Preparing for the purchase - advice welcome

[faeyd]

Hi all,

I am preparing to treat myself to an early birthday present which would be the 20L Braumeister!

I read here that the hop strainer is a must. What else is really useful outside the cleaning kit and hop strainer?

I also wondered what ABV the device can get up to without the need to double mash?

Cheers, Jeff

[barneey]

Jeff ,
I wouldnt buy the cleaning kit a few basic brushes for pennies is all that is needed.

Filter yes but I need to experiment with a few additional mesh inserts.

I will also be upgrading the tap, the original one isnt very good.

[faeyd]

Thanks Barneey

[BrewerBen]

I have the 50l and would recommend the funneled lid. It definately seems to improve the boil and is handy for sitting the malt pipe on and allowing to drain for a bit longer. I would also add some kind on insulation so far i've used foil backed bubble wrap type but will be adding a layer made from a foil backed camping mat. Worth a go as they are only £2.60 from tesco. I've only got a few brews under my belt so i'm far from a expert but just done a double brew day to get to know the Brau and am very pleased with it - you wont regret the purchase.

[faeyd]

Thanks Ben

[IPA]

Hi all,

I am preparing to treat myself to an early birthday present which would be the 20L Braumeister!

I read here that the hop strainer is a must. What else is really useful outside the cleaning kit and hop strainer?

I also wondered what ABV the device can get up to without the need to double mash?

Cheers, Jeff

I've been brewing with a BM four more than four years. My advice wouldd be if you have the space and a little bit more cash buy the 50 litre model with the optional 25 litre malt tube. I bought the 20 litre model and wished almost immediately that I had gone for the bigger one so I sold it and bought the bigger one. My advice regarding the hop filter is don't buy it as it is likely to be superceded buy a better one.The present one allows hop seeds to pass through. Use hop socks in the meantime. The domed lid is excellent but a bit pricey. It enables you to attach an extractor fan and banish steam when brewing. the 20 litre malt tube holds a maximum of 5.5 kilos of grain and you can easily achieve 80% efficiency so you can work out your ABV from that. A thermo jacket is easily made from a Decathlon exercise mat and some velcro tape total cost about five quid. Anymore questions feel free to ask and good luck you won't regret buying one.

[Digby]

Hi all,

I am really tempted with a 50l BM, but I have not done AG brewing before and wonder if I should "learn my craft" using more manual methods first.

Every thread like this makes me edge closer to making a purchase!

Matt :)

[Pagibson]

My 50l arrived today! So happy! I've been AG brewing for about 5 years now. I've moved to the BM as I'm wanting to maintain consistency and easily repeat brews. The most frustrating thing of AG brewing is the inability to maintain consistency no matter how much of a perfectionist you are and no matter how good your kit is.

Any good recipies to start off with?

[IPA]

My 50l arrived today! So happy! Any good recipies to start off with?

GW's Pedigree clone and use the Wyeast's equivalent of WLP 037 because it's not available this year and don't forget to clean the rotors regularly!!!

[faeyd]

[/quote]
I've been brewing with a BM four more than four years. My advice wouldd be if you have the space and a little bit more cash buy the 50 litre model with the optional 25 litre malt tube. I bought the 20 litre model and wished almost immediately that I had gone for the bigger one so I sold it and bought the bigger one. My advice regarding the hop filter is don't buy it as it is likely to be superceded buy a better one.The present one allows hop seeds to pass through. Use hop socks in the meantime. The domed lid is excellent but a bit pricey. It enables you to attach an extractor fan and banish steam when brewing. the 20 litre malt tube holds a maximum of 5.5 kilos of grain and you can easily achieve 80% efficiency so you can work out your ABV from that. A thermo jacket is easily made from a Decathlon exercise mat and some velcro tape total cost about five quid. Anymore questions feel free to ask and good luck you won't regret buying one.[/quote]


Hi IPA - are there any special power considerations with the 50L model? Can I just plug it in the wall in the kitchen (with an adapter) and go for it?

Cheers,
Jeff

[IPA]

Hi IPA - are there any special power considerations with the 50L model? Can I just plug it in the wall in the kitchen (with an adapter) and go for it?Cheers,Jeff[/quote]

Hi I live in France and here our sockets are rated at 16 amps but I am pretty sure that in the UK almost everyone plugs them into a 13 amp socket. Ignoring power factor and using Ohm's law if the heating elements are rated at 3200 watts that makes 3200 divided by 240 = 13.3 amps just on the limit but I am sure it would work.

[BrewerBen]

My 50l arrived today! So happy! I've been AG brewing for about 5 years now. I've moved to the BM as I'm wanting to maintain consistency and easily repeat brews. The most frustrating thing of AG brewing is the inability to maintain consistency no matter how much of a perfectionist you are and no matter how good your kit is.

Any good recipies to start off with?

Congratulations on the purchase, on my double brewday with the 50L using the 25L malt pipe not once did i have to worry about hitting my strike temps which took a bit of stress out of the day. Its a bit of a marmite device i think as some people see it as automation gone too far and taking the fun and skill out of brewing. I'd have to disagree (i would though as i have one) as it only automates one part of the brewing, the mash schedule, but the brewer sill has to decide on all aspects of the recipe and temperature steps and has a great deal of flexibility to experiment. A big selling point for me was that it has such a small footprint. I have no permanent space for a brewery so it has to be packed away after brewing and quite a small kitchen to use it in so it fitted my needs very well. To be honest i didn't really need the 50L but if i was going to spend this kind of money then i may as well get the big one for future proofing.

[BrewerBen]

Hi IPA - are there any special power considerations with the 50L model? Can I just plug it in the wall in the kitchen (with an adapter) and go for it?

Cheers,
Jeff

So far all i have done with my 50L is plug it into the wall via a adapter with out issue. The only thing i would say as it is pretty much on the limit is to make sure all the connections in the plug are very good. With my first brew the plug got quite hot but after cleaning and tightening the connections in the plug the 2nd and 3rd runs ran much cooler so its probably worth double checking.

[IPA]

Hi IPA - are there any special power considerations with the 50L model? Can I just plug it in the wall in the kitchen (with an adapter) and go for it?

Cheers,
Jeff

So far all i have done with my 50L is plug it into the wall via a adapter with out issue. The only thing i would say as it is pretty much on the limit is to make sure all the connections in the plug are very good. With my first brew the plug got quite hot but after cleaning and tightening the connections in the plug the 2nd and 3rd runs ran much cooler so its probably worth double checking.

+1 Very good advice I thought the same after my last post

[Pagibson]

I've been looking online for one of these adapters. Is it the type used for pet testing?