Brewzilla

[Hop_it]

Can anyone tell me how high the unit is when you’re not using it. I can’t find any dimension specs anywhere.

Just been out to the garage to measure mine (35l model) . . . .
~61cm tall without the lid
~93cm tall with the standard recirculation arm fitted
Hope that helps

 

[Theoriginalrich]

That’s brilliant. It’s going to fit where I’d hoped.
Thanks for that.

 

[Hop_it]

The earlier discussion about abandoning the central circulation tube in the malt pipe has persuaded me to give it a try. I have just bought a 1/4 BSP stainless steel blanking plug on eBay. It only cost £2.00 including postage. It's a simple solution to blocking the threaded hole, and the quality looks good. It has a parallel thread (unlike some which have tapered threads) and a hex head, so is easy to fit and remove with your fingers.

The seller is Wrekin Pneumatics: BSP Pipe Fittings Stainless Steel 316 A4 Grade 150lb 1/8" To 4" Food Grade SS | eBay

I've not tried it yet, but I plan to brew again in the next couple of weeks, so will see how it goes

 

[The Baron]

I have the false bottom plate and the bottom plate on the mash pipe. At boil after i take out the mash pipe, i only have the false bottom plate.
it has 3 heat elements: 500, 1000 and 2000. I couldn’t find a combination to have a good rolling boil.
I had to boil it for almost 2 hours to make it loose enough liquid.

I would suggest you alter your amount of water to suit the system if you are not getting a full/vigorous rolling boil. It is not essential to have as vigorous a boil as people think a reasonable boil will suffice as long as it is boiling

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

I've joined the gang! Time to do some swatting up methinks.

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

First question.....!
Can I get away without using rice hulls or oat husks etc?
I haven't got any and postage will take about 10 days to me.
I want to have a play at the weekend.

 

[Florin]

why not, i dont think everybody is using rice hulls and it works fine.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I have done 5 brews in mine without using any and no problems

 

[The Baron]

You only need rice/oat hulls/husks if you think the grain will cause a stuck mash. Generally normal beers are ok so you should be ok it is a rough idea the use of Porridge oats, Wheat, Rye and some adjuncts like Corn flakes etc that may cause a stuck mash and usually in largish quantities say 20% and above but no set rules as some seem not to get stuck mashes but some do with the same amounts.
A standard brew should be ok with out anything else and good luck

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

Thanks all. I'll stick to the Maris Otter then!

 

[fgoulding]

I started using the rice hulls just to increase my brewhouse efficiency. The only time I found that you really need them is when you have a vary large grain bill that pushes the BZ capacity. Then they help you to avoid a stuck sparge....

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

Thanks, I'll stick to smaller brews for now. Suits my style (if I have one)! Smaller batches and experimenting constantly.
I'll get some on my next big order though.

 

[Baggins]

I wonder if one of you would be very kind and tell me the external height with the lid off and recirculation pipe removed. Also the external diameter. I'm struggling to find these measurements online and I'm short of storage in my flat.... 35L version..

 

[London]

I wonder if one of you would be very kind and tell me the external height with the lid off and recirculation pipe removed. Also the external diameter. I'm struggling to find these measurements online and I'm short of storage in my flat.... 35L version..

13 posts up.

 

[Theoriginalrich]

BKT’s deal at the moment hasn’t got the whirlpool arm, is it with adding one to the basket or can you get away with not needing one?

 

[sifty]

I bought one separately afterwards. I do use it when chilling, so prob worth adding...

 

[Theoriginalrich]

Cheers sifty, it’s great to know that. I’ve read some people use and some don’t. And when you’re just starting with the brewzilla a little knowledge goes a long way.

 

[sifty]

Yes I'm not convinced it whirlpools effectively, but find it's great for circulating while heating up/cooling so it's more efficient & the temp display is more accurate...

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi i am fairly new to a 35L brewzilla, i don't have the whirlpool arm i am 6 brews in and so far no problems, when i start the pump i use a little sieve to catch the remnents of the last brew and same when i transfare to fv i also just chuck the pellets in,

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Rodcx500z
I never had a whirlpool arm and just chucked the hop pellets in. Wasn't doing super hoppy neipa things though so max was about 150g of pellets in the robobrew.
I'm using a Guten 70 now and that has a more powerful pump and I'm using a counterflow chiller so the built in whirlpool I added goes well.
Using an immersion chiller will get in the way of the whirlpool.

I did use to angle the recirc pipe and hold it with a clamp to get the beer spinning a bit and that does help with cooling efficiency.