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Brew-Boss® V2.06 Operation Manual

The 

Brew-Boss®

 App stores the parameters you enter whenever you make a change to any parameter 

to a file named “lastused.prm”.  This file is loaded each time the 

Brew-Boss®

 App is started.  If you 

want to save the parameters for later recall, you can save the parameters to a file you name using the 
“Save Parameters” button on the lower right side of the screen.  If you select a file that already exists 
from the file dialog, the existing file will be overwritten.  This feature is handy for creating parameter 
files for varying batch sizes, environments, etc.  The parameters used for the last brew session are 
saved automatically and used the next time the application is loaded.  It is a good idea each time you 
edit parameters to close the application and restart it.  Do this by hitting the Android Back/Exit button 
on the bottom android task bar.  You will be prompted if you really want to exit, 2 times!

Similarly, you can recall saved parameter files by using the “Load Parameters” button on the lower 
right side of the screen.  Select a file from the list of saved files in the dialog box.

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Summary of Contents for 2.06

Page 1: ...Brew Boss V2 06 Operation Manual Automated Electric Brewing System Operation Manual V2 06 For Brew Boss App Versions 1 27 and later www Brew Boss com Page 1...

Page 2: ...controller communicates with an Android Tablet App that provides a color touch screen graphical user interface that allows complete control over the brewing process All steps and parameters relative t...

Page 3: ...e This system is sold as a complete kit with the exception of the Power Plug You will need to add a 240VAC power plug that corresponds to your local electrical requirements and your 240VAC receptacle...

Page 4: ...s not actually control the brew process on its own Before brewing you must install the Brew Boss application on your tablet Make sure you have created a Google Android or iTunes iPad account on your t...

Page 5: ...ifi settings and select the Forget or remove option Once you have connected to the Brew Boss controller run the Brew Boss application The app screen shows the status of the connection to the Brew Boss...

Page 6: ...outdoors avoid windy areas or cold temperatures below 50 degrees F The wind and or cold temperatures can greatly affect the ability of the system to maintain temperatures Ideally some type of overhea...

Page 7: ...plug that is molded onto the cord It is recommended that you install an L6 30R receptacle on the GFI circuit you will be running the Brew Boss syustem on If you do not have an L6 30R receptacle and w...

Page 8: ...wiring please have a certified electrician wire your system By ordering this product you accept all liabilities for any and all damages that may occur by your usage of this equipment Further you agree...

Page 9: ...the heater and the ferrule on the kettle Make certain the gasket is centered in the grooves and does not get pinched while installing the clamp and tightening Hand tighten the clamp do not use tools t...

Page 10: ...ontrol Install the weldless temperature probe coupler to the 1 2 diameter hole in the kettle as shown in the drawing below Care must be taken to properly install the temperature sensor Fist install th...

Page 11: ...te within 1 degree C If your system uses a thermowell type temperature sensor housing simply insert the temperature probe into the thermowell tube as far as you can get it in so that it bottoms out Th...

Page 12: ...e are two types of accessory ports VALUE and DELUXE The VALUE accessory port has a Camlock nipple on the inside of the kettle and a barbed nipple on the outside of the kettle VALUE Accessory Port Asse...

Page 13: ...from the inside being careful not to disturb the Teflon wrap If a second Stainless Steel thin washer was provided install that over the threads from the outside Now thread the female nipple onto the w...

Page 14: ...E nipple Option Install Lifting Device Wet saturated grains can get very heavy each 9 lbs of grain absorbs about 1 gallon of water and when they are hot can be difficult to work with When removing the...

Page 15: ...ent or the temperature probe It has a lot of power and can do damage quickly Add Water to Kettle To validate everything is working and that there are no leaks we need to add water to the kettle First...

Page 16: ...ould be taken when removing the cord from the heating element to assure that the twist lock is released by turning counter clockwise before pulling The cord should come off easily do not force the cor...

Page 17: ...should turn Green and indicate Connected as shown in the following picture Make certain that your system parameters are set up properly as described in Section 6 in this manual The temperature shown o...

Page 18: ...d see the corresponding power setting on the LCD display on the controller Install the Pump The pump is marked with the direction of flow through the pump housing Water flow is from the kettle valve t...

Page 19: ...ire If you are using Camlock fittings you will need to attach the female camlocks to each of the 4 ends of the tubing you cut If the Camlocks provided have differing size nipples use the nipples with...

Page 20: ...pigtail 120 VAC receptacle on the back of the controller If you purchased the 240 volt pump you will need to install mating electrical plugs female on controller and male on pump that match your loca...

Page 21: ...tem is required To test the alarm enter the menu on the tablet and select the More entry then the Test Alarm entry This will allow you to validate the volume is set appropriately for your brew environ...

Page 22: ...Brew Boss Controller does nothing on it s own It receives it s operating instructions from an Brew Boss App that is connected to the controller wirelessly via a Wi Fi interface For this reason the Br...

Page 23: ...you to enter a time value to count down from or to modify the current timer value when a step type 4 activity is active Simply click on this window and enter a new timer value in minutes e g 1 5 hours...

Page 24: ...t brew step the state of the Heater on the new brew step will override this button in the event it was used as an override The Heater Power graph gives a graphical representation of the heater s power...

Page 25: ...ack of the cumulative brew time and also calculates the power used and the corresponding power cost for the brew session For this to be accurate you must make certain the system parameters for Heater...

Page 26: ...n More brings up these additional menu selections Fermentation Control The Brew Boss controller had built in fermentation control capability controller firmware V1 04 and greater This menu option will...

Page 27: ...ng you re your Hops Boss hops additions into the step definitions Visit Brew Boss Web Site Brings up the Brew Boss web site in the Browser Your tablet must be connected to the internet before invoking...

Page 28: ...hould be entered in minutes So 1 5 hours would be 90 minutes Boil Flag This parameter tells the controller that we are trying to boil the contents of the kettle and is only used for step types 3 and 4...

Page 29: ...m will automatically dispense the hops in dispenser tube 2 when it is rotating to position 3 Set this parameter to 0 if the hops feeder is not installed Speak This parameter tells the controller that...

Page 30: ...ler to maintain a temperature setpoint once reached by step type 3 for a specified period of time Type 5 Cool Kettle to Specified Setpoint This step type is used to tell the controller to wait until t...

Page 31: ...ll kettle with water We are telling the user to fill the kettle with water to the desired water level for the recipe being brewed For this prompt step all the parameters are set to 0 except the Speak...

Page 32: ...r at strike temperature Please close valve and add grains This step is initiated after step 3 completes i e the kettle reaches 154F degrees Since the kettle is at the desired strike temperature we now...

Page 33: ...This step starts after the Mash Out step completes We now use Step Type 1 as we now want the user to Close the valve and remove the cover so we can begin boiling our wort We use the Speak and Alarm F...

Page 34: ...rew Mode is selected the controller will automatically advance to the next step when the Setpoint is reached or boiling is detected Step 14 Boiling state reached Add boiling hops When we get here the...

Page 35: ...d the Finishing Hops and some Irish Moss We have added those items to hops feeder dispenser tubes 2 and 3 respectively Since we want to witness the awesomeness of the Hops Boss automatic hops feeder i...

Page 36: ...nd above of the Brew Boss App we recommend using step type 5 for this step Step 21 Brewing Complete This step is included to turn everything off and uses Step Type 2 A simple prompt only with just the...

Page 37: ...s are wi fi at this time so make certain this box is checked If you have a USB cabled version make certain to un check this box Please note that USB cabled versions are only available for Android devi...

Page 38: ...ip address If you connect the Hops Boss controller to your home or business network then use the static IP that you assigned to the Hops Boss controller TCP IP Port for Hops Boss Controller Enter TCP...

Page 39: ...This is your local electricity cost per Kwh in Dollars The current average for the USA is 0 13 so it should be entered as 0 13 without the e mail Address for Alerts This is the email address that the...

Page 40: ...than setting K values for traditional PID control Google K values PID and see what we mean The preceding chart helps describe how the parameters used within the Brew Boss controller are used Our targ...

Page 41: ...intained properly The Brew Boss App will automatically tweak this value for you and save that value in your parameters If there is ever temperature overshoot over setpoint the value of PwrM is automat...

Page 42: ...sting file will be overwritten This feature is handy for creating parameter files for varying batch sizes environments etc The parameters used for the last brew session are saved automatically and use...

Page 43: ...ow you to calculate this value In general for the BIAB method because we are doing a full volume mash only a degree or two is typically lost by grain addition Remember when using online tools and usin...

Page 44: ...AB BIAB with Mesh Basket and COFI Brew In A Bag BIAB Systems False Bottom for BIAB Systems 10 Gallon Size Shown The BIAB Brew In A Bag method utilizes a mesh bag to contain the grains during mashing T...

Page 45: ...or BIAB Systems Installed in Kettle 10 Gallon Shown A sparge sprayer wand is provided that attaches to the accessory port on the side of the kettle and sprays recirculated wort over the grain bed in t...

Page 46: ...to use than the mesh bags and lasts a long time These BIAB baskets do not have covers like the COFI systems described below BIAB Baskets for 10 15 and 20 Gallon Kettles COFI Mash Infusion Systems The...

Page 47: ...ced through the grain bed Water passing through the grain bed flows out of the filter to the bottom of the kettle This Center Out Forced Infusion COFI technology assures that all the grain is in const...

Page 48: ...ow and a lifting ring The 90 degree elbow is used during mashing and the lifting ring is used to lift the basket out of the kettle after mashing The lifting ring should also be used when filling the C...

Page 49: ...connected to the accessory port as shown in the image above It is important when installing the COFI filter to make certain the filter is rotated such that the support legs are oriented to not hit th...

Page 50: ...uce flow appropriately If grains are crushed too finely or viscous ingredients are used such as rice oats or corn it is possible that the screening on the filter can become plugged causing a stuck mas...

Page 51: ...filter To do this using hot mitt gloves or hot pads press down with both hands at the points shown in the image below It may take some force to break the bond 4 Once the bond is broken lift the filte...

Page 52: ...will begin heating the water to the Strike Temperature 13 While the water is heating weigh out your grains and crush them if required 14 Pour your crushed grains into the Mesh Bag or the COFI Mash Inf...

Page 53: ...hecked will boil over and make a mess The best way to handle this is to use a spray bottle filled with water and continuously spray the foamy froth with water to keep it from boiling over After about...

Page 54: ...igh concentrations of Rye does not work well with electric brewing For some reason rye burns and scorches to the heating element and is very difficult to clean off It can also impart a burnt and smoke...

Page 55: ...15 minutes before end of boil 1 packets Safale US 05 Yeast or equivalent Strike Temp 154F Mash Time 60 Minutes 152F Sparge Time 15Minutes at 168F Boil Time 60 Minutes Recipe 2 Not Flat Tire This is a...

Page 56: ...5 minutes before end of boil 1 packets Safale US 05 Yeast Strike Temp 154F Mash Time 60 Minutes 152F Sparge Time 10 Minutes at 168F Boil Time 60 Minutes Calculating Starting Water Volume We ve found t...

Page 57: ...ant to use the e mail notification feature of the Brew Boss app or are using multiple Brew Boss controllers in the same area such as a nano brewery or brew on premise operation You will need to know y...

Page 58: ...Launch the Brew Boss application 4 Make certain the application reports that the Brew Boss controller is connected as shown in the picture below 5 Power up the Hops Boss device 6 Wait for the Brew Bo...

Page 59: ...with Brew Boss in it as shown above 13 You will be presented with a list of wireless networks within range of the Hops Boss controller You should see the Brew Boss network as well as your home or busi...

Page 60: ...n IP address that you can use on your network that does not conflict with other devices and is outside the DHCP range your router assigns to other devices Enter this IP address in the IP Address box T...

Page 61: ...ll no longer function 24 Wait about 1 minute for the Hops Boss to reboot and attempt to connect to your network 25 Test that the Hops Boss was properly configured Connect your tablet to your home or b...

Page 62: ...configured it yet Test it by clicking on the Hops Boss position and manually moving the Hops Boss to a different position Note If the Hops Boss does not connect try removing power from the Hops Boss a...

Page 63: ...rranty To change the Brew Boss controller to become a wifi client instead of a wifi server perform the following steps 1 Power up the Brew Boss Controller and let it boot up for at least 45 seconds so...

Page 64: ...be presented with a page like the following image 9 Change the NetMode to WFI CLIENT SERIAL by using the dropdown list that appears when you touch the cell that should originally contain WIFI AP SERI...

Page 65: ...k encryption using the dropdown list Select Open if your network is not encrypted 14 Enter the network encryption Password of your network if it is not set to Open This must be EXACT 15 If IP Type is...

Page 66: ...18 The Default Gateway needs to be set to the IP address of your router In the example shown it is 192 168 1 1 19 The Primary and Secondary DNS Servers should both be blank as shown in the example ima...

Page 67: ...Connect your tablet to your home or business network in the wifi settings area 24 Launch the Brew Boss application 25 Load the Edit Parameters screen using the menu 26 Change the IP Address for Brew...

Page 68: ...off on the Brew Boss controller and restarting it If that does not work it is most probable that you set something incorrectly or your network router is blocking the port It may be necessary to send t...

Page 69: ...t on the clamp and slide the wand up or down and then tighten in the appropriate location The vertical portion of the E nozzle should be positions so it points parallel with a line tangent to the diam...

Page 70: ...stic hops cups we call them mortar shells because that is what they look like Each mortar shell can hold up to 1 75 ounces of pellet hops for a total hops addition potential of over pound It is import...

Page 71: ...nt of torque once the nut makes contact is sufficient The Carrier Gear and the Hops Cups Mortar Shells are shipped installed To remove the top gear simply unscrew the center socket head bolt and remov...

Page 72: ...the Hops Boss The slave version of the Hops Boss is designed to communicate with the Brew Boss controller directly The Hops Boss slave model comes pre configured to communicate directly to the Brew Bo...

Page 73: ...aved network list 11 Launch your Brew Boss app make certain you have Version 1 10 or later If you don t connect to the internet and make sure to update to the latest version in the Google Play Store o...

Page 74: ...EN indicates that the devices have connected RED indicates they are disconnected The Green Temperature box indicates the Brew Boss controller is connected and the Green Hops Boss Checkbox indicates th...

Page 75: ...n in the screenshot below Notice that the current position of the Hops Boss feeder is highlighted in RED To test the feeder simply press on one of the hops feeder position numbers on the graphic The f...

Page 76: ...turn to home or other position specified turning the feeder backwards This is not desirable unless you purposely want to return the feeder to a prior position Simply repeat the hops feeder position in...

Page 77: ...hat the feeder stays at position 2 Line C begins after the 45 minutes of boiling completes Here we move the feeder to position 4 which will feed both positions 3 and 4 Line D maintains boil for the re...

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