I’ll take some photos of the next brew and do a write up since I just got a new brewer (Brewzilla 35L Gen4.1) and will be trying a slightly different setup and plumbing arrangement for the first time.
This brew and the previous ones were in a Brewzilla 35L Gen3.1.1, counterflow chiller, no real care taken with trub management, I just get it all into the fermenter and let it drop out naturally. all grain, so no malt extracts in most recipes.
The fermenter is a Fermzilla 27L tri-conical, with a collection vessel at the bottom which I mostly dont use, I just let trub (all the gunk leftover) and hop matter collect there like a sump, I keep it attached cause I use the bottom port to pump some c02 through occasionally if I need to break things up or give it a stir. on top is a hop-bong which is a way to add hops or other additions under c02 pressure, without opening the fermenter, it acts as an airlock, add hops through the top, attach c02 (or loop through the fermentation gas to do it for free) to purge out the air and to match the pressure, then open the valve and the hops drop down. It was a quarter the price of a “proper” stainless conical FV, and does most of the same things, so for small scale brewing it’s a good option, and you get to have a look at the brew while it’s going, though it stays dark most of the time, too much light can affect the quality and flavour.
I have a fermentation fridge, I started with a cheap old fridge plugged into a separate controller, but “invested” in a proper fermentation chamber with is computer controlled and can adjust temperature in profiles and ramps as needed, either manually or based on gravity readings automatically. I get temperature and a rough gravity reading live during fermentation with a Pill, that connects to the fridge and to the internet so everything is logged, graphed, and I know exactly what is going on.
There are plenty of great videos on youtube about how to use an all-in-one style brewer, and they are a great way to upgrade from stovetop brew-in-a-bag all grain / partial mash or non-kit extract brewing, which is usually the next step after your current “throw the extract and water into a tub and wait” brewing.
If you are comfortable with coopers kits, try adding some extra hops, doing a grain steep with some crystal/caramel grains or small partial mash in a cheesecloth bag, or talk to a homebrew shop for some more interesting extracts to use (dry or liquid) to amp-up/tweak the kits.
fuckoffplzkthx@lemmy.zip 5 hours ago
I can’t speak to the steps outlined in the post, as much of that is also beyond anything I’ve done, but the kit pictured is a Fermzilla pressure fermenter with what looks like a hop bong upgrade attached to the top, though the hop bong looks closer to the one in the description video thumbnail than the picture in the product listing.
Not affiliated with the company or the products, just where i found the gear after a quick look around:
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Home-Brewing-Equipment/Fermentation-Equipment/Fermenters-Carboys/Fermzilla-Fermenters/FermZilla-Gen-Easy-Grip-27-Liter-Tri-Conical-Pressure-Fermenter-Starter-Pack
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Home-Brewing-Equipment/Fermentation-Equipment/Fermenters-Carboys/Fermzilla-Fermenters/Hop-Bong-Upgrade-for-Fermzilla
Faceman2K23@discuss.tchncs.de 4 hours ago
yep, Since I’m in Australia the kegland products are much more readily available and affordable, so that’s what most of my gear is.