Brewzilla thread to share knowledge, experiences and good practice

[buddsy]

I done a brew today with no hop spider for the first time. Just chucked 66g of pellets in at 60.

I done my 3rd brew yesterday and used the supplied hop spider for the first time (1st brew I used nothing & 2nd had Hop tea bags).

I found the spider sat below the level of the brew. I wasnt sure if the hops would sink low down in the spider but they pretty much just floated up over the edge...as you would expect.

2nd hop addition I just placed in the brew as I have done previously. When fininshed there was some hop sludge in the spider and yes it wasnt the easiest thing to clean. I wasnt sure about the tea bags but they seem to work pretty well. Maybe a muslim bag weighted is a btter solution. Either that or I bend the hook on my spider so it sits higher.

I guess its not a problem on brews with boil voloumes of under 25lts though? I was pretty full at 30ltrs

buddsy

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I done my 3rd brew yesterday and used the supplied hop spider for the first time (1st brew I used nothing & 2nd had Hop tea bags).

I found the spider sat below the level of the brew. I wasnt sure if the hops would sink low down in the spider but they pretty much just floated up over the edge...as you would expect.

2nd hop addition I just placed in the brew as I have done previously. When fininshed there was some hop sludge in the spider and yes it wasnt the easiest thing to clean. I wasnt sure about the tea bags but they seem to work pretty well. Maybe a muslim bag weighted is a btter solution. Either that or I bend the hook on my spider so it sits higher.

I guess its not a problem on brews with boil voloumes of under 25lts though? I was pretty full at 30ltrs

buddsy

I got one of these: Wolfcraft B3631 Fz60 Spring Clamp 60mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001P19O0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_RgtQFbZ3RGZ6R?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

you can then clip the spider at whatever height it needs to be.

 

[buddsy]

I did think about that as the chap from cellar dwellers does that.

buddsy

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I did think about that as the chap from cellar dwellers does that.

buddsy

I think that’s where I first saw it. It works really well.

 

[dv12]

Quick tip for a stuck pump is keep the valve open and give a good blow as I had the same problem a few weeks back and it worked OK.

I'm laughing at this because I did that, blowing into the tube as hard as I could. I can only describe it as an eruption of boiling wort came at my face and spilled out over the floor.
I didn't do that again. Haha.

 

[Gerryjo]

I'm laughing at this because I did that, blowing into the tube as hard as I could. I can only describe it as an eruption of boiling wort came at my face and spilled out over the floor.
I didn't do that again. Haha.

That's why I put the lid on, like a big watery fart hahaha

 

[UKSkydiver]

Just starting to plan a brew to hopefully use the BZ when it gets here in a week or so.

I'm thinking I should probably stick as close to my existing processes and volumes without changing too much to get comfortable with the new system, so with that being said, I'd appreciate your thoughts on this please.

I normally do 10-11 litre batches, BIAB, no sparge (or just a very small dunk sparge in 2 litres of hot water for 10 mins)

I've created an 11 litre no sparge profile and these are my numbers:

Brew is a hefty 8.9% Belgian Tripel with 3.9 kg grain

I've set the following:

Brewhouse eff to 70% (my BIAB BHE is about 73%-ish normally)
Absorption 0.9litre / kg
Boil off 3 litre
Trub/chiller loss 1 litre
Fermenter loss 2 litres

This is giving me

18.5 litres total water
20.7 litres mash volume (water and grain)
15.5 litre pre boil

Not sure about the relevance of the mash tun deadspace being 6.75 litres, as someone here said the deadspace is only about 1.7 litres

I thought I'd start with that before I look to do larger brews and add a sparge step in.

Cheers

 

[RGeats]

Just starting to plan a brew to hopefully use the BZ when it gets here in a week or so.

I'm thinking I should probably stick as close to my existing processes and volumes without changing too much to get comfortable with the new system, so with that being said, I'd appreciate your thoughts on this please.

I normally do 10-11 litre batches, BIAB, no sparge (or just a very small dunk sparge in 2 litres of hot water for 10 mins)

I've created an 11 litre no sparge profile and these are my numbers:

Brew is a hefty 8.9% Belgian Tripel with 3.9 kg grain

I've set the following:

Brewhouse eff to 70% (my BIAB BHE is about 73%-ish normally)
Absorption 0.9litre / kg
Boil off 3 litre
Trub/chiller loss 1 litre
Fermenter loss 2 litres

This is giving me

18.5 litres total water
20.7 litres mash volume (water and grain)
15.5 litre pre boil

Not sure about the relevance of the mash tun deadspace being 6.75 litres, as someone here said the deadspace is only about 1.7 litres

I thought I'd start with that before I look to do larger brews and add a sparge step in.

Cheers

The 6.75L is the volume below the grain bed, so this is the liquid which doesn't touch the grain. If you don't include this your liquid to grain ratio will be out. Probably doesn't matter in your case as you are doing no sparge, so your water volume is preboil volume plus grain absorption.

Looks like decent numbers to me.

 

[foxy]

Just starting to plan a brew to hopefully use the BZ when it gets here in a week or so.

I'm thinking I should probably stick as close to my existing processes and volumes without changing too much to get comfortable with the new system, so with that being said, I'd appreciate your thoughts on this please.

I normally do 10-11 litre batches, BIAB, no sparge (or just a very small dunk sparge in 2 litres of hot water for 10 mins)

I've created an 11 litre no sparge profile and these are my numbers:

Brew is a hefty 8.9% Belgian Tripel with 3.9 kg grain

I've set the following:

Brewhouse eff to 70% (my BIAB BHE is about 73%-ish normally)
Absorption 0.9litre / kg
Boil off 3 litre
Trub/chiller loss 1 litre
Fermenter loss 2 litres

This is giving me

18.5 litres total water
20.7 litres mash volume (water and grain)
15.5 litre pre boil

Not sure about the relevance of the mash tun deadspace being 6.75 litres, as someone here said the deadspace is only about 1.7 litres

I thought I'd start with that before I look to do larger brews and add a sparge step in.

Cheers

I would put loss to trub 2 litres (minimum)
Loss to fermenter 2 litres? That seems a lot, what sort of a fermenter do you have?

 

[UKSkydiver]

I would put loss to trub 2 litres (minimum)
Loss to fermenter 2 litres? That seems a lot, what sort of a fermenter do you have?

I have a very technically advanced 15 litre plastic bucket.

I've looked through my notes and these are the average recorded values

Kettle to fermenter loss (KFL*) ~ 0.5 litre (Brewfather Trub / Chiller loss)

Fermenter To Packaging Loss (FPL*)~1.3 - 1.8 litres (Brewfather Fermenter loss)

So I've probably been a bit conservative with my losses, but until I use the thing, they're a finger in the air.

I would be interested to hear why my values seem the other way around to what you would expect.

*These are BIABacus terms that I understand and have adopted and I think correspond the the same values in BrewFather

 

[foxy]

I have a very technically advanced 15 litre plastic bucket.

I've looked through my notes and these are the average recorded values

Kettle to fermenter loss (KFL*) ~ 0.5 litre (Brewfather Trub / Chiller loss)

Fermenter To Packaging Loss (FPL*)~1.3 - 1.8 litres (Brewfather Fermenter loss)

So I've probably been a bit conservative with my losses, but until I use the thing, they're a finger in the air.

I would be interested to hear why my values seem the other way around to what you would expect.

*These are BIABacus terms that I understand and have adopted and I think correspond the the same values in BrewFather

Yo will have about 2 to 3 litres of trub and hop debris which is really hard to separate from the wort, if I am short on volume I will reclaim some of the wort by emptying the kettle into a 5 litre jug.
Of that 5 litres I expect to reclaim 2 litres of clear wort after standing it in the fridge for a few hours, boiling to sanitise and put into the fermenter.
Or sometimes just reclaim to make a starter with at a later date.
When you get your BrewZilla you will find out your losses, easy to check your boil off with water beforehand.

The bigger the surface area at the bottom of a fermenter will create more loss to the fermenter. To get the most out of a flat bottom fermenter or even a conical a cold crash to settle everything out, compacting the yeast and any dry hops will allow you to tilt the fermenter to get every drop.

 

[buddsy]

Hi all.

I bought the Brewzilla kit with the whirlpool arm which Ive not used yet.

Of all the youtube vids Ive seen Ive not rerally seem any good ones showing how to use it.

Anyone have any experience with it?

buddsy

 

[Stonedhouse]

Hi all.

I bought the Brewzilla kit with the whirlpool arm which Ive not used yet.

Of all the youtube vids Ive seen Ive not rerally seem any good ones showing how to use it.

Anyone have any experience with it?

buddsy

I used the Brewmonk whirlpool arm (which fits fine) on my Brewzilla for the first time the other day and was amazed at how much it sped up the cooling cycle. I usually cool with just the standard cooling coil sat in the wort and running cold water through it and it previously took 35+ mins to come from boil down to 21 deg C. With the whirlpool arm it took 16 minutes - no doubt as it moved the cooling wort around the coil more efficiently - although I did also shorten the water hoses a lot this time round as well which could have improved water flow. Just connect the arm up using the camlock and angle it so the arm outlet is close to one side of the Brewzilla wall so that when the pump is switched on the flow is directed around the outer diameter so create the maximum whirl effect. Make sure to put it in 5 mins before end of the boil so it gets sanitised. I then leave it running through the whole cooling cycling - adding hops if a whirlpool addition is involved. Hope that helps.

 

[buddsy]

I usually cool with just the standard cooling coil sat in the wort and running cold water through it and it previously took 35+ mins to come from boil down to 21 deg C. With the whirlpool arm it took 16 minutes

My first 2 brews I had the coil sat in the wort and as you said it takes a while.

Only before my 3rd brew did I see someone mention you are best to move the coil around and I found this cut the cooling time maybe in half.

So the whirlpool is used in the cooling stage? I thought it was also meant to help "clump" the debris together. I thought I had read maybe during the hop stand?

The reason for my original question is on this forum there seems to have been very little mention...that ive seen anyway.

 

[Joc9410]

Received my Brewzilla on Friday from BKT. Great quick service from container arriving to on my doorstep. Put water in yesterday to check for leaks and temp accuracy and all good so far. Picked up a Belgian Blonde 23l kit with only one hop addition at start of boil to keep things simple. Plan to get a brew in this week. I've a couple of quick questions did you guys sterilise system first with VWP? And in a 23l kit would you expect a 6 to 7 litre boil loss so pre boil volume me around 30 litres?

 

[foxy]

Your boil will sterilise, give a good wash with TSP to remove any manufacturing oils/grease, give a good rinse.
Put 15 litres of water in and boil for 15 minutes or 30 mins, cool back down and check what has boiled off. Obviously 30 min loss x 2 and 15 min loss x 4 = boil off.

 

[Joc9410]

Your boil will sterilise, give a good wash with TSP to remove any manufacturing oils/grease, give a good rinse.
Put 15 litres of water in and boil for 15 minutes or 30 mins, cool back down and check what has boiled off. Obviously 30 min loss x 2 and 15 min loss x 4 = boil off.

Cheers Foxy

 

[RGeats]

My first 2 brews I had the coil sat in the wort and as you said it takes a while.

Only before my 3rd brew did I see someone mention you are best to move the coil around and I found this cut the cooling time maybe in half.

So the whirlpool is used in the cooling stage? I thought it was also meant to help "clump" the debris together. I thought I had read maybe during the hop stand?

The reason for my original question is on this forum there seems to have been very little mention...that ive seen anyway.

The whirlpool arm causes the hop debris to collect in the middle of the false bottom, so that you can transfer clearer wort from the unit. This is what it is primarily for. But also as it keeps everything moving around it helps with cooling.

I used mine last night and I found the pump blocked to start with. It's hard to tell when this happens as you can't see the flow using the whirlpool arm. Anyway I had to blow back through the pump to clear it. After that the whirlpool worked really well, gave a big pile of hop debris in the middle, and helped cool the wort quicker. After whirlpooling I let the wort sit for 15mins to allow anything left in the wort to settle out.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

The whirlpool arm causes the hop debris to collect in the middle of the false bottom, so that you can transfer clearer wort from the unit. This is what it is primarily for. But also as it keeps everything moving around it helps with cooling.

I used mine last night and I found the pump blocked to start with. It's hard to tell when this happens as you can't see the flow using the whirlpool arm. Anyway I had to blow back through the pump to clear it. After that the whirlpool worked really well, gave a big pile of hop debris in the middle, and helped cool the wort quicker. After whirlpooling I let the wort sit for 15mins to allow anything left in the wort to settle out.

Am I the only one who finds all the break material gets pulled through the false bottom and into the FV? I’d love to find a way to remove the false bottom after chilling. Using the Peco previously, which didn’t have a false bottom, I used to add 1/2 Whirlfloc with ten mins to go, chill the wort then let it sit with the lid on for 30 mins. After this time I could draw clear wort into the FV and leave all the break material in the bottom of the kettle.

 

[RGeats]

Am I the only one who finds all the break material gets pulled through the false bottom and into the FV? I’d love to find a way to remove the false bottom after chilling. Using the Peco previously, which didn’t have a false bottom, I used to add 1/2 Whirlfloc with ten mins to go, chill the wort then let it sit with the lid on for 30 mins. After this time I could draw clear wort into the FV and leave all the break material in the bottom of the kettle.

I have found that, seems better when using more hops as they seem to provide a filter on the false bottom. And leaf hops better than pellets. Not sure if the break material causes issues with final beer quality?