I was asked recently by a new buyer for some tips -
here is a few
Dont remove the pump too much - I nearly broke mine.
It clean the pump - a hose with a 'hozelock' fitting, fits perfecly into the pump exit and entrance (with the power disconnected), inject water in here to keep the pump clean.
The tap that comes with the machine, its muck, dont even attempt to use it, however, you can replace it for less than 20€ ,if you want a working tap.
Go easy on the cleaning, only do it once in 5- it requires 3 rinses (at least!), the cleaning material will turn your beer into TCP, if not rinced - but its great at cleaning!
The Wire gauses - a tip on cleaning them, rinse so no material is visible, then pop them in the oven for 10 mins to dry (otherwise - they rust easy)
Step mashes are great - develop some steps that work for you. Most styles use a 62 / 71 / 78 (alpha / Beta and finish)
Leave the lid on for the mash, sparge with 3 litres of water at 85ishC, remove grains and put lid back until 95c - this speeds up brewday.
Never use more than 50% wheat.
Never use more that 6kilos of grain (5.5kgs works perfectly) - use some DME / Dextrose / Candi etc if you need to boost ABV.
Anyone else any tips for people fresh to the Speidel world ?
I keep wrestling with the idea of buying one of these. Looking at my beers for the next year, they're all under the 6kg limit, but I hate the idea that I can't can't go over that...
You can. Either by double mashing, or by reducing the amount of water.
Big time saver is to remember that the mash is still converting while the wort is heating between steps. Rest temps can be slightly shorter when taking that into account.