matt76's Brewdays

[MyQul]

About £135 back in October when it was on offer on eBay

Cheers. Not planning on buying one. Just being nosey

 

[matt76]

Great stuff! Some interesting tips! Might give mine a go tomorrow evening, I have 3 brews planned, a summer lightning clone, an English ipa and a fisherman's stout.

Can you take the taps off to clean them do you know?

Hmm... Not sure - it looks like you might be able to remove the tap.

Actually this is something I was going to ask on the forum, how do you clean the taps and make sure it's sanitised before you transfer your wort to the FV.....

 

[foxy]

Run some wort through the tap coming up to the end of the boil.

 

[Rodcx500z]

That's what do with the fullhorn

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hmm... Not sure - it looks like you might be able to remove the tap.

Actually this is something I was going to ask on the forum, how do you clean the taps and make sure it's sanitised before you transfer your wort to the FV.....

Hi Matt it must come off, I got a spare silicone seal with mine, not had a problem since July,

 

[matt76]

Run some wort through the tap coming up to the end of the boil.

Thanks for that @foxy , that was the pragmatic idea I had in mind

 

[SteveH]

Looks like a nice upgrade!

I did similar going from stove-top BIAB to a Robobrew, same setup but with a pump which helps with the mash temperature issue (recirculate to ensure even temperature)

You could do the same with a jug to manually recirculate a few times during the mash?

Or add a small external pump of course - IMO having it external would be an advantage as it's easier to clean/unblock (I've had blockage issues with the internal pump on the RB).

 

[Horners]

@matt76 I turn off at dough in and find that my Klarstein pretty much holds temperature throughout hour mash especially if I use the jacket I made from some insulating foil and velcro Just takes a bit of trial and error with different strike temperatures and ambient conditions.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

The taps concerned me with my tea urn as a possible source of infection, I ended up bòling up a small amount of water pre brew and running that through.

 

[matt76]

Looks like a nice upgrade!

I did similar going from stove-top BIAB to a Robobrew, same setup but with a pump which helps with the mash temperature issue (recirculate to ensure even temperature)

You could do the same with a jug to manually recirculate a few times during the mash?

Or add a small external pump of course - IMO having it external would be an advantage as it's easier to clean/unblock (I've had blockage issues with the internal pump on the RB).

Thanks for the suggestions, something to look into.

The reason i discounted a system with recirculation pump is they're all 30L minimum - the concern was whether this is actually to big for my ~12L-ish brew size. I figured, well if i do decide I need a pump it should be simple to retrofit.

But actually in this first brew with the new it my efficiency was much higher that of late - i think maybe because every time i stirred the mash i also lifted the grain basket to mix the wort more, similar to what a pump or jug would do. Oxidation risk maybe? Well, we'll see...

 

[matt76]

@matt76 I turn off at dough in and find that my Klarstein pretty much holds temperature throughout hour mash especially if I use the jacket I made from some insulating foil and velcro Just takes a bit of trial and error with different strike temperatures and ambient conditions.

Thanks for the tip

Yes, this is pretty much what i was getting at re. more manual control. And since i only do a 30min mash the temp loss is even less of a concern.

(Even with the lid off outdoors on a cool day it held its temperature pretty well, as i found out once i realised I'd overheated my mash water by 5-10degC! )

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Matt in my Klarstein biab system I set temp for 70c when it gets there it knocks the heat off, I stir then check temp its normally 2 0r 3 degrees off if high either wait a few mins or a jug of cold water if low heater on for a few mins, its pretty good at holding its temp for an hour being doubled walled, then I dough in I must confess I have not brewed in these cold temps, I brew 21L to the fv so I am on the limit and normally do a dunk sparge

 

[matt76]

AG#32 "Cheatin' Like Helles"

A "cheat" re-brew of AG#28 Munich Helles using lager malt, crystal hops and WY1728 Scottish Ale Yeast.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/926405/ag-32-cheatin-like-helles

2250g Lager malt
200g Vienna malt
50g Victory malt

Full volume mash 30mins @ 65degC
30 min boil
25g Crystal 4.32% 30mins (leaf hops)
15g Crystal 4.32% 15mins (leaf hops)

Pitched fresh pack WY1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

OG 1.041 as efficiency a little down - should come out around 4% ABV which will do me fine.
24 IBU's - a touch high as my OG is little low (higher hop utilisation).

Second brew on my Klarstein Maischfest. Really pleased with it - I accounted better this time for the temperature error when heating the strike water, though I lost a degree or two during the mash, probably because I decided to stir it every 10mins!

Since I was using leaf hops I left the grain basket in for the boil to act as a hop basket - this worked perfectly!

After chilling I left everything to settle for a few hours before draining directly into the FV using the tap - this was also perfect as the trub had all settled just below the drain hole, so I was able to transfer ~10.5L crystal clear wort to the FV (plus I collected the remaining 2L gunk to let it settle out overnight and reclaim a little more wort).

So overall, yeah, still really thrilled with the Klarstein - just need to get the temperature control nailed down and work on efficiency. Practice makes perfect!

 

[matt76]

A few pics of the new toy from yesterday's AG#32 Brewday - like I said above, really pleased with it, great bang for buck

Mashing in the grain basket, still also with a grain bag (actually 2, one coarse inside a much finer one):

Trusty old thermometer still in use

Grain basket can be raised to drain the wort - also works for squeezing the grain bag!

My homemade wort chiller just fits inside the grain basket (used during the boil in this case as a grain basket for the leaf hops):

I'm sure it's partly down to luck but the trub setted just below the tap outlet leaving crystal clear wort on top:

Draining the clear wort directly into the fermenter - also good for aerating the wort:

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Do you cover the klarstein when you chill? I always worry about things dropping in there, fly's, leaves, kids etc. With my tea urn I could put the lid fairly tightly when I chill but am not going to be able to do that with the klarstein, am I being too anal?

 

[matt76]

I don't and I'm not sure it's really possible - but it generally only takes about 5 mins to chill and I'm present throughout agitating the chiller to aid cooling. Once I'm done I stick the lid on while I let everything settle.

(Having said that, I think Klarstein sell a lid or something with an integral chiller, spotted it in a pop up ad the other day... Can't say I see the point but...)

 

[matt76]

AG#33 "Flat Spin" Session IPA (v2)

Brew #3 already on the new Klarstein..... Re-brew of AG#29 but changed the hopping to try and make it more hoppy and less searingly bitter!
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/925228/ag-33-flat-spin-ipa-v2

3kg Golden Promise
15L BIAB full volume no sparge mash @ 70degC for 30mins

30min boil:
7g each Simcoe + Columbus 20mins
10g each Simcoe + Columbus 5mins
10g Simcoe + 10g Columbus + 20g Cascade 0mins

I normally just chuck the flameout hops in literaaly at flameout and then start chilling. But in this cases I chilled rapidly to 64degC and then steeped the flameout hops for 10mins before resuming chilling.

There's also some dry hopping to come too with Simcoe, Cascade, Amarillo & Centennial.

As usual I let the wort settle a few hours to let the crud drop out before draining to the FV - last time I used leaf hops so I used the grain basket in the boil as a hop spider, but this time I just threw the pellets in loose, no grain basket, so I was curious how this would work out.....

When I opened the tap there was a plug of green hop sludge water (100-200ml only probably) followed by nice clear wort. As the kettle drained I could see all the crud on the bottom with a little furrow or divet around the drain hole, probably made when that inital load of crud was displaced. Happily the clear wort seemed to drain OK without drawing any crud along with it.

I pitched Wyeast 1187 Ringwood - not used it before but some recommend its character for IPAs so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Also it's not a massive attenuator which I hope will suit a session beer.

Hopefully it'll come out comewhere around 4.2% with about 35IBUs.

Fingers Crossed.

Cheers,

Matt

 

[foxy]

Do you cover the klarstein when you chill? I always worry about things dropping in there, fly's, leaves, kids etc. With my tea urn I could put the lid fairly tightly when I chill but am not going to be able to do that with the klarstein, am I being too anal?

As soon as I remove the immersion chiller I cover the kettle and let it stand, when I fill the fermenter I put cling wrap over the top. Not being anal, just careful, especially in spring and summer when there is pollen blowing all over the place. This time of the year in the NH you should be alright.

 

[user 18729]

AG#33 "Flat Spin" Session IPA (v2)

Brew #3 already on the new Klarstein..... Re-brew of AG#29 but changed the hopping to try and make it more hoppy and less searingly bitter!
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/925228/ag-33-flat-spin-ipa-v2

3kg Golden Promise
15L BIAB full volume no sparge mash @ 70degC for 30mins

30min boil:
7g each Simcoe + Columbus 20mins
10g each Simcoe + Columbus 5mins
10g Simcoe + 10g Columbus + 20g Cascade 0mins

I normally just chuck the flameout hops in literaaly at flameout and then start chilling. But in this cases I chilled rapidly to 64degC and then steeped the flameout hops for 10mins before resuming chilling.

There's also some dry hopping to come too with Simcoe, Cascade, Amarillo & Centennial.

As usual I let the wort settle a few hours to let the crud drop out before draining to the FV - last time I used leaf hops so I used the grain basket in the boil as a hop spider, but this time I just threw the pellets in loose, no grain basket, so I was curious how this would work out.....

When I opened the tap there was a plug of green hop sludge water (100-200ml only probably) followed by nice clear wort. As the kettle drained I could see all the crud on the bottom with a little furrow or divet around the drain hole, probably made when that inital load of crud was displaced. Happily the clear wort seemed to drain OK without drawing any crud along with it.

I pitched Wyeast 1187 Ringwood - not used it before but some recommend its character for IPAs so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Also it's not a massive attenuator which I hope will suit a session beer.

Hopefully it'll come out comewhere around 4.2% with about 35IBUs.

Fingers Crossed.

Cheers,

Matt

I love that yeast, not used it in a pale yet though. Interested to hear how this turns out

 

[matt76]

I love that yeast, not used it in a pale yet though. Interested to hear how this turns out

Out of interest, which styles have you used it for?