Mini Mash Big Lamp Bitter

[soupdragon]

I'll try and resist it, still got half a barrel of an extract Banks bitter to finish but I'm itching to get another mini on. The "issue" of all the gunk and debris going into my f/v really just wasn't an issue at all. I don't know what I'm doing right but this stuff is way better than the all grain I used to brew 25 years ago
If I can keep the same quality through my next few brews I might not even bother getting a cooler box to mash in

Cheers Tom

[Deebee]

Until i recently fitted a hop filter i used muslin bags for hopping the brew. this meant that all of the cold break material went into the FV.

Those that use a counter flow shiller also have this problem. It does indeed look like mud but it will settle out during the ferment and pack down with the yeast at the bottom. I always wait for 3-4 days after the ferment is finished before bottling/kegging. There is still enough yeast in suspension to enable it to carbonate using priming sugar.

next step AG:)

[soupdragon]

Until i recently fitted a hop filter i used muslin bags for hopping the brew. this meant that all of the cold break material went into the FV.

Those that use a counter flow shiller also have this problem. It does indeed look like mud but it will settle out during the ferment and pack down with the yeast at the bottom. I always wait for 3-4 days after the ferment is finished before bottling/kegging. There is still enough yeast in suspension to enable it to carbonate using priming sugar.

next step AG:)

Hi DeeBee

I was amazed to see just how much debris had settled out in the f/v. I was rather concerned untill I saw the almost bright young beer running through my syphoning tube into the fermenter. Such a small percentage of grain really seems to have made a massive difference to the final quality
I think I'll get a few more mini mash/partial boils under my belt 1st and see how any changes I make to the ingredients effect the final flavour of my beer before stepping up a little. I've already built a 2 lauter tuns ( 5 ltrs and 10 ltrs ) so my next step will be to up the percentage of grain in the brews. I'm on about 33% at the mo so maybe I'll try for 66% in a few brews. My only issue is my mash tun/boiler, it's only a 15 ltr stockpot so I might have to try and convert a 20 ltr bucket to a boiler for that. Next step up from there is a converted cool box and a nice big 33 ltr 2 element boiler
I'm sure the missus will be really impressed, I said to her when I restarted brewing that I'd stick with kits

Cheers Tom

[Deebee]

This is where a hop filter is really worth it's weight in gold.

As for the boiler for larger brew lengths there are many who have gone past their local indian restaurant and gotten hold of a blue mango chutney bin. these are as a rule hot filled and are of a much denser stronger plastic than the PP fermenters that are used. Being plastic it also means that getting the elements to sit sealed etc is generally easier as the plastic will squash against the element when tightened.

i have a 36 litre crab cooker 8 basically a large aluminium stockpot. These are also available on ebay as i recall, and the entire thing can me made in a matter of an hour once the filter is deseigned. gartj on the forums was selling the filters( i got mine from him) and they are totally awesome. I have never had clearer beer going into the FV

As for the MRS... Well its a one off cost right. Elements will cost a tenner, the pot maybe 50 ( i don't know), but a mango chutney boiler likely free. your IC can be made yourself, or there is a guy called trackermart on Ebay who sells stuff. I believe he does an insulated mash tun, with false bottom and sparging bag for around the 40 quid mark too. might be worth a look if you have money to do it, or just not enough time to build it all yourself.

[soupdragon]

This is where a hop filter is really worth it's weight in gold.

As for the boiler for larger brew lengths there are many who have gone past their local indian restaurant and gotten hold of a blue mango chutney bin. these are as a rule hot filled and are of a much denser stronger plastic than the PP fermenters that are used. Being plastic it also means that getting the elements to sit sealed etc is generally easier as the plastic will squash against the element when tightened.

i have a 36 litre crab cooker 8 basically a large aluminium stockpot. These are also available on ebay as i recall, and the entire thing can me made in a matter of an hour once the filter is deseigned. gartj on the forums was selling the filters( i got mine from him) and they are totally awesome. I have never had clearer beer going into the FV

As for the MRS... Well its a one off cost right. Elements will cost a tenner, the pot maybe 50 ( i don't know), but a mango chutney boiler likely free. your IC can be made yourself, or there is a guy called trackermart on Ebay who sells stuff. I believe he does an insulated mash tun, with false bottom and sparging bag for around the 40 quid mark too. might be worth a look if you have money to do it, or just not enough time to build it all yourself.

We have some 30 ltr tubs at work that I could make use of ( blue plastic and food grade ) but I think thats something for the future as I don't brew as often as some people on here. I'd be quite happy to prove to myself that the method I'm using actually produces good beer and is repeatable before I move on to bigger and better things
As with most things tho, it's hard to resist the compulsion to improve what you do and I'm sure that in due course I'll build myself a nice big ( ish ) boiler

Cheers Tom