Hidden Creek E-brewery build
 

Well, the madness has finally begun. I got clearance from SWMBO to begin my e-brewery build. The timing couldn't be better. I'd like to have it done in a couple months so that I can use it when the cold weather set's in. Right now I've been using a keggle and cooler MLT setup.

The plan is to do most of a Kal clone, with the following changes:

• 50A panel - to allow for back-to-back brews if needed
• Using the 50A kit from www.ebrewsupply.com
• Home-built vent hood
• a few other minor adjustments along the way

I'm not great at photos as I tend to just git-r-done more than I take photos. I'll try to post updates on a regular basis. It might be slow going for a few weeks as I'm committed to putting hardwood flooring in the living room and adding a shower to an already finished bathroom during the same time that I'm building this. (Don't ask - some things you just do to maintain a great marriage.)

This is going in my basement in my workshop. One of the biggest challenges is going to be moving my woodworking tools and figuring out how to utilize an already tight space for two purposes.

My order from http://www.ebrewsupply.com arrived quickly and was well packed. Included were several large format color wiring schematics. I had a question about the purpose of some 'extra' indicator lights so I emailed Ryan. He replied within a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon. I'd say he's off to a great start in business. I can't say enough about my experience there.

I picked up a couple March pumps from midwest supplies this weekend and got 10% off in honor of Woman's Equality Day. I wasn't previously aware that this holiday was created, but I'll take the savings and brew a beer in honor of the great women in my life.

Yesterday was like Christmas. No. Better than that. I came home from work and found that UPS and Fed Ex had filled my porch with boxes. All my Blichmann stuff arrived just two days after ordering. I got my pumps,a bunch of stuff from Amazon, and a couple of wine kits that I snuck into my order.

I opted to use the stainless immersion chiller from Midwest Supplies as my HERMS coil. It beats trying to bend something myself. Previously I attempted to build one myself and it ended in kinked disaster.

I'm just up the street from you in Menasha. I've been gathering the parts for a Kal clone since Christmas, and hope to finally start building it in the next month or two. I'll be keeping an eye on your build to see if I can steal a few tips.

I'm pretty much following Kal's design (original 30A), with the exception of using Bayou Classic kettles, a Jaybird false bottom, and a homemade CFC. The system will probably live in the garage for a while before moving it to the basement, so the vent hood will be on hold until the brewing room gets built.

Good luck on your build! Maybe our paths will cross at some time... :mug:

Sounds good. We mighty just have to plan a day and brew together.

I finished punching and cutting the panel cover tonight.



Attachment 73933

I'm definitely watching too, I like ebrewsupply's 50A kit idea and pricing, and I am definitely going with 2 5500W elements firing at same time for quicker brew days. Good Luck.

I also started assembly on my temp probes tonight. I really like Kal's concept for using two layers of the braided sleeve. That is, until I started feeding the second later on top of the first. It takes a little more finesse than I expected. After about three attempts I got the first probe complete.

I have a vacation day tomorrow and I plan on getting the vent hood built and installed along with the exhaust fan. That requires cutting the side of the house and doing some vinyl siding work. If that goes well and time remains, I'll start on the bench build.

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On my day off, I managed to get the ventilation mostly complete.

Going into the project, I expected that building the hood would be the quicker task and that running the duct work and adding the exterior vent would be the more time consuming portion. It turned out to be the opposite. I got the big hole cut in the house and the siding work finished in about an hour. The biggest constraint was the tight joist spacing that necessitated the fan be mounted on about a 30* angle.

I still have some staining left to do on the oak hood. You'll notice that the front is stained, but the side isn't. I'm using up some leftovers from a previous project along with some virgin boards.