ACE Microbrewery

[foxy]

I am very interested inn this, any idea of timescales?

Still in r & d stage at the moment and als just been told 24 hrs later to keep it under my hat.:whistle:

 

[Davemc]

Still in r & d stage at the moment and als just been told 24 hrs later to keep it under my hat.:whistle:

Ok, Say no more ......Nothing to see here...keep walking. :wink:

 

[Millemg]

Still in r & d stage at the moment and als just been told 24 hrs later to keep it under my hat.:whistle:

So if they told you to keep it secret, why post the fact that they told you that on a public forum?

 

[soupdragon]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the main benefit of a conical fermenter?

Cheers. Tom

 

[foxy]

So if they told you to keep it secret, why post the fact that they told you that on a public forum?

They didn't tell me it was a secret until 24 hours later,by which time I had already spilled the beans.What I find intresting is why is it a secret?

 

[nigelnorris]

Because they're in a relatively new market where a bunch of competing brands are ripping one another's ideas and refinements a matter of days after they're published.

 

[foxy]

I am more inclined to believe that the reason could be, because it is the same manufacturer which makes the Grainfather and the Ace/all the other names it goes under, and with Grainfather releasing their conical which is also made by the same company.They are not wanting to tread on the toes too heavily on the group marketing the Grainfather conical, we will know more when it is released, cant be that far off if the capacity is already known.

 

[mgkpancake]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the main benefit of a conical fermenter?

Cheers. Tom

Conical fermenters allow an easier method of separating the yeast from the beer. The shape of the conical allows solids like trub, hops, and yeast to cone up at the bottom allowing for easy separation from the beer. There are also pros and cons to this but mostly pros which make it a high end feature to own one- especially temperature controlled coolant jacketed variety :thumb:

 

[foxy]

I don't know if it has reached your shores yet but we have the Fermentasauros over here, bloody cheap too

 

[soupdragon]

Conical fermenters allow an easier method of separating the yeast from the beer. The shape of the conical allows solids like trub, hops, and yeast to cone up at the bottom allowing for easy separation from the beer. There are also pros and cons to this but mostly pros which make it a high end feature to own one- especially temperature controlled coolant jacketed variety :thumb:

Thank you most kindly for the enlightenment :thumb:
I presume that depending on the price point, there may be a draw off point above the sediment along with the low level one for draining?

Cheers. Tom

 

[mgkpancake]

Thank you most kindly for the enlightenment :thumb:
I presume that depending on the price point, there may be a draw off point above the sediment along with the low level one for draining?

Cheers. Tom

A racking arm serves the purpose of pulling above the yeast and trub layer- this can be added to any conical easily and without fuss. Prices will usually reflect the material in which the conical is made such as stainless vs plastic. Stainless is easier to clean and much more resilient to scratches which can harbor bacteria. A plastic one will work, but care must be taken not to scratch the surface. I had a 27 gallon one from blichmann I enjoyed using. Weigh it by the amount of work you want to do. More valves = more work cleaning.

BACK ON TOPIC

 

[soupdragon]

Thanks for the clarification :thumb:

Cheers. Tom

 

[mgkpancake]

Anyone work out a modified pick up for the pump for the Ace yet? Seen examples of grain father type mods but I don't see this working too well especially with 19g/L hopped beers.

I propose a pipe that makes the pickup for the pump raised just right under the grain basket and a 90 degree only a few cm. Trying it out this week!

 

[Brewhound]

Anyone work out a modified pick up for the pump for the Ace yet? Seen examples of grain father type mods but I don't see this working too well especially with 19g/L hopped beers.

I propose a pipe that makes the pickup for the pump raised just right under the grain basket and a 90 degree only a few cm. Trying it out this week!

Hi mgkpancake, is this to use the pump to drain like the grainfather, or for recirculation?

I've had an ace for a while now and only done a few simple mods, but impressed with what you've done with yours and the amount of time you spend with your videos and passing on ideas.

Just interested as to why you'd need to raise the pump inlet unless you're using it for more than recirc as I thought the grain bed should keep a lot of the crap from heading through the pump during the mash.

Only been brewing for three years, kit to biab to all grain with the ace so interested in ways to improve. Please forgive if it's a daft question.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mgkpancake]

The only purpose is for recirculating whirlpool at the end of the boil. Did an IPA recently with 17g/litre in the boil and found difficulty keeping a decent whirlpool. I could of course use the kettle outlet as it runs through a lauterhex but want to avoid drilling extra holes where possible (to reroute pump).

No one needs to do this of course and I want to stress that all this work can be replaced simply by stirring. Just like no one needs a water bath oscillator for glasses but it is nice to have one. :lol:

I want to basically bling this thing out.

 

[mgkpancake]

Had a brew day yesterday. Ace decided to take a crap close to the end of the boil. Took some of the brew to finish off on the hob for the 10 minute hop addition.

Noticed power for switch would turn off completely, subsequently turning off the kettle aka boil. Would wait a few moments and switch led/power would kick back on. On it's own. Then I would have to reprogram all the steps, etc.

Took it apart after and found the thermal switch at fault, probably exasperated by burnt malt at the bottom. The switch indicates it's good for 150c. Anyone have issues with this?

Going to buy a replacement, maybe aftermarket. The only thing I haven't replaced at this point is the pump and this switch (the pump is reliable design and I would be surprised if it failed).

 

[foxy]

Are we talking about the knock off switch? I had a problem playing around with temperature control during a boil had to transfer to my BM but after giving the base a good clean with half a grapefruit came good.

 

[mgkpancake]

Are we talking about the knock off switch? I had a problem playing around with temperature control during a boil had to transfer to my BM but after giving the base a good clean with half a grapefruit came good.

Yes. The thermal switch sits between the wall outlet and what is feeding power to everything just on the other side of the grommet. Got a replacement coming!

 

[soupdragon]

Yes. The thermal switch sits between the wall outlet and what is feeding power to everything just on the other side of the grommet. Got a replacement coming!

Don't forget the YouTube video :thumb:

Cheers. Tom

 

[DaveK]

I had a strange one yesterday. During the boil the ACE didn't reach 100C at any stage so the timer didn't start. I timed it on my phone so it was OK, but not sure why it got "stuck" on 99C - it worked fine the first time.