Klarstein

[swampdonkey]

Hi,

I'm looking at buying the klarstein mash kettle with the brew basket. Does anyone use one and if so what is the grain crush size? Do I need order a fine crush, like a biab?

 

[jof]

Can't say, I've got the fullhorn, but as it didn't come with a brew basket, I'm doing biab.

Maybe someone who got one of their all in ones in the new year sale can help you

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I have a Klarstein, but got rid of the brew basket after 2 brews and went to BIAB as I couldn't get on with it. , @matt76 still uses it I believe?

 

[Begbie]

I've got the Klarstein Maischfest 25L. I still use the basket. Infact, I used to use a brew bag inside the basket until I read that someone on here didn't use one, so I gave it a try and found that the holes in the perforated bottom plate of the basket are fine enough to stop grain passing through. So, I just order crushed grain from the usual online suppliers (TMM, Geterbrewed, CML etc) and mash using the basket only. No idea what the crush size is - just whatever the suppliers provide.

If you have any queries on the Klarstein, feel free to ask. There are a few others on here that own one.

 

[gyurmaember]

Hi,

I'm looking at buying the klarstein mash kettle with the brew basket. Does anyone use one and if so what is the grain crush size? Do I need order a fine crush, like a biab?

Use the search function to find horror stories about them.

 

[MashBag]

I know of two people who love them?
What's the main problem then?

To answer the OP standard crush, not fine.

 

[swampdonkey]

Thanks for your help everyone. I think I might just try the basket and see how I get in with it. Cheers

 

[matt76]

I have a Klarstein, but got rid of the brew basket after 2 brews and went to BIAB as I couldn't get on with it. , @matt76 still uses it I believe?

I used to use it, with a grain bag inside but I stopped when it dawned on me that I could save myself a bit of washing up

The advantage of a grain bag is - because I'm a no-sparge brewer - you can squeeze the almighty bejeezus out of it.

The bottom of the grain basket on the other hand - well you can give the grain a squish but I wouldn't want to put huge force on it! Might be perfectly fine if you sparge though.

As a piece of kit though (Klarstein Maischfest 25L) I've had it 4 years I think and still very very pleased with it

 

[Begbie]

I use the lid of a pot that fits snugly inside the basket and push down pretty hard on the grain bed to get as much wort out of it as possible. It's quite a sturdy basket. Even the support ring that the basket sits on while draining/sparging is quite sturdy. That's the part that I thought might collapse when squeezing the grain bed, but it's been fine.

I've not used the brew bag for my past 4 or 5 brews. I stopped using it to save me a bit of washing up!

 

[swampdonkey]

That's a good idea. What size grain crush do you use ?

 

[Begbie]

It's just a standard crush size. I don't have a grain mill, so I just buy the grain pre crushed from the various online suppliers. I don't brew often, so tend to buy grain in the quantities required for the brew, not in bulk.

 

[swampdonkey]

That's exactly what my plan is. Cheers for your help

 

[Begbie]

The only thing I don't like about the Klarstein is controlling the mash temperature. If I set it at say 66degC, the temp can drop to 63 before the element kicks back on, then it can overshoot to 68 or 69 before turning off again.

I bought a pump to recirculate the wort to make the temp in the bottom of the kettle more consistent (and helps to clear the wort by using the grain bed as a filter). It does seem to have helped a little, but doesn't stop the loss of temp and overshooting problem - just less occurrences.

You could always just recirculate using a big jug - pour off 2L every 10 minutes during the mash and pour back into the grain bed.

My next project is to buy some insulation to wrap around the kettle to hold more of that temperature in. There's a few threads on here with examples of how to insulate kettles, but DocAnna's post is a good one to search for and refer to for ideas.

Hope that gives some more help in your Klarstein adventure.

 

[Galena]

The only thing I don't like about the Klarstein is controlling the mash temperature. If I set it at say 66degC, the temp can drop to 63 before the element kicks back on, then it can overshoot to 68 or 69 before turning off again.

I had this exact same problem with my Klarstein Fullhorn, initially I used to recirculate with a jug, then I bought a pump and whilst it was better it was still inaccurate. The only way I got round it was to dangle a very accurate probe thermometer into the mash and then manually switch the 900w heat on and off as required for the length of the mash and completely ignore the onboard reading.

 

[obscure]

I have a 30L Maisfhfest it does work well but one pledge of advice if you can go for the 35L I can make it work with 30L but especially for 23L batches it is pushing it a bit.

 

[swampdonkey]

Thanks. I will have a look through those posts to get an idea of insulating the kettle. Cheers again for you LR help.

 

[matt76]

The only thing I don't like about the Klarstein is controlling the mash temperature. If I set it at say 66degC, the temp can drop to 63 before the element kicks back on, then it can overshoot to 68 or 69 before turning off again.

Yeah, this is true. I don't get overshoot but yes the temp will drop 4ºC before the thermostat kicks in so your mash temperature must be varying somewhat. It's a niggle but my beer still turns out well.

I bought a pump to recirculate the wort to make the temp in the bottom of the kettle more consistent (and helps to clear the wort by using the grain bed as a filter).

Same. A pump isn't essential at all, but I wouldn't go back.

I also remember now another I ditched the grain basket in favour of a grain bag...

The basket has solid sides, not perforated. So even with a pump the liquor there is not recirculated. If you take a gravity reading from the top of the grain bed in the basket it can read artificially high.

Simple solution could be to raise & dunk the basket a few times during the mash, but to be fair even if you just leave it your mash will work fine and you can still make great beer.

 

[Begbie]

I also remember now another I ditched the grain basket in favour of a grain bag...

The basket has solid sides, not perforated. So even with a pump the liquor there is not recirculated. If you take a gravity reading from the top of the grain bed in the basket it can read artificially high.

That's a good point, and one I never thought of. I suppose if you sparge, the sugars should be washed through the basket and into the kettle, but I can understand how a bag could lead to better efficiency. Might give it a try on my next brew

 

[MashBag]

It's also worth noting klarstein have made many models, pumped and not. It's a bit like comparing the performance of "cars" with being specific.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Yeah, this is true. I don't get overshoot but yes the temp will drop 4ºC before the thermostat kicks in so your mash temperature must be varying somewhat. It's a niggle but my beer still turns out well.


Same. A pump isn't essential at all, but I wouldn't go back.

I also remember now another I ditched the grain basket in favour of a grain bag...

The basket has solid sides, not perforated. So even with a pump the liquor there is not recirculated. If you take a gravity reading from the top of the grain bed in the basket it can read artificially high.

Simple solution could be to raise & dunk the basket a few times during the mash, but to be fair even if you just leave it your mash will work fine and you can still make great beer.

I have a similar set up. Never considered the top of the basket potentially having a different gravity reading than the bottom. I tend to give the grain a good stir every 10 mins or so (throwback to my BIAB method) so I presume that helps with keeping differences down. I have noticed that brews with higher grain bills can result in a reduction in circulation through the grain bed, and I've had times when recirculation stuck and I had a build up of liquid on top of the grain. A good stir always sorts that out.