Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Lautering Equipment False Bottom vs Manifold

There are some distinct differences between the these two popular methods of lautering your mash that you will want to consider prior to building your mash tun. As with most brewing equipment or brewing methods, you need to determine which one will provide you with the results that you desire.

A false bottom is simply a plate, generally stainless steel, that is filled with hundreds of uniformly spaced small holes. These are generally round, limiting the user to a round mash tun.

Fig 1: Example false bottom.

A manifold is simply a series if pipes, either CPVC or copper, that has been drilled or slotted with a saw. These are laid as closely to the bottom of the mash tun as possible with the holes or slots facing downward. A manifold can be constructed to fit any size or shape mash tun.

Fig 2: Example copper manifold which fits into cooler.

Time to explore some facts!

Let’s begin with a list of FACTS about false bottoms, their Pros and Cons.

PRO’s for false bottoms:

1. They are readily available, professionally manufactured
2. They are nearly 100% efficient
3. They will lauter nearly 98% of the grain bed uniformly
4. Grain bed depth barely affects their efficiency
5. They are more efficient than manifolds in all cases

CON’ s for false bottoms:

1. More prone to stuck sparges than manifolds
2. They are difficult to make yourself
3. They are only manufactured to fit ROUND coolers or buckets

Time for the FACTS about pipe manifolds, their Pros and Cons.

PRO’s for pipe manifolds:

1. Though not commercially available, they are very easy to manufacture at home
2. They are nearly 93% efficient
3. They will lauter nearly 93% of the grain bed unifromly
4. Stuck sparges are very rare with a properly built manifold

CON’s for pipe manifolds:

1. They are never as efficient as false bottoms
2. Grain bed depth with affect the efficiency of the lauter
3. Pipe spacing will affect the efficiency of the lauter
4. More prone to channeling (fluid taking path of least resistance, also rinsing less sugar)
5. Cleanup can be tiresome as it should be taken apart and rinsed completely.

False bottoms are pretty simple, there is little left to the imagination or to the design, this cannot be said for the construction of manifolds. There are a few principles that need to be discussed if you want to get the most out of your manifold.

#1. Plan your MLT size to coincide with having a deep grain bed, the deeper the better. This will serve to improve the efficiency of any manifold that you construct. A 12” or deeper grain bed is preferred.

#2. Plan the layout of your manifold pipes carefully, optimum spacing is about 2” to 2.5” between pipe centers, OR 4x the pipe diameter. (1/2” pipe spacing is optimal at 2” between centers, 3/8” pipe spacing is optimal at 1.5” on center etc…)

#3. Pipe spacing from the walls of the MLT should be planned at HALF of the optimal center to center distance from #2 above. (1/2” pipe spaced at 2” between centers, would be spaced 1” from center to the edge of the inner wall, 3/8” pipe would be spaced at .75” from the pipe center to the edge of the inner wall etc…)

The afore mentioned design rules will allow for the most efficient manifold for YOUR mash tun. The principles that govern the design needs for a specific manifold are related to fluid dynamics, fluid flow, path of least resistance and creating an even flow velocity around EACH tube in the manifold.

Posted in Equipment | 4 Comments »

Adding Sight Gauges on A Budget

$3.26 Sight Gauge modification for hot liquor tank (HLT) or mash lauter tun (MLT).

This article explains how I added a sight gauge to a 10 gallon hot liquor tank (HLT) cooler as well as an identical 10 gallon mash lauter tun (MLT). Gas fired vessels may also be converted in this manner, but use caution! Many polycarbonate tubes are rated up to only 200F, so their use on boil kettles can become a concern if the heat from the gas burner moving up the side of the kettle exceeds this value to any large degree. The temperature of the liquid may be 200F-205F, but the heat licking at the side of the kettle may be much hotter. This parts list for this modification are suited for the mash lauter tun or hot liquor tank – NOT THE BOIL KETTLE!! When adding a sight gauge to a boil kettle, the tubing needs to be rated for higher temperatures, and different gaskets and fittings are needed to withstand the higher temperature and pressure.

This article demonstrates heating and bending the plastic tubing.  I took care to follow safety precautions such as wearing thick gloves, eye protection, not drinking alcohol while doing this mod, staying away from flammable materials, and I kept a fire extinguisher on hand.   Now that we are past the safety warnings we can get on with the mod, which comes out looking like this:

Parts List:
Qty: (1) ½” OD x ¼” ID polycarbonate tube approx. 19” in length (McMaster Carr $1.65/foot)
Qty: (1) #5.5 drilled gum rubber stopper (LHBS $.65 each)

Tools Required:
Hack saw/cutoff saw/Dremel tool
Propane Torch/Deep Fryer
1” hole saw/1” step drill
Label Maker
Drill

Step 1. Properly locate the hole where the stopper and sight gauge will enter the side of the vessel. This does not need to be at the very bottom of the vessel, but rather at a location where the minimum fluid level required in the vessel can still be measured. For me this is near the 1 gallon mark. I drilled a 1” diameter hole on center at this location. Fig 1

Fig 1

Step 2. Determine the length of the tubing which to cut. I was sure that the tube reached nearly to the top of the vessel, and that there was ample length after the “L” bend at the bottom to get the tube into the vessel and into the stopper. (The sidewalls on some coolers can be as thick as 2”-3”) Cut the tubing using a fine tooth hack saw or some sort of cutoff saw. A rotary tool such as a Dremel would work as well.

Step 3. Determine where to bend the tubing, this will be 2”- 4” from the end of the tubing depending on your application. I marked this location with a permanent marker. Fig 2

Fig 2

Step 4. The polycarbonate tubing will need to be heated at the end that you intend to make the 90 degree bend. This is where the propane torch, OR deep fryer will work. Using a torch will take more skill than using the deep fryer method, and requires heating the tubing gently and evenly.With the deep fryer, I set the temperature to 350F. When the oil was heated I inserted the end of the tubing intended to be bent, submerging it just past the point where I wanted to make the bend. In either case, 350F polycarbonate retains its integrity, but is very pliable and HOT! I used an oven mitten to protect my hands. After the tubing was made pliable I needed to move fairly quickly make the bend, I used the edge of a cutting board with a ½” radius corner as my guide. This allowed a uniform bend and assured a 90 degree angle. Fig 3, Fig 4

Fig 3

Fig 4

Step 5. Then I let the tubing cool!

Step 6. ASSEMBLE: Inserted the stopper from the inside, into the hole that I drilled in Step 1, then inserted the bottom of the “L” tubing into the stopper in the wall of the vessel. I though of using an eye bolt to support the top of the gauge, but then I realized I can simply use the existing cooler handle.

Step 7. CALIBRATE: I filled the vessel one gallon at a time, marking the level of fluid in the sight gauge as I went. Using a label maker I marked these locations accordingly so that I can now precisely measure strike water, infusion water and sparge water quantities quickly and easily. Fig 5

Fig 5

Posted in Equipment | 8 Comments »

New Belgium Brewery Tour

I remember when Fat Tire ale came out and how awesome it was. New Belgium Brewing has carved out a respectable niche and I’m really glad I got to visit. It is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, about a hour north of Denver. By the way, the town is nick named ‘Fort Fun’ by the local college students who like to frequent New Belgium and two other local breweries nearby that give free tastings – daily! Essentially if you visit Fort Collins, no need to buy beer, you can get totally loaded for free on high quality brew.

The place is packed all the time (we went there twice). When you walk in get ready for a very youthful, loud, fun atmosphere. Beer everywhere – it is all they serve! You get to choose four 4oz samples from their menu, which explains the different varieties. You only get one shot per day so pick wisely. I was lucky to share with my wife. We both left there in high spirits.

Their lambic style was right in line with barn yard like flavors and ripe fruit. They also had a Belgian golden ale which was delightful, hints of white wine, but a mild bitterness, very refreshing. I was not a fan of the 1554 Ale, it seemed too light in body for such a dark beer. Apparently they used lager yeast on it, but I was searching for malty body and my tongue did not find it.

They also offer guided tours. I took some snaps of the behind the scenes.

Yes, those are cans, New Belgium is packaging in cans these days. Who’d a thunk it??

I sure would love to have a stainless steel canonical fermenter of that size (or any size for that matter)!

I don’t even know what these pipes are for but they look shiny and must be important.

I highly recommend visiting this brewery, it was a lot of fun, I learned a few things, and I got some free beer. Did I mention free beer?…..

By the way, if you want to piss off a Belgian, mix up the grammar. Say ‘wow you are from Belgin‘, man I’ve heard ‘Belgium beer is CrAzy’. As I was writing this post I mixed it up myself several times.

One of the things I learned there, the host/bouncer will “bounce you out of here like a golf ball in a Walmart parking lot” if he doesn’t like you. He felt obliged to let the entire room know this at one point. Thanks for reading!

Click here to read about the Coors tour we took on the same trip.

Posted in Fun | 2 Comments »

Baby Hops Sprout Pictures

After only three weeks of putting hops rhizomes in the ground they are already sprouting!  Check back on the website for regular updates. Growing hops is easy and so much fun!

Cascade Hops Sprouts 1 – After 3 Weeks

Hallertau Hops Sprouts – After 3 Weeeks (about 5 inches tall)

According to Fresh Hops we are not to prune anything off the baby hops. When they are big enough I will train the strongest shoots onto a climbing line attached to the trellis. Thankfully due to the Oregon climate, I have not had to worry about watering them as it has rained almost every day! If it gets dry I will gently wet them down with the hose, but I won’t over do it.

We put in six new hops plants this year. One Nugget, one Magnum, one cascade, one Kent Goldings, and two Hallertau. As I understand it, Hallertau (aka Hallertaur) is being pulled by hops farmers in favor of higher yield, higher alpha acid varieties in Oregon. This concerns me as Hallertau is a noble hop variety and one of the best for German lagers and Pilsners. Mt. Hood is a substitute for Hallertau, but its not the same. The lagers I have made with Mt. Hood turned out great, but there are differences. Across the batches I have brewed, Mt. Hood is cleaner smelling and tasting, while the Hallertau adds a more floral scent and subtle complexity to the flavor of the beer (the kind of thing money can’t buy). I am growing Hallertau for my personal supply so I ensure myself access to the variety.

For information on how we planted these hops rhizomes see this article on planting hops.

Posted in Hops Growing | 1 Comment »

Cold Crashing Ales A Way to Clarify Beer

Many homebrewers are interested in achieving that sparkling clarity that they see in mass produced beers. A clear beer doesn’t taste any different, and if it is free, your friends won’t be complaining if it is a little hazy! Clearing your creation will further highlight the care and effort that you put into producing it.

Clearing beer with cold temperatures is easy and effective, if you are patient. Ferment your beer as you always do, being sure that you have reached FG and that the beer is ready to be bottled or kegged. Place the fermentor in your lagering/fermenting refrigerator for a minimum of one week at nearly 38F. Given more time, more of the haze producing proteins will coagulate and settle out.

During this time at cold temperatures, proteins and yeast will be settling out of the beer, as they do when you place your bottles of hazy beer in cold storage for long periods. Temperature and time are your friends when you are cold crashing beer. After a minimum of one week at about 38F you can rack your beer off the settled yeast and trub and either bottle or keg it.

If you are bottling your beer, prime the beer normally but be sure to place the bottles in a 70F climate to ensure that the yeast has an optimum temperature at which to carbonate your beer.

If you are kegging your beer, simply transfer the clear beer to an awaiting keg. Since the beer is at or near your serving temperature this is a great time to apply pressure and begin to carbonate. CO2 does not dissolve well into warm beer, but at nearly 38F you will be able to properly carbonate your keg in as little as 24 hours.

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All Grain Brewday Checklist Posted

Dear fellow brewmeisters and brewmistresses,
A checklist of steps in the beer brewing process for all grain based recipes has just been posted. Find it by linking to it in the upper right corner of the site or clicking on this link: All Grain Brewday Checklist.

I was inspired to build this the other day as I nearly forgot to add brewing salts to the mash tun! With this brewing checklist on hand, I won’t forget a critical step in the brewing process. It complements the recipe templates and calculators at this site.

We are currently working on expanding the mash calculator, and partial mash brewday sheets.

PROST! – Larry

Posted in Announcements | 5 Comments »

White Labs Burton Ale Yeast or Wyeast Thames Valley

Earlier this year I brewed 3 pale ales with WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast. According to mrmalty, it is the same Wyeast strain as: 1275 Thames Valley Ale Yeast.

I had success with this strain, and propagated it a few times without any problems. The beer is excellent but I would like to warn fellow brewers. This strain is not suited for light ales. It is suited for deep flavored, malty amber or dark beers with higher levels of bitterness. The yeast imparts a roasted/burnt spicy flavor at the end. This addition does not compliment a light grain bill and I see it as a defect in one of my batches. I can see how the flavor goes really well with the beers matched to the high sulfate levels in the brewing water in Burton/Thames. Next time, I would use it in an IPA, Porter, Stout, Brown Ale, etc. It is a bit of a risk for a Pale Ale, or anything lighter, but you might enjoy the spicy roasted character in the aftertaste so I encourage people to try it out.

This yeast finished fermenting in about 10 days every time. It tended to get easily kicked up when siphoning. It is rated as medium flocculation, I would call it low but not super cloudy like a hefeweizen. Compared to results I got in the past with WLP002 English Ale, the beer is not as clear, but definitely has more character in the flavor profile.

I did three batches with it, playing around with hop varieties against the same grain bill (90% Pale 2-Row, 10% Crystal 40). I tried a Chinook/Centennial ale, a Nugget/Centennial ale, and an all Cascade ale. All were geared for 35-40 IBU, with the first hop listed as the bittering hop and the second hop listed as the aroma hop for 10 minutes.

In terms of attenuation (how well it converted sugar to alcohol), it is above expectations. White Lab’s website says this yeast gets 69-75% attenuation, but I got slightly higher. I was doing a one step mash at 152F for 60 minutes. The fermentation temperature was between 65-68F in the house.

Batch 1 attenuation : 76.2% FG was 1.010
Batch 2 attenuation : 77.2% FG was 1.008
Batch 3 attenuation : 82.6% FG was 1.008

The next time I do a run of pale ales I will try a different yeast variety with the same grain bill and hops to see how it changes. My bottles are almost all full again so I need to have a party or something.

Posted in Yeast Cultures | 7 Comments »

Coors brewery tour

My wife and I took vacation recently in Colorado, specifically Fort Collins and Boulder which is about a hour north/north-west of Denver by car. There are several breweries that give tours in that area. One of them happens to be the largest single site brewery in the world, the Miller-Coors brewery in Golden Colorado. Hey, that sounds too good to pass up even if it is swill beer?

Miller-Coors pumps out an astounding 22 million barrels annual. A barrel has 31 gallons, so that is 682 million gallons, or 87.3 billion ounces of beer! It is hard to imagine all that beer. Sadly most of it is keystone light, Coors, and a few others. They have their own freight system which is pretty sweet.

The brewery is built right on the water source. They also own a glass bottle plant nearby. This all factors into why the beer is so inexpensive. The water there is reportedly very good for brewing, comes down out of the Rockies, must be pretty low in overall mineral content.

The tour starts on a bus that drives a few blocks through the town and then drops you off inside the complex. After they check you in, they take your picture. Later they try to sell it to you for $20. Then they give you a hand held device that acts as your tour guide. Like their beer, the tour was tailored for mass production.

Some of the inside of the facility is pretty neat, pictures provided.

They press their grains with these odd contraptions which they don’t explain. I imagine this is how they get an extra few percentage points of efficiency out of the brewing process, which probably amounts to millions of dollars annually.

Towards the end of the tour you get to see one of the packaging lines.

At the end, you can have three free glasses of beer, from about four different types too choose from.  We were not totally impressed and left most of it behind. Granted, we are discriminating beer drinkers. I wouldn’t say we are beer snobs, but our taste for beers has developed with our home brewing skills. One of the most notable flavors in Coors’ banquet beer is the sweetness. It dominates the flavor profile and squelches out any malt or bitterness. In the other styles we noted tannins, sourness, and oxidized flavors!

After the tour and the free beer, finally the best part – the gift shop. We had fun modeling cardboard keystone light and Coors hats made from the boxes the cans come in. They also make Coors Light bikini underwear, but we didn’t pick that up. I did bring home a $1 Miller-Coors plastic mardi gras chalice cup. I collect chalices and other beer glasses, so if figured for $1 what the heck!  It works good for ice cream.

Click here for the New Belgium brewery tour we took on the same trip, up in Fort Collins Colorado. Now that is worth going to. Fort Collins also has two other local breweries that give free tastings and a couple other brew pubs.

Posted in Fun | 7 Comments »

Brewing Process Improvement Ideas

Consistency is the Virtue of Homebrewing
Part 3: Process improvements

To brew a consistent beer from one batch to the next, it helps to have clean, sanitary equipment each and every time. This is discussed in depth in Part 1 of this series. If you’ve just stumbled upon this article, I recommend starting from the beginning. It also helps to have a detailed recipe, and a good set of process notes to act as a ‘road map’ of how previous batches developed. This was covered in Part 2. However the best notes and the cleanest equipment can still be undone if your brewing processes leave the door open for uncontrolled changes from batch to batch.

The key points for consistency in your brewing process are are:

• Crush grains consistently
• Mash consistently
• Water chemistry balance
• Sparge consistently
• Cool the wort quickly
• Use the same type of fermentor and control the temperature
• Transfer the beer between vessels gracefully – gravity and spigots are your friends!

The good news is, these process improvements in home brewing can be made incrementally and on a budget.

The Crush:

A frequent source of variation is the crushing of the grain; while it’s certainly possible to crush your own grain with household items, do-it-yourself techniques inherently lend themselves to variations. Most homebrewing stores that sell grain have a mill and will provide that service free of charge with the purchase. Be careful though, your local home brew store (LHBS) mill might have the gap set a little too wide. This site has an article on how to best crush your grains.

The Mash:

Most people start out doing extract batches with a kettle such as this:

As you progress towards partial mash brewing or all grain brewing this becomes a limitation. The uninsulated metal pot has problems keeping the mash at a constant temperature. It requires a lot of attention to mash with (eg: stir, remove it from heat, stir again, then re-heat, etc). Over the course of the 60-minute mash time it is a lot of work to keep the mash in the 145F-158F degree temperature range. While this gives a good mix of alpha and beta type starch conversion for any given beer, it doesn’t give very consistent results from batch to batch. Switching to an insulated mash tun (converted from a cooler with a kit found at most homebrew stores) not only removes the stirring and temperature adjustment, it also means every batch of beer mashes the same every time. As we mentioned in the record keeping article, noting the temperature of the mash, and monitoring it closely is key.

Water Chemistry:

Water chemistry in mashing is also a concern and there are a lot of details involved. Generally adding a teaspoons or less of the correct brewing salts can help bring flavor ions into balance and the cost is negligible. This site has a water chemistry calculator and a write up that details water chemistry in brewing.

Sparging:

All-grain brewers also needed to sparge or lauder grain, another process that improves with practice. At its most basic, the process of sparging is pouring water over mashed grain to wash the remaining sugars and non-fermentables into the wort. Originally this is accomplished by simply pouring water over the grains, called batch sparging. Again here, noting time it soaks, the amount of water, and the temperature is crucial to success. To get even more consistent there is fly sparging, or the use of a RIMS/HERMS system.

Cooling:

After boiling the wort, it needs to be chilled to below 80F (26C) before the yeast can be added. The easiest method for chilling is simply to allow it to cool; unfortunately, this method is not only slow, but means that the wort is exposed to air (and thus wild yeasts, molds, and bacteria) for a longer interval. A wort chiller (below) speeds up the process considerably, reducing exposure and resulting in a more consistent brew week to week.

Fermentation:

Most homebrewers start out with a plastic pail with a simple lid, and this works very well for the first few batches and some swear by this approach. Upgrading to a glass or plastic carboy is more expensive, but with the addition of a simple airlock, you’ve just refined your process again. Glass vs. plastic fermentation has been debated in the brewing forums in the past. This site has an article explaining the pro’s and con’s.

The temperature of the fermentation is also key.  Yeast produce different flavor profiles at different temperatures, generally the higher the temp the more interesting the flavors will be. This can be a plus or a minus depending on the style but it is another variable to worry about in consistency.   Some home brewers have built their own insulated chamber to control for this.   Paying attention to what time of year a brew was done is a good way to start correlating temperature of fermentation with your results.  There used to be a rule in Germany that forbid brewing after summer started because they knew the beer would be ruined by the heat – of course back then they did not have climate control.

Transferring:

When transferring the wort to the fermentor it needs to be aerated but after that it should not be exposed to oxygen. If it does get exposed to oxygen it will develop off flavors in the bottle over time.

When possible, setup your equipment so it can be drained by gravity. For example, if your kettle has a ball valve on it, then you can drain the kettle into the fermentor quite easily through a sanitized hose. If your fermentor happens to be a bucket, you can fit it with a spigot (before hand) and similarly rack to the secondary or bottling bucket by opening the valve and draining through a tube. Bottling buckets with spigots are extremely handy. As for racking out of a glass carboy, an auto siphon is an easy way to go. If you have to manually raise the container up to the table, make sure to give it a few hours to settle first.

Conclusion:

All of these improvements can be done separately. Each improves one step of the brewing process, removing uncontrolled variables and ensuring that the only changes from batch to batch are the ones you, the brewer, intended. There’s nothing wrong with the basic starting kit, but as you progress in the hobby, you’ll find each of these improvements results in a better beer overall.

Achieving consistency can be a long road. It involves developing good cleaning habits, practicing strong record-keeping discipline, and gradually improving your processes. The reward for being able to brew beer that tastes the same from batch to batch isn’t just a consistently drinkable beer. It also means that the results of experimentation can be clearly identified, meaning each new batch means more knowledge for you, the homebrewer.

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Best Grind Setting for Grains

It pays to listen to your grist, it can tell you a lot about your brew day before you ever mash in, if you look and listen to what it is telling you. Do not underestimate the importance of a good crush and the pitfalls of a bad crush on brew day. Your brewing efficiency can be negatively impacted if the grain is milled too coarsely, making your beer weaker. However, if you grind too fine you risk a stuck sparge – which really sucks!  This article will tell you how to best mill your grain and provide photo examples.

(Fig. 1) The GOOD crush: A good crush is one that produces little flour, but fully separates the inner meal of the kernel from the husk. In doing so, the husk must be left mostly intact. The benefits of this crush are little flour which can cause a sticky stuck sparge, excellent mash conversion due to the fully exposed inner kernel, no astringency from shredded husks and a good filter bed from leaving the husks intact. Gap set to 0.035″.

Fig. 1

(Fig. 2) The BAD crush (too coarse): A coarse crush can be found relatively easily when buying pre- milled malts from many suppliers. Many homebrew stores crush their grains more coarsely to provide less of a chance of a stuck sparge, but this will also cause you low mash efficiency resulting in the need to use more grain to achieve the target OG of your brew. This crush is defined by no flour, cracked but not separated inner meal of the kernel, and yes, some whole kernels left in the grist. You will see poor mash efficiency, no astringency from shredded husks and a great filter bed since you are dealing with such large kernel/husk portions. Gap set to 0.065″.

Fig. 2

(Fig. 3) The BAD crush (too fine): When a poor crush is defined as too fine, it is generally caused by someone being a little over zealous in achieving high mash efficiency. A good goal, but you can go too far. This crush is defined by a lot of flour, shredded husks and nearly pulverized meal from the kernel. The results will be excellent mash efficiency (if you can actually drain the MLT), a poor filter bed from the shredded husks, some astringency from the shredded husks and an almost certain stuck sparge from the flour. For the record, labs will do a fine grind when analyzing grain extract potential but home brewers should avoid such a fine grind. Gap set at 0.025″.

Fig. 3

Use the crush setting specified by figure 1 above and you will have a better brew day!

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