Speidel Braumeister?

[martinh]

Afternoon all

A quick question for you. Can anyone recommend software that works with Braumeister 20L - that will help me punch in my equipment profile - so when I add a recipe it calculates mash profile, water volumes etc. Basically, that will help me put together recipes using the Braumeister 20L profile?

Ive had a play with BeerSmith2 - but it isnt really designed to work with a profile for the BM.

Cheers
M

 

[PD]

you might be nbetter contacting the manufacturers or their distributors like

http://www.vigoltd.com/

 

[martinh]

I tried them yesterday - they didnt know. They are sent Speidels an email and waiting for their response. Ive been trawling through the forums all over the place but can not seem to find the answer to this one?

 

[swiggingpig]

I don't know if posting to another forum is allowed but this thread may help you

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=64464&hl=beersmith

There are a few good threads on that forum for BM's

 

[martinh]

Thanks for that - looks like I need to register to download those settings.

 

[caerleon]

Thanks for that - looks like I need to register to download those settings.

PM me and i will email you the Braumeister profile for the 20L which i found by accident on a website.

 

[IPA]

Hi
I'm not sure what you are after but if you want mash schedules for the Braumeister I can probably help. I have been using them for four years. I started with the 20L and then bought the 50L. As regards prices mentioned earlier you cannot buy the 50L model for 1200 euros. The current prices are 20L 1400 euros and the 50L 2200 euros and they are worth every eurocent.
I can brew 100L a day using the 50L model.

 

[martinh]

Sorry, Ive been offline for a bit. Any help you can offer with the BM mash schedules and settings would be most appreciated.

I popped her cherry yesterday and brewed an Oktoberfest marzen using different temp rests - protein, maltoze, sacc etc. Setting the temps and the whole mashing process was a doddle.

I mashed in 27L of water (5.4kg grain). I 'sparged' with another 3Ls of water (next time I will sparge with 5L as I needed to add water later), slowly pouring through the drained grains. I got a mash efficiency of around 82% - as per beer smith 2.

The boiling didnt go that swimmingly. I had a wort boil-over. I had the lid on during its rise to 100C (setting at 102c). I took the lid off and let it boil and tried the lid on again when I had a nice rolling boil. Again, a few minutes later I had anoth boil-over - but I caught it in time before any liquid lost. So decided to do away with the ld for the eentire boil - any advice here would be appreciated? lid or no lid?

I went for a 75 Min boil and had 2 hop additions - about 65g of WHOLE hops. When it came to pouring out the wort (after the copper chiller did its job) into the fermenter, I got a lot of hop blockages. I did do a whirlpool, after the boil - but maybe not effective enough? Should I use Hop Socks next time? Im concerned as Im planning a big IPA next! I also found the tap flow very poor even when I managed to clear the hops - has anyone changed their tap to a Ball Valve?

Oh and the 20L version has no problems with dead space - i was able to tip the BM forward enough to get pretty much all the wort out.

Other than that, as a first brew Im absolutely made up with it. I can see a rosey future between the BM and myself.

 

[IPA]

Hi
These are the mash schedules I always use
Ale
52° mash in
52° 10 min
66° 60 min
73° 30 min
78° 15 min

Lager
45° mash in
50° 30 min
63° 60 min
73° 30 min
78° 15 min
In both cases 90 min boil
I always sparge with both the top filters in place and when it seems there is no more wort flowing I remove them and make several vertical holes with a wooden spoon handle so that any remaining wort flows out. To save time I switch to boiling mode before finally lifting the tube from the stirrup and this also allows you to collect the last few drips of wort. As regard to the hops, depending on the quantity, I use either a hop sock or grain bag that that is used with a Thorn Electrim boiler. I boil at 101° and after the initial boil subsides I put the lid half on allowing steam to escape. Half a protofloc tablet ( crushed ) in the last 15 min and a stir to create a whirlpool. Then chill to 26°. There's many more things that I can tell you such as how to make an insulating jacket how to stop the bottom fabric filter floating upwards when filling the malt tube, avoiding pump problem etc. If you need any more info feel free to send a PM
Ian

 

[martinh]

: I shall be sending over some questions. My BM has a metal mesh filter - so it doesnt rise like Ive seen on some older youtube videos.

 

[caerleon]

My first brew went like yours.

I used a hop sock and then gave up on the idea, split it open and chucked it all in. I thought i had a blockage so stupidly used the pump DONT DO IT! during the boil in manual mode (had to dig out the hops after!). The lid issue i had the same, overboiled so gave up on the lid, the only other issue was the temp in the kitchen and the window open caused steam to turn into water on the ceiling, so it began raining wort in my kitchen LOL.

I only got 17 Ltrs out of the unit in the end - still havent had time to figure out why when i filled it to the marker level. Wort should be very strong :drink:

Now drinking my other brew - just an issue with my S30 valve on the barrel letting all the gas out and wasting a whole new canister overnight :evil: in future note to self to remove the entire bottle, not leave it resting on the threads.

I will email the 20L BM profile for the Beersmith2 software over too you when i get home.

 

[martinh]

Sounds like you had a few more teething problems than me. mental note taken re the pump - but hopefully with the use of hop socks we shouldnt have those problems. I brew in my kitchen too, but didnt get any condensation on the ceiling that I noticed andway - had the back door wide open.

So, from some of the videos Ive seen - for a 20-23l recipe (5kg grain), most people are mashing with 25-27L of water and sparging with 7L/5L respectively. I managed to get about 22L out with that amount of water - 75 Min boil. I guess you can add some water to your wort, by using the beer smith calculator?

Thanks for the profile - that would be great.

 

[BrewHead]

Hello,

Has anyone had any experience with the 50L model? I am considering upgrading to a Braumeister but want the ability to brew 2 cornies worth at a time. Also its probably a stupid question but do you have to replace the plug with a UK version? I ask because the 50L model says it has a 3200w heating element at 230v which by my calculation is more than 13 amps. Would a UK 13 amp plug be able to run this or would I keep blowing the fuse? My thoughts are that as its a "home" unit sold in the UK then it must be able to run off a standard home 13 amp socket.

Any help/guidance would be much appreciated!

Thanks

 

[IPA]

Hi
I have the 50L model and I am also an electrician. Here in France it runs on a 16amp fuse and our supply is 220v. With the UK supply voltage of 240v you will be just over 13amps but by such a small amount ( 0.3amps ) you will not blow a fuse. There is one thing you do need to consider though and that the malt tube is quite heavy and that you will need someone to position the stirrup when you lift it out after the mash. Once you have sparged and all the liquor has drained it is fairly managable for one person. I have an electric hoist so for me it is not a problem. It really is an excellent bit of kit. I started with the 20L model with which you can easily brew 25L but quickly changed to the 50L model. I will be happy to answer any other questions you have

 

[BrewHead]

Hi IPA,

Thanks for your reply. Sorry I'm a bit late getting back - its been a busy week!

With regards to the amp issues, I thought it should be ok but electricity isn't my strong point. Its probably a stupid question, but what is the point of a 13amp fuse if it doesn't blow at 13amps? How many amps do you have to put through it before it blows?

With regards to the Braumeister itself, have you used the short malt pipe, thermocollar, or stainless steel immersion chiller? I was looking to order those with it and any feedback about them would be much appreciated. Also, I was looking to brew 40L with it so I have two cornies full per brewday without the extra bottling. I presume its possible to brew less than 50L with it using the large malt tube?

Thanks

 

[IPA]

Hi BH
To clear up the power rating question first I have just put a meter on the heating elements and one has a resistance of 54 ohms and the other one 40 ohms. Ignoring power factor and applying ohms law assuming a 240volt supply the first one will draw 4.444 amps and give 1066w of heat and the second will draw 6 amps and give 1440w of heat. This means the total load will be 10.444 amps. Later in the week I will check the connected load with an ammeter just to be sure. As regards the other questions Yes I have the short malt pipe and I used it today. The thermocollar? I can send you a photo of on that I made which is identical to Herr Speidels one and costs less than a tenner as opposed to the extortionate sum he is asking. My immersion chiller is a copper one and that again can be bought quite cheaply compared to the stainless one. To brew 40l is very easy because this is approximately the volume you end up with if you don't sparge. To have a brew length of 40L means you have to have about 43L in the BM at the end of brewing because due to the trub at the bottom you will lose 2-3 litres of liquor. I use liquid yeast and always bottle the remainder so that I can make a starter from the dregs. Which reduces the cost of yeast per brew from £6 to £1. I am more than happy to answer any more questions and if you want to look at my set up send me a PM and I will email you photos. If you you live anywhere near Dover it might to grab a ferry and pick up one from Brouwland I cannot put there web address because I have just has a notice saying it looks spammy and please remove it. Their price is less than 2200 euros.
Cheers Ian

 

[EskiBrew]

I cannot put there web address because I have just has a notice saying it looks spammy and please remove it. Their price is less than 2200 euros.

You have 5 posts under your belt now Ian so you should now be able to post the link :thumb:

 

[BrewHead]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your reply.

Do you have any issues with the short malt pipe? I have heard reports that it makes more like 25-30L as opposed to 20L. Also does it use both pumps with the short malt pipe? I would have thought both would create wort fountains due to the reduced amount of grain it has to pump through.

I did have a look at Brouwland but it doesn't look like they post them. HomebrewWest in Ireland match Spiedels own website pricing and seem to ship them to the UK for €8 which is the best price I can find at the minute.

Cheers,

BH

 

[IPA]

Hi
The short malt pipe was designed to make 25L using a max of 5.5kg of malt but you can obviously use less malt and less liquor. The spigot has level marks for 20, 25 and 30 litres when using the short tube and 45, 50 and 55 litres for the normal tube. It does use both pumps and does not create any fountains although the liquor circulates faster. As I have said to other enquiries when using the BM you have to think outside of the box with regard to mashing the only constraints are that the liquor volumes are a maximum of either 30 or 55 litres and maximum grain capacities are 5.5 kg or 11kg and work out your finished volume/OG accordingly.
Ian

 

[BrewHead]

Just a quick update - took delivery of a 50L unit and short malt pipe during the week. Got it out today to give it an initial clean and it really is a quality piece of equipment. The stainless steel is thick and solid, it feels very well made, and everything is designed for ease (appreciate it should be for the price!). The only downside so far is the weight of the unit which makes it a bit tricky to manhandle for cleaning etc. I'm going to brew my first beer with it on Friday so any recipe suggestions are most welcome. Was thinking of a pale ale/IPA, but might do a lager so I can try all the different mash options it has.