[markpotts]

I've just placed an order for a 20 litre Braumeister
Just wondering if there are any users here??
How are you getting along with the system......pros/cons?
I'd also be grateful if anyone has or can point me in the direction of any BeerSmith profiles that they are using with success.

Needless to say; I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it and I'm hoping it will save me a little time on brewday......particularly on the clean up side of things.
I used to do overnight mashes, but my wort was coming out far too fermentable and the beers were excessively dry as result.....I've read that long mashes in these units present no such problem as they can hold their temperature.

[yso191]

I accompanied a friend brew on his once.  Seemed to work OK.  The biggest issues for me was the limited grain capacity and it took a long time to get to boil.  Those are minor issues; I'm sure you will like it.  As to BeerSmith, use a BIAB profile, as that is essentially what you will be doing.

[tommymorris]

Beersmith has profiles as add ons. Go to File-> Add Ons -> Add. Scroll down to Braumeister...

I don't know much about these. I don't have a Braumeister. I just saw them in the list recently.

PS. A friend has the 20L. He loves it. He brews 6G batches. He recommends the copper hood and jacket. He says it heats faster and gets a better boil with those.  He says the copper hood doesn't cause any DMS issues.
He also does a sparge. He heats sparge water on a gas burner and pours it through the mash after placing the malt basket on its rests to drain. He says the manual says sparging is optional but he gets much better efficiency.  Having to heat the sparge water separately seemed unfortunate to me.

[markpotts]

Thanks for your replies.

I've got some material to make a 'thermocollar' for the unit.....this will help it get up to a boil faster and maintain a better rolling boil. The pre-made Speidel ones are far too expensive for what they are IMO.
The grain capacity suits the majority of beers that I usually brew, and I will be keeping my old equipment for big beers and larger batches.
I may purchase a hood at some point.

Thanks again for replying

[majorvices]

I have several and really like them. They extremely easy to clean. I'm a little antsy about the spigot but so far no probs. planning on buying some rubber stoppers to fix that issue.

I rigged up a thermowell for one but I stopped using it. Now, instead, I attach the thermo probe to the side of the fermentor under a layer of paper towels for insulation and duct tape. Temp seems to be close enough.

[tommymorris]

I have several and really like them. They extremely easy to clean. I'm a little antsy about the spigot but so far no probs. planning on buying some rubber stoppers to fix that issue.

I rigged up a thermowell for one but I stopped using it. Now, instead, I attach the thermo probe to the side of the fermentor under a layer of paper towels for insulation and duct tape. Temp seems to be close enough.

Major, do you have several Speidel fermenters or Braumeisters? I do know a pro brewer to be who just ordered a 7 barrel Braumeister brewhouse.

[majorvices]

I have several and really like them. They extremely easy to clean. I'm a little antsy about the spigot but so far no probs. planning on buying some rubber stoppers to fix that issue.

I rigged up a thermowell for one but I stopped using it. Now, instead, I attach the thermo probe to the side of the fermentor under a layer of paper towels for insulation and duct tape. Temp seems to be close enough.

Major, do you have several Speidel fermenters or Braumeisters? I do know a pro brewer to be who just ordered a 7 barrel Braumeister brewhouse.

I have several. 4 - 60L and 4 - 120L for my 12 gallon homebrew and 1 bbl pilot systems. I didn't know they made larger stuff. My commercial fermentors are 20 and 30 bbls.

[tommymorris]

I have several and really like them. They extremely easy to clean. I'm a little antsy about the spigot but so far no probs. planning on buying some rubber stoppers to fix that issue.

I rigged up a thermowell for one but I stopped using it. Now, instead, I attach the thermo probe to the side of the fermentor under a layer of paper towels for insulation and duct tape. Temp seems to be close enough.

Major, do you have several Speidel fermenters or Braumeisters? I do know a pro brewer to be who just ordered a 7 barrel Braumeister brewhouse.

I have several. 4 - 60L and 4 - 120L for my 12 gallon homebrew and 1 bbl pilot systems. I didn't know they made larger stuff. My commercial fermentors are 20 and 30 bbls.

Sorry. I was trying to point out that the OP was asking about the Speidel Braumeister not the fermenters. The Braumeister is an electric mash tun and boil kettle with automated temp control.

http://www.morebeer.com/products/braumeister-20l.html?gclid=CPGR3MOHj8UCFQsvaQod5BwADA

Speidel also sells commercial brewhouses and fermenters. Not sure if they go as big as yours at Yellowhammer though.

[markpotts]

lol
I have actually ordered a Speidel fermenter too......so I appreciate the information majorvices.
I will post back and let you know what I think of the Braumeister once I've had a chance to play around with it.......supplier is waiting for stock, but I should get the unit mid May.

[dg303pilot]

I have been using a 20L for about a year and half now. Have just under a dozen brews on it. Overall, love the simplicity and small footprint. It works best given the limited space I have for brewing equipment.

I get around the big beer problem by using a bit of extract to bump up the SG number to where it is needed for the beer profile. Seems to work well for me.

Jim

[nivrac]

I have been using the 20L for about 2 years and have done about 20 brews on the system.  I really like system, and probably will purchase the 50L system this year as well.

Pros
1. Easy to repeat brews
2. Clean up
3. Can brew inside on hot Arizona days
4. Easy to do step mashes
5. Small footprint
6. One unit for mashing and boiling

Cons
1. It's hard to do anything above .90 without adding DME.

[wobdee]

Is it possible to brew a 3 gal batch on the 20l without using the short malt pipe? Maybe fill up with 5 gal water, 5-6 lbs grain and just brew it like a BIAB batch and full volume?

[warloc4326]

I have owned the braumeister 20L (5gal) system since November 1st of last year. It is a fantastic setup for control and making repeatable brews. My friend that brews with me and I have run 52 batches on the system since that time and have done everything from session beers <5% abv up to imperials >10% (using a bit of DME) to doing a very large barley wine to a wild fermentation kettle souring.

Be aware that about the max grain you will get into the malt pipe is approximately 17- 18 lbs. I prefer to run the system with around 15 lbs of grains max as efficiency and thickness of mash have been a concern. Make sure to grind the grain slightly finer than what you would get from a homebrew shop that grinds for diy mash tuns etc.

The jacket you can get will help some but instead go buy some reflectix and make one yourself with some of the heat tape to improve boil times. You will also want to run the system on a 220 line 15amp circuit. I had an electrician change the plug to a safety dryer plug for me. The system boils and steps easily and quickly with this power.

Make sure to look up and add the system to beersmith and additionally the mash profiles to get the most out of the system. Add some reusable hop bags for hop additions and you should be set to get nearly every ounce of wort from the system with little trub.

[warloc4326]

I didn't see the 3gal question. Yes you could do that on the 3 gal system. You would just need to make sure when boiling not to get too close liquid level wise to the heating elements.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[wobdee]

Thanks warloc. So if I fill the 20l BM with 5 gal of water and 5-6 lbs of grain will that be enough water so it doesn't expose the heating elements while mashing or is there a certain level that's required?