What are you doing with homebrew today?

I have the low voltage model as well. I'm not as handy as @Craigerr so I have not modded or built anything for it. I do agree with the chiller. It does not work that well for my chilling method (cooler with ice and aquarium pump). I think a taller one would be more effective. It does take a bit to get a boil/simmer going from mash temps. The controller is on the low side and you cannot completely trust the temps throughout your process. Having said all of this, it is still easier to brew with it than my old "clear out the garage, break out the propane and haul out the kettle" method. If I had to do it all again, I'm not sure what I'd go with. That's another chapter........
 
Until today, I was unhappy with the Brewzilla. The temperatures were aleays way off. Then someone (I'll look him up later) reminded me of the calibration feature. I set it and OMG all the temperatures in a 3-step mash were spot on!

How do I kick myself online?

Anyway, even though it took 7 hours instead of 5 (the extra hours were spent waiting for the 500 W element to bring up the temperature) it was far more relaxed, since I did other things instead of tending the machine.

My next experiment will be to completely automate a Brew and see how it turns out. Just fill the mash pipe at one end and start the boil at the other. Almost too easy.
 
Nice! I didn't know it had one either.
 
Frankenbrewer said:
I have the low voltage model as well. I'm not as handy as @Craigerr so I have not modded or built anything for it. I do agree with the chiller. It does not work that well for my chilling method (cooler with ice and aquarium pump). I think a taller one would be more effective. It does take a bit to get a boil/simmer going from mash temps. The controller is on the low side and you cannot completely trust the temps throughout your process. Having said all of this, it is still easier to brew with it than my old "clear out the garage, break out the propane and haul out the kettle" method. If I had to do it all again, I'm not sure what I'd go with. That's another chapter........
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Sounds like you are circulating the wort through the chiller immersed in ice water. I think that you might be better off to run chilling water through the chiller and use the pump to get the wort moving around the chiller coils. The sell a whirlpool arm for this it isn't too pricey. If the wort is still, the chilling effect is less so. As stainless steel is not as good at conducting thermal energy as copper, it would also be good to throttle the flow rate down on the chilling water, or the wort if you still run the wort through it in an ice water bath.
 
Bulin's Milker Bucket Brews said:
I washed a pile of bottles, drank some beer and washed some more.
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I gotta do some of this soon, well the bottle washing anyway. I'm sure the other will happen along the way.

Tried the Leffe Blonde that I packaged 5 days ago. It's fizzy, already. Head doesn't last long, but it does make a head. Goes a little flat after more than 30 minutes in the glass, but it wasn't really chilled yet, either. Nice wheaty Belgian, and a citrus flavor that I have NO FOGGY IDEA where it came from. The yeast? This one was ALL grain, no peels of any kind in it, but the flavor is VERY close to the Rapier Wit I do. Good clarity, too. One of my better brews so far. Hoping the new Rapier Wit comes out this clear. That'll tell me a lot about I've been doing wrong since I started this hobby. When it comes to yeast, go BIG or go home. The more I learn, the finickier I'm getting about my beer. That could be a problem. Or not.
 
Craigerrr said:
Sounds like you are circulating the wort through the chiller immersed in ice water. I think that you might be better off to run chilling water through the chiller and use the pump to get the wort moving around the chiller coils. The sell a whirlpool arm for this it isn't too pricey. If the wort is still, the chilling effect is less so. As stainless steel is not as good at conducting thermal energy as copper, it would also be good to throttle the flow rate down on the chilling water, or the wort if you still run the wort through it in an ice water bath.
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Just the other way around. I run iced water in the chiller that is in the hot wort. I also have the recirc arm. I just posted a new thread in general on this.
 
RoadRoach said:
Nice wheaty Belgian, and a citrus flavor that I have NO FOGGY IDEA where it came from. The yeast?
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Yes. Yeast can give a bit of citrus. I got some in the Q2 2021 dubbel (Mannequin Pees from Alan Harper) several of us brewed. Sweet oranges, just a hint.
 
Donoroto said:
Yes. Yeast can give a bit of citrus. I got some in the Q2 2021 dubbel (Mannequin Pees from Alan Harper) several of us brewed. Sweet oranges, just a hint.
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Ok, then. The Missus kept saying "We put orange peel in that." No, not in that batch, but the one right behind it (Rapier Wit), yes. Guess I'll go wash some bottles while I'm waiting for a lumber order from Lowe's.
 
SabreSteve said:
Didn't post yesterday, it's been too long between my last couple brews. Looking to remedy that. Milled grains for a dunkleweizen, yesterday. Heating strike water as we speak
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Nothing like a Friday morning mash.
 
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