74 replies to this topic

[MtnBrewer]

Pics are here, give them a few minutes to upload: https://www.math.fsu...ectric Brewery/

[HVB]

Pics are here, give them a few minutes to upload: https://www.math.fsu...ectric Brewery/

Looks good. How was the steam, any issues. Electric brewing is so nice IMO, it is really quiet compared to a propane burner.

[matt6150]

Really cool! Looks like you followed that followed that electric brewery site pretty accurately, even splurged for the pre-bent HLT coil. I did notice a whirlpool port. Are you recirculating and whirlpooling while chilling and then pump to the fermenter when it gets down to temp? How did the hopstopper work?

[davelew]

Nah, someone here (davelew??) has external band/barrel heaters to do the trick. But they're on the side

Yeah, that's me. I love watching the toroidal boil pattern with bubbles coming up the sides, and a serious downwelling in the middle of the pot. It's like a liquid doughnut continually turning itself inside out.My BK sitting on a piece of nylon with silicone adhered to the top and bottom, sitting on an aluminum table. The nylon has the words "GHETTO TRIVET" written on the side in sharpie. The silicone keeps everything from slipping, even when wet.

[MtnBrewer]

Looks good. How was the steam, any issues. Electric brewing is so nice IMO, it is really quiet compared to a propane burner.

No the steam was fine. Got some condensation on the windows and a tiny bit on the wall above the pot. It was gone the minute I stopped the boil. What's noisy are the pumps but at least during the boil you can shut them off.

Really cool! Looks like you followed that followed that electric brewery site pretty accurately, even splurged for the pre-bent HLT coil. I did notice a whirlpool port. Are you recirculating and whirlpooling while chilling and then pump to the fermenter when it gets down to temp? How did the hopstopper work?

Recirculating in place and then pumping to the fermenter is the plan but the hopstopper clogged because I was pumping too hard trying to create a whirlpool. ("I told you so." -- djinkc) Imma have to figure something else out there. That was the only thing that went really wrong, i.e. beyond just learning curve goofs. I still got about 8-9 gallons of wort but should have been 1 or 2 more.OG is right, the wort tastes good, it's fermenting so can't complain too much.

[HVB]

What's noisy are the pumps but at least during the boil you can shut them off.

Yes, My little giant is a loud SOB but the Iwaki is barley noticeable. The LG is going to be replaced soon by something else.

[matt6150]

Recirculating in place and then pumping to the fermenter is the plan but the hopstopper clogged because I was pumping too hard trying to create a whirlpool. ("I told you so." -- djinkc) Imma have to figure something else out there. That was the only thing that went really wrong, i.e. beyond just learning curve goofs. I still got about 8-9 gallons of wort but should have been 1 or 2 more.OG is right, the wort tastes good, it's fermenting so can't complain too much.

Yeah that's what I wondered. Seems to be a common complaint over at the electricbrewery forums.

[MtnBrewer]

Yeah that's what I wondered. Seems to be a common complaint over at the electricbrewery forums.

If I had drained through the chiller into the fermenter, I think it would have been fine. So that's my short-term solution until I can figure out how to make whirlpooling work.

[HVB]

If I had drained through the chiller into the fermenter, I think it would have been fine. So that's my short-term solution until I can figure out how to make whirlpooling work.

whirlpool issue was just because of the hopstopper correct.

[matt6150]

If I had drained through the chiller into the fermenter, I think it would have been fine. So that's my short-term solution until I can figure out how to make whirlpooling work.

Could you just remove the hopstopper and just have a pickup along the side. Then whirlpool and let it do what it's supposed to do and cone up in the center.

[MtnBrewer]

whirlpool issue was just because of the hopstopper correct.

Pretty much yeah. Because the hopstopper clogged, the flow rate was so slow that it would have taken forever to chill the wort in the kettle. When I ran the test boil, it took no time to chill.

[MtnBrewer]

Could you just remove the hopstopper and just have a pickup along the side. Then whirlpool and let it do what it's supposed to do and cone up in the center.

Yeah as long as the side pickup didn't also clog.

[HVB]

Pretty much yeah. Because the hopstopper clogged, the flow rate was so slow that it would have taken forever to chill the wort in the kettle. When I ran the test boil, it took no time to chill.

one optionhttps://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Stainless-Steel-Basket_p_135.html

[BlKtRe]

Yeah as long as the side pickup didn't also clog.

Mine is wide open and never clogs nor does my plate chiller. The key is getting a good whirlpool which is easy with a flat bottom kettle.Edit.....I dont get trub in the fermenter either.

Edited by BlKtRe, 11 February 2013 - 12:10 PM.

[djinkc]

I tried recirculating for the whirlpool once. At the time it was going through a CFC and post chiller (this was a sanitizing step also). It just couldn't move wort fast enough. Now I recirculate StarSan after a hot water flush for sanitizing. My whirlpool is with a big ole SS spoon and 15 minute rest. I'm draining through a side pickup with a dam. The first cup or so gets dumped since some sludge is in it. Then pump through the plate chiller. If I'm doing a 175df hop addition I just us the old IC to drop the temperature and take it out. Seems to work OK here. I still think the element doesn't let allow the cone to compact as much.