Great Deal

[GFHomebrew]

Another interesting thing will be how well it heats up your brew to strike temp/boil ext. I've heard electric systems can crawl a bit when heating up the water. But I hope she performs flawlessly. Good luck

Another cool thing is you could put that baby on a timer prior to waking up or coming back from work so you can get stuck straight into your brew day without waiting for water to heat up to strike temp. I see brulosophers got this heat stick he puts on a timer that way...

 

[jeffpn]

The delay timer is built in! They say it’s about 40 minutes to strike. I’ve got 4 1/2 gallons in there for strike right now. There is a 1,000 watt and a 1,600 watt setting. I plan to mash with the 1,000 watt if I remember to switch it after it’s heated. Im brewing in the basement. I figured I’d give the nearby dehumidifier a real treat!!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

let us know how it goes, if I can help I will, I have used all the heating elements from 1500w to 6000w

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I think the whole point of those is to set it up and walk away so you can do other things, its not meant to me stood over and watched, that will drive you crazy lol

 

[jeffpn]

The thermostat for the mash is cool. I don’t have to control the heat myself. But I’ll still stir it every 15 or 20 minutes. During the boil even with propane, once the hot break is under control, I can walk away. For me, it’s all about convenience. I hope I can get away with doing this in the basement.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

you should and don't be surprised if it seems slow to boil you might want some sort of insulation pad, it helps

 

[jeffpn]

Yeah, I expect slow. I’m trying to talk myself into dealing with it. I’m in the basement, I have a Lazy Boy, a big screen, a stereo, and 6 beers on tap. I can also do racking of other batches more easily, since everything is in the basement.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Interested on efficiency with this unit im thinking safe start at around 75 %.

 

[jeffpn]

Yeah, I’m looking at that now. The recipe I just brewed I’ve gotten 80% or more sometimes. I used a refractometer, and I’m showing 64%. The sample had some sediment in it. I’ll check it later with a hydrometer and see if I’m a little better. Plus my volumes may be out of wack. Maybe what I think is a gallon in my old kettle isn’t what they’re telling me a gallon is

 

[jeffpn]

My hydrometer shows that I got 68% efficiency. Still not what I like. We’ll see.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I think your going to have to do a sparge with that, since it has a basket not a bag its possible, so use as little water as possible in the mash then pour the rest of the water over the top of the basket while its up in the air, so you might have to put it on the floor not the table

 

[GFHomebrew]

Yeah, I’m looking at that now. The recipe I just brewed I’ve gotten 80% or more sometimes. I used a refractometer, and I’m showing 64%. The sample had some sediment in it. I’ll check it later with a hydrometer and see if I’m a little better. Plus my volumes may be out of wack. Maybe what I think is a gallon in my old kettle isn’t what they’re telling me a gallon is

Ah I never look at it like that just go metric then I'll understand you!

2nd Ozarks get her sparged and your efficiency will go up.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Grain is cheap , as long as its consistent you'll manage but a sparge will help get a few extra points

 

[jeffpn]

I think your going to have to do a sparge with that, since it has a basket not a bag its possible, so use as little water as possible in the mash then pour the rest of the water over the top of the basket while its up in the air, so you might have to put it on the floor not the table

Yup. That’s exactly what I did. I did sparge. Interesting that 3 different people each assumed I didn’t. I rinsed the grains when using a bag, too. This basket is designed to stand on top of the pot so that sparging is easier. I’m wondering if I didn’t get the full 2 lbs of honey in there. I was using a 2.5 lb jar. I’m not going to start worrying about efficiency yet.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Well there ya go jeffpn you'll get a better idea of brew house from a all grain brew. From another thread I gleaned late sugar additions can play up and scew brew house %.

 

[jeffpn]

It’d be nice to make a cheaper beer, but if I can get less trub brewing this way compared to BIAB, I’ll have more to package. This new way I plan to use less water. I did hit my OG. Let’s hope it mashed ok. I set it to 151°F, but there was a decent swing to it. I never did check it with my mercury thermometer during the mash. But the kettle and the mercury did agree on the post chill temp. My Hydra chiller barely fit.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Sure you'll work it out , my first runs through new equipment gave similar numbers but are all dialled in now .

 

[jeffpn]

My next batch won’t have honey or candi sugar in it. Just grain. I’ll see how that goes. Hopefully better. I’ll also reduce my mash water volume. BIAB, I’d use 6.5 gallons, regardless of grain bill. I know many of you are cringing, but that’s my method. I’ll try a 1.2 qt/lb ratio as the Mash and Boil directions state next time. They say to sparge with 75% of the strike volume, and then top it off to 5.5-5.75 gallons. I’ll still see to it that I end with 6-6.25 gallons, since all of my recipes are written for 6.5 gallons post boil. If I can hit the efficiency I’m used to hitting, I’ll dial back the grains and make cheaper batches. If I can save a dollar a batch, it’ll pay for itself in only 300 batches!!

 

[jeffpn]

I’m getting around 70% efficiency with 1/2 gallon less ending kettle than I did with BIAB. So it’s a wash, and I’m not spending any more on brewing. A built in delay timer can solve my strike water heat up time when I choose to do that. It’s painful waiting for a boil. But, I’m in the basement where all of my equipment is. No more trips up and down the stairs. I’m also using the extra time to do my “trifecta” every time I can. I keg one, rack one to secondary, and brew. So, since I’m not doing the kegging and the racking at other times, total time spent in this hobby is also a wash. All in all, I’m pleased with my purchase.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I’m getting around 70% efficiency with 1/2 gallon less ending kettle than I did with BIAB. So it’s a wash, and I’m not spending any more on brewing. A built in delay timer can solve my strike water heat up time when I choose to do that. It’s painful waiting for a boil. But, I’m in the basement where all of my equipment is. No more trips up and down the stairs. I’m also using the extra time to do my “trifecta” every time I can. I keg one, rack one to secondary, and brew. So, since I’m not doing the kegging and the racking at other times, total time spent in this hobby is also a wash. All in all, I’m pleased with my purchase.

Hey and remember safety sorry to say it but man carrying boiling wort down a flight of stairs has gotta end in grief the more you do it . You've taken away the risk now you can rest easy and churn out more beer.