All in one systems

[foxy]

I'm not clear on one spec of these systems. Most AG recipes give a mash and sparge volume. With these, do you just put the whole lot in together or add in stages?

With all three sizes you can do a full volume mash and cut out the sparge, the grain will have to be adjusted to hit the numbers of the recipe. Remember in terms of brewing history the 'sparge' is relatively new. Parti gyle is how brewers used to brew. They would get 2,3,even 4 brews from the same grain bill. Beer is a high volume low cost commodity, yet we still see brewers getting more worked up about efficiency than about quality. With the 30/40 litre SVB one could get 19 litres of a really strong brew, 21 litres of a 5 to 6% ABV brew or 23 of a lower ABV brew.
https://www.morebeer.com/articles/No_Sparge_Brewing

 

[stripeyjoe]

With all three sizes you can do a full volume mash and cut out the sparge,

I've done both no sparge and sparge in the G40, I have found I prefer the thicker mash you get with sparging and find doing the sparge strangely therapeutic! Saves getting annoyed if it's taking an age to reach a boil... In terms of efficiency, I estimate about a 10% increase plus it's easier to reach the pre-boil volume you were after as you can always sparge a little more or less dependent on how the grain adoration has been. No idea if the thicker mash leads to a clearer wort with the grain bed acting like a filter when recirculating.

 

[foxy]

I've done both no sparge and sparge in the G40, I have found I prefer the thicker mash you get with sparging and find doing the sparge strangely therapeutic! Saves getting annoyed if it's taking an age to reach a boil... In terms of efficiency, I estimate about a 10% increase plus it's easier to reach the pre-boil volume you were after as you can always sparge a little more or less dependent on how the grain adoration has been. No idea if the thicker mash leads to a clearer wort with the grain bed acting like a filter when recirculating.

There are arguments for and against a fluid mash versus a thick one, less chance of a stuck mash with a more fluid, water to grist ratio. Another upside is better heat distribution throughout the mash with a more fluid mash. Grain bed filtering remains the same no matter which method is used.

 

[stripeyjoe]

you can always sparge a little more or less dependent on how the grain adoration has been

I'm not saying that it is mandatory to worship your grain, but it helps!

 

[Eskimo John]

Taking a step back.... I looked up the volumes of the brewdevil kit. The fill line seems to be 5 ltrs less than the stated volume, so for example the 50ltr fill line is actually 45 ltrs and the 70 is 65 ltrs. Given that there is displacement from the grain then the liquid available will be considerably less. So now the 70 is looking better given the price difference is only 50 quid.
Could someone with experience of using a brewdevil let me know what the minimum brew size is please? Brewdevil don't seem to advertise this, although they do say a 23 litre bar can be done in both the 50 and the 70.
I would be interested to understand if the kit allows for a sliding scale of brew size or is it stepped? So must I brew 23 or 45 or 65 litres only or can I brew any size between 23 and 65 litres, so say 34 litres so I can fill a standard keg and a 9 ltr one?
Finally, and this goes back to my first question, could I do an 11 litre brew for say an experimental brew for my 9 ltr keg?
Thanks in advance, but its hard to spend 500 quid on kit you have never seen!

 

[stripeyjoe]

I would be interested to understand if the kit allows for a sliding scale of brew size or is it stepped?

With all of them you can brew any size between minimum and maximum capacities, the strength range you can brew at minimum and maximum volumes will depend on the minimum and maximum grain bill that will go in the malt pipe.

This was another thing that attracted me to the G40, it has a large range, from 10 to 40l batch sizes (max pre-boil volume of 46l) and from 3kg to 13kg grain bills. So you can go from a 9l keg up to two 18.5l kegs and all sizes in-between.

 

[Eskimo John]

Thanks for that stripeyjoe. Is good to know that it is a sliding scale.
The Grainfather range seems expensive although the s40 is competitive, I was looking at the brewdevil range as they are more affordable for larger brews so it is specific brewdevil information I want.
I did originally look at tha S40 but I seem to have been seduced by the size options available at brewdevil, and it seems a good idea to allow for increased volume in the future as with two beer drinking sons in the house and two beer drinking women as well the kegs seem to be empty most of the time now!

 

[ChilledGecko]

I have a G40 on it's way to me now.
I need to make some changes to my brew shed and empty a keg before I can fire it up but I'll let you know how it turns out.
... I guess I _could_ get a new keg as well....

I'm moving from a 3 vessel HERMS system, lovely results but a real pain for cleaning, normally half my brew day.

 

[Eskimo John]

I am interested to see how you get on. And I totally get the cleaning thing!

 

[2Beers]

The 70l brewdevil, which I use, has a pre boil volume of 65 litres. When I'm going for max volume I sparge to that line. Once I've dealt with the hot break I put my hops in, which is where the extra volume over 65l comes in.

Minimum brew size is 23l, max grain bill is 19kg (I've never tried that much) and I believe the max mash water volume is 55 litres (I assume with 19kg of grain).

Any size brew in between is of course possible as this is a decision made by you and falls within the equipment's parameters.

 

[AngelHomebrew.]

It isn't a forty, nor a seventy. It wasn't a good idea to raise the bar by 10 litres. The next should be 100 litres.

Got too disagree, sell roughly about same number of 30L and 50L, and less 70L BrewDevils. And have heard customers who have gone with 30L later say wish they went with the 50L, some have bought the 50L after having the 30L. It’s a popular size here

 

[foxy]

Got too disagree, sell roughly about same number of 30L and 50L, and less 70L BrewDevils. And have heard customers who have gone with 30L later say wish they went with the 50L, some have bought the 50L after having the 30L. It’s a popular size here

That is in the UK, over here the 50 has been dropped, 70 and 35 are the go for with the 100 litre coming out I would say a lot will go for that.

 

[AngelHomebrew.]

That is in the UK, over here the 50 has been dropped, 70 and 35 are the go for with the 100 litre coming out I would say a lot will go for that.

Yeah that’s true, I am talking about U.K./Europe

 

[stripeyjoe]

Although more honest I think Grainfather have shot themselves in the foot slightly with the G40... Should have called it the G55!

 

[Eskimo John]

It seems to me that Grainfather sizes are more brew size orientated where Brewdevil are max volume numbers. Is this a fair comment?

 

[The Furnace Green Brewer]

Good evening friends,

As a lowly LME ale brewer, I have a question I have just read John Wright ( river cottage) book booze where he boils an AG ale with the lid on. I have always left the lid off I brew outside with a grain bag over the top of my old brulution boiler, since i thought that the brew could be spoiled ,any thoughts about the lid ?

Cheers
TFG

 

[The Baron]

Hi FGB the thoughts are that you should boil with the lid off so that DMS can evaporate. Modern day thoughts with newer malts do say that it is not as essential as they do not have the DMS in the grain like they used to so some deem it not as critical.
Me I would always boil with the lid off as there may still be some DMS in the grains and also your boil off amount will change as it will keep condensing on the lid and drip back in
Here is a explanation of what DMS is in case you did not know
Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a sulfur compound that is typically considered an off-flavor in beer at high concentrations and is introduced into beer from the thermal decomposition (wort heating) of S-methylmethionine (SMM) produced in the embryo of barley during germination.

 

[The Furnace Green Brewer]

Hello The Baron thanks for the advice , I am with on that one lid off .

Happy brewing