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Bugger it, I'm going All Grain.


Brownsworthy

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G'day all,

 

Long time no post, hope everybody is well.

 

After around 30 odd extract brews I have decided to take the plunge and go to All Grain and when I say plunge I mean jumped off a cliff. I tend to make things difficult for my myself by over complicating things and I may have done it again.

 

After lots of research I have decided to go 3v herms I tossed up doing BIAB though as I said I like to make things difficult for myself and wanted something similar to a pro pilot system as I am a bit of a poser.

 

So I went with an SS Brewtech 76l kettle,56l cooler style mash tun fitted with false bottom thermometer and Blichmann sparge arm, 40l Crown urn for HLT(may use for BIAB batches as well), SS herms/chiller coil, Maltmuncher Mill, keg king wort pump and an SS Brewtech 54l Chronical Fermenter. I will use quick disconnects for ease of use during transfers, recirculation etc.

 

Downloaded the trial of Beersmith2 today and have been trying to figure it out I don't think it will take long to get the hang of it though feel a little overwhelmed at the moment as it is a little more complex than Ianh's spreadsheet for extracts, kits etc.unsure

 

Over the next couple of weeks I will set out the brewery and figure out how everything will be plumbed in and hopefully will have Beersmith sorted as I have a bag of Briess Pale Malt and a bunch of assorted spec grains screaming out to be turned into tasty, tasty beer.

 

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated as I think I'm going to need all the help I can get.

 

First brew will probably be an IPA of course.

 

Cheers.

 

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Wow, head first.

I'd suggest a pale rather than an IPA.

Bigger grain bills tend to lower efficiency so it is good to work out what you can achieve before pushing things.

 

Beersmith is great once you work it out, it is really just a nicely made database. Very similar to the spreadsheet but with more options and a more refined front end.

 

And welcome. I can help with recipes and the like but no idea about HERMS.

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Thanks Ben and Hairy,

 

Then a pale it will be.

 

I will take some photos this evening or tomorrow then of course read the post about how to post pics as I've never attempted it.

 

I will use the urn with the coil in and recirculate with the pump and stc to hold mash temps for herms. Not sure how important that is as the cooler supposedly only drops 1 degree over 90min but it helps to clear the wort I think.

 

Thanks for the advice guys you've both given great guidance throughout my extract brewing which has helped produce great beers looking forward to the next chapter

 

Cheers

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All right, Browny!

 

That sounds like an awesome set-up! I think Antiphile and I are the only two 3V brewers that post regularly on this site. I'm looking forward to chatting with you about your set-up and how to operate it. My 3V set-up is made up of two 58L keggles (Boil Kettle & HLT), one 50L Keggle with a false bottom as my Mash tun. I have propane burners under my BK and the MLT. I use a chugger pump to drive the whole system. my sparge arm is a homemade thingy using the strainer from my urn.

 

The heart of my HERMS is a 6L urn controlled by a temp controller. The HERMS is not only to maintain a constant temperature of the mash. It also clarifies the wort (big time!) by circulating the wort back throw the grain bed for most of the mash time.

 

Beersmith is a great tool once you get your own system entered for consistency.

 

looking forward to the pictures!

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Thanks Chad,

 

Really looking forward to getting it all up and running and dialed in and will surely be keen to pick your brains as I will need all the help I can get!

 

Anti only lives a few kms from mine though have found it hard to get in contact with him lately(I think he's still up in Queensland). I have seen his setup and spent a brew day with him though I was too busy drinking his beer and talking sh!t to pay much attention to the process. Hopefully he'll be back soon so I can gloat to him about my setup.

 

Was thinking that the 40l urn might take a long while to get up to temp so have eyed off a 10l urn at work that doesn't get used. At least I'll have the 40l urn if I want to do a BIAB.

 

Cheers

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TRAITOR! TRAITOR!! tonguelol

 

Only kidding! wink

 

Seriously, good luck with the move to AG brewing Brownsworthy. You certainly haven't gone at it half-heartedly! w00t

 

You already make some nice beers, that will only be improved further by the move up to all grain.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

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No worries mate, I hope you enjoy the red ale as much as I do, when you get around to brewing it. joyful

 

I'm not sure if this helps you, but I find my urn takes about 30-40 minutes to heat the 35/36 litres of water I use up to strike temp for doughing in. Depends on the time of year. I just put cold tap water (or distilled water awaiting mineral salt additions) in it because it's easier to raise it a couple of degrees than cool it down if it gets too hot. During this time I used to mill the grains, but now that my mill working properly again I have brekky or something while it heats up, 5 mins to mill the grains and I'm ready to mash in.

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G'day all,

 

Due to SWMBO selfishly hogging the computer for work and not being able to figure out how to do it on my phone I haven't gotten around to uploading some pics so I just changed my profile pic.

 

Thanks Lusty, you've definitely been a huge help throughout my k&k and extract brewing and wouldn't have been able to produce such good beers without your advice and assistance with recipes. Don't worry though I'm sure, like others on here, I will still brew the occasional extract when after a quick brew day or if I'm feeling lazy.

 

Thanks Otto, that does help I guess part of having a smooth brew day is being organized and knowing your equipment. Best to make the most of your time instead of staring at thermometers.

 

Cheers

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I think a 10L urn would be ideal for your application. Try and get as much 1/2" copper coil in there as possible. I find that my 1000w, 6L urn only just does what I want it to do at warm, ideal ambient outdoor temperatures. I have a 3/8" copper coil running through it. I can maintain a flow rate of about 500ml/min and keep a constant temp.

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I think Antiphile and I are the only two 3V brewers that post regularly on this site.

One more here happy

 

I don't have a very fancy system though ... my HLT is a 9.5 litre stock pot, my mash tun is a 15 litre Esky keg & my boil kettle is 21 litre stock pot. I mash in a bag rather than using a false bottom.

 

Cheers,

 

John

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G'day guys,

 

I'm pretty sure the 10L urn is 1800watt so it should do well. My coil is far to big to fit so I would have to make up another to suit, like you'd mentioned Chad, and use the one I have as a chiller.

 

I was going to start with a small batch biab system, like yours John, to use my coopers craft fermenters as it was your well set out recipes and procedures(some which I will surely appropriate) which got me thinking about all grain on a small scale to get the hang of it. I was lucky enough to have the space and a great tax return and thought bugger it you only live once.

 

Cheers

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All right' date=' Browny!

 

I think Antiphile and I are the only two 3V brewers that post regularly on this site. [/quote']

 

What about me it isn't fair

I've got 3V and I brewed my share

Can't you see? I brew with

Two crown urns and a Coleman Eski

 

Cheers & Beers

Scottie

Valley Brew

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My apologies, John & Scottie. I have not forgot about you guys. I just forgot you were 3Ver's. I'm glad to know there are a few more around than I thought.

 

Yeah, Browny. I'm sure your 10L urn with a 1800W burner would be great. Do you have a temp. controller? I think this is key to the HERMS system.

 

I have an immersion chiller with about 50'-70' of copper that just fits in my Boil Keggle. it works well but it is cumbersome.

 

It might be a good idea to brew a small batch to get a handle on AGunsure. I wouldn't bother though. It is more important in my opinion, to get a handle on your system. to know the system that you'll be using most of the time. You have to get use to the times it takes to get mash and sparge volumes up to strike temps. You'll need to learn about your flow rates and your system's losses to dial in your brewhouse efficiencies. You need to get these figures down pat and entered into Beersmith as fast as you can so you can start brewing consistently on you system.

 

The whole AG thing is pretty simple really. Its just soaking crushed malt in warm water and then rinsing, and boiling it. It's the system which you brew on that takes time to figure out.wink

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Yeah I've got a spare stc 200 I'll use on the urn and I think I'll be sticking to the same grain bill for the first 4 or 5 brews to ensure I get consistent results as dialing in the system is my biggest concern.

 

I think I've got my head around everything else it's just Beersmith and getting those figures in that I'm going to really focus on as it's the one thing on Beersmith that first had me a little confused. I'm not going to worry about water profile and all that complicated brewing chemistry until I have the system down, on Beersmith, to not over complicate things.

 

Cheers

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to find your losses in your vessel you simple fill them up passed the valve and let them drainout until no more water come out the tap. you then take an accurate measurement of the volume left in the at the bottom. This is the losses for that vessel. Same goes for your FVs next time you bottle a brew measure out the stuff left in the bottom for the losses in that vessel. For the Evaporation rate you'll have to bring a volume of water to a boil for an hour then take a measurement to get the boil off rate. record all these facts and figures then fill in the blank in the "my equipment" page of Beersmith.

 

Oh, you should make yourself a measuring stick with increments on it to measure volumes in your vessels. One for each vessel if they are different shapes. I use a plastic spoon with a long shaft. I have it marked in 2L increments.

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My apologies' date=' John & Scottie. I have not forgot about you guys. I just forgot you were 3Ver's. I'm glad to know there are a few more around than I thought.[/quote']

What about former 3v brewers? I was a 3ver for a few years before seeing the light tongue

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