Equipment questions please :)

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Hey guys

We are looking at upgrading from BIAB this month coming, and I wondered if I could get some expert advice from some of you?

We have definitely decided on a Fermzilla for a starters. We wanted a Brewzilla too but can't afford both just yet. So my question is, if we get a digiboil, what will we have to do regarding sparging and cooling?

Is there a way to sparge without having to hold the bag aloft the whole time? Because that seems like a right royal pain in the a$$! Also would an immersion chiller fit in it? We realise we can't get a CFC as there's no pump. Then there's plate chillers but I have no idea how they work

If it helps we have a 17L pan.

It's all dreadfully confusing - please help!

 

[An Ankoù]

Hi Lisa,
i know little of all-in-one systems, but if I were buying, I'd buy the bits I could afford when I could afford them. So either get the fermzilla and stiick with your old fermenters for the time being or get the fermzilla and stay with BIB for the mo. That's my advice for what it's worth. Can't comment on the other bits and pieces.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thank you

In that case then I don't suppose you know if you can connect a counter-pressure bottle filler to a Fermzilla?

We are going to have £400 - £500 to spend. I realise I can buy a brewzilla with this but we'd need many other things - inkbird, heat belt etc etc. And it's no good having a fancy brewing system if I can't keep the beer safe afterwards

For the kind of hoppy beers I'm taking a fancy to, I deffo need a Fermzilla first off.

 

[Clint]

Do you have temp control? Immersion chillers arent very effective this time of year. I could only get to high 20's last brew day and finished it off in the brew fridge.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I only need to get to about 35c clint, as I'm gonna use kveik.

If I get the Fermzilla and not the Brewzilla as well, then I can afford the temp control kit yes. (that is, temp control upwards)

 

[Clint]

Temp control down is also useful..

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Absolutely yes, but deffo can't afford a fridge.

 

[Clint]

Look out for a used one...you'll get one for dead cheap or free.

 

[JonathanMSE]

Absolutely yes, but deffo can't afford a fridge.

Check local for sale or freebies groups on Facebook near you. There are nearly always fridges being given away or sold for very little.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Look out for a used one...you'll get one for dead cheap or free.

Will do ☺ Thanks guys.

 

[Redwulf]

Look at the smaller fermzillas like the All Rounder with the pressure controller. Mine fits in an old under the counter fridge with the gas posts or a blow off tube on.

£70 for the Fermzilla + Pressure Kit
£15 for a tube heater
£30 for an ink bird
£0-50 for a used fridge off gumtree or facebook (its easier for people to give them away rather than dispose of them nowadays)

That gives you the ability to do anything from Lager to Hot Voss Kveik brews and you are not too far off having enough left for your Brewzilla.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Look at the smaller fermzillas like the All Rounder with the pressure controller. Mine fits in an old under the counter fridge with the gas posts or a blow off tube on.

£70 for the Fermzilla + Pressure Kit
£15 for a tube heater
£30 for an ink bird
£0-50 for a used fridge off gumtree or facebook (its easier for people to give them away rather than dispose of them nowadays)

That gives you the ability to do anything from Lager to Hot Voss Kveik brews and you are not too far off having enough left for your Brewzilla.

I wanted to add dry hops in the bottom, that's the reason the larger Fermzilla is better for me. I am going to be using it as a unitank. so I don't really want gunk in the bottom. Those all rounders are good if you're kegging I think, but I don't want to buy kegs just yet.

Thank you for the advice ☺

 

[DocAnna]

Hi Lisa

My tuppence worth us much the same as @Redwulf, with temperature control during fermentation the priority with a second hand fridge. It can be made really inexpensively with the biggest costs being the inkbird and then one of either the Fermzilla with pressure kit, the all rounder, or the snubnose. The choice of these may depend on the size of fridge sourced.

I've no experience of sparging on a digiboil but my understanding is that it is in essence a brewzilla without the mash pipe and recirculation pump. Sparging will be a matter of draining the wort with the tap and adding water at the to the brew bag as it drains, then lifting it towards the end when flow from the tap had almost finished. The wort drained would then be returned to the digiboil for the boil.

A counter-pressure filler can be attached directly to any fermenter with a floating dip tube and beer out post, though I strongly advise getting a filter for the end of the dip tube since it can block easily and if you don't have a CO2 supply to back flush then it will be near impossible to clear.

Anna

 

[DocAnna]

I wanted to add dry hops in the bottom, that's the reason the larger Fermzilla is better for me. I am going to be using it as a unitank. so I don't really want gunk in the bottom. Those all rounders are good if you're kegging I think, but I don't want to buy kegs just yet.

Thank you for the advice ☺

Good point but that could get messy as you'd need to take off the trub before adding the hops, it might be a whole lot easier to use the hops in a bag with magnets to be able to add them then lift them out when moving to serving/bottling. Your approach does have a lot of merit though and I can see the appeal!

Anna

 

[Begbie]

Hi @LisaMC - I have a Klarstein Maischfest 25L. It's the same idea as a Digiboil with the grain basket.

I was looking to get a Brewzilla or Digiboil but noticed that you could pick up the klarstein from the HifiTower website on the cheap, as a grade B item. I paid £120 for mines and it had no visible damage or scratches. I've done 2 or 3 brews on it now and it's been great.

I still use a bag inside the grain basket to stop any small particles getting through the perforated bottom plate off the basket. During the mash, as there's no pump to recirculate, I draw off about a litre of wort every 10 minutes and pour back into the grains to help maintain an even mash temperature.

For sparging, the basket lifts out and rests on a disc that comes with the kit to allow draining into the main vessel. I then pour the sparge water onto the grains via a colander that fits on top of the basket to distribute the water as evenly as possible.

I may not a pump at some point to do recirculation but no need right now.

Oh, and it comes with an immersion chiller.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thanks for the advice Anna and for answering my question! Not bothered about a bit of mess - I've seen them do it on youtube and it looks pretty easy. We are going to get a co2 bottle to be able to flush the bottom container (after we've drained the guck) and after we add the hops.

The magnets is not an option as the container is not getting opened at all, hence hopping through the bottom.

I think the filter for the floating thingy is a good idea yes. ☺

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Hi @LisaMC - I have a Klarstein Maischfest 25L. It's the same idea as a Digiboil with the grain basket.

I was looking to get a Brewzilla or Digiboil but noticed that you could pick up the klarstein from the HifiTower website on the cheap, as a grade B item. I paid £120 for mines and it had no visible damage or scratches. I've done 2 or 3 brews on it now and it's been great.

I still use a bag inside the grain basket to stop any small particles getting through the perforated bottom plate off the basket. During the mash, as there's no pump to recirculate, I draw off about a litre of wort every 10 minutes and pour back into the grains to help maintain an even mash temperature.

For sparging, the basket lifts out and rests on a disc that comes with the kit to allow draining into the main vessel. I then pour the sparge water onto the grains via a colander that fits on top of the basket to distribute the water as evenly as possible.

I may not a pump at some point to do recirculation but no need right now.

Thank you for this Scott - I will take a look.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

If I just use an inkbird and a heat belt round my Fermzilla (with a jacket on), and only use kveik that doesn't require temperature control, can I make do without a fridge for now? As I understand it you can even ferment lagers under pressure at much higher temperatures than normal.

Hopefully I haven't got it wrong. Will still look for a fridge but just making sure I have everything covered.

Another thing I'm worried about is how long the beer will last at room temperature, as I don't have a kegerator or kegs. I could I suppose decant the beer into bottles when the ferment is finished and conditioned. Which is why I was asking about the counter pressure filler.

 

[Redwulf]

You can probably get away without the inkbird if you are using Voss and brave enough. Heat Belts/Pads seem to hold temp about 10 degrees above ambient so in a normal room of 18-20c at this time of year you'll be around 28-30 degrees.

I did this not long ago and the fermentation was done in about 36 hours or so, got plenty of flavour/aroma from the yeast as well.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

That's great, thank you @Redwulf