Brew day!

[Maker]

I don't think welding is the solution this time.

I've flattened the false bottom, I'll cut a couple of inches off some 4" pipe to make a support for it but it can just sit loose in the bottom of the mash tun. The kettle has stopped leaking, don't know why, maybe I tightened the clamp harder, or perhaps not as hard. Only real problem is the pumps, I haven't figured out why they wouldn't work, and they're potted so I can't dismantle them for a proper look. I'm thinking about a big peristaltic pump...

 

[Brad93]

I don't think welding is the solution this time.

I've flattened the false bottom, I'll cut a couple of inches off some 4" pipe to make a support for it but it can just sit loose in the bottom of the mash tun. The kettle has stopped leaking, don't know why, maybe I tightened the clamp harder, or perhaps not as hard. Only real problem is the pumps, I haven't figured out why they wouldn't work, and they're potted so I can't dismantle them for a proper look. I'm thinking about a big peristaltic pump...

Peristaltic is the way to go

 

[drjim]

I just use these...

JZK DC 12V Brushless Submersible Water Pump 800L/H 5M Micro Small Water Pump for Pond/Fountain/Pool/Aquarium Water Circulation System, Solar Circulation System : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop JZK DC 12V Brushless Submersible Water Pump 800L/H 5M Micro Small Water Pump for Pond/Fountain/Pool/Aquarium Water Circulation System, Solar Circulation System.

www.amazon.co.uk

Flexible tap connectors with 1/2" bsp ends connect straight on, compression 15mm fittings conveniently have 1/2" bsp threaded parts so some ball valves T's and a little bit of pipe to connect between.

I've never had an issue with sediment above the tap level, how long had it been settling out?? As to the hose - that syphon hose looks about the right size. Or just get a few quids worth the right size - it's so much easier than syphoning and saves opening the lid.

 

[Maker]

I just use these...

JZK DC 12V Brushless Submersible Water Pump 800L/H 5M Micro Small Water Pump for Pond/Fountain/Pool/Aquarium Water Circulation System, Solar Circulation System : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop JZK DC 12V Brushless Submersible Water Pump 800L/H 5M Micro Small Water Pump for Pond/Fountain/Pool/Aquarium Water Circulation System, Solar Circulation System.

www.amazon.co.uk

Flexible tap connectors with 1/2" bsp ends connect straight on, compression 15mm fittings conveniently have 1/2" bsp threaded parts so some ball valves T's and a little bit of pipe to connect between.

I've never had an issue with sediment above the tap level, how long had it been settling out?? As to the hose - that syphon hose looks about the right size. Or just get a few quids worth the right size - it's so much easier than syphoning and saves opening the lid.

Those look exactly the same as my pumps, but mine aren't black. I'm guessing I just got a particularly bad example of them.

The syphon hose was too small, I tried that, I'll get some more for next time.

Tried bottling from the keg today, seems to have worked, I'll see what they're like in a week, month, etc.

 

[Maker]

Oh, I forgot to say, it's lovely!



Very thin and no head retention, but the flavour is great, really chocolatey, maybe a little hint of coffee.

At three percent ABV I can drink it all day long too.

 

[brewdexta]

I think the mash got stuck, and then the weight of grain and water, possibly plus suction from underneath, collapsed the unsupported false bottom.

To support my SS perforated false bottom I use 3 SS "D" kitchen cabinet handles. Like these, they keep a nice gap under it to allow wort to escape.

I also put some tube with a slit in it around the perimeter to make a nice seal. I use beer line as its cheap as chips and easy to cut, but any food grade tube should do it.

Slitting the tube free hand is a nightmare so I knocked up a little jig that holds a stanley knife blade and contains the tube so it can't escape. Its a bit rusty/dusty as its not been used for years.

a pile of washers. an old kitchen cabinet bracket, a couple of screws and a bit of scrap wood.

 

[Maker]

I had a go at figuring out what's wrong with these pumps, they sometimes work, you can poke something down the inlet to start the rotor and it runs, though far louder than it should be. Once you stop it, it's pot luck whether it runs again.

The rotor is free floating, riding on what I initially thought were long plastic pins, which turned out to be ceramic, and I later realised should probably be one solid shaft which had snapped.




Running it with the front taken off, I could see the rotor sometimes settled off to one side of the bore and the magnetic field couldn't pull it back, if I gave it a little poke it would spin up nicely, just very rattley.

The shaft at the back is a good fit but at the front it's miles out, so I made a replacement stainless one, which unfortunately was no better, still didn't reliably start running.





It was at this point I realised it was supposed to be a single shaft right through it, so I turned a bit of stainless down to 2.25mm:



It now runs reliably, but makes a hell of a racket, sounds like the Northern Line!

Clearly all that's left to do is Widlarize it a destructive taredown. Potting compound is very brittle so easy to chip apart, stinks of fish (Amines?) though.



There is some electronics inside which explains why it didn't seem too happy with a PWM supply. It is clearly a brushless motor too, as the listing claimed, but to me a "brushless motor" is a three phase motor, this only has four windings, it's some sort of permanent magnet DC motor, the rotor is just a ferrite magnet.



I guess I'll just buy two more and hope they actually work, I'm not sure what better would be anyway, Blichmann Riptides are a bit out of budget and there doesn't seem to be many other options for home brewers.

 

[brewdexta]

Have you tried solar pumps? The ones they use to recirculate boiling water around solar thermal panels? I used cheap ones for years, but there are some decent one too. Search ebay for
"TS Trade 3M Head 12V 100°C Solar Hot Water Circulation Pump Food Grade Silent Coupler" as an example.

 

[Maker]

Have you tried solar pumps?

I thought that's what I had.

 

[brewdexta]

I thought that's what I had.

Probably but not sure as I didn't buy 'em

Here's my solar pump standby for the Blichman Riptides.

It's a slightly better class than the usual beige pumps. Also has 1/2" BSP fittings. Some of beige pumps have BSP but most are NPT.

I was running the beige pumps using Tattoo PSU, not ideal but they are cheap.

But I'll be trying this old train controller on the above pump. I just have to remember not to put it in reverse I'm not sure if this is the controller with steam train effects, that may be annoying on a 90 minute mash

 

[Maker]

Needed a bit of round tuit, finally knocked up this:



It's a small crown.




Should keep the false bottom supported if I get another stuck mash, though hopefully not ordering finely crushed grain will prevent that anyway.

 

[brewdexta]

You can add up to to 5% rice hulls if you have a particularly sticky mash such as an oatmeal stout. This promotes drainage through the mash but doesn't impart any flavour etc.

 

[drjim]

I was worried someone was trying to brew in this heat!

I am running low on beer (draught that is). Been thinking of getting a batch of lager going with a kolsch yeast, under pressure in my 50L sankey keg and floating it in the swimming pool for temp control, but the water in that is at 28 degrees today so even that won't work.

So once I've finished 30 litres of bitter and about 18 lager I'll either drink the bottled stuff or buy some! Not bitter weather really so lots of lemonade.

I could I suppose stick a fermenter in my spare fridge and control temp with arduino and a little electronic project, but electricity costs too much as well. I may be from South Manchester but I lived in Yorkshire for long enough!

Plus of course standing over a boiling kettle in this heat wouldn't be fun!

 

[Bullet2012]

@Maker
is my beer nearly ready?

 

[Maker]

The last batch is all gone but the plan is to get another batch or two done before September.

 

[Bullet2012]

Do not need a batch, just a bottle

 

[Maker]

I need a batch to make your bottle.

You actually might get it soon, I'm moving a lot closer to you and will potentially be in the market for some water sports equipment.

 

[500e]

Really.

 

[brewdexta]

intended to make some Citra APA today, but made a cock-up on the order an only ordered 100g instead of 300g of Citra hops

New Zealand to the rescue, I had 200g of Green Bullet hops so made this instead - i used the hop rocket instead of hop stand, the Brewfather software doesn't have that feature, yet.

Fermentables (13.7 kg)
12 kg - Pale Ale Finest Maris Otter 5 EBC (87...
700 g - Wheat Malt 3 EBC (5.1%)
500 g - Cara Malt 28 EBC (3.7%)
500 g - Carapils/Carafoam 3.9 EBC (3.7%)
Hops (200 g)
60 min - 70 g - Green Bullet (Whole) - 14.25%...
30 min - 30 g - Green Bullet (Whole) - 14.25%...
Hop Stand
30 min hopstand @ 77 °C
30 min - 100 g - Green Bullet (Whole) - 14.25...
Miscellaneous
Mash - 3.74 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Mash - 8.3 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Mash - 14.15 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
Sparge - 4.06 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Sparge - 9 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Sparge - 15.35 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
10 min - Boil - 10 g - protofloc
Yeast
Fermentis Safale American US-05

I forgot the protofloc/irish moss again - doh!

Should still be fine, just slightly hazy, but as clear as a camel's sample is fashionable at the moment.


Not sure what to call it, it ended up at 1.044 so will be about 4.5%, maybe just Bullet bitter.

 

[Parm]

intended to make some Citra APA today, but made a cock-up on the order an only ordered 100g instead of 300g of Citra hops

New Zealand to the rescue, I had 200g of Green Bullet hops so made this instead - i used the hop rocket instead of hop stand, the Brewfather software doesn't have that feature, yet.

Fermentables (13.7 kg)
12 kg - Pale Ale Finest Maris Otter 5 EBC (87...
700 g - Wheat Malt 3 EBC (5.1%)
500 g - Cara Malt 28 EBC (3.7%)
500 g - Carapils/Carafoam 3.9 EBC (3.7%)
Hops (200 g)
60 min - 70 g - Green Bullet (Whole) - 14.25%...
30 min - 30 g - Green Bullet (Whole) - 14.25%...
Hop Stand
30 min hopstand @ 77 °C
30 min - 100 g - Green Bullet (Whole) - 14.25...
Miscellaneous
Mash - 3.74 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Mash - 8.3 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Mash - 14.15 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
Sparge - 4.06 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Sparge - 9 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Sparge - 15.35 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
10 min - Boil - 10 g - protofloc
Yeast
Fermentis Safale American US-05

I forgot the protofloc/irish moss again - doh!

Should still be fine, just slightly hazy, but as clear as a camel's sample is fashionable at the moment.


Not sure what to call it, it ended up at 1.044 so will be about 4.5%, maybe just Bullet bitter.

Why don’t I help name it?

Of course, only After a few samples