Kev888 said:
swiggingpig said:
Hi, I've just upgraded to a 20L BM. I moved from a 3V system to the BM because of space problems. I don't know if you've seen these vids but they are quite good at showing you just how easy they are to use, clean and store.
http://youtu.be/MRWz4G6tkMU
http://youtu.be/ivCRHvHv8dY
Any questions, please feel free to ask :
Nice links, thanks for posting!
I too would love to hear how you get on with it.
Cheers
Kev
piddledribble said:
and how is it going ? any problems ?
Changes here at home mean that I have to brew in my celler but I don't really have the room to work safely and comfortably with a 3V system, the BM allows me to continue with this great hobby without it being a chore to set-up, clean-up and pack-away each time in a cramped and confined area. So to me it is a worthwhile investment.
I paid the Euro price at a reasonable exchange rate for Sterling taking into consideration the current strength of the £ against the â¬. They are expensive and it's taken me a long time to get past the price of the unit, like many others I looked at building a 'copy' but realised that I would still spend a lot of money and time to end up with something that would be 'nearly' as good as the BM so I decided to 'bite the bullet' and buy one.
I went with the 20L BM as I brew to fill 1 cornie.
I like to try different recipes and styles, I also like a selection of beers on tap, so I try to keep 6 different beers on the bar at any one time. I didn't want 2 cornies of the same beer so could not see the point of buying the 50L with the short malt pipe AND paying for an electrician to fit a 16Amp supply.
I don't do many 'big' beers and after checking my brew records I'd only done 2 'big' beers within the last 2 years so ~98% of my brews fit within the guidelines for the BM and when I want a 'big' beer I will accept a lower finished volume as I will bottle it rather than hog a cornie and a bar tap for months.
I've only managed a couple of brews on the BM since I got it although I'm brewing on it tomorrow. On my 3V PID RIMS system with batch sparging I would get around 72% brewhouse eff., first run out the BM gave me 77.2% eff. , second run gave me 79.4% eff. :party: !!!
There is a home brew shop owner in Austrailia who can supply a SS pick-up tube and a seal for the top filter, they are a worthwhile addition to the BM. Using whole hops, with a ss mesh filer that I attach to the pickup, I have a little over 1 litre of dead space in the BM.
The system is a joy to use and so easy to clean !!!
As far as the BM taking the involvement out of making beer I strongly disagree. Compared to my 3V PID RIMS system, which is the type of system that many brewers aspire to, the only thing extra that the BM does is to manage the timing of mash steps and automatically setting the temp to the next stage. Everthing else is the same, you still choose the recipe, the grains and the hops. Once it starts boiling you still have to time the hop additions.
This bit of kit is the dogs danglies !!!!
If anyone out there is undecided about getting one, just buy it, you won't regret it :
Any other questions, please just ask.
