My first “BM Brew Day”
Model: BM20
Accessories: Stainless steel lid, Thermo-sleeve
Others: counterflow chiller (36 plates)
Beer Style: Bohemian Pilsner (Batch volume 20L)
Software: Beersmith (Braumeister 20 Litre)
Procedure:
Water treatment (mash pH at room temperature 5.6)
Hydration of the grains followed by coarse crushing with the simple Corona Milt.
Mash in, stir the grain, start mash schedule. I tried to interrupt the mash schedule in the middle of the process in order to stir the grain. I made it but the mash program was fully stopped. I needed to restart a new mash schedule from the point it stopped (at 60ºC, 25 minutes pause). No problem, but I thought it was possible to interrupt the mash program and restarted it straightforward. At the end of the mash and “sparge” with 7L - clear, crystalline wort - SG 1.048 (higher than expected) Volume 27L (lower than expected). After lifting the mal pipe I forgot to stir the grain during “sparging”.
Boil: 120 minutes, very nice rolling boil, boil over approx 2.7L/hour.
Chill: counterflow chiller with ice water (I use a small and simple aquarium pump to recirculate the ice water throw the chiller during the process).
Results: OG 1.062, Mash efficiency 81%, Brewhouse efficiency 74%, Batch volume into fermentor 19L, Trub loss 2L.
Fermentor: wait until Temperature 6C to pitch the yeast (12 hours of waiting…); pure O2 2-4L/min, 60 seconds; pitch 3 packets (35g) of dry yeast (W34/70); raise temperature 9C; low krausen at 48 hours; Fast Fermentation Test (predicted FG 1.014).
Cleaning/Sanitizing with PBW and Chemipro Oxi
Future perspectives:
Software (Beersmith) alterations: change mash/brewhouse efficiencies, grain absortion to 0.73L/Kg grain, boil off to 2.7L/hour.
Repeat the recipe/procedure. Reduce Boil time to 90 minutes. Turn/Spin the malt pipe during the mash (in pump break) in order to optimize water/wort dispersion through the grain.
Photos: