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New AG Equipment dial in

W

wrz0170

This winter, I have acquired some new equipment to go full tilt with AG. That said, I want to have Beer Smith to start really working for me because up to this point, I did VERY basic things with BS.

So I guess I am looking at BS as a brand new user......

I added a new 8 gallon boil kettle
A 7.5 gallon mash tun
And I think a 40qt HLT

Where do I begin to start dialing my equipment in?

Thanks in advance!  ;D
 
I would recommend boiling a batch and determine how much evaporation you get with your new brew kettle. For this, you do you boil for your normal amount of time noting the level of wort before and after your boil.  This will give your evap rate. 

For the mash tun, you need to determine how much fluid is left in the tun after draining to make sure you account for that in you water addition.  Also, I use a 1.25 qt water per lb of grain.  For me 1 lb grain will absorb about .25 qt water resulting in 1 qt to be extracted.  The material your mash tun is made of is pretty much set already in BS as it gives you a few options that are already accurate.

The HLT doesn't need anything since you are only using it to heat your water for the mash tun.

Over all, there are calculators available within BS to help out with the dial in, yo just have to brew a couple of batches and use each one to dial in after each batch until everything works as expected.  This includes your brewhouse efficiency to be able to ensure that you are getting the most of your equipment/grains.

Any other helpful hints here?
 
deerelk4x4 said:
I would recommend boiling a batch and determine how much evaporation you get with your new brew kettle. For this, you do you boil for your normal amount of time noting the level of wort before and after your boil.  This will give your evap rate. 

For the mash tun, you need to determine how much fluid is left in the tun after draining to make sure you account for that in you water addition.  Also, I use a 1.25 qt water per lb of grain.  For me 1 lb grain will absorb about .25 qt water resulting in 1 qt to be extracted.  The material your mash tun is made of is pretty much set already in BS as it gives you a few options that are already accurate.

The HLT doesn't need anything since you are only using it to heat your water for the mash tun.

Over all, there are calculators available within BS to help out with the dial in, yo just have to brew a couple of batches and use each one to dial in after each batch until everything works as expected.  This includes your brewhouse efficiency to be able to ensure that you are getting the most of your equipment/grains.

Any other helpful hints here?

Thank you!  Thats definitely a start.  My mash tun is the usual cooler style.  Don't know if that makes a difference or not.  When I see the term "dead space" I assume this is the area just below the spigot and this is the volume I will want to determine?

I guess it will take a couple of batches to figure this all out.
 
By measuring any losses of wort like dead space, and entering them, you give yourself "credit" for all the wort created at a certain gravity at day's end.  Used or lost, your system made it, so if affects your extraction and brewhouse efficiency, which improves BSmith calculations each successive brew. 

Verify everything!  I thought I was done, and discovered my bottling bucket is mis-marked by a half-gallon.
 
MaltLicker said:
By measuring any losses of wort like dead space, and entering them, you give yourself "credit" for all the wort created at a certain gravity at day's end.  Used or lost, your system made it, so if affects your extraction and brewhouse efficiency, which improves BSmith calculations each successive brew. 

Verify everything!  I thought I was done, and discovered my bottling bucket is mis-marked by a half-gallon.

Doh!  That can make things interesting.  How did you discover that problem?
 
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