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Message |
    
Why1504
Intermediate Member
Username: Why1504
Post Number: 387
Registered: 10-2004
Posted From: 216.107.66.146
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 03:11 pm: | 
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Does anyone have or know of a good article on brewery calibration? One issue I have had with my brewery has been getting it calibrated. I am about there now but it has been a challenge. I thought I would create a checklist and attempt to post it here for comments but if one already exist I am certain It will be much better than anything I create. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 5086
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.57.239.69
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 03:40 pm: |
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Are you referring to ensuring accurate measurements of such values as volume, mass, temperature and specific gravity from items like brewing vessels, scales, thermometers, hydrometers, etc.?
(Message edited by BillPierce on April 10, 2006) |
Why1504
Intermediate Member
Username: Why1504
Post Number: 388
Registered: 10-2004
Posted From: 216.107.66.146
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 04:07 pm: |
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Exactly. With my new brewery I have had to "follow my nose" to get this done. It has taken several batches. I did check all my thermometers before I brewed the first time but have been very challenged with water quantity and temperature losses during transfers. Losses left in the kettles, losses from connecting and disconnecting hoses, losses in the pumps, etc. In retrospect there is a way to do this in a logical fashion where I would have gotten all the calibration done by the end of the first or second batch. I did do a search in "How To Brew" but could not find any reference to this process. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 5088
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.57.239.69
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 04:23 pm: |
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Chris Colby has written several articles in BYO on aspects of this subject during the past year, but I know of no comprehensive treatment of it. A look at the "Water Needed" calculator and relevant section of the help file in ProMash would yield some insight into areas where volume calculations might be of vale. |
gregory gettman
Advanced Member
Username: Gregman
Post Number: 505
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 69.177.185.97
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 06:42 pm: |
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Buy Designing great beers, And how to brew.....
I find those two books deal with brewery differences and quantifying them for repeat results.
Taking you through "your" set up is very important to the final results. It's quite a bit of thought and math but easy to do.
The best part is once you have this info as long as you change nothing, you'll get no brainer brew days. I think we all need a few more of those  |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 5094
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.57.239.69
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 07:19 pm: |
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Many pro brewers scratch their heads at the continual tweaking, tinkering and changing configurations that homebrewers tend to do. One of the secrets of consistent beers is to brew repeatedly the same recipes on the same system. Of course I can see some of us asking where's the fun in that. |
Bob Girolamo
Member
Username: Brewerbob
Post Number: 215
Registered: 06-2002
Posted From: 192.91.171.36
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 01:13 am: |
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Bill, Where's the fun in that? 
I've got my breweries dialed in and are predictable.
The only variable I go up against every once in a while is when it is real windy. We can really get some gusting winds going through the Livermore Valley here in the S.F. East Bay and it really impacts my evaporation rate. On normal gravity beers, I don't get too excited by dropping 2 or 3 points but, when I'm doing the high gravity brews it just ticks me off, especially when I don't want to impact body by adding sugar to compensate.
Ask not what your country can brew for you but, what you can brew for your country!
http://www.geocities.com/bob_girolamo
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Vince Turley
Intermediate Member
Username: Vince
Post Number: 267
Registered: 05-2003
Posted From: 192.91.171.42
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 12:39 pm: |
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Why1504-
Have you done a "dry" run with just water, no grains? I did this when I finished my brewstand a few years ago, and it really helped me to figure total system losses. Of course, you still have to add in grain absorbtion, but this this approach got me spot-on for all of my volumes since.
Once you can accurately predict the volumes, this consistency lends itself to nailing down your thermal variable within a couple batches. My next step after this was to brew several batches of the exact same beer (I used only 2-row base malt in fact), to really get a base-line on how my system performed. So after 3 batches I ended up with 30 gal. of American Amber type beer that was not very exciting... but I had a firm starting point with my system that I feel was worth the investment.
Just my .02 |
Brews and Views Archive 2006 
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