Homebrewing: Proper Use of Swirl-Boss

A Video from www.brew-boss.com showing how to install and position the Swirl-Boss properly to optimize the speed of whirlpool rotation and get the aeration benefits. The device is not designed to be positioned below the wort level. Doing so, lowers the exit velocity of the jet considerably as the jet must overcome hydraulic forces due to the wort vs just competing with atmospheric pressure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI5cp9-uuG8&feature=youtu.be

Electric Homebrewing Systems from Brew Boss
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Brew Your Beer, Your Way!

Conical Fermenter Advantages for Home Brewing

Conical fermenters, once out of reach for home brewers, have recently become very popular as companies have started making conicals in small and affordable packages. Many home brew sized conicals have entered the market in the last few years in the sub-$200 price range. I have to say, I’ve been using primarily carboys for many years, but the conical does offer some advantages over a bucket or carboy.

BUY A FERMENTER AT: http://www.brew-boss.com/category-s/127.htm

Professional Conical Fermenters

Most modern professional fermentation vessels are cylindo-conical. They are typically cylindrical on the top, but have a conical shape on the bottom, and vary in size from a as little as a half barrel (about 60 liters) to hundreds of barrels (several thousand liters). Professional fermenters are made from stainless steel as it is easy to clean and can be reused almost indefinitely. They all have a valve at the very bottom of the cone which can be used to remove sediment, and also drain the finished beer for bottling or kegging when done. Most also have a second port higher on the cone which can be used to draw samples of beer for measurement or tasting.

The Advantage of the Conical Fermenter

The reason conicals are used almost exclusively in professional brewing is that they have several advantages for beer production:

• One significant advantage is that a conical is a “uni-tank” which means that you can perform the primary fermentation as well as aging/storage in the same vessel. With a flat bottomed fermentation vessel, you have to transfer the beer to a second vessel to separate the sediment from the beer for aging. However in a conical, you can simply slowly open the valve at the bottom to let the sediment out, but leave the beer behind.
• Closely related to that is the ability to remove yeast and sediment from the beer easily, and at any point in the fermentation. This makes it easy to reuse the yeast by drawing some yeast off and washing the yeast. This can save you some money in the long run as you can use one yeast vial for several batches.
• Another advantage is that you can transfer the wort without siphoning, using just gravity as long as your fermenter is higher than your bottling/kegging vessel. Some fermenters with closed tops even allow you to apply CO2 pressure to the top of the fermenter to force the beer out the bottom to transfer.
• Many conicals are made from stainless steel which makes them easy to clean and maintain. Even a plastic conical can be cleaned pretty easily in most cases.

Using a Conical Fermenter

Conicals are pretty easy to use. You transfer and ferment your wort just as you normally would. Most homebrew sized conicals have an airlock on the top to relieve pressure during fermentation, and you can draw sediment as desired from the bottom of the conical.
When drawing off yeast and sediment you will usually get a mix of beer and sediment – it is rare to get a clean plug of yeast. Its best to draw just a bit of sediment at a time from the bottom over several days than it is to try to remove all of the yeast/sediment all at once. Also you need to be aware that on some conicals, yeast can stick to the side of the cone, so it may require a gentle nudge to get it out. If harvesting yeast for reuse, I recommend that you wash your yeast and store it properly.
When drawing liquid from the bottom of a conical you also need to be aware that some air will enter via your airlock. Make sure you use a two-way airlock that will allow some air in or remove the airlock temporarily. Though adding air to the fermenter is not ideal, it will be fine if drawing off small amounts of sediment as there will still be a layer of CO2 over the beer protecting it, and also some fermentation will still be generating CO2 to push the air out.
When transferring for bottling/kegging, try to separate the sediment first, and once you have a mix that is mostly beer, let the valve run and transfer it all.


http://beersmith.com/blog/2014/12/30/conical-fermenter-advantages-for-home-brewing/

Aeration for Home Brewing Beer

by Brad Smith

How to enhance your home brewed beers using a technique called aeration. Aeration with oxygen is very important for fermenting beer, but needs to be applied at the right time to brew good beer. Let’s take a look at aeration and how important it is for brewing great beer at home.

Aeration Explained

Lets start with some basic definitions. Aeration is the injection of oxygen into the wort during the brewing process, usually after boiling and cooling cooling and just prior to fermentation. The act of boiling wort forces most of the oxygen out of solution. Unfortunately, as we covered in our article on fermentation and the yeast life cycle, yeast requires a great deal of oxygen during the “lag phase” when it is rapidly multiplying in the wort. Without enough oxygen, the yeast will fail to reproduce sufficiently, leaving an incomplete fermentation.

 

Before we get to how to best add more oxygen, lets look at two other important terms. Another term you may hear is “hot side aeration”, which refers to exessive splashing or aeration of the wort during the boil or before we’ve had a chance to cool the wort down. The problem with adding oxygen while the wort is hot is that it can oxidize the melanoidins in your beer leading to a stale flavor. A study by the late George Fix suggests that hot side aeration can occur at temperatures as low as 86F (which is pretty low!), so it is important to cool your wort before aerating it.
A third term, called oxidation is closely related to the first two. Oxidation occurs when you add oxygen after the lag phase of yeast growth (i.e. later in fermentation, or after the beer has fermented). In this case, the effect is exactly what is seen when you left your pony keg at college out for a few days with an air pump on it. The air oxidizes the finished beer, leaving a strong stale flavor. So you clearly don’t want to introduce oxygen in your beer after lag fermentation has started.

Aerating your Wort

So far we’ve learned that hot side aeration is bad, oxidation is bad, but proper aeration of the cooled wort is good. Now lets look at how to put this information to good use in our beer. Yeast needs between 8 and 10 parts per million (ppm) of oxygen to properly reproduce in the lag phase. A level of 8ppm is achievable using air alone (which is 21% oxygen), but achieving a higher level requires a tank of pure oxygen.
The best time to aerate your wort is as soon as it is cool. Ideally this can be done during transfer to the fermenter or immediately after transfer to the fermenter. If you aerate after pitching your wort, do not aerate for long as the lag phase generally starts withing a few hours of pitching the wort.
There are three basic methods for aerating wort:

• Splashing – Splashing the wort around in the fermenter can actually add some oxygen to the solution. You can achieve the same effect by splashing the wort around during transfer – for example using a cap at the end of the siphon that splashes the wort out the side a bit. While splashing will not achieve as high an oxygen content as injection, it is a good option for those on a limited budget. Splashing is far superior to no aeration at all.
• Agitation –Agitation is done by stirring rapidly with a spoon, whisking the wort around with a wisk or rocking the entire fermenter. Generally a sterilized whisk is best if you have open access to the wort. Whisk the beer vigorously for several minutes before adding your yeast. Agitation is a step above splashing, as it generally gets more oxygen into the solution.
• Injection – There are many ways to inject air or oxygen directly into the wort. The simplest setup involves using an inexpensive aquarium pump with a inline sterile filter. Note that the filter is needed to prevent bacteria and other organisms from being drawn in with the air. I also recommend using some kind of carbonation stone or aeration stone at the end of the tube to help diffuse the air. Care must be taken to sanitize the stone and tube before using it. A more elaborate injection system would use an actual oxygen bottle and regulator to inject oxygen. However, even the relatively cheap aquarium pump injection system can achieve the 8 ppm ideal aeration level needed for your wort.

For many years, I used the splashing/agitation system, but for less than $25 you can move up to an aquarium pump, filter and carbonation stone and significantly improve the fermentation of your beer. I will add a final note – don’t forget the use of a properly sized yeast starter, for without a starter you still risk poor yeast production and subsequent problems in your beer.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2010/01/19/aeration-for-home-brewing-beer/

3 Demonstrations You'll Definitely Want to Add to Your National Homebrewer's Conference Agenda

Come see the Brew Boss Demo in June!

www.brew-boss.com



http://brewers.informz.net/informzdataservice/onlineversion/ind/bWFpbGluZ2luc3RhbmNlaWQ9NDM3OTI3NyZzdWJzY3JpYmVyaWQ9ODM0MTc1ODEy

The Brew-Boss® System is a great value and competitively priced.

Brew-Boss Features and Benefits

• Brew-Boss controller automates all temperature, timing, & pump control.

• Electronic process control provides consistent results batch after batch.
• Available with Mesh Bag or the New COFI Filter System
• User defined steps configurable to nearly any brew process.
• Brew all-grain batches in 3½ hours including clean-up!
• Complete systems and conversion kits available.
• Supports Conventional or Brew-in-a-Bag (BIAB) brewing methods.

Electric Brewing Benefits:
- More economical - 1/5 the cost of propane
- Safer - No carbon monoxide or risk of explosion
- Efficient - 100% of BTUs transferred to wort
- Accurate - Holds temperatures +/- 1 degree
- Faster - 3½ hours for 10 gallon batch including clean-up
- Quiet - No obnoxious “roar” of the burner
- Convenient - Brew indoors in a sanitary environment

Android Tablet application provides:
- Simple - press “Start” and follow the prompts
- Convenient process monitoring and control
- Graphical Interface with Speech Prompts
- Saving and recalling brew steps & parameters
- Automatic or manual control


Other Features
• Automatic Hops-Boss hops feeder option that dispenses hops automatically.
• All Food/Brewery Grade Components
• Great Value - Affordable
• First time home brewers can brew all grain perfectly the first time!

Order yours today so you can have your beer, your way!  www.brew-boss.com  

Automated Electric Homebrew Systems

Home Brew Recipe: Addicted Coffee Stout

This delicious coffee stout was featured in Nathan Watkins article, “Making Great Coffee Beer” in the Sept./Oct. 2012 Zymurgy magazine. Using a blend of French Roast, Sumatra and Ethiopian coffees, Watkins created the perfect beer to wake you up in the morning.

Addicted Coffee Stout | American Stout

Ingredients

For 5 gallons (18.93 L)

• 10.0 lb (4.54 kg) | two-row malt
• 1.25 lb (0.57 kg) | Munich malt
• 5.0 oz (142 g) | 45°L crystal malt
• 5.0 oz (142g) | 150°L crystal malt
• 4.0 oz (113 g) | roast barley
• 4.0 oz (113 g) | chocolate malt
• 4.0 oz (113 g) | black malt
• 4.0 oz (113 g) | Simpsons brown (coffee) malt
• 2.0 oz (57 g) | coarse ground coffee (steep 2 minutes at knockout or add toddy* [see below] to secondary)
• 0.25 oz (7 g) | Magnum, 14.5% a.a. (60 min)
• 0.5 oz (14 g) | Crystal, 5% a.a. (30 min)
• 1.0 oz (28 g) Crystal, 5% a.a. (0 min)
• White Labs 001 or Wyeast 1056

Specifications

• Original Gravity: 1.070
• Final Gravity: n/a
• ABV: n/a
• IBU: 20
• SRM: 38
• Boil Time: n/a
• Efficiency: 75%
• Pre-boil Volume: n/a
• Pre-boil Gravity: n/a

Directions

• Mash at 151°F (66°C) for one hour.
• Ferment at 68°F (20°C) until finished.

Extract Version

• Replace pale two-row malt with 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) pale malt syrup and Munich Malt with 15 oz (425 g) Munich malt syrup. 
• Steep the remaining grains in 160°F (71°C) water for half an hour. Strain, rinse grains, add extract and dissolve thoroughly.
• Proceed with boil. Increase 60 min addition of Magnum to 0.5 oz (14 g).

*Preparing a Coffee Toddy for this Recipe

Equipment
1 quart jar with lid, sanitized
2 muslin sacks, or pantyhose
Ingredients
2 oz (57 g) of coffee ground to electric percolator (second from coarsest) setting on commercial coffee grinder
2 cups (473 mL) water
Procedure

• Place ground coffee into the doubled muslin sack or pantyhose inside jar, then stretch around the outside of the jar. 
• Fill with 1.5 cups (354 mL) cold water and put lid on tightly. 
• Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After 24 hours, open lid and lift out sack of coffee.
• Pour out the remaining coffee toddy, leaving behind the dregs (last coffee bean bits) behind.  
• Add to secondary before transferring from your primary. 
• If you only have a primary, put the toddy in before bottling, or if you keg, the Cornelius keg upon transfer. 
• Important note:  The ideal ratio of coffee to water is 1.0 oz (28 g) coffee to 8.0 fluid oz (237 ml) water.

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/beer-recipe-of-the-week-coffee-stout/

Brew Boss App now on iPad & iPad Mini

We have just been notified that the iOS (iPad and iPad Mini) version of Brew-Boss has been accepted and that the Brew-Boss app is now available in the iTunes app store! Load the app from iTunes by searching for Brew Boss and installing it on your iPad or iPad mini. It will run on phones as well but the screen size on phones limits its usability. If you already have the Brew-Boss system, please brew with it and let us know how it works!