Probably Due To Network Congestion

These are my notes for the Brewday process at work which I have just been learning, it is  fast paced with a lot to remember and multiple things to keep your eye on all at the same time. I’ve left out filling the hopper with the malts for the next day, preparing the hops, digging the mash tun out etc

So far I’ve done two solo brewdays with a few hiccups… I made beer on a 20 barrel Moeschle brewery at Saltaire Brewery, I’ve still a lot to learn and get the procedure firmly under my belt.

Brewday Procedure

Mashing – (Note Times at all points and complete Brewsheet)

• Turn On Panel
• Recirculate caustic through Spray-ball in Copper with heat on to around 50c (Not above!)
• Line Up Underback to Mash Tun outlet
• Fill Underback from Cold Liquor tank (Wed-Fri)
• Recirculate Hot Liquor tank (HLT), add heat if needed to attain 69c (Heat to 68.5c)
• Check Malt Temperature in Hopper
• Check HLT Temp and adjust if necessary
• Make up 80litres TC-86 in Wheeled Tank, connecting up short and longer line on wall ready for later
• Write/ Check Gyle number / Date on Brewsheet & complete Malt Temp section
• Check HLT Temp
• Connect up line to Sparging-Ball and configure Valves from HLT, Liquor Temp must be Stable, (turn OFF heat at 68.5c) before Pre-heating the Tun. Open Rotary Valve marked (15) **Wed-Fri is Mash Tun and Straight to Floor** Run HLT down to 4000Litres. Liquor runs from Underback via hopseed filter to floor.
• Connect Chute to Hopper and Hot Liquor line to Chute.
• Allow Mash Tun to drain down fully then shut Valve near Underback (Connect Mash Tun Outlet for Wed-Fri)
• Add foundation Liquor to just cover the mash screen plates
• Turn Rotary Valve to Quarter-To and a full turn again
• Open Chute Immediately to the Black mark (Aiming for 2.4L liquor to 1kg Malt ratio) Adjusting slide when needed to ensure proper Mash consistency
• Calculate Mash Liquor Volume (2.4 x Total Malt Bill, so as to know what level to stop at Theoretically)
• Listen for a ‘Bong!’ Sound from the hopper as the weight in it diminishes meaning there will be about 100Litres left to go before the hopper is empty
• Stir Mash with Shovel and level out surface
• **Time – 9am**
• Recirculate HLT and add gentle heat, aiming for 76-76.5c
• Complete Brewsheet with Mash start time, Liquor to Malt Ratio and average temperature (adjusted for calibration correction) etc (minus 0.4c)
• Clean malt chute
• Weigh hops, and other copper additions completing the Brewsheet recording weights, serial numbers and Alpha Acid % as you go
• Check Sparge liquor in HLT for temperature 76-76.5c
• Set up FV Cleaning circuit before preparing next brew’s malts

Copper Cleaning – (Note Times at all points and complete Brewsheet)

• Pump caustic back to caustic tank, firstly to bottom of Rinse Tank waiting 20 seconds after the pipe in the Conditioning room gets warm, close the Rinse tank and Open the bottom of the Caustic tank. When pump runs dry switch to Liquor in the underback until empty
• Shut valves, Turn off Pump, Close bottom of Caustic tank
• Start boosted water to Rinse Copper (Configure Valves, 14 Closed, 16 + 18 Open)
  Remove Plug from Condensate drain
  Clean Chimney
  Switch Rinse water to Fill Line
  Clean Hatch
  Switch Rinse to Hopseed Pipe
  Clean Door and Hatchway shadow area
  Switch back to Spray-Ball for a further Rinse
  Turn off Boosted Water letting the Copper Drain out and close the valves
  Remove Spray-Ball, replacing with the cap
  Clean heating plates of any residue (base contaminated with Caustic residue after new detergent)
  Hose the bolt and attach Hop-Filter and spacer with Weld line pointing to centre of door
  Hose everything down well, Climb out and hose where your feet have been
  Shut & Secure the Copper Hatch

Sparging – (Note Times at all points and complete Brewsheet)

• Start Mash Run-off with Valve set parallel with Mash Tun outlet pipe
• Connect liquor line to Sparge-Ball
• Ensure sparge liquor is at 76-76.5c and Turn OFF the heat
• When the Mash visibly starts peeling away from the sides of the tun sparging starts, this creates the filter bed
• Open Rotary Valve, turning arrow to 8-O’clock then another complete rotation setting the top (not arrow) to 2 Minutes past 8, check with mash tun lid lifted
• Measure Mash Bed height and make a note so as to ensure it does not float
• Shut Bottom valve on copperStart Copper pump and crack open the Feed valve gently
  Pick a point on the Underback and balance the Mash tun outflow by adjusting the
  Copper feed valve
  Wet, insert and secure the Hopseed filter
• Add heat to Bottom plates as soon as bottom of copper is fully covered
• Sparging is complete when Pump runs dry (Listen for this and note time)
• **Prepare Malts for next day’s Brew**
• Get oldest Gyle of Yeast from fridge and place in Fermentation room to warm up
• Add Middle Plate heat on Full to bring to near boil as the Mash runnings finish
• Allow Mash to drain until a cloud of malt particles is visible in the Underback
• Close Valves and disconnect Mash tun outlet to drain

Boiling – (Note Times at all points and complete Brewsheet)

• Boil duration is 75 minutes
• Add 1^st Hop Charge as the foam in the copper reaches the Spray-Ball pipe
• Set Middle Plates to Marked position
• **Have Lunch**
• Add the 2^nd Hop Charge 30 minutes from the start of boil
• 39 Minutes later add the Zetolite (Mixed with wort from Underback) then add Copper Finings
• 1 minute after that add the 3^rd Hop Charge, Turn up the Middle Plates to Full for 30 seconds to ensure the hops are fully broken up, turning them back to the marked position
• Boil for 5 Minutes then Turn OFF all heating plates
• Copper Stand for up-to 30 minutes
• 5 minutes recirculating the wort through the Pump and back to Copper to sanitise

Fermenter Cleaning

• Circuit is setup with very long line with swan-neck
• Complete 3 rinses of the fermenter via the wheeled tank, draining down each time and testing during the second rinse for a neutral pH
• Dismantle pipework and Swan-Neck taking extreme care not to contaminate the Swan-Neck, placing the Swan-Neck in the Peracetic
• Cover all internal surfaces and lid of fermenter with peracetic acid spray, chasing the liquid film down so that the outlet tube fills up to the back of the closed valve
• Attach transfer line and Swan-Neck

Transfer & Cooling – (Note Times at all points and complete Brewsheet)

• Close Recirculation Valve
• Set Wort flow with Blue Rotary valve to RH side of Heat Exchanger (LH Blue valve should be set already) From closed Open to 5-to / 10-to position then 1 full rotation again.
• Configure Valves (10) (11) (14) ensuring the Rotary Sparge valve is Closed.
• Start Liquor pump
• Open Transfer Valve on Copper (18)
• Immediately go to the fermentation room and as soon as wort flows shut valve
• Allow fermenter to drain then close bottom Valve.
• Start wort flow to fermenter setting the drip on the swan-neck nut to allow air into the flow.
• Take 1^st Accurate Gravity and do first bits of brewsheet maths taking note of which fermenter is being used and its length of wort pipe.
• Write Beer/Gyle/Date on the white board
• Adjust transfer temperature to keep between 16.5c – 17c
• Periodically check the copper to see that as pumping finished there are no pools of work on top of the hops
• Pumping is finished when pump runs dry, close recirculation valve and stop pump
• Re-configure Valves to HLT and fill the underback
• Pump up the bit of wort that has drained from the hops
• Do 1^st Dip and further brewsheet calculations to get the Hop-Sparge Volume
• Add the hop Sparge liquor to the copper to the volume calculated
• Recirculate for 15-20 minutes before pumping the hop spargings via the Heat Exchanger, to cool, to the fermenter remembering to reconfigure the the liquor tank valves
• Disconnect bottom valve pipework from copper so cleaning can commence
• Collect Hop sparge in jug and take rough gravity, complete more brewsheet to calculate the Liquor back Volume (If needed)
• Fill the Underback with the correct volume of Liquor via the chart on the wall with a ruler, also fill the 10 Litre bucket
• Pump up liquor back volume direct to fermenter (No Cooling) and take final dip which should be what was calculated
• Pitch yeast and stir well, complete brewsheet and write yeast Gyle on log sheet
• Set Temperature controller to 24c and turn ON
• Disconnect hose to fermenter with Swan-neck, perecetic lid flange edge, close and secure lid, clean down fermenter externals
• Run down the HLT to the ‘E’ mark
• Heat HLT to 77c before the end of the day
• Turn on Mains water supply to the Cold Liquor tank so it is full and chilled ready for the next day

Acid Washing days, Aim for pH 2-2.2 (2.1) at around 4°c