Potential 20L owner

[uk_brewer]

Hi guys,

So I'm looking at the 10L, 20L braumeister or the pico zymatic. How are you working around delayed starts? I'd like the ability to at least walk in the door from work or wake up and have the strike water ready to go? Does anyone have a good write up on performing double mashes and expected efficiency for higher abv beers?

I like the idea of still being somewhat involved in the process with the braumeister and the ability to brew 10 and 20L batches. On the other side full automation is appealing with the zymatic. I already have a nice 3V all electric system so the small batch size of the 10L braumeister or zymatic isn't a deal breaker being the only drinker in the house.

How easy is it to update firmware? Is there still a limitation to 3 hop additions in the braumeister recipe?

What benefits are there to the wifi unit? I know with the zymatic you get the nice graphs and can check in if you were away while it brewed.

Thanks

[mashy]

You have lots of questions, but I don't think they will give you the answer.

I read your post and get the impression that you prefer automation but the zymo is too small. Hence your thoughts about a 20l BM.


When you spend this sort of money you need to get it right.
The answer for me would be found in looking hard at what you want it to do.

[uk_brewer]

The only reason to consider the 20L is the possibility of replacing my current 3V and get down to one system. The 10L and Zymatic don't really provide any obstacle with quantity as I still have a 3v. The things i really need to understand are how to handle delayed starts and ability for higher abv. Which for both the zymatic and bm would require double mashes. If the BM has no functionality or work around for a delayed start then its probably a no go.

So that being said, do people have a work around for delayed starts? and the procedure for double mashes and efficiency people are getting?

[f00b4r]

For delayed starts you can pre heat the water the night before and it will not drop that much or do as I do which is fill and treat the water the night before and then start the water heating from bed as soon as I wake up; this requires the wifi unit.
Updating the firmware is easy if you have the wifi unit and the latest firmware allows for more hop additions.
I have double mashed for volume before in the 20L, it was easy and enabled me to get about 50L of a 5% beer (I ended up having to dilute back in the fv). From that I am confident that double mashing for strength will also be pretty easy, although it will add to the brew day length, for me this is not an issue as it is something that I may only do a couple of times a year.

Do a search for double mashing for volume and there is a good thread on it here, including a link to the Aussie home brew shop Facebook page and picture guide.

[uk_brewer]

thanks foo.

I'm assuming you are programming your mash schedule to with some times with no temp, or (room temp), then after a specified time have it heat to your strike, cancel program when you get up then run your real mash schedule.

Found a user on brewers friend with a nice list of recipes. Looks like he has at least one with a double mash for abv.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/ ... 4364/antek

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/ ... eister-20l

[f00b4r]

My usual procedure is to fill the BM to the brim (40L), treat the water with campden and salts (separately) and cover with the stainless steel hood overnight (I use a piece of cling film over the hole; this is because the normal lid actually dips into the inside slightly so you cannot fill it right up and it also means one less piece of washing up.
I then usually just start it heating from bed, so by the time i get to starting to brew it is up to mash temp. I then drain any excess water into another vessel ready for sparging later.
If I want a quicker start then I have in the past just set the water to heat to 80C the night before, turned it off and it does not lose that much overnight so takes minutes to get to the exact mash temperature the next morning; I usually am not in that much of a hurry so someone else who does this might be able to confirm what temp is best to reach the night before (I also probably lose less temp from the greater thermal mass).
Oh and I make sure I program the BM with all the mash details and hop additions prior to brew day, although with the latest firmware you can do this on the cloud web page and then syncs it to your BM.

[f00b4r]

Missed this last night but you can just set it to temperature manually overnight our through the day so it is ready the moment you want to street; there are users who use the BM for sous vide cooking in this way that can be for 24-72 hours.

[mashy]

I fill from the hot tap.

[Omphteliba]

For the delayed starts, you can try an overnight mash: you start your brewday the evening before, but add multiple 180 Minute long mashout steps at 78°C in the BM program. That gives you more efficiency and your beer is read for mash out when you wake up.

I'll have to look up if the longest mash step is still 180 minutes in the new firmware.

[mashy]

For the delayed starts, you can try an overnight mash: you start your brewday the evening before, but add multiple 180 Minute long mashout steps at 78°C in the BM program. That gives you more efficiency and your beer is read for mash out when you wake up.

I'll have to look up if the longest mash step is still 180 minutes in the new firmware.

Hmmm. Thinking out loud. Could you take it to 85 for just 10 mins. That would pasteurise it. You could then just boil next day?

[judgecc]

@mashy, yes Ive done it multiple times in my biab setup

[mashy]

Thanks. That had given me some ideas to cut down the time.

[judgecc]

It's a good practice if you need to split up a brewday.. I usually take my wort to 95c and then turn everything off, kissing it goodnight properly and start again after work next day..
To be a bit more more effective.
Day 1. Fill water and start warming it to high temp, crush malt and such.
Day 2. Turn on manual to keep the temp in the morning (if u dare leave it the whole day)
Day 2 after work, check temp, correct and mash in. Eat and do something. Mashout and turn to over 85c
Day 3. Boil and chill

[mashy]

Brew day takes 5 hours now
Anyways done for lunch. Which isn't toooooo bad.
I setup the BM and weigh out everything the night before.

Thinking...
Night before. Setup, hot fill, mash. 90c pasteurise. Wrap in a quilt.

Next morning. Unwrap, Boil, chill, finish.

[judgecc]

Sounds solid.