Brewzilla Gen 4 advice and experiences

[Leard]

I have the 3.1.1 and sparge with a jug , works fine. Big Banana has a brewzilla pumping across to the top of a grain father with a pizza tray and tin foil to sparg. Depends how complicated you want to make it.

That's pretty genuis. So just sit the pizza tray on top, lay over some tinfoil with holes in, and let it trickle over and into the grain. Do you happen to know which video that's in?

 

[Rwilts]

That's pretty genuis. So just sit the pizza tray on top, lay over some tinfoil with holes in, and let it trickle over and into the grain. Do you happen to know which video that's in?

Yes exactly, pretty much all him brewing videos of last year



5 min marker

 

[allotment_fox]

Might sound a bit odd but I use also jugs of pre heated water pour over the top plate but keep the plate suspended on top of the malt pipe by a small long bamboo cane that fits through the ring on the top plate it lets the water trickle a bit like a colander.

I don't like the idea of the top plate sitting on top of the mash

 

[foxy]

What's everybody's technique for sparging with the BZ4? I've just bought one myself and have been learning how to brew with it, compared to my old BIAB method with a peco boiler. My old method didn't involve any sparging. I would just lift the bag out and squeeze as much as I can.

I can now use my peco boiler to heat up my sparge water. I'm wondering if I should then just stick to batch sparging with a jug, or if I get some sort of sparging arm or pipe and have the peco boiler elevated above the BrewZilla, and fly sparge.

Just do the same with your new unit go full volume and don't sparge. There is 1 hour off your brew day straight away, plus no heating up and acidifying sparge water.

 

[Rwilts]

Just do the same with your new unit go full volume and don't sparge. There is 1 hour off your brew day straight away, plus no heating up and acidifying sparge water.

Being a seasoned BIAB brewer previously I am always tempted to try it in the brewzilla

 

[foxy]

Being a seasoned BIAB brewer previously I am always tempted to try it in the brewzilla

Try it, just a bit of extra grain, I dial in 63% efficiency and can often get 65% save time, and produce a better beer. What's not to like about full volume?

 

[allotment_fox]

Will keep The no sparge in mind for a future brew if time is pressing

 

[Barone]

At Brewzilla gen 4... you do the whirlpool movement. ?.. I've heard from people who don't do it... is it right not to do it ?

 

[allotment_fox]

I made my own whirpool arm out of a copper pipe

 

[foxy]

At Brewzilla gen 4... you do the whirlpool movement. ?.. I've heard from people who don't do it... is it right not to do it ?

Doesn't it have a false bottom eliminating whether you do it or not? If you are draining from the pump I can't see as it matters. The object of a whirlpool is to get the trub to settle in a nice neat cone in the centre of the kettle, allowing the user to leave the trub behind when transferring from the tap.

 

[Barone]

Doesn't it have a false bottom eliminating whether you do it or not? If you are draining from the pump I can't see as it matters. The object of a whirlpool is to get the trub to settle in a nice neat cone in the centre of the kettle, allowing the user to leave the trub behind when transferring from the tap.

The thing is, on the Brewzilla gen 4, the pan drain is in the CENTER....so I thought about not doing it ...whirpoll

 

[foxy]

The thing is, on the Brewzilla gen 4, the pan drain is in the CENTER....so I thought about not doing it ...whirpoll

Then don't do it. There is no need wherever the drain is, the only people who should be using the whirlpool to effect are those draining from the tap as I mentioned.
I have my Foxinator dip tube on the tap and get a clear wort into the fermenter. Draining through the pump is a fairly recent additional operation as the SVB'S have gotten bigger making it impossible to lift the grain basket from a height.

 

[Barone]

Then don't do it. There is no need wherever the drain is, the only people who should be using the whirlpool to effect are those draining from the tap as I mentioned.
I have my Foxinator dip tube on the tap and get a clear wort into the fermenter. Draining through the pump is a fairly recent additional operation as the SVB'S have gotten bigger making it impossible to lift the grain basket from a height.

Thank you...I use the tap to take the wort to the fermenter...the tap drain is in the center...so thinking about not whirpool ...to avoid clogging the tap

 

[foxy]

Thank you...I use the tap to take the wort to the fermenter...the tap drain is in the center...so thinking about not whirpool ...to avoid clogging the tap

If you have a pet fermenter I would be interested in seeing a photo of the clarity of the wort and seeing how effective those false bottoms are.

Through the tap, no false bottom.

 

[Rwilts]

Watched this the other day, seems relevant.



On a side note , I used to pump out the wort into my cube via the pump on my 3.1.1 but always found a fair amount of wort left behind. Last 4 brews I have just run the wort out the tap and with a slight tilt I am getting almost 100% . Basic whirlpool to try and get the free floating hop matter into the middle. I don't worry too much about leaving all debris behind, even when transferring cloudy wort to fermenter by the time it's fermented it's always crystal clear.

 

[Twostage]

I'm thinking about doing the re-plumbing before using the BZ G4. Do you need additional silicone hose for this or just re-use what is there already ? If you need more what are the dimensions ?

Cheers.

 

[Rwilts]

Think it's just reusing existing hose

 

[Ben034]

I'm thinking about doing the re-plumbing before using the BZ G4. Do you need additional silicone hose for this or just re-use what is there already ? If you need more what are the dimensions ?

Cheers.

Yes existing hose, one can be cut a little shorter after it is moved to prevent a kink.

 

[Barone]

Hey...Good morning...I heard that it is not necessary to whirpool in generation 4...due to the central hole in the pan...is that true?

 

[foxy]

Hey...Good morning...I heard that it is not necessary to whirpool in generation 4...due to the central hole in the pan...is that true?

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