Am I the only one who that turns flaws into engineering problems?

[Tim Bulin]

I mentioned in another thread recently that I really shouldn’t be allowed to have hobbies…

After going through the judges sheets from the Badger Brew Off, I can see where my Czech Dark and Cali Common fell short. Recently started bagging my hops and, I must admit, the resulting beer is just a bit lifeless for lack of a better way to put it.

And this is where I generally end up down the rabbit hole. I am constantly trying to engineer better process control into my brewing. Think I’m going to ditch the bags and add stainless inline filtration ahead of the plate chiller.

Of course this has me thinking about replacing my fermenters with stainless steel pressure capable ones. That would result in my beer never touching anything but stainless and eliminating any chance of oxygen exposure from the process. A cooling coil and decent thermal insulation and I could drop the yeast out the bottom valve and lager under precise co2 pressure, transferring directly either into kegs or bottles(with the canular bottle filler) completely co2 purged.

Maybe I’m overthinking this…

 

[Craigerrr]

I bag my hops and get good results, I use really big bags (paint strainer bags) so they don't end up getting packed tight and don't get the necessary wort contact.

Maybe replace the plate chiller with a counterflow chiller. If hops will clog your chiller, they will likely clog the filter too. CF chiller super easy to clean, went this route because I do tend to add a lot of hops... even though I bag there is still a fair bit of hop material that gets through.

Going to a pressure fermenter doesn't have to be expensive. I love my allrounder, very versatile, super easy to clean, and beer is pretty close to fully carbed when transferring.

 

[Tim Bulin]

I bag my hops and get good results, I use really big bags (paint strainer bags) so they don't end up getting packed tight and don't get the necessary wort contact.

Maybe replace the plate chiller with a counterflow chiller. If hops will clog your chiller, they will likely clog the filter too. CF chiller super easy to clean, went this route because I do tend to add a lot of hops... even though I bag there is still a fair bit of hop material that gets through.

Going to a pressure fermenter doesn't have to be expensive. I love my allrounder, very versatile, super easy to clean, and beer is pretty close to fully carbed when transferring.
View attachment 35742View attachment 35743

Haven’t clogged the plate chiller yet, I have a false bottom in the boil kettle and use whole hops, it’s just that little bit that gets past the false bottom that bugs me.

The pressure capable is just a side benefit, I have several fermenters already(including an all rounder) but really want to replace the last non-stainless vessel in the chain.

 

[Stu S]

You may be over-engineering it, but also - maybe not. I have an aging degree in Chemistry, so I resort to K-Meta & Ascorbic Acid in all my batches to control O2. Also, if I use secondary fermentation (rare, but sometimes I do for big beers), I add about 1-2 oz of corn sugar per 5gal into the bottom of the secondary to ensure a small fermentation phase takes place to push a bit of CO2 into the head space while it conditions.

So, if you're an engineer, engineer away - and if you're a chemist, go with alchemy - and if you stayed at a Holiday Inn last night, do both!

 

[Megary]

It’s all about how you enjoy spending the time you set aside for your hobby…what keeps you engaged in homebrewing. Because, in the end, if you aren’t enjoying the hobby you wouldn’t brew and you would just find something else to do. I love reading how people engineer, pump, pressure, control, and design their way through the brewing process. It fascinates me the ingenuity that people have.

Unfortunately, I’m the opposite. For me, less is way more. A pot, bag and spoon are all I need. And if I can find a way to get rid of the spoon, I would. Does that mean my beer sucks? Maybe. But I love the time I spend making that sucky beer.

 

[Brew Cat]

brewing is like building a marble run
sure you can just place the marble from one cup into the other and get the same result
and that's fun as well
my marble always jumped off the track though LOL

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I'm not sure what to do about your hop problem, I just go Commando in the boil kettle.

I tackled the post fermentation oxygen a couple of years ago, I suspect oxygen could be dulling the aroma and flavor of your beer.

I too wanted to go to stainless, but the fermenters commercially available were big, clunky and expensive. I wanted them to fit into a keezer and have handles.

I am pretty handy, so I decided to modify a tall 1/4 barrel Sanke keg. I picked the 1/4 barrel tall for a number of reasons; first it had enough headspace for more active fermentations when making 5 gallon batches. Second, it was tall and nearly the same size as a corny (slightly fatter) and fit into my keezer nicely. Third, those kegs are tough, can take abuse, good to 50psi and fairly cheap.

I added some post adapters for Corny posts and made my own top for it. the beauty of the Sanke keg is that it's easy to braze due to it's heavier build, so all the posts are brazed on place. The top is now being sold by MoreBeer, so need to make your own.

The top is held on by a 2" tri-clamp. I can pressure ferment, do closed transfers, ferment and serve from the same vessel because of the floating dip tube (I don't do that very often unless I'm feeling lazy). I can also transfer to it and used it as a serving keg. I added 2 gas ports for venting when the top is opened for dry hopping or adding clarifiers. The keg always has positive pressure on it when the 2" top is opened to reduce oxygen ingress.

The posts are from brew hardware:
https://www.brewhardware.com/ProductDetails.php?ProductCode=KegPostWeld

The top is here:
https://morebeer.com/products/ball-...3i9d6RI_U-HFJwMge5jOV14jy_MkRGoMaAuQDEALw_wcB

The floating dip tube can either be the FLOTit or any standard ball pickup.

https://www.kegconnection.com/kp200...220&gbraid=0AAAAAD9SNQmICF48hhZ17dQaPpzQr0DCs

 

[Brew Cat]

not the best shape
but it works

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

not the best shape
but it works

Oh, contraire! Yeah, you're right, it's not sexy, but it's easy to handle. The shape has little to do with fermentation on our scale and these things makes really good beer, plus they're way cheaper than others.

 

[Minbari]

I'm sure you have followed my thread. I'm the king of over engineering, lol. It's part of the fun, sometimes more fun than the brewing, lol

 

[Brew Cat]

Oh, contraire! Yeah, you're right, it's not sexy, but it's easy to handle. The shape has little to do with fermentation on our scale and these things makes really good beer, plus they're way cheaper than others.

Probably right for simple fermentations but I do a lot of open ferments which requires more surface area
I actually made one with the tri clamp like yours pain to clean and see the dip tube
I use a stainless brew bucket that I put a tri clamp on with ball valves for low pressure transfer
More versatile only cost $85 8 gallons

 

[Dave Y]

I mentioned in another thread recently that I really shouldn’t be allowed to have hobbies…

After going through the judges sheets from the Badger Brew Off, I can see where my Czech Dark and Cali Common fell short. Recently started bagging my hops and, I must admit, the resulting beer is just a bit lifeless for lack of a better way to put it.

And this is where I generally end up down the rabbit hole. I am constantly trying to engineer better process control into my brewing. Think I’m going to ditch the bags and add stainless inline filtration ahead of the plate chiller.

Of course this has me thinking about replacing my fermenters with stainless steel pressure capable ones. That would result in my beer never touching anything but stainless and eliminating any chance of oxygen exposure from the process. A cooling coil and decent thermal insulation and I could drop the yeast out the bottom valve and lager under precise co2 pressure, transferring directly either into kegs or bottles(with the canular bottle filler) completely co2 purged.

Maybe I’m overthinking this…

There is recreational over engineering and the there is the unproductive spin out.

It’s beer. We’ve been making it for millennia.
I use large bags for pellet hops, and fresh/whole hops, and I’m getting decent, respectable bitterness, flavor and aroma.

 

[Donoroto]

@Tim Bulin No, you are not the only one.

 

[Tim Bulin]

@Tim Bulin No, you are not the only one.

Good to know, it’s kinda my thing.