Closing the loop

In case it isn’t yet obvious, there are distinct advantages to using a double pipe wort chiller in BrauBushka 2.0.

• pellet hops and trub will not clog the chiller
• there is negligible flow restriction to having the chiller permanently in the liquor circulating loop
• if the chiller is external to the urn, the urn only requires minor modifications
• whirlpooling ought be more effective, particularly with a concealed element urn (ie. Crown 40l)
• the chiller is easy to keep clean/sanitary

The plumbing loop is therefore made quite simple. An orifice at the base of the urn/kettle connects to the inlet of the pump. The pump outlet is connected to the chiller which is then connected to the elbow in the urn.

Note that the chiller only chills wort when the cooling water is turned on. The elbow in the urn provides a whirlpool effect if the mash tun is not in place. Alternately, for mashing, the tun connects via the elbow to push liquor up through the grains from the tun’s bottom centre.

BrauBushka 2.0 – Simple and Elegant

Beyond thinking about a new UI for this project, I’ve been musing for some time on the mechanical side of things. I want to make it more capable than the BrauMeister, but I also want it to be simple and elegant. The two things don’t always come together. In particular I have always wanted this brewing machine to have whirlpooling and wort chilling as standard features. The BrauMeister is simple and elegant in part because it does neither of these things.

A couple of things have happened these past weeks to lead me towards a significant breakthrough. The original BrauBushka requires a whirlpool pipe to be inserted once the mash tun is removed. It is both fiddly and dangerous. One time I burnt myself badly when my hand slipped off the pipe and into the boiling wort 😦

Original mash tun fitting

I’m happy to say I’ve engineered a solution that is simple and safe and allows for the feature set I’m after. The original BB had a small pipe connecting the mash vessel to the urn/pump outlet. Many builders have queried me over this simple home solution compared to the larger mating method used by the German machine. Given the advantages of using off the shelf materials, after 100 or so brews with my original machine I’m a staunch advocate for the system.

Version 2.0 takes this idea but modifies the flow path from pump outlet to mash tun. It seems logical to have a return path central to both vessels if thinking simply about liquor recirculating through the mash tun. Adding a whirlpool function requires a different approach as shown below.

Mash tun

The piping shown on the bottom of the vessel is designed to mate with the pump outlet through the bottom of the urn/kettle. The tun is inserted into the urn and given a twist until the pump outlet mates. This complexity means we get simple whirlpooling now as well.

Whirlpool return

The next image is a drawing of the mating connector on the base of the urn/kettle. Under the urn is the pump, with the outlet connecting to the elbow. After boil, wort is circulated from the urn through the pump and back via the elbow. The elbow directs wort towards the urn wall and therefore sets up a whirlpool.

In the next post I will describe the other breakthrough in design – the wort chiller …

User interfaces

One of my pet hates is poorly designed UIs. I’m amazed at how complicated engineers (both professional and amateur) can make an interface. I suspect that by and large engineers get so ensconced in their project that they can no longer see what is or isn’t intuitive.

I’ve long wanted to build a good UI for my brewing machine. The current incarnation of BrauBushka uses code from the Brewtroller project, with just some minor mods. Brewtroller is one of those things that has tried to be all things to all people. I often think that approach becomes unsatisfying for just about all users. I guess I shouldn’t be too critical though. The coding in Brewtroller is way beyond my skillset, so I am in admiration of what they’ve managed to do with an arduino platform. And it is also working well enough to stop me designing my own replacement …. well up to a point.

The other UI I’m familiar with is the Braumeister. Again it is not something I find particularly intuitive. When you only have four buttons you need to jury-rig a lot of functions that require a manual to make sense of. If you can’t do it without a manual, I feel the project is not intuitive enough. The other thing with Braumeister is that it’s feature set is quite narrow. There is an elegance that comes with this, and while I don’t want to overcomplicate BrauBushka, I’d like a few extra features native to the machine.

I’ve had a few days away this week with forest, green hills and running trails so I’m in a more creative headspace than usual 🙂

So I’ve begun a process of trying to keep simple something that can easily get complicated.

I should say I’m a long way from code or even nailing down thoughts into something more tangible. But for me the significant thing is the process has begun and I can see a more intuitive UI emerging – that is if I don’t succumb to that same tendency of engineer that can no longer see the wood for the trees, so to speak …

Quick update

It has been a long time since I’ve posted anything on this site, but I’ve been prompted by a few comments of late.

Essentially I’ve been so happy with the machine’s performance that I’ve not changed much since my last post. There are a few things to note as updates though.

• whole hops require a different strategy
• the simplest filtering mechanism I’ve found is a muslin bag
• I do have plans for another build from scratch one day but because this one works so well there is little incentive to do it at present

I’ve got some hop flowers that did not work at all well with the recirc/whirlpool method of cooling wort. I used a motorised paddle to agitate the wort to chill, but it wasn’t exactly elegant. It is much easier to use pellets.

The muslin bag is the filter to keep grains in place while mashing. The stainless parts do the mechanical work to keep things in place. I’ve found the two together give me a machine that works elegantly.

So far this machine has made 82 batches of beer and is a dream to use. I’ve pretty much dialled in the numbers now so that everything is consistent and repeatable. 🙂

Starting anew – follow up QnA

I’ve been asked a few questions in response to the latest blog entry about starting from scratch.

Crown urn concealed element

Q: I haven’t yet figured out how the inlet to the pipe can flow wort across the concealed element.

A: I’ve not actually seen one of these first hand, but I suspect they may have a circular element with space in the middle for an inlet pipe to return to the mash tun. If that is not the case, the element could be discarded in effect and a custom element installed like the Speidel machine. Alternatively, there is no particular reason the inlet to the mash tun needs to be central. It isn’t in the Speidel machine and could be towards the wall of the urn/kettle.

Water Jacket plans

Q: Have you seen anyone with or plans for a water jacket?

A: I did a search recently but couldn’t come up with anything useful. I’d be interested if anyone else has found something that would serve as a water jacket and can be fabricated at home simply.

Sparge Efficiency

Q: Are you still getting 60% efficiency? That would be without the sparge?

A: I’m targetting my recipes for 65% efficiency but also leaving lots of good sugars behind. Even with that, I regularly hit 70% without trying. I think people with the Speidel machine usually hit 75% and higher. I think I could do the same with mine although I’m not so interested in extraction efficiency, rather hitting numbers reliably. I hit my numbers reliably now, so that is all I’m really concerned about.

Maximum target

Q: With a Crown Urn and a 20l chinese pot (from those Vietnamese suppliers in Richmond?), what size batch do you think you could brew of say a 1.080 beer, and if its possible at all, a 1.090 (without boosting with extract)?

A: I don’t generally do big beers. The biggest so far was 1.070. I can do that comfortably without adding extract, and that is aiming for 65%. I don’t sparge much, so leave a lot of potential sugar behind there. I guess 75-80% would be possible if I needed to push things, so that would mean I could potentially push out a 1.080 beer at about 20 litres. I also leave about 1.5 litres of wort in the bottom of the kettle. I could siphon all of it out and let the break and trub sit for a while to get better utilisation if I wanted.

If I was to start anew …

George asked me what I would change if I was to start from scratch again with the BrauBushka project.

Design philosophy

The answer probably depends on the design philosophy adopted. After 18 months of using various incarnations of my BrauMeister clone I’m even more impressed than I began with the original Speidel design. It is clever, clean, simple. So I’d begin there.

It is a contrast to my original starting point. I tend to complicate and automate simply because I love to tinker with stuff. I’ve got all sorts of goodies in my workshop just begging to be included in the next amazing machine. So 18 months ago I had a couple of automatic ball valves in my control system. One was to turn the pump recirculation path on and off, the other to empty wort into a fermenter.

Over time these ball valves were a pain. I was always around to oversee fermenter filling, and cleaning valves was never simple. The simple solution was to mimic what Speidel had already done – no automated ball valves, and keep fermenter filling separate from recirulation.

Simple technology

I love technology and I believe there is a place for it in the home brewery. At its most basic, technology allows simple regulation of temperatures for both mashing and fermenting. Both are important in making good beer. One of the issues with automating is that it can make sanitation a more difficult task. While it is possible to create complex cleaning routines for complex equipment, it will always be important to pull apart that three piece ball valve as part of regular maintenance. Automation cannot make up for good old fashioned attention to detail.

So if I were to start again, I would target where technology should be used and keep it simple enough to do the job well. So when it comes to mashing, a microcontroller is great at regulating temperatures and timing steps. I’d stick with an arduino based controller for that reason. But when it comes to changing from mash to boil modes in BrauBushka, a simple lift of the mash tun (pipe) is not difficult. I’m going to be around to clean that fermenter in any case.

More than Speidel

The BrauMeister is a great design and a very capable brewing system. It is built to a particular price point and so lacks a few frills that I would include in any home built machine.

Things I would include as improvements are:

• Automatic whirlpool and wort cooling
• Ability to both monitor and control via the cloud (ie. on a smart phone)
• Integration with software such as BeerSmith
• Ability to save and recall previous brew settings
• Simplify the controller and make the unit more compact ala Speidel
• Design so mash pipe does not need to be fastened into kettle

The items above in red are currently implemented in BrauBushka. My machine runs on a modified variation of the BrewTroller system but is more complex than I’d like. BrewTroller attempts to be all things to all brewers. I’ve not had the time or patience to recode it to a point that I’d be happy with.

Whirlpool and chilling

If I had the skills and equipment (or budget) I would build a kettle with a cooling jacket on its outer surface. In lieu of that I run a chilling coil that is fixed permanently inside the kettle and I’m happy with how it works. For whirlpool a simple pipe is inserted into the kettle after mashing that creates a whirlpool when the pump is operating.

Don’t need to secure mash pipe

I know a number of people building single vessel systems have had no end of trouble getting a seal between the mash pipe and the kettle. From the start I went with a simple solution that was within the capacity of tools in the workshop. Rather than have a large opening and seal between pipe and main unit, I went with a modified cam lock fitting. This is quite a departure from the Speidel design because the open aperture in the pipe is very small. This has a couple of flow on effects. First, it is more difficult lifting the mash pipe from the main unit because wort does not drain from it as easily. Second, I’ve discovered that the mash pipe stays in position without any need to lock it down. I do need to lock the top filter on the pipe, but the pipe stays in place on its own during mashing.

The first issue may seem like a deal breaker for some, but I’ve not found it to be a problem at all. All it takes is an extra 30 seconds wait for the system to equilise after mashing, and the pipe can be easily lifted. It may be more of an issue for a 50 litre version but I’ve not tested it.

Equipment for a new build

And as a final note, I would probably start a new build with the following bits and pieces:

• Steve Matheson’s Arduino code and brewing shield (not sure if it is yet available)
• A Crown 40 litre urn
• A 20 litre (5 gallon) cheap Chinese pot that fits inside the urn
• Either a March pump (809 not 815) or check with other builders about smaller alternate pumps

Mmm Stout

On Sunday I brewed for the first time after tweaking, cleaning and attending to some important details. And the result is delightful! Even after a handful of days fermenting the dry Irish Stout based on a Beamish clone is just wonderful.

I promised some video of the brew day. It is a time lapse vid with some extra editing out of ‘slow’ bits.

Chillin’

The new chiller seems to work well. It is more convenient to use than the last immersion unit and the ability to cover the kettle after knock out was great.

BrauMiser

Matho from the Aussie homebrewers site has been building a BrauMeister clone on a budget, thus BrauMiser. He is currently working on an Arduino shield to match the code he has written. Even though I’m very happy with mine, I think I will buy one of these to play around with. Well done Steve!

GABS

The Great Australian Beer Spectacular is on in Melbourne in a couple of weeks. It just so happens I’ve got that week off, so some heady beer tasting is on the cards.

Time to smell the roses

I haven’t had much time to smell the roses or attend to much of anything so far this year. January is usually a bit quiet and I catch up on loose ends, but this year didn’t start that way. And from then on it is pretty hectic for me until the other side of Easter.

It is only in the last few days that I’ve slowed down enough to attend to the small details that count …

I brewed a low alcohol American Pale Ale early in the year and was very pleased with the result, but I can’t say I’ve been happy with my beers since then. The rebrew of that light Pale Ale was the worst of the lot – drinkable but just not right. I’d used the third pitch of slurry on that one and went from a bigger and hoppier beer to the smaller one, and figured I had been a little lax with my yeast management.

But the beers that followed have just not seemed to sparkle that much. They were ok to drink, but not the kind of thing to showcase as best examples of the art.

So I stopped brewing until I had time to catch my breath …

That valve doesn’t smell like roses:

In brewing small details can really matter. In the last couple of days I stopped to look at the brewing rig and decided I really should pull the three part stainless valve on the kettle apart and clean it. It should be part of my regular maintenance, but …

And it was hardly sanitary!!#%!%^$* And neither was the pickup on the inside of the kettle. This is my drain point on the cold side to fermenters. No wonder I’ve been having trouble!

At the same time I figured my fermenters had done their due so I’ve replaced them with sparkling new ones. They were probably ok, but I am sick of making ‘ordinary’ beer.

Top filter locking mechanism

The last time I posted I still had trouble keeping the top filter in place while mashing. After more than a year brewing with BrauBushka I was still seeking a simple and elegant solution. I found it with some simple clips made from some aluminium moulding. The clips go over the top lip of the filter and lock in under the lip of the mash tun (pipe).

Revisiting the chiller:

I’ve been looking for a simple and elegant solution to chilling the wort in BrauBushka. Initially I had a plate chiller in the recirculation path but it was a nightmare to keep things flowing. The filtering required to keep both grain and hop matter out meant that I abandoned it pretty quickly. I went from there to an immersion chiller. This worked well but required inserting after mashing and was quite cumbersome. It also meant I couldn’t easily seal the kettle during chilling.

So I’ve installed a mini chiller from 3/8″ copper pipe, spiralled around the kettle wall and small enough to not interfere with the mash tun. Being smaller diameter and a shorter length than the old immersion chiller, I was interested to see how much longer it would take to chill the wort. The immersion chiller would drop from boil to around 20C in a little over 20 minutes. The new mini chiller takes about 35 minutes to do the same job. It may require some minor recipe tweaks for late addition hops, but I don’t think the difference will be all that great. The convenience in having the chiller always installed and ready to go, plus being able to effectively lid the kettle means I’m inclined to stick with it.

To install the coil I used the ports I’d used for my sightglass. The sightglass was partly fractured and actually fell apart when I was taking it out. It was a disaster waiting to happen! I’ve cut notches into my mash paddle for volume measurement and it will be more than adequate.

Walking through a brew:

So from there I slowly walked myself through a brew day – with water in the rig but no grains. While brewing I never want to slow down and tweak things, but with a wet test run the timing of things doesn’t matter. I tweaked those little things that were annoying but never so much that they had been attended to. I’ve simplified the gantry to hold the mash tun while it drains over the kettle, for example. And I will buy a few stainless fittings to mount the pump properly, and make maintaining that kettle valve a little easier.

Brewing tomorrow:

I’ve got an Irish Ale yeast on the stir plate at the moment and brewing a dry Irish Stout (Beamish clone) tomorrow. We are now in deep autumn so it is time for some winter brews. I will shoot a time lapse video all things going well. A porter will follow, and I’m thinking I may brew a double batch and put one on cocoa nibs. I’ve not done it before but I’ve had a few fabulous chocolate porters recently.

The great ravelling

Canned starter wort

Festive Forest APA fermenting happily at 18C

In our house we refer to ‘ravelling’ as the antidote to unravelling. It involves all those things that are about taking forward steps rather than treading water or just attending to urgent things. We’ve unravelled for quite a while – both of us training for new careers midway through our working lives; moving state and then starting new jobs at once; more recently moving house and becoming new home owners with a 1 acre yard full of overgrown trees and garden.

After 18 months of working through many of the urgent things, it finally feels like the great ravelling is taking us forward. The shed that was stuffed full of junk is slowly being sifted and sorted. I can now find my tools and useful bits and bobs for brewing and other inventive pastimes. And finally, after years of wishing it might happen, I’ve actually canned some excess wort from Friday’s brew session, ready for future yeast starters.

I enjoyed the brew session too. It was my first attempt at a lighter sessionable American Pale Ale. Starting gravity was 1043 with about 31 IBUs. It has pale and light Munich malt in the grist and was mashed high at 70C to give it some residual body. I’m waiting to see how it finishes, because the final gravity is what will really make or break this one. If all works as expected it will be about 4% alc/vol, with good hop flavour and aroma.

It is a 4C hop brew – chinook, colombus, centennial and cascade. Can’t wait to see how this one turns out. I’ll use the 1056 yeast cake from this batch to try my first Tasty APA. After that I’ll be doing a couple of English real ales to re-prime the beer engine.

Speaking of brew session, it wasn’t all plain sailing with the new mash filter arrangement. The March pump has a high flow impellor installed and the pressure produced puts an enormous stress on the top filter. I will swap the impellor out for the original version and rethink how the filters work together. I’m sure I’m not far from a robust and elegant solution.

BrauBushka – one year on getting a few tweaks

Trub and pickup disconnect

Early in December I brewed a Tasty McDole Janet’s Brown to have on tap for our New Year’s Eve party. This brew marked the one year celebration of BrauBushka, and I must say I’m really happy with single vessel brewing. A year on my brewing is more consistent, less complicated and quicker than with any iterations of the three vessel HERMAN series.

Apart from enjoying brewing for the last year, brewing Janet’s Brown confirmed that the whirlpool/filter system just wasn’t up to the job. To get the kettle to drain I had to disconnect the mesh filter on the outer rim of the kettle. This meant I had to stick my hand deep into the kettle, not an ideal situation.

In hindsight it seems the problems are manifold. In order to get good separation of wort and trub a few things need to work in unison. The whirlpool needs to be effective to leave most of the hop and protein matter away from the kettle rim. The trub pile should not be disturbed when filling the fermenter. The filter needs from kettle to fermenter needs to work effectively – that is be big enough to filter remaining particulate matter without clogging.

No gaps between coils

I realised I have problems in at least the first two areas.

1. The chilling coil had no gaps between coils to allow the whirlpool to do its thing.
2. I always opened the valve to fermentor to ‘full on’ which is a good way to disturb a nicely formed trub pile.

In reality, I think #1 is more the issue than #2.

So after months of busyness with work, house and land, and entertaining during this festive season, I finally had a spare day to do some anniversary tweaks on BrauBushka.

Chiller with integrated whirlpool return

I used some stainless mess to fabricate spacers for the cooling coil. It made sense to integrate the whirlpool return pipe into the coil, so that was done as well. Some minor modifications to a pickup shield completed the kettle job.

I had some coffee grounds on hand so I used these to do a whirlpool test. I figured that these will likely be heavier than hops and trub but give an indication if things were performing. The result suggests a vast improvement. Ready for a proper brew session now, I think.

Top filter on mash

I still wasn’t happy with the top filter during mashing. Ever since BrauBushka first made beer I’ve been trying to figure out a neat solution. The BrauMeister seems to have a fairly rigid top filter with a central threaded rod to lock things in place. I didn’t particularly want a central rod but it has made sealing more difficult.

After spending an hour or two puzzling over solutions I went looking for the original lid to the stainless pot that became the mash tun (mash pipe as BrauMeister call it). I found it deep in the shed and soon knocked out what I feel will be a much better solution than the last 12 months.

Again … it is time to brew. A sessionable (<4.5%) APA followed by a Tasty APA are likely to be the first two brews of the year. After that I need to replenish stock for the beer engine.

Thanks to all who have shown interest in the BrauBushka project. During 2012 I have in mind to do some serious code simplification. The BrewTroller project has a much broader scope than BrauBushka and the code is complex because of it. What Matt and JC have achieved is amazing, but I feel it is time to apply the Simplicity Cycle to it. The other thing on the wish list is to re-jig a hop dropper. That might be a rainy day project.

Happy 2012 all.

cheers, prost and other hearty greetings.