Welcome to your new home Brew Magic!
andrew jensen wrote:
[The runoff was where I have a little room for improvement. I did a 13 gallon boil but could push it a bit higher if I wanted.
FWIW, I squeeze 15 gallons into mine by using foam control. the directions say 2 drops per gallon, so I drop 30 in as soon as I start my runoff (a routine so I do not forget it) and I runoff til the level is 3/4" below the weep holes at the top of the keg. When a boil starts rolling, it gets close but never boils over, unless I didnt pay attention and forget to shut my runoff down. (happens more than I would like!) This volume is perfect for me, 15 gallons boils down to 13, then shrinks to 12.5 after cooled, I lose 1/2 - 3/4 in kettle loss and line loss, leaving 11.75-12 gallons to get split between the 2 fermenters. So with 5.5-6 gallons in each fermenter, I can get 5.25 of good clean beer when transferred. I figure if I could only boil 13 gallons, then I would have less than 5 gallons left over to keg. For me it is all about fitting as much as I can in those kegs!
I brewed a cream ale, actually very similar to the one that brewchez posted not long ago. I used flaked rice instead of corn and threw in just a little centennial. I would probably do the same thing you are doing thirsty as far as boil volume, however my chest freezer will only fit one 6.5 and one 5 gallon carboy in it. Another inch wider and I could fit two in there damn it. That right now is whats driving my volumes. Even using anti foam in the carboys I'm lucky to get more than 10.5 gallons in the fermenter. I still end up with about 4.75 gallons or more in each keg.
May want to check out 6 gallon Better Bottles, They are slimmer than 6.5 gallon glass., about the same as 5 gallon glass.
deafcone wrote:
brewchez wrote:
andrew jensen wrote:
The hop stopper! I've been thinking about one of those for a long time. Glad to hear of your success with it. If the false bottom is inadequate I may just go that route. Thanks.
If you are using whole hops then the false bottom should work well. But if you use pellets, you won't get much seperation.
I assume by your false bottom comment it would be above the spigot in the brew pot correct? Also if I was to put a spigot in my brew pot how high off the bottom should I put it? Then I imangine the false bottom would sit just above it and where would I get a false bottom without having to make one?
DC
There's one on this page that looks almost identical to the one inside the brew magic.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products … SubCat=820
1n1m3g wrote:
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, here's an easy fix to filter out hops and hot break prior to the chiller. I've brewed about 6 batches with it and it works wonderfully well with my homemade counter flow wort chiller. Not sure how such a homemade device would look, aesthetically speaking, if used with a masterpiece such as the Brew Magic, though. Cheers!
How well do hop stoppers, either bought or DIY, work with recirculating while cooling? I use a Shirron plate chiller but usually takes me 15-20 min to get down to 60F so I recirculate and whirpool back into my kettle.
I'm looking for something cheap and reliable and don't care if I have to make it myself. I've been using hop bags since I bought the pump and chiller and its starting to get aggravating. For my last brew I affixed a copper scrubby to my kettle dip tub to act as a filter but I soon learned the hard way that it wasn't really copper when it turned black and little pieces started flaking off.
FirePitBrew wrote:
[How well do hop stoppers, either bought or DIY, work with recirculating while cooling? I use a Shirron plate chiller but usually takes me 15-20 min to get down to 60F so I recirculate and whirpool back into my kettle.
I have not tried doing a recirc, however I think it would work just fine.
You shouldnt have to worry about that too much longer, as the weather cools, your faucet water should cool too, making chilling a LOT faster. Warm weather has tapwater flowing in the mid 60s making chilling a real slow flow. Once the weather stays 50 for a awhile, you can increase your flow rate. In the winter or close to it when it is in the 30s, I have my ball valve almost full bore and I can fill in 4-5 minutes.
That is why I love this time of year for brewing, now until mid november, gives some nice comforting brewdays.
+1 on the cooler weather = cooler water. This Saturday looks like a perfect brew day, and so it shall!!
Search Home Brewing Knowledge Base
Custom Search
|