Lazy Jane Pale Ale 7/3/2010 - with Video Goodness

[WishboneBrewery]

top tip... is the O-ring round the sight tube

great video, thanks

[adm]

top tip... is the O-ring round the sight tube

Yep - I put a couple on there when I set it up....makes it dead easy to remember water levels!

[DrewBrews]

Awesome video mate, well worth the >200MB download. I've never seen RIMS in action before, very impressive how clear the wort is after all that recycling.

Why you batch sparge? is that just easier with the RIMS? seems a bit of a shame to have to recirculate again after you get it running nice and clear.

[simple one]

Fantastic. Whats next then? Commercial brewery? First dibs on your kit!

[adm]

Awesome video mate, well worth the >200MB download. I've never seen RIMS in action before, very impressive how clear the wort is after all that recycling.

Why you batch sparge? is that just easier with the RIMS? seems a bit of a shame to have to recirculate again after you get it running nice and clear.

Thanks!

I've always batch sparged.....so I just carried on when I went to the RIMS. I thought a bit about fly sparging, but I haven't yet come up with an elegant enough way to do it yet. I'm thinking along the lines of some kind of mini-ballcock or float switch arrangement to keep the water level constant above the grain and allow me to add sparge water into the RIMS heater straight from the HLT.

On the other hand, I like to give the second batch of the sparge a really good stir to make sure I get as much sugar into suspension as possible. The paint mixer trick does this well - and every time I've brewed with this setup I get excellent efficiencies (currently averaging 92+% on the RIMs right now, so it seems to work!) I know people say fly sparging is more efficient, but I think I will actually lose efficiency if I go there....

[adm]

Fantastic. Whats next then? Commercial brewery? First dibs on your kit!

I wish.....

Too much "real work" to do right now - although I am seriously thinking about a commercial brewery as an exit strategy from my current job. That's if my stock options ever amount to anything

Mind you, the sound of pumps and burners is calling....

[jubby]

Nicely done adm and a nice quality video. I like the 'o' ring on the sight tube idea also.........I'm pinching that idea.

[adm]

Nicely done adm and a nice quality video. I like the 'o' ring on the sight tube idea also.........I'm pinching that idea.

I can't take credit for it......I copied it off someone on here in the first place....can't remember who, but I'm thinking either Garth or Vossy?

[mctoon]

ace vid and super set up,, one day!!!!!!

[adm]

Where is your old man based? Cape area is probably my favourite bit but as my Mrs is from Gangster Province (Gauteng) it's a bit of a schlep in the car. Will be going to Kwazulu Natal for 10 days though as it's apparently got some very nice weather this time of year. Will be swimming in shark netted shores only after that British Chap was scoffed by a Great White the size of a mini bus.

Sorry - missed replying to this yesterday.....

Funnily enough, the old fella is in Kwazulu Natal. He's lived in SA for about 30 years now - he's a bit of an "africa" man. Used to be in the King's African Rifles in Kenya during the MauMau rebellion times (and in a completely unrelated bit of trivia, Idi Amin served under him for a while), and I think his heart has always been there.

In case you're interested, he runs a Real Estate company there now - mainly active in Gauteng and KZN....his website is below - and there are some stunning deals on property:
http://www.natal-country-estates.co.za/index.html

[floydmeddler]

Cracking video man. You should get it on Youtube!

I'm sold on the paint stirrer. That's not lazy, it's genius!

Would this do the trick?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAINT-MIXING-TOOL ... 19b8845a65

Cheers

[adm]

Cracking video man. You should get it on Youtube!

I'm sold on the paint stirrer. That's not lazy, it's genius!

Would this do the trick?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAINT-MIXING-TOOL ... 19b8845a65

Cheers

That would be perfick. I will caution you and say that the paint used on those is probably Chinese and may very well contain lead, or arsenic, or cyanide, or kryptonite. And that after a dozen or so uses and soaking in strong sanitiser, it will fade and not be bright and shiny anymore. But my beer doesn't taste any the worse for it.....and lead has been used in our plumbing system for hundreds of years without us all dying....

In any case...a stainless one would be better, but I haven't found one at a decent price yet.....

As for YouTube, the bugger only lets me upload 10 minute long vids....I need to cut the video into two sections...but i will get it there...I will....

[floydmeddler]

Cheers. Went for this in the end up:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT

[adm]

Good call!

May you and all who sail in her be very happy

[adm]

Here's the YouTube version for anybody that cares:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

The video looks a bit squished....I'll have to figure out how to get down with the Kidz and upgrade my L33t YooToob 5Killz