Hi all.
I have recently sold my 3V PID controlled rims setup & am going to biab in an urn. The simplicity of biab & the tedious brewdays of 3V are over. I made a simple process way too complicated & am looking forward to the switch. I am looking to get my urn this week & am looking at a Crown exposed element & using a simple cake cooling rack over the element to protect the bag.
Very excited.
Cheers
Post #2 made 13 years ago
That's really impressive Crusty 
,
There's actually quite a few blokes here, myself included, that have changed from three vessel brewing to full-volume, single vessel BIAB. I certainly never had a set up anything like yours though
.
You might be a bit like me and love gadgetry etc. For me though at least, I've found the less gadgetry on brew day, the better. Would love some cleaning gadgets though
.
What a great 'second' post Crusty
. Can't wait to hear how you find the change.
PP
P.S. I see you are from Yamba - very nice country around there
(should say countryside on this international forum 
.
,There's actually quite a few blokes here, myself included, that have changed from three vessel brewing to full-volume, single vessel BIAB. I certainly never had a set up anything like yours though
.You might be a bit like me and love gadgetry etc. For me though at least, I've found the less gadgetry on brew day, the better. Would love some cleaning gadgets though
.What a great 'second' post Crusty
. Can't wait to hear how you find the change. PP
P.S. I see you are from Yamba - very nice country around there
(should say countryside on this international forum .If you have found the above or anything else of value on BIABrewer.info, consider supporting us by getting some BIPs!
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Post #3 made 13 years ago
Good Day Crusty,
Great to hear you have left the Darkside(3V) and have become Enlightened(BIAB).
Please keep us updated on how your doing!
Great to hear you have left the Darkside(3V) and have become Enlightened(BIAB).
Please keep us updated on how your doing!
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #4 made 13 years ago
I think the exposed element version is angood choice, if you want simple and easy you should add a skyhook + pulley system 
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=972
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=972
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Post #5 made 13 years ago
Urn ordered tonight with grain bag & hop bag & splashed out on a new MashMaster minimill as well. Just wondering what mill settings you guys are using on your mills? My old 3V gravity system was 0.9mm, my rims was 1.2mm. I am wondering would 1.6mm be a good starting point for a single grain pass or stick with 0.9mm & run it through twice?
Cheers guys.
Cheers guys.
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Post #6 made 13 years ago
Good Day Crusty, While I look up a Good Answer, Check the topic Roller mill gap http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1290
For some Ideas of what we have done, the answer is still open.
For some Ideas of what we have done, the answer is still open.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #7 made 13 years ago
Just do a normal crush Crusty. That means to squash the grain as much as you can without pulverizing it.
You often hear the expression, "If you BIAB, you can crush the grain as fine as you like." I don't think this is the greatest advice. If you crush super-fine and your bag is coarse, all that flour will end up in your kettle. If you crush super-fine and your bag is fine, you will spend ages draining your bag.
The right crush for BIAB is a sensible crush. A sensible crush requires a good mill with large diameter rollers no matter how you brew.
I have the original MashMaster and it is perfect. I have no idea on what I have the rollers set to sorry. I also have not heard of the MashMaster Mini-mill until now.
One thing I do know is that roller spacing gap should be individual to the mill you have. Two mills set at say 1mm will give you vastly different results depending on the roller diameter and impregnation.
Seeing your posts, I reckon you'll get it right. Suffice to say, aim for the best 'squash' you can get.
PP
You often hear the expression, "If you BIAB, you can crush the grain as fine as you like." I don't think this is the greatest advice. If you crush super-fine and your bag is coarse, all that flour will end up in your kettle. If you crush super-fine and your bag is fine, you will spend ages draining your bag.
The right crush for BIAB is a sensible crush. A sensible crush requires a good mill with large diameter rollers no matter how you brew.
I have the original MashMaster and it is perfect. I have no idea on what I have the rollers set to sorry. I also have not heard of the MashMaster Mini-mill until now.
One thing I do know is that roller spacing gap should be individual to the mill you have. Two mills set at say 1mm will give you vastly different results depending on the roller diameter and impregnation.
Seeing your posts, I reckon you'll get it right
. Suffice to say, aim for the best 'squash' you can get. PP
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Post #8 made 13 years ago
Thanks PP.
There seems to be quite a lot of misinformation floating around out there & I too was believing the finer crush would be better for efficiency knowing that it may add to trub loss in the urn. The MashMaster MiniMill is this one http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=1987
Cheers
There seems to be quite a lot of misinformation floating around out there & I too was believing the finer crush would be better for efficiency knowing that it may add to trub loss in the urn. The MashMaster MiniMill is this one http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=1987
Cheers
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Post #9 made 13 years ago
I think that crushing fine thing may have come from some stovetop BIAB threads on some forums. There's a big difference in time between draining a small and large bag of finely crushed grain. And, there are the trub problems I already ranted on above .
Thanks for the link. They are really nice rollers on the MashMaster. Looks like the rollers on the mini-mill are a bit narrower in diameter than the one I have - 40 mm versus 60 mm. Sometimes with narrow rollers, you have to run it through twice as the roller only pinches the grain in say one spot rather than a few. I think because of the nice knurling on the MashMaster you shouldn't have this problem though.
PP
. Thanks for the link
. They are really nice rollers on the MashMaster. Looks like the rollers on the mini-mill are a bit narrower in diameter than the one I have - 40 mm versus 60 mm. Sometimes with narrow rollers, you have to run it through twice as the roller only pinches the grain in say one spot rather than a few. I think because of the nice knurling on the MashMaster you shouldn't have this problem though. PP
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Post #10 made 13 years ago
I run my Monster Mill at 0.6mm, I found 0.5mm too tight. At 0.5mm my bag was blocking up with flour and my trub was blocking my sieve.Crusty wrote:Urn ordered tonight with grain bag & hop bag & splashed out on a new MashMaster minimill as well. Just wondering what mill settings you guys are using on your mills? My old 3V gravity system was 0.9mm, my rims was 1.2mm. I am wondering would 1.6mm be a good starting point for a single grain pass or stick with 0.9mm & run it through twice?
Cheers guys.
The point being, if anything go with at 0.9
Hmmm... do you mean 0.6mm and not 1.6mm?
I think I would suggest no narrower than 0.7mm as a starting point
Last edited by stux on 25 Apr 2012, 12:27, edited 3 times in total.
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Post #11 made 13 years ago
Yeah I meant 0.6mm. I think for my first crush I might stick with 0.9mm & note efficiency vs trub etc.stux wrote:I run my Monster Mill at 0.6mm, I found 0.5mm too tight. At 0.5mm my bag was blocking up with flour and my trub was blocking my sieve.Crusty wrote:Urn ordered tonight with grain bag & hop bag & splashed out on a new MashMaster minimill as well. Just wondering what mill settings you guys are using on your mills? My old 3V gravity system was 0.9mm, my rims was 1.2mm. I am wondering would 1.6mm be a good starting point for a single grain pass or stick with 0.9mm & run it through twice?
Cheers guys.
The point being, if anything go with at 0.9
Hmmm... do you mean 0.6mm and not 1.6mm?
I think I would suggest no narrower than 0.7mm as a starting point
Cheers
Last edited by Crusty on 25 Apr 2012, 19:29, edited 3 times in total.
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Post #12 made 13 years ago
Got my gear today after ordering from Ross @CraftBrewer. Ordered Tuesday night & even with the Anzac day holiday on Wednesday, it was at my place today, excellent service again guys. Got my 40lt Crown urn, biab bag, hop bag, digital thermometer, new MashMaster minimill & some ingredients for an APA. I still have to hunt down a cake cooling racck to cover the exposed element in the urn & I think my first biab will be next week sometime. Going to use BeerSmith & stick to recommended settings. Will take notes throughout the brew session & compare with the next 4 brews.
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Post #13 made 13 years ago
Crusty,
I am excited for you. Please keep us up to date on how your doing. Everyone is here to back you up if you need help. Beer brewing brews good friends. However stay away from that scallywag bobbrews! The guy usually half in the bag and doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground ah... wait ... never mind that's me? Please disregard that last statement! I am old and sometimes get confused?
I am excited for you. Please keep us up to date on how your doing. Everyone is here to back you up if you need help. Beer brewing brews good friends. However stay away from that scallywag bobbrews! The guy usually half in the bag and doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground ah... wait ... never mind that's me? Please disregard that last statement! I am old and sometimes get confused?
tap 1 Raspberry wine
tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
tap 3 Czech Pilsner
tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
Pipeline: Mulled Cider 10% ABV
http://cheesestradamus.com/ Brewers challenge!
tap 2 Bourbon Barrel Porter
tap 3 Czech Pilsner
tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
Pipeline: Mulled Cider 10% ABV
http://cheesestradamus.com/ Brewers challenge!
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Post #14 made 13 years ago
Beer for breakfast again today BB?
WWBBD?
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Post #15 made 13 years ago
Print off and stick to the fridge Bob..
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Last edited by Yeasty on 28 Apr 2012, 05:11, edited 3 times in total.
Why is everyone talking about "Cheese"
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Post #16 made 13 years ago
Very funny guys, thanks for the support. I calibrated the urn last night with some water tests & marked the sight glass in 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, & 35 litre increments. I emptied it to the 30lt mark which is around where BeerSmith says my pre-boil will be & let her do her thing. One thing I did notice was the difference of the electric boil compared to how I used to boil with the 23jet mongolian on LPG. The boil in the urn is very gentle, almost a type of simmering, rolling boil even at flat out. It was definitely boiling just not like I'm used to. My urn is a 40lt Crown exposed element. Does this sound about right with the electrical boil? Can anyone with the same urn possibly show me a short clip of theirs in action?
Cheers
Cheers
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Post #17 made 13 years ago
Sorry Crusty, I've got a home built e-rig so I can't help with any video but I would say that if you are boiling off at least 1 gallon per hour (or the equivalent.....in that funny measuring system most of you use here) that the vigor of your boil is sufficient.
---Todd
---Todd
WWBBD?
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Post #18 made 13 years ago
Hi Crusty
If you think your boil aint doing it
float a food grade bowl (stainless is prefered) on the surface. This has the effect of reducing the surface area and increasing boil vigour without the risk of DMS. I did this before going all gas.
If you think your boil aint doing it
float a food grade bowl (stainless is prefered) on the surface. This has the effect of reducing the surface area and increasing boil vigour without the risk of DMS. I did this before going all gas.Why is everyone talking about "Cheese"
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Post #19 made 13 years ago
Alternatively, many wrap a camping mat around their urns to insulate them
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Post #20 made 13 years ago
I didn'k know the bowl trick, sound like a good idea.
When the urn was boiling last night, it was extremely hot & I assumed anything wrapped around that might melt. Any suggestions on the tried & tested stuff & where to get it?
Cheers
When the urn was boiling last night, it was extremely hot & I assumed anything wrapped around that might melt. Any suggestions on the tried & tested stuff & where to get it?
Cheers
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Post #21 made 13 years ago
Ok, volume loss test done, urn is still hot & may lose a tad more to cooling losses but I filled to the 33l mark & boiled for 60mins, no insulation & lost 3L approximately. Hope that sounds about right.
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Post #22 made 13 years ago
Sounds like it's all go Crusty
I've only got figures from one 40lt urn brewer and he gets 3 L an hour as well so all should be good. If you are having boil vigour problems, I'd definitely do what Yeasty mentioned and float the bowl.
Not sure on the insulation sorry. I've got to race but just thought that maybe a search on 'insulation' here could give you an answer. I seem to remember some foil type insulation???
Have fun.
I've only got figures from one 40lt urn brewer and he gets 3 L an hour as well so all should be good. If you are having boil vigour problems, I'd definitely do what Yeasty mentioned and float the bowl.
Not sure on the insulation sorry. I've got to race but just thought that maybe a search on 'insulation' here could give you an answer. I seem to remember some foil type insulation???
Have fun
.If you have found the above or anything else of value on BIABrewer.info, consider supporting us by getting some BIPs!
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Post #23 made 13 years ago
I have a 40l Birko urn and put as much strike water as I can in (34 L) without getting it too close to the top with grain in.
Then I usually have about 31 or 32 litres after draining the bag and about 27L post boil (90 minutes) and lose about 4 or 5L to trub.
Then I usually have about 31 or 32 litres after draining the bag and about 27L post boil (90 minutes) and lose about 4 or 5L to trub.
Post #24 made 13 years ago
I wrap a camp mat around my urn, about 1cm thick that you put between your sleeping bag and the ground. Costs about $8 from BCF. I'm on my second one. The first one got dirty from spills etc but had no trouble getting it off. If you like you could put a layer of alfoil under it.Crusty wrote:I didn'k know the bowl trick, sound like a good idea.
When the urn was boiling last night, it was extremely hot & I assumed anything wrapped around that might melt. Any suggestions on the tried & tested stuff & where to get it?
Cheers
Last edited by BobtheBrewer on 30 Apr 2012, 16:44, edited 3 times in total.
