Most of you out there that I have brewed with, or even just talked with, know that I have been brewing a while. And that I like doing things in an old fashion sort of way.
In fact, my brewery set up is virtually exactly the same as it was 15 years ago. And for the most part, the exact same equipment.
I like my process, I make good beer. Why change?
I don’t wanna have some automated system where I just push a button and I walk away. I don’t need fancy lights to try to impress people. Hell, if I could build a fire driven kettle I would.
But when I can use my same hands on process with modern tech, I’ll take a look.
Slightly out of necessity I began to look at electric brewing. Seems to be the rage now days. Indoors, quiet, way cheaper. And most important to me, I don’t have to change my style. Just use electric elements instead of propane to heat and boil with.
Well sure I could add pids and pods and lights and buzzers. But I don’t need that.
So Since I have been forging ahead and moving most things I brew to 3 gallon batches, I decided to go ahead and make an electric kettle.
Aside from cooling, everything can be done exactly as before. Heat mash water, mash, boil. Nothing changed except now I plug in my heat source, instead of turning up a flame.
And then Biab caught my eye. Brew in a bag. Mash and boil in the same pot.
Skeptical? Hell yes I was. But when you see it done, and look at it objectively, you come to realize that it really is the same thing I am doing right now.
I’m heating the same exact amount of water, to mash the same amount of grain, for the same amount of time, to get the same amount of wort, that’s boiled for the same amount of time, that makes the same amount of beer. Except I have less equipment and do far less work.
Cant beat that.
Everytime I look at my regular sized batch equipment now I wonder why I still use my old technique.
Baby steps. Cant just up and abandon tradition and habit.
Not just yet.
9stripe Brewing 