Setting up your equipment profile
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Many equipment profiles come pre-configured in Brewfather, but if you can't find your equipment here is how to set up your own.
To set up your Equipment profile, select the Profiles page from the menu. Click Equipment, and add a new profile, or edit the default profile.
Name: Name for your equipment profile
Boil Time: Boil time for this equipment profile, if you adjust boil time when "Calc boil volume" is activated, the pre-boil volume will change to match the new boil time based on boil-off.
Description: Free text field for details about the equipment.
Batch Volume Target: Select if you want your Batch Volume to match final volume in Fermenter or end of boil Kettle volume (hot) also know as Post-Boil Volume.
Using Kettle as batch volume target the Original Gravity calculation will be independent of your amount of Trub/Chiller loss (except fermenter additions). You only have to know your mash efficiency to set this up and brewhouse efficiency is not needed. When using Kettle as batch volume target brewhouse efficiency will be hidden.
Batch Volume: Your final batch volume target, a factor in calculating your Original Gravity.
✔ Calc boil volume: Automatically calculates your Pre-Boil Volume if this is active, calculated back from batch volume. Based on your boiloff rate, trub/chiller loss, and 4% shrinkage/expansion (recommended).
Pre-Boil Volume: Set your pre-boil volume manually or have it calculated automatically (recommended). This volume is measured at near boiling temp (after expansion). Post-Boil Volume is also measured at boiling temp (before chill).
Boil Off: How much you boiloff per hour with your setup, important factor in calculating Pre-Boil Volume.
Trub/Chiller Loss: How much you loose as trub (and/or left in chiller and/or pipes) from kettle to fermenter, important factor in brewhouse efficiency. Total volume of the trub left in the kettle and/or cooler/tubes/hoses, including hop trub.
Mash-Tun Deadspace: Recoverable deadspace volume in your mash-tun, used for calculating mash water amount. In a system with a malt pipe, it is the volume before the water reaches the bottom of the malt pipe. Usually 0 in BIAB. Mash water amount is normally a sum of mash-tun deadspace and water/grain ratio.
Recoverable volume is volume that is not lost in mashing, but will be inlcuded in the boil.
Mash-Tun Loss: Unrecoverable deadspace volume in your mash-tun and/or mash volume lost in your mash process. This is usually 0 in a one-vessel setup. A factor in mash efficiency. Note: Currently efficiency is not automatically adjusted when this number is changed, you can manually adjust your expected efficiency due to the new dilution factor.
Unrecoverable volume not transfer to boil.
Fermenter Loss: Expected loss from fermenter to bottle/keg. Used to estimate bottling volume and gravity potential from fermentables added as use = Bottling.
HLT Deadspace is any dead space in the Hot Liquor Tank (Sparge Water Heater). For example, if you use a sparge water heater that has the tap that draws higher than the bottom of the pot, you can set the liters that are not drawn. This volume will be added to the sparge water amount in the Water Adjustment Calculator, for calculating your sparge water additions.
Fermenter Top-Up useful if you do high gravity brewing. Add volume into the fermenter to dilute the wort, the preboil volume will be lowered to match your planned fermenter addition. Also useful if you add any other liquid during fermentation.
When increasing the Fermenter Top-Up value, the pre-boil volume will automatically lower to match the entered batch size after top-up (If ✔ Calc boil volume is enabled). If you want to keep the same pre-boil value, increase the batch size accordingly.
Post-Boil Volume in Brewfather refers to hot end of boil kettle volume, before shrinkage (4%).
Brewhouse Efficiency: The overall efficiency of you system - includes all losses to the fermenter. Important factor in calculating you Original Gravity. If you don't know you system, a good number to start with might be 65-75%. And you can dial in your excact efficiency after a couple of brews. Brewhouse Efficiency is hidden if you select batch volume target "Kettle".
Mash Efficiency: The efficiency of your mash procedure, up to pre-boil, including sparging. Important factor in calculating your Pre-Boil Gravity.
If you enable "calculate mash efficiency" by enabling the Calc mash efficiency checkbox, the mash efficiency will be back-calculated from the brewhouse efficiency based on the equipment profile numbers. If disabled, the brewhouse efficiency will be calculated based on the mash efficiency (recommended).
Hop Utilization: Normally left at 100%. Average hop utilization for your equipment. This is a global multiplier to the IBU calculation.
Aroma Hop Utilization: For calculating IBU on hopstand/whirlpool hops, also used as a factor to calculate increased IBU from boil hops when you have a hopstand. This utilization is used only when no temperature is entered separately on the hop-stand/whirlpool hop in the recipe.
✔ Calc aroma hop utilization: If checked, it will automatically calculate your Aroma Hop Utilization based on the entered hopstand temperature.
Hopstand Temperature: The average temperature of your hopstand, used to automatically calculate your Aroma Hop Utilization when Calc aroma hop utilization is checked. This is also displayed in the brew sheet if temperature is not specified on the hopstand hop.
Whirlpool / No-Chill Time: When you set this there will be a set hopstand/whirlpool time on the recipe which will add extra IBU's for all hops in the recipe based on the aroma hop utilization/hopstand temperature.
This can also be used to estimate extra IBUs for No-Chill brewing. Recommended starting point for No-Chill brewing is a whilrpool time of 30 minutes and 90+C hopstand temperature. These numbers need to be tweaked based on your setup and ambient temperature.
✔ Altitude adjustment: If checked, an input box for altitude will appear where you can enter your brewing altitude. This will calculate a new boil temperature for you which is used to calculate the recipe IBUs. Boil Temperatures under 100C will give a lower IBU. Change between meters and ft in the settings page.
Boil Temperature: You can manually enter your boil temperature (If ✔ Altitude adjustment is disabled)
Cooling Shrinkage / Boil Expansion: Normally left at 4%. This can be adjusted manually if needed, this is not recalculated based on altitude settings. If you set it to 0% volumes across the recipe and batch will all be cold volumes.
Grain Absorption Rate: Amount of water absorbed by the grain per unit of grain. L/kg when using metric units, and qt/lb when using gal/lbs as volume/weight units. Recommended starting amount 0.8 - 0.96 L/kg for one vessel brewing systems, 0.6-0.75 L/kg for BIAB.
Water/Grain Ratio: Amount of effective mash water per unit of grain. L/kg when using metric units, and qt/lb when using gal/lbs as volume/weight units. Mash-Tun deadspace is added to this volume.
Mash/Sparge Water Calculation Method: Default: For one step sparging (Fly sparging). Normal calculation of mash/sparge water amounts. Batch Sparge: This will calculate multiple sparging volumes (if needed) for batch sparging. No Sparge: No sparge, full mash volume. Ignore boil expansion: Normally not used. This formula does not deduct boil expansion from the pre-boil volume when calculating sparge water amount. Used in some specific equipment profiles only. Custom: Define your own custom formula. Formulas must result in water amount in Liter.
✔ Sparge water reminder: When this is enabled a reminder in the mashing stage of the brew-tracker (when brewing the batch) will trigger at the set Time left of mash.
For very advanced users or specialized brewing equipment the water calculation formulas can be customized exactly for your needs. Select "Mash/Sparge Water Calculation Method: Custom" for these settings to appear.
You can also use this to manually set your mash and sparge water amounts. Simply enter the amount in liters directly into the formula fields instead of a formula.
Resulting formulas must resolve into liters. Custom fields will consist of metric values.
Settings for calculating mash water limits that will override the result from the calculation method set above.
✔ Include grain volume in mash limits: When this is checked the min and max mash water limit turns into mash volume limit. Which means that the wet mash grain volume is included in the numbers. Then the max mash volume limit becomes the mash-tun max capacity.
Min: Minimum limit of mash water, Max: Maximum limit of mash water
If the calculated mash water is under the minimum limit, it will take water from the sparge water amount and move it to increase the mash volume, dynamically increasing your water/grain ratio.
If the calculated mash water is over the maximum limit, it will move water to sparge or top-up water to not exceed the limit, dynamically decreasing your water/grain ratio.
Use this to avoid getting to much sparge water calculated, if you have limited room in your HLT.
Min: Will take water from calculated mash water if possible to reach a miminum sparge water amount. Minimum mash water will be prioritized.
Max: Maximum amount of room in your HLT / Sparge Water Heater.
Overflow Target: Top-Up: overflow is moved to top-up water (boil). Mash: If the calculated sparge water amount is above the limit, it will move water to mash (until maximum mash volume is reached) and/or top-up water to not exceed the limit.
Min HLT water amount: Define the minimum amount of suggested HLT water you want, so you can cover the coil or heating element.
✔ Calc strike water temperature: When this is checked a calculated strike temperature is added as a first step in your mash schedule.
Mash-Tun Heat Capacity in L equivalient water volume: If your mash-tun is pre-heated set heat capacity to 0. Otherwise use the Mash-Tun Calibration tool to get the value for your equipment. This is not Mash-Tun volume.
Enter your desired sparge temperature.
Mash-tun deadspace: Add water until you reach the bottom of the malt-pipe, note exactly how much water you need to add.
With the malt-pipe inserted, add water until it reaches 2-3 cm from the top of the malt pipe, note exactly how much water. This will be the max mash volume (including grain). If the brewer has overflow function, stop right before it overflows instead.
Boil-off test, adjust the power % (if possible) to get a reasonable boil, ideally wort, but water will work also, note how much water has boiled off per hour. Remember to measure the volumes at the same temperature, either hot or cold.
Measure how much water is left in the system after pumping/draining all the water/wort out (not center/dump drain), estimate of trub loss. Dip tube should be adjusted down (if applicable).
To figure out a reasonable water/grain ratio ideally, one should do multiple mashes and get experience, but one alternative is to do a brew with about 1.060 OG and note how much water added to get a good mash thickness. Subtract the Mash-tun deadspace, then divide amount of water on amount of grains to get the water/grain ratio.
Start out with for example a brewhouse efficiency of 70%, or mash-efficiency of 75%, and adjust it to your result after the first few brews.
We should be able to set up a basic profile from that, which can be fine-tuned as you get more experience with the efficiency and losses.
You might also want to enter a max mash volume limit, to ensure the mash does not overflow. Activate ✔ Include grain volume in mash limits and enter the maximum volume inside the mashing space of the vessel. When this is enabled you will get a warning text in the water section of the recipe if water amounts are adjusted due to mash limits (may result in thick mash and lower real world efficiency).
For multiple vessel systems, you will do similar steps as for a single vessel system, but you should also measure your Mash-Tun Loss for transferring to boil, if you mash and boil in different vessels.
And you also want to figure out your Min HLT water amount if you need to cover coil or heating element in the HLT. And add the HLT Deadspace to get extra sparge water calculated to ensure you can get the needed water out of your HLT.
