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Faster Grain Brew

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  • Faster Grain Brew

    Been looking at the amount of time all grain beer takes.
    The objective: to move quality forward, while reducing the end to end time. Currenlty @ 5 hours - 'start' to 'pitch'

    Over the past few brews have made some significant changes to the post boil process.

    I have done away with hop bags,internal strainers/tap sieves. Gone is the chiller coil. Gone is overnight cooling.

    This is the post boil process:

    1. Plunge 6 x 4l frozen (water filled) milk bottles into the boiler. In 20 mins the temp is 25 – 30°C.
    Reason. This reduces the need for pre and post sterilization of the chiller coil.

    2.Hops have gone straight in whole. Once cool the boiler is now stirred. The vortex creates a low-pressure and the hops settle in the centre of boiler.
    Reason: Better extraction & less washing up.

    3:The boiler tap has been upgraded to a 15mm bore. Once the vortex has settled the tap is opened, the wort - with a few hops is sieved through a household strainer into the fermenter & the yeast added.
    Reason: This seemed a more practical place to have a sieve - much easier to clean. Quicker transfer. No blocking and the tap is easier to clean.

    Can anybody see any flaws with this process? is anybody doing anything similar?
    Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!

  • #2
    I really have to ask how are you sanitizing the plastic milk jugs. This is where I see the week point in what you are doing. The reheating of the chiller really takes no extra time as it is the last point of the boil time this is done. It is the time during the reheating that sanitizes the chiller so there is no possibility of infection from the use of this tool. With my chiller I can bring down 23 liters of wort to 75 deg F in 15 minutes
    http://www.winensuds.com/ Gotta love this hobby

    Comment


    • #3
      "reheating" ??

      I cold sanitize my chiller - as I do the milk jugs. (before and after freezing)
      Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!

      Comment


      • #4
        Why do you cold sanitize the wort chilller? I put mine in 15 mins before the end of the boil. Any spoillage organisms that can survive 10min in boiling wort deserve their chance!
        Oh, hang on, is yours a countercurrent jobbie rather than my simple copper coil? TBH I haven't used the coil for ages. I decant the boiling wort straight into the fermenter with a sieve to catch the hops under the tap. leave overnight to coool and piutch the yeast in the morning. Seems OK so far.

        http://markblades.com
        Bebere cerevisiae immodoratio
        These days I'm drinking in Charcot's Joint.

        Comment


        • #5
          McBlades The transfer of wort above 80 deg f is a exercise towards oxidization. Although oxygen is needed because of the loss during boil when added above 80 deg it starts the oxidization process. If you want to wait over night then put on a lid shut off the boiler let it sit and cool then transfer wort the next day. If you go to google and look for How to Brew by John Palmer a very good read free online downloadable book you will find what I describe in there. The book will describe temperature parameters and if you want acid balances strike water balances etc it is all there.
          http://www.winensuds.com/ Gotta love this hobby

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks for the link, I shall have a read. This may explain some of the off flavours I have experienced in the recent past. . Actually I had noticed a great increase in trub when brewing this way but put this down to the cold break happening in the fermenter rather than the boiler.

            I did think it was a good way to sanitize the fermenter, I will now cease and desist and start using the cooling coil again.

            On a slightly off topic subject. Does anyone know of a UK supplier of iodophor, no rinse steriliser. My karcher steamer is now kaput and I have been using VWP which is a pan to rinse.

            http://markblades.com
            Bebere cerevisiae immodoratio
            These days I'm drinking in Charcot's Joint.

            Comment


            • #7
              just got the 3rd edition on my kindle. Fantastic !!

              http://markblades.com
              Bebere cerevisiae immodoratio
              These days I'm drinking in Charcot's Joint.

              Comment


              • #8
                The transfer of wort above 80 deg f is a exercise towards oxidization.
                Agreed.


                How to Brew by John Palmer
                I was so pleased I bought the book - really good. The page you want is 83

                I had an off flavour which I after research (thanks JP) was DMC. It is produced & naturally removed during the boil. However, mine was being introduced (IMO) by the overnight cool down in the boiler because it is insulated and held the temperature too well.
                It seems that DMC will continue to be created while the wort is warm>hot... but is now retained because the lid on and there is no boil to evaporate it.

                This system is producing the cleanest beer - I have ever made. Both in terms of clarity & taste. No off flavours.

                To answer the question why a ice and not chiller coil - it's just much easier really. No pipes, No taps - but to be fair, there's not that much in it.
                Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!

                Comment


                • #9
                  You are right on with that Cellar rat. I also agree that I made an error in saying out the lid on and cool over night. I do not use insulated boil pots straight sided stainless steel only. I use a open flame back yard cooker very hot and quick to boil. Before having a copper coil chiller I would have a plastic bin full of cubed ice and water that as soon as the boil was done I would set the pot into with the lid on this chilled ok although some times it would take two hours to get the job done. I would put the lid on to prevent airborne yeast and bacteria from making a new home in my brew. I should have done some reading before making that statement. Good point Cellar Rat.
                  http://www.winensuds.com/ Gotta love this hobby

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