Brutus/More Beer 1100 Hybrid Stand Complete

cdburg · 07-21-2008, 04:23 AM

It's been a 4-month process, but I'm finally 99% done with my brew stand. I showed my step dad the Brutus plans in BYO last year, and he decided that we should do it.

The stand is a hybrid between a Brutus 10 and More Beer's 1100. We used Lonnie's design as a base, but we also borrowed several More Beer design features. We also added a tippy dump and grain chute that aren't included on either stand.

Features:

We designed the stand to be longer and a bit wider to accept the 15 gallon More Beer heavy duty kettles. We also designed it to be able to accept the 26 gallon kettles as well, in case I ever want to scale up.
The middle kettle is held in a tippy dump. The kettle and burner are raised to allow it to swing.
The grain chute is removable. It clips over the frame in the back when needed. When not used, it clips on the side of the frame near the boil kettle, acting as a wind shield.
We used the More Beer set up for the automated HLT and SMART. Both use Ranco controllers.
We used the Brutus gas beam, but moved it to the front to allow for easier access to the ball valves controlling the burners.
The control panel design and mounting is also from the More Beer structure.
The liquid returns in the mash tun and boil kettle are a cross between the Brutus and More Beer stands. I've also incorporated Jamil's whirpool chiller as the boil kettle return.
We also ran conduit from the control panel to protect the pump, temp probe and other wires.

Here are a few pictures of the stand. I've documented the whole build in 16 Picasa albums. If anyone is interested in that detail, I can post links.

I still need to drill out the "crosshairs" on the plastic disconnects. They got stopped up with hops during my first brew in the system today. I think that I'll also put in some more work on the sanding the top. That should help to make it easier to clean if I get a boil over. I'd rather not spend an hour scrubbing with BKF like I did today. I think a smoother polish will work. I still need to order the last few name plates for the control panel also.

I've seen many stands on homebrewtalk that gave me ideas and pointers. Thank you to everyone. I want to give a big thank you to kladue for the help with the wiring of the ignition module,. That one was driving us nuts. Thanks also to Lonnie for the inspiration with the Brutus plans in BYO. This probably wouldn't have happened without them.

**Jaybird** · 07-21-2008, 05:12 AM

Damn Bud thats BAD A$$ Nice work. have you brewed on it yet?
JJ

**evanmars** · 07-21-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdburg

I still need to drill out the "crosshairs" on the plastic disconnects. They got stopped up with hops during my first brew in the system today. I think that I'll also put in some more work on the sanding the top. That should help to make it easier to clean if I get a boil over. I'd rather not spend an hour scrubbing with BKF like I did today. I think a smoother polish will work. I still need to order the last few name plates for the control panel also.

I think he brewed on it...

delpo · 07-21-2008, 12:03 PM

Would love to see the details of the build. If not too much trouble, could you please post the links or PM?

Thanks.

**Lil' Sparky** · 07-21-2008, 12:51 PM

Wow! You really SUCK!

That's probably the most professional looking DIY system I've ever seen. Great job!!!

cdburg · 07-21-2008, 01:31 PM

Yup. I brewed on it yesterday. Everything works as expected. The plastic disconnect on the boil kettle clogged during recirculation. That's why I need to remove the plastic crosshairs on the inside of each of the disconnects. That should fix it for future batches.

Other than that, it worked great. I need to get used to a new system. The brew day took 9 hours, including cleaning it first. I hope to cut that down to 4-5 hours in the future.

Thanks for the compliments. My step dad did all the welding. He also did a lot of the design work, after I told him what I wanted. He's a contractor, so he takes quality very seriously. He also comes up with some unique solutions to problems. I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.

cdburg · 07-21-2008, 01:39 PM

p4ck37p1mp · 07-21-2008, 03:01 PM

Man, I just went through all your pics of the build. I need to learn to weld! I'm bookmarking this thread, someday when I have the funds and the welding skills I will be replicating this. How wide are your kettles? My 100 qt kettles are 20" in diameter, I'd have to allow for that but otherwise I think I'll more or less 'borrow' your ideas.

nathan · 07-21-2008, 03:58 PM

Any particular reason you are using two types of burners?

Where did you order them from?

Boerderij_Kabouter · 07-21-2008, 04:36 PM

Wow!!! Very impressive! That is one awesome brewery you have! Thanks for sharing