Also, if you enjoy BrewUnited, please consider doing your Amazon shopping via our affiliate link!
I think the zymatic uses a device that some pro breweries use, including the big guys, that I think is called a stripper. I know Abita uses one. You can hear them talk about it on CYBI. The heating element sits in an open channel and the wort is pumped through it to rapidly volatilize undesirable aromatics. Boiling is not required because the wort is pumped continuously and therefore effective surface area is high.
I could be way off, but I think I read something about this with the zymatic and that was how they were getting around needing to boil.
Posted 34 days ago.
I didn't discuss the sparging, which was quite simple. My crush may have reduced the efficiency a bit here - future batches will show any problems. I did mash out for 10 minutes.
First, I had to use a step ladder which my wife found quite funny. I am 6' 4" and couldn't lift the full insert and overcome the suction - no mechanical advantage with this sitting at counter height. Once up on the ladder - not a problem.
The instructions say to drain the mash and then sparge. So this drained while I moved my sparge water from the sous vide kettle into a bottling bucket. This was then decanted into a gallon pitcher and poured onto the false top. My mash was fairly loose so I didn't keep much in the way of water on the false top. When I got the last 2 gallons of sparge, I poured from the bucket and got the water level even across the top - and followed with the final gallon in the pitcher. This drained for about 15 minutes - so still a 30 minute sparge-ish step.
I need to use a 6 gallon fermenter bucket. My Lowes homer bucket was just too narrow, so the insert sat catty-wompus but was stable. It started draining more, yielding another 2-3 cups of wort.
The boil took a bit to come up. I had to double check that I had the right element and the BOIL switches set correctly. It took right at 25 minutes to show a real boil. But hot break formed pretty quickly. I have a video of the boil - reasonably good. I used that time to clean out the insert - chuck out the spent grains - and rinse and clean the false bottom and top, as well as the pipe and inserts.
Working on a WP Gallery of pics to show the unboxing and brewing steps.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by mchrispen
Posted 34 days ago.
I looked back into the Picobrew when I went to making 2.5/3 gal batches. I came across a video that showed seniors working on it as their senior design project. That made me soften up a little because I remember doing that and remembering being so proud to see something I worked on being sold on the shelves of WalMart even if I wasn't getting a dime for it. So because of that, I really don't want to say too much that's negative, but there are definitely pros and cons.
Posted 34 days ago.
Posted 34 days ago.
Posted 34 days ago.
" "I just run PWB and it's fine"."
Are you not seeing the extra backslashes in there?
Posted 34 days ago.
Posted 34 days ago.
Posted 34 days ago.
Posted 34 days ago.
Yeah I watched that a couple of times before I pulled the trigger. His tasting of the Braumeister/blended/GF beers at the end are just cringe worthy, but the performance comparison convinced me. I can compensate for the slower bring up to boil and save the additional $1400.
Will see how this Best Bitter comes out in a couple of weeks. BTW reading some forums, it looks like the boil can be augmented by a bucket heater. Not putting that in the same circuit as the GF ��� that seems pretty stupid. I got great hot break and reasonable cold break ��� so ok with the light boil. I doesn���t leap out of the kettle like on the Brew Magic, but air conditioning! I stepped out during the boil into the garage to pull a sample. It was fricking 104 in the garage.
Didn���t break a sweat or a nail with this. The attraction is that I work from home. I can easily brew during a work day now��¦ and not be caught passed out in a coma out in the heat ��� or called out by the jet engines that are boiling the wort. I just need a strategy to overcome the filter issues and maybe pre-chill the chiller with an ice bath for a tighter cast out temp. On the bright side, my wife didn���t barf walking into the malty air like she used to when I brewed in the kitchen. I also like having this on a rolling table ��� makes it easy to move, clean and store.
I just pitched two old packets of Thames Valley (dated from December, smacks didn���t swell much) at 70F. Not sure I care, going to let this go in my computer room (ambient 68F) and see the result. Now planning a bigger beer to see how efficiency scales.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by mchrispen
Gary, you're probably right, that's not technically a stripper. I think Abita said that's how theirs works which makes it a little different than a normal stripper.
And yes, if run in the traditional position of post whirlpool it will drive off desirable and undesirable volatiles.
Posted 34 days ago.