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Working with Brewiks

Instructions for the recirculation pump

The recirculation line is used for mixing when the mash tun is in operation (water heating, mashing, and boiling) and for pumping. The pump is also used to pump wort from the mash tun to the lauter tun and back, and can also be used as a pump in the brewery to transfer from one tank to another.

Note about the lid of the mash tun

During boiling, the lid helps to reach temperatures faster. At higher temperatures, water condenses on the underside of the lid. When lifting the lid, make sure the edge of the lid is held above the kettle opening, so that the condensation water (with the lid held at an angle) runs back into the tub.

Hints on the valve positions

Mixing (Valves 1, 2, 3, 4)

Valve "1. Inlet" is used to pump into the pump. Valve "3. Mixing inlet" is used when mixing is in progress. Valve "2. Outlet" is used to pump out of the pump. Valve "4. Mixing outlet" is used when mixing is in progress.

For mixing in the mash tun, the following valves must be in the next positions:

1. Inlet - OFF
2. Outlet - OFF
3. Mixing inlet - ON
4. Mixing outlet - ON

Läuterbottich & Whirlpool (Valves 5, 6, 7, 8)

Valve "5. Whirlpool" is used to pump wort and mash from the mash tun to the lauter tun before lautering. The same valve is also used to create a whirlpool in the lauter tun when wort is pumped from the mash tun to the lauter tun.

Valve "6. Side" is used for recirculation before lautering. Before lautering begins, the wort can be recirculated. The wort is pumped out through valve "8. Bottom" and pumped back in through valve "6. Side". It is advisable to attach a sight glass to valve "8. Bottom" to see the clarity of the wort.

Valve "7. Side bottom" is used to pump out the wort after the whirlpool.

Wort cooler (Valves 9, 10, 17, 18)

A counterflow tubular heat exchanger is used to cool the hot wort after the whirlpool. For the proper operation of the heat exchanger, a cooling system with cold water or glycol is needed. The hot wort is pumped through the valve "9. Hot wort inlet". The valve "10. Cold wort outlet" is connected to the fermenter.

Cold water is connected to the valve "17. Cold water inlet", and hot water from the valve "18. Hot water outlet" is suggested for use in the next batch.

Water / Cleaning (Valve 11)

The valve "11. Water/Cleaning" on the underside of the pump is used to fill fresh water into a mash tun and for complete cleaning at the end of the brewing process. This valve drains all remaining water residues in the system.

Re-casting (valves 12, 13, 14)

The valve "12. Inlet for sparging" and the valve "13. Outlet for sparging" are used to heat cold water during re-casting when heat recovery from the heating system takes place while the heating is on.

The connection "14. Sparging" is used to connect with hot water from the valve "13. Outlet for sparging". Brewiks is equipped with a special hose that connects between the valves "13. Outlet for sparging" and "14. Sparging".

Steam condenser (Valves 15, 16)

The connection "15. Condensing inlet" is used to connect cold water, which serves to cool the steam that condenses in the condenser unit. At the end of the condenser unit is the connection "16. Condensing outlet", through which cold or hot water, as well as possibly steam, are discharged during the brewing process.

Heating (Valves 19, 20, 21)

Brewiks 300/500 uses hot water under pressure as a heating medium. Therefore, there always needs to be water inside the heating system under a pressure of more than 1 bar. Valve "19. Water for heating inlet" is used to fill water into the heating system. For more information on filling the heating system, please refer to the chapter "Before first use". Valve "20. Air outlet" is used for air to escape from the heating system. If the pressure in the heating system exceeds 3 bar for any reason, valve "21. Safety outlet" will open and release the pressure.

Only Brewiks 300 and 500 use water as a heat medium. Brewiks 200 uses Thermo-oil.

Option: External Heating (Valves 22, 23)

The brewing process can be heated using an external hot water system. For this purpose, the valve "22. Hot external inlet" and "23. Hot external outlet" are used.

Guidelines for Hygiene

Hygiene is the top rule when brewing beer. Especially during cold processes (cooling, bottling, and fermenting), beer or wort is exposed to the danger of infection, which can spoil the beer and ruin all the work.

Therefore, pay particular attention to ensuring that containers (fermentation vessel, bottles) and utensils (ladles, valves, seals) are absolutely clean.

Guidelines for cooling and water quality

To achieve optimal cooling, cold water should be used as a coolant. The greater the temperature difference between cooling water and wort temperature, the faster the cooling will occur.

To avoid corrosion damage, blockages, or bacterial growth in the cooling system, only clean water/coolant free of iron particles should be used. Before use, it may be necessary to have the water analyzed. You can protect your system from dirt or iron particles by using screens or filters.