Peter's Best Bitter

[beer taster]

Brewed this today
3.5Kg Pale Malt
400g Crystal Malt
40g Fuggles 90 mins
40g Goldings 10 mins (pellets)
Yeast WLP001 – California.

Original Gravity: 1.041
Bitterness: 32 EBU
Colour: 23 EBC

All went reasonably well except my SS Valentines arm leaks and is too heavy for my mash tun :evil: . I have some 12mm SS pipe so I need to make a new one before the next brew. Also need to complete the automatic underback, and buy a Stainless FV, which I'll get as soon as Nadine replies to my emails :pray:
Obligatory pictures below

 

[Muddydisco]

Looking good :thumb:
It wouldn't be fun if little things didn't happen!

 

[evanvine]

I think it's to do with sparging, but what is a "valentine arm"?

 

[Franklin]

Looks good to me :)

 

[bones]

Good Show than Man :thumb:

 

[jamesb]

I think it's to do with sparging, but what is a "valentine arm"?

This copper monstrosity is a valentine arm.

It allows you a bit of easing back when sparging. You set the horizontal bit to just above the top of the mash, then all you've got to do is make sure that your sparge liquor inflow is right, you don't have to worry about the outflow.

 

[AdrianTrace]

I think it's to do with sparging, but what is a "valentine arm"?

I've never done AG, let alone used one :whistle:

From what I can work out it's an h shaped pipe with the bottom of the long side attached to the mash tun, the top of that side open and the bottom of the short side pouring into the HLT. It can be seen in the left hand photo on the third row down in the photos above.

If you put the crosspiece at the wort level you want in the tun for sparging then it will automatically hold the level there. You then don't have to worry about balancing flows and can get on with the rest. To drain the tun you can just lower the arm to horizontal (or remove?)

Someone who has used one will correct the above and expand on it

Edit: James B beat me to it :thumb:

 

[evanvine]

Thank you gentlemen, the "Valentine arm" picture becomes less hazy.
Is it self regulating in some way?

 

[jamesb]

Thank you gentlemen, the "Valentine arm" picture becomes less hazy.
Is it self regulating in some way?

Yes. You don't have to worry about controlling the rate of outflow as that is now dependant only on the inflow. As soon as the water reaches the horizontal level of the arm, it will come out into whatever vessel you're transferring it into.

 

[beer taster]

I think it's to do with sparging, but what is a "valentine arm"?

This copper monstrosity is a valentine arm.

It allows you a bit of easing back when sparging. You set the horizontal bit to just above the top of the mash, then all you've got to do is make sure that your sparge liquor inflow is right, you don't have to worry about the outflow.

James, does the Sandstone brewery use a V-Arm? I'm told that commercial V-Arms do not have the vent pipe at the end of the arm, trying to find out if the vent is really necessary?

 

[evanvine]

Yes. You don't have to worry about controlling the rate of outflow as that is now dependant only on the inflow. As soon as the water reaches the horizontal level of the arm, it will come out into whatever vessel you're transferring it into.

I think I must be terribly dense, is there some sort of float involved?

 

[jamesb]

James, does the Sandstone brewery use a V-Arm? I'm told that commercial V-Arms do not have the vent pipe at the end of the arm, trying to find out if the vent is really necessary?

No, we don't. For some reason we didn't shell out for that option.

I don't think you really need a vent.

 

[AdrianTrace]

No floats, just gravity :thumb:

It works like a sight tube in that the level of liquid in the long tube will be the same as the level of liquid in the mash tun. The liquid pours over the crosspiece when the level in the tun reaches the same height as the crosspiece. So set the crosspiece height to the level in the tun you want the water to stay at for sparging and it will hold that level.

if you pour more liquid in the tun, it raises the level in the tube so more pours out

 

[evanvine]

This copper monstrosity is a valentine arm.

I've obviously got hold of the wrong end of the stick and the pair of you are being very patient with me.
Is the plastic bucket in JB's pic a sparge tun or a boiler?
Is the shiney an HLT or a sparge tun?
Where does the other end of the copper pipe go?
I fly sparge with a small very fine watering can rose and a piece of very flexible plastic tube so I don't normally have a covering of hot water over the mash.
I'm very interested in learning new methods, but apologise here for not picking it up. (very embarassed)

 

[jamesb]

This copper monstrosity is a valentine arm.

I've obviously got hold of the wrong end of the stick and the pair of you are being very patient with me.
Is the plastic bucket in JB's pic a sparge tun or a boiler?
Is the shiney an HLT or a sparge tun?
Where does the other end of the copper pipe go?
I fly sparge with a small very fine watering can rose and a piece of very flexible plastic tube so I don't normally have a covering of hot water over the mash.
I'm very interested in learning new methods, but apologise here for not picking it up. (very embarassed)

The shiny is my mash tun. The plastic bucket is what I'm temporarily using to hold the runnings.

The valentine arm attaches to the outlet of my mash tun, and then dangles over the top of the plastic bucket. In the mash tun, I have a spare arm that's covering the grain with water. I like to keep a water level of about 5-10mm above the grain.

 

[evanvine]

So, if I've got it right now, the "T" on the long copper pipe is at the level you want the Hot Liquor in the Mash Tun and the other end is open to atmosphere.
Thus if the level drops below the hieght of the "T" the runnings stop! (hope I'm not wrong yet again)

 

[jamesb]

So, if I've got it right now, the "T" on the long copper pipe is at the level you want the Hot Liquor in the Mash Tun and the other end is open to atmosphere.
Thus if the level drops below the hieght of the "T" the runnings stop! (hope I'm not wrong yet again)

You've got it. :thumb: But the level should never drop below the height of the T, as it's got nowhere to go.

 

[beer taster]

So, if I've got it right now, the "T" on the long copper pipe is at the level you want the Hot Liquor in the Mash Tun and the other end is open to atmosphere.
Thus if the level drops below the hieght of the "T" the runnings stop! (hope I'm not wrong yet again)

That's correct. This is a closer picture of my Valentines arm. The idea is that the you adjust the arm to set the level of liquid in the tun. The level in the tun is maintained at approx the same level as the "T" piece. I've just read on another forum that the vent pipe is there to prevent a siphoning effect draining the mash tun too quickly

 

[jamesb]

That's correct. This is a closer picture of my Valentines arm. The idea is that the you adjust the arm to set the level of liquid in the tun. The level in the tun is maintained at approx the same level as the "T" piece. I've just read on another forum that the vent pipe is there to prevent a siphoning effect draining the mash tun too quickly

Ah, I can see that now. Just trying to work out if it would happen if the outlet of the arm was above the bottom of the tun, but my brain's not working anymore.

 

[EccentricDyslexic]

Heres my VA- http://www.flickr.com/photos/33498481@N00/4165381749

Theres a vid in me sig too. What you do is mash with the arm high then just before starting your sparge flow into the mash tun, lower the VA until is starts trickling, then lift it up a touch...start your sparge flow at about 1/4l per minute and leave it until you have enough wort in your bolier! Simples :thumb:

Steve