My Keggle Project

Hello everyone!

I've only been brewing for under a year and already I'm hopelessly addicted...

I decided it was about time to upgrade and go to all grain batches, and why not 10 gallons at a time while I'm at it?

A 3 tier gravity fed keggle system will be used. The first keg will have the top left on and a coupling installed in the very bottom. This will serve as my HLT and fermenter. It's going to have to have a thermometer coupled into the side, as I can't just drop one in to read the temps.

This is going to feed into a sparge arm (from a valve) that is fixed above my Mash / Lauter tun. The sparge arm will be a copper square, with a middle branch, and having small holes drilled in the bottom to gently distribute the heated water (or mash).

The Mash / Lauter tun keg will be upside down and utilizes the existing “neck” as a coupling. The top (keg bottom) will be cut out and converted into a false bottom. It will be insulated by a hot water heater blanket.

This will feed into a boil kettle that is right side up and has the valve coupling drilled into the side towards the bottom.

All joints will either be soldered or brazed, as I have access to both methods. The valves are brass (...yes I know) and have had the lead removed with a 2:1 vinegar and H2O2 solution. All fittings are connected with 1/2” copper tubing.

Here's the dilemma: Do I use electric elements to heat the HLT, M / LT, and BK or do I use propane gas. Keep in mind that there are fittings either soldered or brazed in the bottom of 2 of the kegs.

This project is only in it s very beginnings and I wont be able to put much time into it until the middle of December.

I would love suggestions or foreseen problems. I realize I don't know everything and what a great place this is to learn from those that do!

swilcox said:

Here's the dilemma: Do I use electric elements to heat the HLT, M / LT, and BK or do I use propane gas. Keep in mind that there are fittings either soldered or brazed in the bottom of 2 of the kegs.

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With fittings and valves or hoses coming off the bottoms of two of those kegs, then I would say that propane firing of those vessels is out of the question and you would have to go electric.

You might have a bigger dilemma with the MLT. It sounds like you want to directly heat it, but you can't really do that with electric. The heater element can scorch the grain. So, that puts you needing to heat externally with propane.... which could be a problem since you have the valve and/or hose coming out of the bottom of it.

Go with electric. You can then have bottom center drains, which make clean up easier and remove the need for dip tubes to fully drain a vessel. The electric will also allow you to brew indoors year round, which I have to say is a lot of fun when it is freezing cold or hotter than balls outside. It also provides some nice ability to simplify e.g. tonight I am going to put water in, heat it up, crush the grain, mash in, and then go eat dinner while it recirculates up to gravity; after dinner I will show up in time for the boil.

Walker said:

You might have a bigger dilemma with the MLT. It sounds like you want to directly heat it, but you can't really do that with electric. The heater element can scorch the grain. So, that puts you needing to heat externally with propane.... which could be a problem since you have the valve and/or hose coming out of the bottom of it.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. If I heat up the water in the HLT and just use the heating element (run at 110v) in the insulated MLT as a safety blanket and stir while stepping up to different temperature increments, do you think that will suffice?

I have no idea if that would cause problems or not. My system is electric, but I use a HERMS coil to maintain the temp and to step up to 170*F at the end.

I wouldn't put a heating element in the thick mash. I've never heard of anyone doing it, but it really seems like a bad idea to me. Why not put a HEX coil in your HLT?

No biggie. Use one of the keggles with a bottom drain as your mash tun and use a RIMS to circulate and maintain your mash temperature. Use the other keggle with the bottom drain for your electric HLT. The BK can be propane.

Another idea for the MLT. In the brew rig I am building, I am going to use a small element in a grant. The MLT will gravity flow into the grant, and I will pump from the grant back into the MLT, so I will be constantly recircing over the small electric element. I have no idea how well this is going to work, but I like the idea for several reasons, so I am going to give it a go.

Ok. It does seem I am in slightly over my head, but I can tread water well So I'm going to need to buy a pump to recirculate the mash into a heat exchanger, preferably located in my HLT. I was hoping to build a close to minimum setup and expand slowly from there. I'll have to do a test and see how well an insulated MLT holds its heat without an element before I invest in a pump.

So is there any reason for a 3 tier if I have a pump? It seems a 1 tier would be easiest.

Yall make sure to tune back in mid-December for some progress pics!

swilcox said:

A 3 tier gravity fed keggle system will be used. The first keg will have the top left on and a coupling installed in the very bottom. This will serve as my HLT and fermenter. It's going to have to have a thermometer coupled into the side, as I can't just drop one in to read the temps.

Click to expand...

Seems to me this means you can only either be brewing OR fermenting. Personally, I like more flexibility than that.

swilcox said:

I'll have to do a test and see how well an insulated MLT holds its heat without an element before I invest in a pump.

Click to expand...

I can save you the trouble. Go to http://www.homebrewertv.com and watch the latest episode. His Keggle MLT is insulated and he holds 1 degree per hour.