US-05 activity

[Ian]

Just a quick question, I pitched US-05 for the first time last night into a 20L brew and wondered how long it should take at the outside (at around 20 to 22 degrees C) to register action in the airlock? It's always a relief when you see that fermentation is underway, but I guess different yeasts might have different tendencies in this regard.

[Ian]

Hi Mr cherry, thanks for the encouragement. I hope it was worth it too, but the proof of the beer will be in the drinking. But it has taken quite a while to get all the gear together and just doing that first batch was a milestone and now I can start experimenting.
I think the main issue I had is that my mash tun is a large 55L Rubbermaid chilly bin with a stainless steel false bottom we made. The snag is that, although I have cut the legs of the FB about as short as I can to still be above the ball valve outlet and the void doesn't look too big, it is over 8L to get to the level of the grain bed and then a further 10L to bring the level above the grain. So that I was worried that the amount of sparge water that left me able to use would not be enough to efficiently wash the remaining sugars out of the grain . I did recirculate about four or five litres but I am still concerned about getting an efficient sparge since I am only doing 20L batches. Maybe I can put something under the false bottom to fill some of the void? Any sparging suggestions would be most welcome.

[Mike Neilson]

You could put a few plastic chopping boards in the void to fill the void or use more grain and make bigger batches. Also on top of your mash place a polystyrene block in the shape of your chilli bin to help maintain a constant mash temp!! as I reacon you would have quite a head height above your grist.

[JoKing]

A lot of people have their mash tun propped up on an angle with the low side being your outlet. This would help drain the heavier wort towards the valve. Also - if you stuck a braided hose line up the inside of the valve, you wouldn't need to use a false bottom at all. Check out Martin Bridges on here... he has a square mash tun with the hose. Denny Conn does it like this too.

Choice is a wonderful thing!

[Doublehoppy]

+1 for the chopping boards. I reduced my dead space from something dreadful to about 800ml. Tilting the mashtun reduces it even further.

[Ian]

Thanks guys, those are all great suggestions. I think I'll look into the chopping boards because it took lots of toil to make that lovely false bottom and the stainlesss steel plate with holes I was given I am told is just right for the job. I am also told it is a good system so I'd like to try and persevere. Do you stick the chopping boards down to the bottom of the chilly bin and to each other somehow to stop them floating up against the false bottom when you add mash water?

[denimglen]

If you're batch-sparging just stir the shit out of it. This should dissolve most of the sugars.

You mentioned that the FB covers the outlet? The outlet on those bins is quite high and will leave you with A LOT of deadspace. If you haven't already I'd make a simple manifold out of a piece of soft copper, just a pick-up tube really, that will suck wort from the bottom. This may mean you can cut the FB a little shorter so that it doesn't have to go up over the original outlet.

Hope that makes sense.

[Doublehoppy]

Can't help you there sorry Ian. I have a copper manifold in my mash tun. The weight of the manifold holds down the chopping boards, and in turn the boards support the manifold so that it is flush with the outlet

[Ian]

Thanks again for the advice on my false bottom /sparging dilemma. I reckon I can probably implement something from each comment: ie. a copper pick-up tube in addition to my FB, cutting boards to take up some dead space, tilt the mash tun a tad forward and make a polystyrene layer to cover the grain bed. Then I'll have another go and see how we go.