BrewZilla Gen4 First Brew - PART 1 - Mash & Sparge - Generation 4

[@johnfreeborn979]

Part 1; goody, been looking forward to this, bring on the other parts. Enjoyed that part. Looking forward to the whirlpool section. Cheers.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Wil be up by Friday at the latest. Cheers!

[@markosolaris550]

Hi Gash is it possible one time to make video how to set parameters and use PID? Thank You

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes I can

[@leroygross9144]

I like the new controller!!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

It's easier to see that's for sure. Cheers!

[@OutOfBodyGaming]

This was very helpful and informative, highly debating buying this as i plan on moving into all grain brewing

[@huggybare9]

Good video mate. That controller position is way better than on the older ones. Cheers for sharing this. If you're ever over my way feel free to throw one up my missus for me.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Thanks, will do! hahaha Cheers mate!

[@scoobtoober2975]

Love the look of this product. I'm deciding on what to buy. anvil or this

[@mbourke85]

Great video Gash! I did my first ever all grain on my gen 4 on Monday. Made a ton of mistakes, but still the best sample I've ever tasted. Your video makes me realise I didn't mash out. Not sure I saw that on kegland recipe sheet, but will never forget now. Always love your videos mate, so thanks for all the effort. You made me truely love brewing, as you explain all the lessons learnt for all your experience without making us feel dumb. Also I just found out kegland have a gitlab for tracking new features on the rapt platform. Looks like advanced profiles (such as countdown at temp reached) isn't far off.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Thanks mate, very much appreciated. Good news on the updates! Cheers!

[@fokkedeboer2727]

Hi, I’m about to do my first brew day in the Brewzilla 35L gen 4.1 and I wondered if some specific cleaning is required before I start the actual brew? If so, with what chemicals? Thanks!

[@zt7489]

Another brilliant video, thanks very much. I have just moved from using only kits and just bought one of these, I've just watched Part 2 first and wrote an instruction off that to print out as a back up. I'm now adding the front pages from this video. I have a few questions as I'm a grain novice... At 6:45 you turn the recirc pump off to mash in, does leaving the pump on cause a lot of issues if it's left on? At 10:58 you take a PH sample, how far into the mash should I take my first PH sample to get a decent indication things are going correctly? Did you configure the PID settings on the machine or did you disable them? If disabled, what power percentages did you typically use at the different stages as it's hard to make out on my screen? At the 18:00 mark you say to remove the malt pipe when you hit 30L for how much wort after the boil? What would be a typical boil off rate for SE QLD? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes I turn it off during mash in, couple of reasons, if its on full it can kind of "suck down" on the grain to the bottom of the mash tun. And the recirc pipe is just in the way of things. You take a mash pH reading about 10mins after mashing in. I dont use the PID I just turn it off these days, I do have a video on settings kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnS1qZmjj7Ccnc0 With the gen 4 I've found I can start at 29L and still have plenty left.. Its about 3-4L boil off.. then I leave some behind in the kettle so you dont transfer all the junk out the bottom into my fermenter.. end up with 22L ish in the fermenter Cheers!

[@zt7489]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Thanks for your advice. I think the main mistakes I made during this first effort were running the pump 100% but leaving the valve fully open. I did this as I thought I would avoid the wort at the bottom cooking too quickly as I had not read to only set it at 30% during mash . I don't think it mentions any of these "DO NOT..." type things in the manual. I didn't get massive temp jumps - maximum of about 3-5c at some stages, but mostly within 1-2 c. Would you recommend a half open valve with the power set at 30% for mash works about the best on these systems with PID turned off?

[@christopherlane486]

Thanks for all the great videos Gash. I just ran a test profile and noticed a couple things after uploading the profile and running it. 1)The screen only displays the profile name and does not display the name of the step your currently in during the brew. 2) The on screen “next step” is displaying the next step temperature not a timer counting down to the next step. 3) I don’t get any alarm sound or email notification at the conclusion of the step and brew. I have sound turned on. Before I receiver my BZ Gen 4 I was looking at rapt profiles on the portal and noticed an alarm tab in the step settings. Presently, there’s no alarm tab or any way to set notifications, as far as I can see. Any insight you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and happy holidays.

[@maureydion1150]

Great video...you explain things very well and helped me understand more....cheers from Canada.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Glad it helped, Cheers!

[@brucecampbell8355]

Great video - I loved the wildlife noises in the background too!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

yeah I cant help it hahaha Cheers!

[@haydnmaxwell649]

Thanks for the video. Just started off on all grain. Had the first batch up and running yesterday. Had problems with them pump blocking at their end of the boil. Not too sure if the problem was due to me stirring the grains during mash out at 77c. On checking your vid i believe i should have left the grain bed alone at that stage? Another thing I noticed was that I had a lot of trub going through could this because related to how i mashed out? How long does sparging take? I was wondering if i was missing something while the sparge water was draining from the basket. was i supposed to bring the wort to the boil during this period or wait until the sparge was finished and then kick the heater on?? Thanks Ps did you have any problems with your system overshooting and would this have a bearing on the finished product?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

A small stir during mash out should be ok, but I prefer my wort to clear during mash out if it hasn't already, you can break up the top if you have too much grain powder blocking the flow.. The way the grain basket and system is designed is you shouldnt have any grain what so ever anywhere except in the mash tun, if you have something is wrong. Do not no matter what any hack says mill the grain for brew in bag, the grain needs to milled just like you would in a 3V system. Sparge shouldnt take too long at all 10-15mins maybe, you can be heating the wort as you sparge yes. Cheers!

[@SimonBorg]

Have they removed the pump percentage setting on the controller? I did my first brew last night on my 35L gen4 and there is no pump percentage. And I can't find where it indicates if the pump is on on the controller - perhaps I'm missing something

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Sorry mate, havent used it for a few weeks, so I'm not sure.. weird. I guess you've turned the graph off in the settings?

[@SimonBorg]

@@HomeBrewNetwork yeah I actually found that setting and changed it. Don't know what the purpose of the graph is....unless you are doing complex step mashes

[@israelmendozamujica3674]

Who do you do the calculation for your water? Do you have the perfile of your water? or you use osmosis and began to do the calcularion?

[@danjohnson2280]

I have the 35l gen4. What’s your thoughts on the mash tun dead space? I use Brewfather and the .66gal seems irrelevant for this unit. Setting to 0 doesn’t change the volumes so IMO it’s not necessary for the gen4

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

yeah doesnt make much difference, I actually wish the dead space was bigger! Cheers!

[@jacktyrrell2050]

Hi gash I'm thinking of purchasing the all new brewzilla gen 4 65 but first I'd love to see what profile you have working off your smart phone and I'm wondering is it the same setup on Bluetooth like the old grainfather it was so simple to use I had to sell it too small I can't find anyone using their phone to operate thanks maybe you could show me a quick video cheers

[@mattl7599]

Thanks for the great vid. Can you do the same volume 23L in the larger 65L BrewZilla?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes you can! Cheers!

[@silveraven1]

Wait I sec, I noticed you didn’t use the return pipe in the middle?? Does the 65l not have one?

[@mickholgate3347]

More importantly Gash, how do you think they go? I cannot wait for 65L to be available!!!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

They go fine, its just the same as the others really, except with a centre drain which does make cleaning etc much easier, but the mash etc is the same, yeah you have more room and less dead space but you know.. The controller, well its in a better spot for sure, but whether I'd use all the programming I dont know, it'd have to give me alerts and things for hops which it doesnt do yet. I'm manual brewer anyway to be honest so the backend doesnt really mean much to me. Cheers!

[@snowgoose1962]

G'day Gavin, cheers for another top video mate. Excuse what I think will be a dumb question. Why is 15 litres of water added to the sparge making for a total of 35, when you only want say 18 Litre Corny Keg amount? Are the 35 litres fully used as the final wort? or do you drain some off, or utilise the whole amount for fermenting?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Grain will hold 5L ish. Boil off 4L ish.. A few litres in system dead space. yeast dump 1L. A few litres left behind in fermenter. All adds up and I'm not scraping the bottom of the fermenter when emptying and picking up hop matter etc

[@losFondos]

I've just finished my first two batches with the Gen4 35 liter, I'm very happy with the purchase. I have two questions: 1. If I use the PID function, do I still need to turn down the power to ~ 30% during the mash? 2. is there a delayed start function like in the older models? If yes, how do I access it's Prost and keep the videos coming;)

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Gday, you don't have too, but it might stop it over shooting, kind depends on how much flow you have, if you notice it over shooting you can try dropping the %. The delay function can be set as a profile in the app or online, just like before, you can set it to be 5C for 8hrs and then heat to strike temp. Cheers|!

[@losFondos]

@@HomeBrewNetwork thanks, I didn't thing about adding a low temperature step to delay the start;)

[@jackgonzenbach4136]

Any issues with the wort coming out of the rows of holes at the bottom of the malt pipe and exiting the vessel instead of dropping straight down?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

I did think that might happen, but it hasnt for me yet. Cheers!

[@silveraven1]

Thanks for the video! I thought there was a recirculating pipe in the middle?? This is amazing. I’m so glad they deleted it so you don’t have to work around it.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

You are welcome! yep its great it's gone! Cheers!

[@daleb1265]

What’s the purpose of the grain basket lid thing that you don’t appear to like too much?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

It was to stop grain overflowing down the overflow pipe or through the mash basket handle holes if for some reason your wort stopped filtering through the grain bed and started to overflow, I dont have those issues, I like brewing and keep an eye on things. Cheers!

[@StassBrewing]

Cheers Gash - is element control duty cycle or voltage control? Do you know?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

I dont know for sure though it does have the wattage on the screen??

[@StassBrewing]

@@HomeBrewNetwork hmmm, yeh, could be a math equivalent though. Probs a question for kegland. Cheers mate

[@Pifpaf24]

Hi. How to score a recipe ?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

In the description like always :) web.brewfather.app/share/v6QQVo7RzTUZQW

[@Pifpaf24]

@@HomeBrewNetwork And how to write a recipe to the RAPT program?

[@gileus1]

I wonder if the unit changes like the center drain will make it over to the digiboil. I like this unit and all the other extra features but the operation of the controller would drive me nuts and I honestly don't think I would use all the program function or any automated steps. I like to keep things simple less things to go wrong. Would the digi boil with mash kit and pump be a good choice if all I wanted was a simple temp controlled kettle? Great video and the unit does look awesome. 🍻

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

I havent looked at the digi boil, guessing its just an urn? Yes you can use an urn and a pump etc many start that way, but then get sick of all the parts hanging around, I did the same with Robobrew #1. I'd be looking at a gen3 they are going cheap at the moment as people are upgrading. Cheers!

[@timwood8733]

thanks for video. Wondering if u can share brew father recipe link , as a newer brewer, im still struggling with water volumes and setup in brewfather -many thanks

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes I can, for sure, just gimme a day or so, really busy, but I'll write it all out and get a few different recipes up, this was an experiment with these hops, so I'll post recipes with a more tried and true hop bill. Cheers!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

share.brewfather.app/v6QQVo7RzTUZQW

[@timwood8733]

@@HomeBrewNetwork magnificent -thank u

[@terreyhills]

Thank you for such a simple, well explained and demonstrated video. For someone looking to take their first steps into all grain this was a treasure trove of readily digestible information. I have bookmarked this as reference for when I finally get my BrewZilla later this year.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Glad it was helpful! Cheers mate! Lemme know when you're ready and I'll send you a link to long version if you like! Cheers!

[@terreyhills]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Thanks that would be great. Really looking forward to seeing the next in the series over the Anzac weekend.

[@gavinclarke1220]

Did you crack the grains first?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes, it's at the very start of the video Cheers!

[@hasto4584]

No jacket for mashing?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Maybe in winter, although insulation is always good, this is brand new and I dont have a jacket for it. Cheeers!

[@scoobtoober2975]

Any beer belly folks want to loose to belly. OMAD, one meal a day. Love it and I can keep up the beer intake as usual. Please for your health try something to slow the diabetus and heart diseases. I had both starting. Eat more animal fats, do not eat vegetable oils. Except the minimaly refined ones, coconut and olive. If beer was bad or life shortening, we would have stopped being in existence 20000 years ago. Refined anything is bad. I've been brewing 12 years and didn't have many problems till lock downs. Then didn't exercise and ate way too much. Belly was jumbo size. Now it's just about gone. Lots would say, you drink too much what ever. Nope, not the problem. Snacking is the king of fattening. Eat for 4 hours, then nothing else. Or have a bite of fruit or jerky if you get jittery or have blood sugar problems. Ask your Dr, but he will probably laught at you for doing this. Dr feng or Dr lustig says do it.

[@MORT-zf3qb]

Hi Gash how do you get the full screen to temperature numbers as I have got full screen graph not numbers? Cheers Mort

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yeah umm I did that ummm I held one of the buttons down but I dont remember which one lol, but I just found this in the instructions.. this can be easily changed by unselecting the Show graph checkbox in the Settings.

[@LawrenceBlackbeard]

Did u have any problems with the pump getting blocked when u pumped to the fermenter?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

No I've never had a blocked pump in any of the models, what can happen in these and all these units with magnetic pumps you can get air bubbles that can stop the pump but it's usually solved by just, stopping the pump and taking off what ever you have plugged in to the top of the recirc pipe and then replacing it. If it's actually getting blocked by matter/solids you must be doing something wrong, junk shouldn't even be down there?? Cheers! Let me know

[@LawrenceBlackbeard]

@@HomeBrewNetwork please send me your email address. Gonna send you some pictures. The trub is getting thru and blocking the pipe to the pump. Hoe its gets thru 3 x filters amazes everyone but i saw another post of one chap had same problem on his Gen4

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

@@LawrenceBlackbeard [e-mail]

[@StewartGrayNZ]

Thanks for the video. About to take the plunge into all grain. If money wasn’t a consideration, Is the g40 a better system? I’m struggling to decide.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes, due to size in my opinion, and it's a bit more solid. but you wont notice the difference in any beer you make! Cheers!

[@brianlull3609]

The mesh top seems like it would be really good as a pre-sparge step.

[@icemanknobby]

I’m new to brewing can you explain what you mean by strike temp? Mash in? I’ve got an idea but just want to be certain:-) many thanks

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Strike temp is the water temperature before you add the grains, since the grain will drop the temperature of the water, the strike temp is usually a few degrees above your desired mash temp. Maybe 5c warmer in winter and 3c in Summer. Since grain is hotter/colder.

[@icemanknobby]

@@HomeBrewNetwork thanks Governor;-)

[@tgbruiser]

Great, helpful video. Thanks, Gash! What did your mash efficiency come out to?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

85.1% Cheers!

[@tgbruiser]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Wow. That's quite nice, especially for a first brew with the equipment. I would love to see what the mash efficiency comes out to for a grain bill near the upper end of the Gen 4's spec in the coming months. I'm looking to upgrade from an Anvil Foundry which doesn't handle large grain bills too well without a reiteration mash.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

It'll struggle with big grain bills, once you go over 6 kg I would guess, if you want large grain bills you need to go up a size. but we'll see, next brew will be a bigger one with a lot of oats lol Cheers!

[@tgbruiser]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Thanks for the response! Can't wait to check out your next brew on it! Cheers, mate

[@samuelbeersallaround3922]

With the brewzilla do you need HLT to sparge or can you do full volume mash like BIAB and just pull grains and drain when mash is done?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

You can do full volume in any vessel, just depends what you want out of it, you wouldnt get 23L/6 gallons out of this full volume, its only 35L vessel, unless it was a small beer. You lose a fair bit of goodness though doing full volume. Cheers!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

keep in mind, you can fill it up, heat the water and then stick that water in an esky or something, or just heat the 15l sparge water on a stove or bbq. cheers!

[@samuelbeersallaround3922]

I like your thinking

[@mickholgate3347]

Hi Gash, received my 65L gen 4 today, so excited to use it, but did notice that brewfather profile does not call out sparge, seems to call it "top up", is this one and the same mate?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yeah I dont know why they have it set to that as default, there is a setting you can change in the profile. Cheers!

[@cammorton2384]

hey gash, Igreat vid! I've downgraded for the time being from my 9000w custom 1V to the 35L gen 4 and man is it slow to heat, even with some DIY insulation and the lid on! I just ruined my over-the-side heating element. Before I go out and buy a new one, any suggestions on an element to do this, or any tips around achieving faster temp increases - cheers!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Turn off the PID for heating, and have elements at 100% Cheers!

[@cammorton2384]

​@@HomeBrewNetwork riiiight, is PID the same as profile? So instead of using the RAPT profile to get to strike, just manually punch in say, 71c@100% on the front screen?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

You can go into settings, even while your profile is running, umm you may have to pause it? I dont remember but in the settings on the Gen4 controller you can turn the PID off, that way it doesnt lower elements power as it gets near to the temperature. Once there you can turn it back on if you like.

[@garethpiercey9564]

Thanks for the vid Gash Rookie question on mash outs Is this necessary for a no Sparge recipe? And if so can you use both BZ elements to raise to out temp or can this risk scorching the grains giving off flavours?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Mashouts are important on all systems if you care about what temp you mash at and what you're trying to do in the mash, but... if you pull the bag and head to boil immediately, not after it stops dripping, but as soon as you pull the bag that will help. The main thing is if you try and mash at say 69 to keep some body, then you don't mash out, and the wort in the collection vessel temp starts dropping below 69 then the enzymes can continue working, if kettle happens to drop down to 62 then you may have wasted your time trying to keep the mash at 69, you've undone that work.. but if you can keep it at 69 or raise it up then there wont be any trouble.. Its why some breweries really shorten the mash for stouts and big body beers, so the temp doesnt drop because most dont have a way to heat it once mashing. And also may do longer mashes if they want the beer "thinner" because they'll mash in to make sure they at least hit 65c to get the enzymes going but then let it drop right down so the sugar chains get eaten up. Personally I've never had scorching using both elements especially just for raising to mash out, good if you can have the pump on, and good if you dont mill your grain to dust so you havent got that junk sitting on the bottom anyway. Cheers!

[@garethpiercey9564]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Cheers mate. Sounds like I should be doing it. I'm still on my baby 35L BZ. May have to upgrade to the 65 once it's talking to Brewfather

[@bevangeue1977]

Hi mate where do I find your recipe. Mine has just arrived and I am.a beginner with all.of this, so I just want to copy yours if that's ok

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

I'll fix you up mate, whats your favourite hop combo? Cheers!

[@bevangeue1977]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Just happy with what you made on the video With your hop suggestion Could you list them out for me And the process Thanks appreciate it

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes I can do that, do you use any software for brewing?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Let me know if this is enough, cheers www.cellardweller.net/index.php/en/forum/australian-pale-ale/1019-gen-4-citra-mosaic-pale-ale

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

heres the brewfather version too share.brewfather.app/v6QQVo7RzTUZQW

[@richmurphy8337]

Hi Gash, My lager is coming in with ph of around 5.76 which shows up as too high on Brewfather. Im hitting that number exactly on measurement 10/15 minutes into mashing. Other than adding some Acidulated malt which throws my recipe out would adding lactic acid to the mash have the same affect or should i adjust the malt bill and include the extra malt? thanks... love your content.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

You could add lactic to the mash.. but I'd probably wait till next time and adjust.. What happens is you need to wait after mash in about 10-15mins to take a sample for pH, then cool it.. after this time 20-30mins have passed and the mash is mostly over, so keep records of everything and try and adjust your next recipe and see how you go. If you really go down the rabbit hole you can mash in below mash temps, like a protein rest, adjust pH there and then raise to mash temps, but that can be hard in some systems to do the temp rises fast. I dont do that these days, Brewfather is fairly good with the water things if used correctly. So just double check your base water etc and everything else. Cheers! Come back and ask more if needed.

[@richmurphy8337]

@@HomeBrewNetwork thanks for getting back! Appreciate it

[@richmurphy8337]

Just Signed up to your Patreon, thanks Gash.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

@@richmurphy8337 Very much appreciated mate, thank you!

[@birdybro9403]

Can these Gen 4 brewzilla's be used without wifi Gash?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Yes, heat and pump for sure. Without wifi you can't send a profile to them I don't think, but you don't need a profile at all. I think it may be possible to send it from your phone?? I've only used it once as per this video. Cheers!

[@birdybro9403]

@@HomeBrewNetwork I guess i need wifi!🍻

[@stripeyjoe]

Great Vid Gash! So this is different from the new Grainfather controllers as it doesn't pause between steps whilst getting to the correct temp or with instructions like 'add grains and press enter to continue' or 'lift out grain basket and start sparge'. Or does that happen if you programme the entire brew? That's a clear wort you've got going there!

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

As I said at the start the backend isn't finished yet, many updates to come on the programmed cycles side of things. Cheers Joe!

[@Adamphillips900]

Have you always used full power (both elements on the 3.1.1)to heat up to mash out? I've only been using the 500w as per the instructions and it takes forever to get up to 75°C. Just wondered of you'd suffered any ill effects?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

yes for mash out i go full power, I've never had scorching issues, I think scorching also depends on your crush and how you've handled the mash, as in overflows etc, by the end of the mash the fine particles which can get scorched should of been filtered out by the grain bed. Cheers!

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

I'll leave it be (then keeps fiddling with it). Lol.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Bad habit of mine hahaha

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

@@HomeBrewNetwork Me too. Lol.

[@dynamics9000]

Hey sir, I found your channel very useful and worth watching :) thanks for sharing :) a fellow creator.,.,,.,.

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Thanks and welcome, Cheers mate!

[@174Crow]

Одна рисовая шелуха! Зачем ❓ . 1:4 ? 1:3?

[@HomeBrewNetwork]

Ummm are you asking how much rice hulls?? I dont weigh them or anything

[@174Crow]

@@HomeBrewNetwork what hydro module? 1:4 or 1:3. rice husk to speed up filtration. congestion thick.

[@andrejbrdarovski8781]

Very unprecise and unprepared.