Hey guys
Im currently on a 50l gas fired keggle setup. Whilst its simple and makes beer well...ive been doing some reading up on other systems people have come up with...and my current situation and equipment have got me thinking...
Firstly...i like the idea of being able to flick the powerpoint on and come back to water heated to strike temp whilst doing other things. I get quite nervous walking away from a gas burner and leaving it unattended for obvious reasons. So im toying with moving to electric as i need a bigger pot now anyhow to double batch with.
Rims has really got my attention at the monent...as it will give me 2 things:
Electric element is external to the kettle...a big plus for electrical safety (no risk of spilling wort and being electrocuted)...and also gives me awesome control of temperature at any time by adjusting the temp controller. Also...the wort will be flowing past the element in the rims stick so providing theres adequate flow...it reduces the possibility of scorched wort considerably Win win.
Ive heard alot of conjecture in support of and against the theory that recirculating improves wort clarity. I can see this being the case in a much thicker mash i.e traditional 3v mash/lauter where the grain bed acts as a filter...biab i cant see this working with such a thin mash.
Is it really worth the trouble of moving to a biab rims type setup? Any pros/cons?
Cheers
Post #2 made 10 years ago
Id be partly on the con side of things here Pist.
Firstly, a disclaimer - I BIAB because it is simple, makes good beer and has few moving parts and little equipment.
Several members here have 1st hand experience circulating wort, and I believe that most, if not all have elected to quit circulating/recirculating. Maybe they will chime in.
Im pro going electric though. There are a few companies making controllers and hardware to safely adapt pots to electric brew pots. There are also controllers and DIY directions for controllers that will do exactly what you want.
As for scorching wort, after reading much on the subject, I've come to the conclusion(untested) that the key to avoiding scorching is through a good insulation system for your pot so that heating during the mash is rarely necessary.
As a drunk friend once said "Seep it Kimple"
Trout
Firstly, a disclaimer - I BIAB because it is simple, makes good beer and has few moving parts and little equipment.
Several members here have 1st hand experience circulating wort, and I believe that most, if not all have elected to quit circulating/recirculating. Maybe they will chime in.
Im pro going electric though. There are a few companies making controllers and hardware to safely adapt pots to electric brew pots. There are also controllers and DIY directions for controllers that will do exactly what you want.
As for scorching wort, after reading much on the subject, I've come to the conclusion(untested) that the key to avoiding scorching is through a good insulation system for your pot so that heating during the mash is rarely necessary.
As a drunk friend once said "Seep it Kimple"
Trout
"All I know is that the beer is good and people clamor for it. OK, it's free and that has something to do with it."
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Post #3 made 10 years ago
Thanks trout.
Your right why complicate a simple process with something that can (and will eventually) break down...and usually at a critical moment. Thanks for pointing that out.
I definitely would like to go electric though for the reasons mentioned above
Your right why complicate a simple process with something that can (and will eventually) break down...and usually at a critical moment. Thanks for pointing that out.
I definitely would like to go electric though for the reasons mentioned above
Post #4 made 10 years ago
Sorry you didn't get a lot more replies to your question pist but I suspect that most of us were going to say the same as trout.
Just imagine for a second, a large commercial brewery. These massive vessels and the connections/pumps.
How many connections/pumps are there? Not many.
How often are these connections used? Constantly.
How many ball-valves are on a vessel? One or two.
How often is the system left stagnant? Almost never.
When is it left stagnant? Usually only for major cleaning.
What's the main job of a pro brewer? Cleaning.
...
So why on earth emulate a system which is designed to constantly produce thousands of litres when you are only producing an occasional five gallons?
Basically you are creating as much work (more in some ways), that is needed to produce thousands of gallons of beer just to produce five or so.
...
One more thing. Sweet liquor production is just a very small part of the process of making quality beer. Any time I get to slow down and think on this, it always amazes me at how much attention sweet liquor production gets and how little other areas get.
Less is usually more. I've been to at least six automated brew days and every one has been a fail. So give more reasons on this electric stuff pist. Let me know what the rest of your brewery is like.
....
This focus on the production of sweet liquor can be just like sticking a RollsRoyce emblem on the hood of another car. Doing that is the furthest you can get from making a Rolls Royce as your attention is not even close to being in the right direction.
PP
Just imagine for a second, a large commercial brewery. These massive vessels and the connections/pumps.
How many connections/pumps are there? Not many.
How often are these connections used? Constantly.
How many ball-valves are on a vessel? One or two.
How often is the system left stagnant? Almost never.
When is it left stagnant? Usually only for major cleaning.
What's the main job of a pro brewer? Cleaning.
...
So why on earth emulate a system which is designed to constantly produce thousands of litres when you are only producing an occasional five gallons?
Basically you are creating as much work (more in some ways), that is needed to produce thousands of gallons of beer just to produce five or so.
...
One more thing. Sweet liquor production is just a very small part of the process of making quality beer. Any time I get to slow down and think on this, it always amazes me at how much attention sweet liquor production gets and how little other areas get.
Less is usually more. I've been to at least six automated brew days and every one has been a fail. So give more reasons on this electric stuff pist. Let me know what the rest of your brewery is like.
....
This focus on the production of sweet liquor can be just like sticking a RollsRoyce emblem on the hood of another car. Doing that is the furthest you can get from making a Rolls Royce as your attention is not even close to being in the right direction.
PP
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Post #5 made 10 years ago
Pist,
When I mentioned that I am pro going electric, primarily I meant an electric heating element. I have added a 1500w heat stick to my boils and it really has extended the life of my propane tanks. I will eventually heat and boil my brews totally with electricity in an insulated system. Still working on the insulated part though....
trout
When I mentioned that I am pro going electric, primarily I meant an electric heating element. I have added a 1500w heat stick to my boils and it really has extended the life of my propane tanks. I will eventually heat and boil my brews totally with electricity in an insulated system. Still working on the insulated part though....
trout
"All I know is that the beer is good and people clamor for it. OK, it's free and that has something to do with it."
Bobbrews
Bobbrews
-
- BME Brewer With Over 5 Brews From United States of America
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Post #6 made 10 years ago
Thanks for the input thus far. You've made a lot of sense and your right, going to the trouble of recirculating or anything else would be going against the simple processes that BIAB has to offer, and pretty well a waste of time. I certainly don't want to add complication to it...and you have pointed out that it would be extra work i.e cleaning etc at the end of the brew day for little gain.
The thing I want out of it the most more than anything else is to take away the disadvantage that LP Gas has of having to stand there and watch it (for safety reasons) whilst waiting for water to heat to strike temp...or to ramp up to a boil. So I guess a simple electric element and a temperature controller would be what I am after...as you are using Trout.
Sometimes time can be a premium for me with other commitments often getting in the way of my brewing...particularly if I have other things I need to be doing on a weekend as far as home maintenance is concerned. If I could fill the kettle with water...flip a switch or two and go do something else whilst its heating I'd be happy.
I currently have a simple 50L keggle with ball valve and pick up tube setup that sits atop a stand that houses a 3 ring gas burner. I have no problem hitting/maintaining my temps...its just the time taken up to stand there and watch that really annoys me when I could be doing other things in that time.
Hope this makes sense
The thing I want out of it the most more than anything else is to take away the disadvantage that LP Gas has of having to stand there and watch it (for safety reasons) whilst waiting for water to heat to strike temp...or to ramp up to a boil. So I guess a simple electric element and a temperature controller would be what I am after...as you are using Trout.
Sometimes time can be a premium for me with other commitments often getting in the way of my brewing...particularly if I have other things I need to be doing on a weekend as far as home maintenance is concerned. If I could fill the kettle with water...flip a switch or two and go do something else whilst its heating I'd be happy.
I currently have a simple 50L keggle with ball valve and pick up tube setup that sits atop a stand that houses a 3 ring gas burner. I have no problem hitting/maintaining my temps...its just the time taken up to stand there and watch that really annoys me when I could be doing other things in that time.
Hope this makes sense
Post #7 made 10 years ago
Im loving my electric kettle. Its 5500w on a 65l pot which is a bit over the top but I have the luxury of an electrician mate who installed a new power point. I got a cheap potentiometer control of ebay too rated at 9500w. I think 2200 will work on a 50l pot. I went electric so I could brew indoors away from my 18 month old son but out of the weather. It was 3 weeks between my 2 and 3rd brew. I gave every thing a rinse and then boiled again after my 2nd brew. After 3 weeks I opened the kettle and it stunk! I had to give it a thorough clean (twice to be sure) and after reading about ectoplasm I took apart my ball valve and boiled that too. Since then im keeping it simple. I have a sight glass that wont use and make sure I give the element a good clean after each brew. If your not brewing every week then its just more work to clean with more parts.
It can be done though. Qldkev has a vid on youtube were he has used it but he obviosly likes to tinker. He used ball valves on both ends the circulation pipe to regulate the flow. But if you read thughes' lengthy and detailed post he went to alot of trouble to set one up but then didnt use it in the end (scorched grain I think?). I have heaps to learn before I start tinkering again. Still thinking about it though.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
It can be done though. Qldkev has a vid on youtube were he has used it but he obviosly likes to tinker. He used ball valves on both ends the circulation pipe to regulate the flow. But if you read thughes' lengthy and detailed post he went to alot of trouble to set one up but then didnt use it in the end (scorched grain I think?). I have heaps to learn before I start tinkering again. Still thinking about it though.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
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