Measurement, Mathematics and Records

1. The Basics of Efficiency

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   First post by BIABrewer, 14 years ago

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   [Like all, The Basics, in the General Brewing Skills section, the following is not a definitive guide. It is simply a guide that will get a new brewer under way safely and with confidence. Please advise BIABrewer of any errors. Please justify, in full, any contrary topics that you may choose to start in this forum. If well-written and justified, they will be, promoted, as best as we are able.]
   
   All brewers, new and experienced, are encouraged to start new topics in this section provided they...

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   Another link for you Lylo is the Braukaiser post here . It is very detailed though.
   
   :peace:
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   Last post by PistolPatch
   12 years ago
2. The Basics of Measurement and Records.

   0 Replies 10448 Views

   First post by BIABrewer, 14 years ago

   

   All brewers, new and experienced, are encouraged to start new topics in this section provided they have read the below.
   
   This section of the forum is still being structured.
   
   Note that this section needs to make the following points...
   
   1. This section will probably best be written as a series of several stickies. Do not lock the topics but clean, the thread regularly.
   
   2. Calibration - Volumes of vessels, thermometers and hydrometers.
   
   3. The following write could help somewhere...
   
   New...
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   Last post by BIABrewer
   14 years ago
3. FAQ: What brewing software should I Use?

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   First post by BIABrewer, 14 years ago

   

   FAQ: What brewing software should I use?
   
   BIABrewer.info has provided The Calculator to help you get started. It is very simple and will get any brewer under way with confidence.
   
   ADMIN NOTE: A Pre-Release Version of The BIABacus is now available. The BIABacus supersedes The Calculator. Despite currently only being in spreadsheet form, The BIABAcus has many revolutionary features that make it faster to learn, safer to use and more powerful, accurate and intuitive than any existing software....
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   Last post by BIABrewer
   14 years ago
4. Shortening my brew day

   7 Replies 96316 Views

   First post by shetc, 4 years ago

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   Hi Guys,
   
   I've been brewing for a while now. I have always used the BIABacus for my recipes. And I have pretty much followed the brewday process as discussed in The Commentary (see ). This includes a 90 minute mash followed by a 90 minute boil, and a 15 minute mash out. My numbers are pretty spot on based on this process. Having said that, I would like to try and shorten my brew day, perhaps starting with a 60 minute mash and 60 minute boil. What advice do you have on any adjustments I might...

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   Mally : What do you think of this experiment comparing an overnight vs 60 min mash?
   
   ShorePoints : The more I read on mash and boil length, it seems like yes there is a measurable difference but that difference is insignificant to drinkers. I guess I could take a known good recipe and just shorten the mash and/or boil length, and see if it is noticeable. The problem is that I will have observation bias since I know I changed the process. And sure, I'm not saving that much time but why spend...
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   Last post by mally
   4 years ago
5. Tinseth vs. IBU

   15 Replies 29400 Views

   First post by Primavera, 9 years ago

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   Can someone point me to a good source to understand the difference between the two bitterness measurements?

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   Hey Primavera, I just reread this post for...probably the third or fourth time in the past couple or three weeks.
   
   I've been doing studying and research on hops and hopping...hoping to ascertain a greater level of understanding. If interested, believe my posts are in the hops or hopping sections on this website.
   
   From one of your posts on this you mentioned Stone's IPA. Most likely Stone Brewing is not just relying on IBU formula estimate (i.e. Tinseth ). They certainly use a formula estimate,...
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   Last post by Scott
   7 years ago
6. Hydrometer readings in clear or cloudy.

   1 Replies 7042 Views

   First post by Muggy Dawson, 7 years ago

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   I've recently purchased a second hydrometer and was thinking today as a tested my latest batches, does it make a difference if the sample is of clear wort or if there is some trub/cloudiness in it?
   I imagine I could test this with a 'very cloudy' Vs 'reasonably clear' set of samples, but my samples would be hard to fix values to.

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   Hey Muggy,
   
   Short answer is I think you're okay. If you have trub at the bottom you would want to have enough / excess wort in the container so the hydrometer isn't sitting at the top of the trub layer, as that would mess up your numbers.
   
   If anyone else has different or additional info please feel free to chime in.
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   Last post by Scott
   7 years ago
7. Brewing calculators and software

   4 Replies 10057 Views

   First post by vexedben, 7 years ago

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   I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this put here goes.
   
   I've been looking at all the various brewing calculators like brewers friend and beer smith and have come across biabacus on this forum as well. Can anyone offer me any advice as to which is the best calculator to use for a novice and any tips as to where to begin with it.
   
   Thanks in advance.

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   Thanks for all your feedback on this. It certainly cleared it up in my mind which one to use.
   
   I will give Biabacus a go for my next brew and see how I get on. There does seem to be plenty of support on this forum which I will no doubt turn to when I get stuck filling it in. :)
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   Last post by vexedben
   7 years ago
8. Water Volumes help

   2 Replies 9547 Views

   First post by dogpond, 7 years ago

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   Hi I am new to BIAB and have done about 4 brews so far. I have been making great beer though the one thing I cant seem to sort is the volumes. 2 of my brews now have been 3 litres short and the other two have been perfect based on the volumes of the spreadsheet. My answer for now is just to always put 2 litres extra in so I am either 2 over or 1 short. This does affect my OG though. I put the details in to Brewsmith to for one of the brews that was 3 litres out and their TWN was also about 4...

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   Thanks mate that is so much simpler than i was makimg it out to be. I will start using those other sections on spreadsheet now!
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   Last post by dogpond
   7 years ago
9. Measuring volume by weight

   7 Replies 12328 Views

   First post by Mad_Scientist, 7 years ago

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   I measured a little more than 80 kg (weight) into my kettle. I heated up tap water to 40 c, removed water till it was at 80 kg. I made a small mark on my sight glass.
   
   I have an answer, but want to confirm.
   
   I found a factor of 0.99225 to use when tap water is at 40 c.
   
   How much volume do I have at the same height when it is at ambient / cooled?
   
   Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

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   MS - With that gorgeous electronic balance (scale) that can handle 80 kilograms as shown in your photo, why worry about the sight glass? Use the density numbers mentioned in posts above with your balance to get the amount of starting water you seek at the temperature you have. Keep track of the weights (grains + hops + any other stuff) you add to the kettle - assuming that you add them in pre-weighed portions if 28 gms of hops wouldn't show up on your electronic display of Kg. Then, by weight,...
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   Last post by ShorePoints
   7 years ago
10. BIABacus — where to keep notes during a brew?

    7 Replies 15612 Views

    First post by rsandilands, 8 years ago

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    Hi there
    
    I'm using the BIABacus and am wondering where other brewers keep notes during the course of a brew?
    
    For instance, I like to keep notes about temp changes, gravity readings, obversations etc
    
    I'm aware of the 'Special Instructions/Notes' field but on my mac, this doesn't allow paragraph breaks so it gets a little unwieldy in there.

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    Take a look at this thread. I use the sheets from it and add other notes in the margins if needed.
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    Last post by Lumpy5oh
    7 years ago
11. Calculating IBU's

    8 Replies 15022 Views

    First post by flhb, 8 years ago

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    I was reading the May 2nd post on brulosophy.com comparing a hop stand to a traditional 20 min hop addition when and I came across a paragraph that I thought this site would appreciate:
    
    ... These results also leave me curious about IBU formulas. The boiled hops batch was projected to be at 115 IBU compared to just 84 IBU for the hop stand beer. However, lab testing proved that not only were the beers nearly similar, but that the hop stand beer was actually slightly more bitter (by 2 IBU) than...

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    Well, my intent wasn't to have a long discussion on brulosophy and experimenting in general, but it's interesting anyways.
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    Last post by flhb
    8 years ago
12. Multiple Biabacus files to create your shopping list?

    17 Replies 19984 Views

    First post by Inconceivable, 8 years ago

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    Hi to all
    
    I have a question about querying/ looking up data across a lot of Biabacus files and wonder if someone has already solved this challenge and can tell me how.
    
    I have been loading my to-brew recipes into individual Biabacus files and setting them aside for future use. It'd be nice to be able to query all of these files to determine what ingredients I'll need to brew them all. For example if I have six recipes loaded into six different Biabacus files and I want to know how much Cascade...

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    ...I might refer the question to my finance types at work under the guise of real work haha.
    I'd imagine since it's a known cell location in each workbook it'll be possible; but perhaps not with freeware
    Will update if I crack the case Good stuff ;).
    
    The key will be not using any macros so it would be fantastic if they can come up with a solution.
    
    I'm tempted, in some ways, to put the final release of the BIABacus out as a LibreOffice file :scratch:. The advantage of doing that would be it...
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    Last post by PistolPatch
    8 years ago
13. Measuring volumes for a eKeggle

    2 Replies 9347 Views

    First post by nosco, 8 years ago

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    Hi all. Sorry for lack of research but my searchings didn't really find anything specific enough.
    
    I am building a keggle for a mate who wants to get into brewing with the idea of doing it as cheap as I can. Its looking pretty good and since I heard of a trub ring which wont work with my element I am thinking of building one for myself. Everything is nearly up and running but then I realised I don't know how to measure volumes in a keg. It may be just gas for starters but Im thinking of going...

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    Thanks Mad Scientist. Yep Ive already drilled the holes in the skirt. I will just have to calibrate it the old fashioned way with a measuring jug and take the false bottom into account or ill try seam to seam as well. I did notice though that the poly tube sight glasses (I think thats what you are using) are alot cheaper than the heavy duty ones. I dont think they where around last time I was looking. I might have to rethink it as an option. Ill be using your bag design too ;)
    
    Cheers.
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    Last post by nosco
    8 years ago
14. Relative Bitterness Ratio

    6 Replies 12259 Views

    First post by Brew4me, 8 years ago

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    I an attempt to learn - thought I would see if others had any thoughts on the Mad alchemist article on relative bitterness ratio. Any thoughts of this type of measurement in future release of BIABacus?
    
    Pete

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    Thanks PP :salute: - good to know - lesson learned
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    Last post by Brew4me
    8 years ago
15. How much water?

    3 Replies 12386 Views

    First post by beer4, 8 years ago

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    Hi Guys,
    
    I would like to brew a 23 Lt brew,I will be using 5 kg's of malt, this will be my first ever BIAB, I want to keep it simple, so this will be a smash beer, Malt and cascade hops, I am not sure how much water I should start with? to end up with 23lt, any idea's ?

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    Hi Joshua & Pistol Patch,
    
    Thanks for your assistance I haven't yet bought the grains, for the last eight years I have had good results as an extract & speciality grains brewer, I want to take the next step and brew all grain. I will have a good look at the BIABacus, once again thanks
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    Last post by beer4
    8 years ago
16. BIABacus Estimate Efficiency

    7 Replies 14377 Views

    First post by Shumanfoo, 8 years ago

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    How accurate are the estimated efficiency numbers?
    
    I've brewed 4 beers so far and I've been fairly close to the estimated numbers in each of the brews so far. I've made beers from about 1.040 to 1.060 in OG. Right now I'm working on a Tripel recipe which is much bigger OG (going for 1.085 or so) and grain bill than I have done before. From what I understand, BIABacus adjusts estimated efficiency depending on some factors. In this case, efficiency went down and I'm assuming due to grain amount...

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    Rickoles - I would if it were cane sugar that hadn't been opened (They tend to be hygroscopic)!
    Corn sugar, or other forms that have some moisture would have to be either adjusted/calculated/guessed at accordingly too as they will all have their own extract potential.
    
    Thinking aloud - I would guess the best way to quantify would be to make a solution and measure the gravity....
    
    Or just throw it in and see :lol:
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    Last post by mally
    8 years ago
17. I want 23 liter batch size but my kettle is only 25 liter

    16 Replies 22340 Views

    First post by Kangarooster, 8 years ago

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    Hello!
    
    I will soon make my second batch of beer. My first batch only ended up with 7 liters, but I want to make more this time. But as the title says I am currently limited by my small kettle.
    
    What I am wondering is if there are any drawbacks to using a full scale (23 l) recipe with regard to grain amount, but utilize less water for mashing (i.e. make a more concentrated mash), and then gradually add boiling water to the pot during the boil step in an effort to arrive at a final batch size...

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    Thanks again. For my next brew I will try this. :)
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    Last post by Kangarooster
    8 years ago
18. BIABacus - a few questions

    4 Replies 11057 Views

    First post by chesl73, 8 years ago

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    Hi
    
    Not sure if this is the right area for it but I've been looking at the BIABacus in preparation for my first BIAB and I had a few questions.
    
    I've just got a new kettle, a 19L kettle and I was planning on doing a mini-BIAB using the recipe American Pale Ale - NRB's All Amarillo APA.
    
    To check a few things with the kettle I put in 12.10L of water as per the BIABacus TWN reading and I measured with a ruler and heated it up to strike temp and then onto a full boil which I left going for 30 mins...

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    Partially off should be fine. The steam will escape just fine as long as you are maintaining a good boil.
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    Last post by Lylo
    8 years ago
19. How do I measure the water

    4 Replies 10801 Views

    First post by Philip321, 8 years ago

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    My pot measures: Height = 38.5cm and Diameter = 39.5
    Please could someone let me know the link or tell me how do I measure the water in the pot?

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    My pot measures: Height = 38.5cm and Diameter = 39.5
    Please could someone let me know the link or tell me how do I measure the water in the pot?
    
    Hi Philip,
    
    Considering your pot's datas, it's a 47L
    
    You can measur the water in the pot with a meter... 1 cm of water (in your pot) equal 1.23 liters.
    
    Cheers,
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    Last post by sharkybilly
    8 years ago
20. How much water

    6 Replies 12406 Views

    First post by Philip321, 8 years ago

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    I intend to do a Bag End Bitter from this recipe:-
    
    The recipe States Water Required 8.44 gal (which is probably US Gallons) and Volume into Fermenter = 5.25 gal = 19.87 Litres
    
    but when I enter the recipe on the BIABacus it states Total Water Needed (TWN) 29.83 Litres = 7.88 Gals and (Hot) Strike Water Needed (SWN) 30.42 Litres = 8.04 Gals
    
    My Question is Do I put 8.44 Gals or 7.88 Gals into the boiler?
    Do I follow the recipe or the BIABacus?

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    Thank you both for your replies.
    
    So TWN is what I put into the boiler.
    I've read the terminology and it sais SWN is 2% more than TWN because water swells when it is heated.
    
    I made a mistake on the brew I have just completed (My first brew). I put SWN amount into the boiler which is 0.59 Litres to much.
    
    My Pre Boil gravity reading @ 58 degrees Celcius was 1.014 and when it cooled to 19.7 degrees celcius it was 1.032
    
    Do you think these gravity readings are OK?
    
    Don't take any gravity...
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    Last post by safebrew222
    8 years ago
21. BIABacus — how to adjust grain absorption?

    3 Replies 10647 Views

    First post by rsandilands, 8 years ago

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    Just brewed a batch today and my Volume into Boil (VIB) was higher than anticipated by my BIABacus spreadsheet.
    
    So the spreadsheet is overestimating my grain absorption rate — where can I amend the default for this?
    
    I was expecting to do so in Section X but can't see the appropriate amount there.

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    Thanks MS for taking the time with this, it was useful to see your xls.
    
    I squeeze pretty hard, bag on a rack on top of the kettle and use the kettle lid, then into a colander where I squeeze some more so I'm closer to 0.5l/kg it seems than the defaults.
    
    I brewed my Brown Ale yesterday, first batch using the BIABacus, and hit my pre-boil and gravity of ambient wort (GAW) numbers on the dot: 1.046 and 1.056 respectively, exactly as estimated by the BIABacus, so that was satisfying. Only opened...
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    Last post by rsandilands
    8 years ago
22. Biabacus Dry and Liqid malt extract potential adjustments

    5 Replies 13283 Views

    First post by nik, 9 years ago

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    Hi after a long time ,I would like to know if anyone has Extract potentials of Liquid , Dry malt extracts ,honey and whatever else (Candy sugar etc ect) in order to have this data handy when I use them to fill the Y section on the Biabacus...
    Thank you in advance!!!!!!

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    Thanks for answering Pat this year so far is quite difficult for me regarding free time but I still brewing this time I moved to smaller batches inside (8 liters) with a small pot (17 liter) and feel happy again biabacus is a tool of choice. We talk with Kostas because he is a member of Greek homebrewers association as me and we spend time organizing things.
    
    Στάλθηκε από το C1905 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk
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    Last post by nik
    9 years ago
23. Heast loss/transfer with BIAB

    11 Replies 26229 Views

    First post by bionut, 9 years ago

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    I brewed only using BIAB, besides some canned kits at the beginins. Every body that does BIAB say that this method, using the entire volume of water for mashing is better for keeping a good constant temperature during the mash. OK, seems logic, but the theory says that this way you will rather loss more heat than using a smaller volume of water.
    I am refering to this formula Q=U*A*ΔT, saying that the heat loss of an area of size A is determined by the U heat transfer coeficient and the...

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    Google square-cube law , pretty straightforward scientific explanation for this.
    11 Replies
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    Last post by Rick
    9 years ago
24. A New Approach to BIAB Calculus using Conversion Efficiency

    86 Replies 274800 Views

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    First post by stux, 12 years ago

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    This is a BIAB calculator which uses a Novel method to calculate your grainbill, which is independant of Into Boil Efficiency , and works well with large beers, with or without sparging
    
    It's very accurate.
    ...
    
    I've been working on a solution to a problem which affects all BIABers who are using BIAB calculators to determine their volumes and grain bills :)
    
    I think I've cracked it ;)
    
    The problem is this, as you increase the gravity of the wort you are creating the effciency goes down. Most...

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    I still use my calculator, unmodified to calculate the water and grainbill requirements for all my batches.
    
    The thing that came up is that the grain specifications became the critical factor in achieving more reliable predictions, and I found as grain got older the measured conversion efficiency went down. My theory is that the grain was actually getting more moist over time.
    
    At the end of the day, I don't really see much point in attempting to further refine the maths, when its impractical...
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    Last post by stux
    9 years ago
25. Measurements for Craftbrewer 70L kettle?

    10 Replies 25007 Views

    First post by nicko, 9 years ago

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    Hi guys,
    
    Does anyone with a Craftbrewer 70 litre kettle (45cm x 45cm) have their water level measurements written down somewhere? I.e. As an example, If the kettle has 44L in it, what's the distance from the rim to the water surface?
    
    Just trying to save myself some time on brew days. I wrote down the measurement on the last brew but must have misplaced it unfortunately! If anyone is keen to help start a register that would be great! I have a carbon filter for my hose from a caravan/RV, so...

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    Thanks gents!
    10 Replies
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    Last post by nicko
    9 years ago