Sprowt Labs Acro User manual


Acro the Personal Malthouse User Manual
V1.0 Last updated: March 26th, 2020
Note: The most up-to-date user manual and parts list are available at
www.sprowtlabs.com/docs. The most up-to-date user agreement is available at
www.sprowtlabs.com/legal. For the best user experience and access to important videos and
additional information, please access these online resources.

Table of Contents
Page 1: Important Safety Information
Page 2: Introduction
Page 2 - 4: Components
Page 4 - 6: Setup
Page 6 - 7: Malting with Acro

Page 7: Care and Maintenance

Page 7: Troubleshooting
Important Safety Information
●Exercise common sense while operating Acro.
●Close supervision is needed when used around children.
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●Allow the machine to fully cool before removing or replacing parts or grain.
●Do not operate with a frayed cord or broken plug.
●Only use with a GFCI circuit. Test the GFCI circuit before every use.
●Do not immerse or soak the machine.
●Make sure all ducts, tubes, and connections are in place before using Acro.
●To avoid risk of electrical shock hazard do not disassemble Acro. There are no user
serviceable parts inside.
●Various surfaces can get extremely hot or cold during the malting cycle, use caution
when coming into contact with the equipment or grain.
●Never insert fingers or hands inside Acro (duct, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets).
●Do not operate with water pressure exceeding 50 PSI.
●During kilning, always pause batch before powering Acro off to let heating element cool

Introduction
Welcome to Home Malting! Sprowt Labs is a small company working to make beer’s
supply chain accessible to everyone. Malting is a complex process, and we’ve worked hard to
take out the frustrating labor, and leave you with the joys of developing new and unique malts,
and connecting with local agriculture.
We are constantly seeking out feedback and ways to better our equipment. If you have
any questions or ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Cheers,
The Sprowt Labs Team

Acro Components
Please check the included packing list to make sure you have all components before continuing.
If any parts are missing, please contact Sprowt Labs immediately ([email protected]).
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
Shipment Overview:
Box #1:
Acro, the Personal Malthouse
Box #2:
Acro Accessories and Fittings
Box #3:
Spike Conical
Bag #1:
Malting Barley


Shipment
Contents
Line
Total
Box #1
Acro, the Personal Malthouse
1
Box #2
Book, "Malting at Home"
1

Flexible Bucket
1

Grain Scoop
1

Grain Sieve
1

False Bottom
1

Drain Pan
1

Teflon Tape
1

Hose Flow Brass valve
1

Hose to NPT Hex Swivel Brass Adapter
1

Barb to 1/2" FPT, SS adapters
2

Temperature Sensor
1

Power Cord
1

Fuse Cap
1

Fuses
2

1/2" NPT, SS Caps
2

Main SS Duct With Insulation & Elbow
1

Vessel Valve Assembly
1

3.5" SS NPT nipple
1

2" to 1" SS Reducer coupling
1

Lower Water Line Assembly (Filter Basket)
1

Upper Water Line Assembly (Tri Clamp)
1

Butterfly Clamps
3

Germ/Kiln SS Duct, Insulated With Tri Clamp Adapter
1

Female Camlock
2
3


Camlock Plug
1

SS Racking arm
1

1.5" Tri Clamp
4

1.5" Tri Clamp Gasket
4

Tri Clamp 1.5" Caps
3

2" Tri Clamp
1

2" Tri Clamp Gasket
1

2" Tri Clamp Gasket With Mesh
1

Spike Brewing Vessel Leg Extenders
3

Spike Brewing Vessel Feet
3

Spike Brewing Vessel Lid Gasket
1

~4' of 1/2" Tubing
1


Setup
Acro Assembly
Please visit www.sprowtlabs.com/docs for the Acro Assembly video and to learn more about
how to assemble your new Acro. Assembly videos are also available on the Sprowt Labs
youtube channel.
Vessel Heights
The vessel height doesn't need to be changed once set. The height is the same during steep/air
rest and germ/kiln, only the duct assembly is changed.
Leg extenders should be screwed into each leg, as well as rubber feet. Attach a duct assembly
and ball valve and rotate it into place to validate the final height. Downward pressure by the
conical shouldn't be placed on the duct. Use Acro’s caster wheels to easily move the malthouse
into position and validate the height.
Power
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Acro must be run on a GFCI circuit. Connect the power cord from Acro's power receptacle to a
GFCI 120VAC standard wall outlet. DO NOT plug Acro in to an outlet until the fuse has been
installed.
Wifi Setup
1. Create your account on www.sprowtlabs.com and Sign In.
2. In the settings drop down menu in the upper rightmost corner navigate to 'Malthouse'.
3. Click 'Add New Malthouse'.
4. Follow the instructions provided.
Water Hookup
A water line needs to be hooked up to Acro for the duration of the steeping, air resting, and
germinating steps.
Why? Acro automatically fills steeps, and can't fill the vessel if water is not hooked up.
Additionally, constant water hookup is necessary to maintain the humidification system used
during air rests and germination.
You can use a standard hose or tubing to connect Acro to water. A 1/2" NPT male threaded
fitting on the water hookup allows you to connect either a female garden hose adapter or a
female thread to male barb adapter.
If you're using tubing instead of a hose, make sure to use tubing capable of handling your water
pressure. We use a tube with a 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD.
Preferably hook Acro up to a faucet with the ability to mix hot and cold water. Warm water is
used during cleaning the machine. In the winter, your cold water might be below desired
steeping temperatures, and Acro cannot heat water.
Water Pressure
Acro can handle water pressures up to 50 psi. Above this will damage interior plumbing
connections and cause water leaks or flooding. Plumbing damage caused by high pressure will
not be covered under warranty.
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Water Flow Rate
It's very important to set your flow rate before you hook Acro up to water. Flow rates above 6
gpm (gallons/minute) will damage interior plumbing connections and cause water leaks or
flooding.
Acro requires a flow rate between 3 - 5 gpm. To set this, we recommend turning your hose or
faucet on and filling a vessel with a known volume of water while timing how long it takes to fill.
Malting with Acro
Recipes are designed in the web app on sprowtlabs.com. As we continue to build out our own
documentation, we recommend referring to the included book on Home Malting for recipe
design advice.
To start a batch from Acro:
1. Go to Malting -> Select Recipe -> 'Your Recipe'
2. Wash the grain before starting a steep. Go to Malting -> Wash Grain.
1. Acro will fill the vessel up with water several inches above the grain. Stir the grain
by hand or with a mash paddle to dislodge thins and chaff (malting loss) that will
float to the surface. Use a sieve to collect this malting loss and compost it.
2. Once you have removed all malting loss, go to Malting -> Vessel Drain.
3. Repeat this fill/drain cycle 1-2 more times, until you can easily see the grain
through the water, and no more malting loss is floating up.
3. Go to Malting -> Start Batch. Steeping will begin.
You can also schedule a Batch on the Web application:
1. Go to your App Dashboard (https://www.sprowtlabs.com/dashboard), and select a
recipe that you want to run.
2. On the recipe page, select "Start New Batch". This action will create a new batch page.
3. Schedule a batch, by clicking "Set Start Time", setting and confirming the time that you'd
like to start a batch. This is risk free. Delete our reschedule at any point. By scheduling a
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batch on the web app, you can plan your week so you’re around to switch to germination
set up and kilning.
4. Once a batch is scheduled, you will get notifications as the batch approaches.
5. When it is time to malt, you will need to start malting using the directions above.
Please refer to the malting overview reference document for more information on how to malt.
This document is available at www.sprowtlabs.com/docs.
Care and Maintenance
Acro needs to be fully drained after a malting batch, and then cleaned.
To fully drain Acro, select Malting -> Acro Drain. Then pull out the drain pan, and remove the
right drain cap.
Return the cap, and select Malting -> Clean Acro. Turn warm water on from your water hookup,
and Acro will run a cleaning cycle. Dish soap or equivalent cleaner can be added to the conical
for cycling through the machine. Afterwards, perform the same Acro Drain function.
Once water has been turned off, you can drain from the left drain cap, which drains the
humidifier system.
Troubleshooting
Please contact the Sprowt Labs teams with any issues or bugs. We are committed to solving
any problems, and appreciate your patience and support as we continuously refine and improve
our product. You can reach us in the following ways:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: [phone]
Website: www.sprowtlabs.com/contact
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