bag and it’s better/cleaner for sparging. I took the centre pipe out and replaced it with a stainless bolt! So easy to use!

That's good ta know @RDT2, could you post a pic of your set up mate?

[Tricky Micky]

50 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

@Mickep  if you choose to go the same way as RDT2  

you will also need the 35l bz 3.1.1 false bottom   to actually hold the  mash tun in place.

further more you can  make a make shift bz out of your digiboil  by buying a pump  and then you can recirculate the wort during the mash

 

Thanks Ozzie - KL are out of stock of the handle I think at the minute, for the DigiMash upgrade kit, making the whole kit appear outta stock .....I was looking at this option after the first sparge using the bag. 

Thanks for the heads up about a pump as well.

I feel the rabbit hole deepening. 

[ozdevil]

24 minutes ago, Mickep said:

Thanks Ozzie - KL are out of stock of the handle I think at the minute, for the DigiMash upgrade kit, making the whole kit appear outta stock .....I was looking at this option after the first sparge using the bag. 

Thanks for the heads up about a pump as well.

I feel the rabbit hole deepening. 

if you want to buy the parts separately  , i can off load you a bz 3.1.1  malt pipe handle  as i have 2 of the bugga's

buying the parts separately will still be the same cost as the upgrade kit

[Tricky Micky]

2 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

if you want to buy the parts separately  , i can off load you a bz 3.1.1  malt pipe handle  as i have 2 of the bugga's

buying the parts separately will still be the same cost as the upgrade kit

@ozdevil Ozzie that's so generous mate, I'll look into what's in stock at KL and get back. I purchased the heavy duty false bottom for the digi boil so that stays even when using the malt pipe and it's bottom  - yes ?

[Tricky Micky]

9 minutes ago, Mickep said:

14 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

if you want to buy the parts separately  , i can off load you a bz 3.1.1  malt pipe handle  as i have 2 of the bugga's

buying the parts separately will still be the same cost as the upgrade kit

@ozdevil Ozzie that's so generous mate, I'll look into what's in stock at KL and get back. I purchased the heavy duty false bottom for the digi boil so that stays even when using the malt pipe and it's bottom  - yes ?

Does the malt pipe have its own bottom? And then sits on the false bottom? (Which I already have, but it's the heavy duty thingy with the handles) I'm easily confused so forgive my silly questions Oz.

[Tricky Micky]

2 hours ago, Mickep said:

22 hours ago, RDT2 said:

I use the digiboil as well but just bought the brewzilla malt pipe separately as I got sick of the cleaning the bag and it’s better/cleaner for sparging. I took the centre pipe out and replaced it with a stainless bolt! So easy to use!

That's good ta know @RDT2, could you post a pic of your set up mate?

@RDT2 what exactly did you purchase in that malt pipe upgrade? I have the heavy duty false bottom for it already but it has the handles on the top side....maybe that won't work with the malt pipe sold for the upgrade....did you need the halo to make this work?

[RDT2]

1 hour ago, Mickep said:

@RDT2 what exactly did you purchase in that malt pipe upgrade? I have the heavy duty false bottom for it already but it has the handles on the top side....maybe that won't work with the malt pipe sold for the upgrade....did you need the halo to make this work?

You might have the false bottom upside down?

[ozdevil]

3 hours ago, Mickep said:

Does the malt pipe have its own bottom? And then sits on the false bottom? (Which I already have, but it's the heavy duty thingy with the handles) I'm easily confused so forgive my silly questions Oz.

the heavy false bottom will work great  ,  and the malt  pipe on 3.1.1 is  what this guy is holding ( which is kee doery  i believe or oli  )




RDT2 took that pipe completely out (it isn't really needed  and replace the mash tuns bottom with ss 316 bolt and nut

so if you buy the mash tun  replace the  bottom with this




https://www.kegland.com.au/brewzilla-35l-gen3-1-pro-series-bottom-screen-for-malt-pipe-no-hole.html


malt pipe is a hinderance with  BIAB

 

[Tricky Micky]

21 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

the heavy false bottom will work great  ,  and the malt  pipe on 3.1.1 is  what this guy is holding ( which is kee doery  i believe or oli  )




RDT2 took that pipe completely out (it isn't really needed  and replace the mash tuns bottom with ss 316 bolt and nut

so if you buy the mash tun  replace the  bottom with this




https://www.kegland.com.au/brewzilla-35l-gen3-1-pro-series-bottom-screen-for-malt-pipe-no-hole.html


malt pipe is a hinderance with  BIAB

 

Thanks Oz @ozdevil. I've confused everything with not making it clear I was wanting to add the digimash upgrade kit to the 35 liter Digiboil which KL sell.

Giving me a mash tun and the ability to sparge using that method.

here's the link

https://www.kegland.com.au/digimash-upgrade-kit-for-35l-digiboil.html

[Tricky Micky]

1 hour ago, RDT2 said:

You might have the false bottom upside down?

I have this:

https://www.kegland.com.au/35l-heavy-duty-false-bottom-for-digiboil-and-brewzilla.html

 

wanting to add this:

https://www.kegland.com.au/digimash-upgrade-kit-for-35l-digiboil.html

sorry if I confused things mate.