"Brutus" Thread - Show us your Brutus!

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frolf

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To quote the Pol, "There needs to be a "Brut" thread for all Brutus owners to showcase thier stuff"

Well, the Pol, here it is! I expect to see your "20"!

Prost! :mug:
 
To quote the Pol, "There needs to be a "Brut" thread for all Brutus owners to showcase thier stuff"

Well, the Pol, here it is! I expect to see your "20"!

Prost! :mug:

What the heck... I might as well play. :)

brutus1.jpg
 
What the heck... I might as well play. :)

LOL, I still can't get over the impeccable timing of your post.

I hope that more people showcase their Brutus builds on this thread, whether they are electric, countertop, or whatever. I'm interested in seeing all the variations that people come up with. Everyone should feel free to post as many detailed pics (plumbing, wiring, etc.) as they want, especially you, President of the Brutus Cult. :)
 
I'm not sure if my build qualifies as a "Brutus", but I will certainly show it off here when it's done. It certainly has a lot of design features that I borrowed from the "Brutus 10" (gas beam, HLT temp control, single tier, square tube frame) and a lot that is unique to my build. Love this thread idea!
 
What the heck... I might as well play. :)

brutus1.jpg

Man Lonnie your systems so sano, small, compact and simple looking with a small panel control as if it's missing a ton of extra spaghetti lines hanging everywhere. Looks like a rather small footprint also. Nice and low for the vertically challenged.
What kid of heat loss in degress you read from kettle to kettle going thru the pump and back? I was thinking insulated silicone tubing as a wild idea for a friend with limited amps available, this included insulating the pump head also.
We're leaning towards that 2" wool with aluminum skin covering.
 
Just updated my gallery... If I have missed you, PLEASE let me know! Think I have about 120 different derivatives of Bruti in here now from around the world... I almost tear up every time I add another!

http://www.alenuts.com/brutus_clones/index.htm


My wife is tearing up from my build too. :D

Gimme a few more weeks and I'll be done. Still need to order my FB from Jaybird, and my Love Controllers.

I could plate mine in Gold and it would never look as pretty as the original.
 
My wireless control, BCS, electric Brutus is coming soon. Chemical cleaning the SS stand this week. Getting close to mounting the control box and HEX, all the components are modular and already built, they just need the stand. Making sure this thread is within easy reach in a week or so when I can post :D

Just got the custom graphics and custom casters in this week, getting so excited!

Thanks for he ideas Lonnie and HBT
 
All SS, All Electric, Brutus "20"

Fully Wireless Control.

Fastest heating rig I have ever seen, hands down!
10 gallons from 50F to 170F to start the mash (19 minutes)
13 gallons from 160F to BOIL (12 minutes)

CLEAN
P1030940.jpg


CLEAN
P1030941.jpg


Dual LG pumps and the self contained "brain"
P1030937.jpg
 
Okay, finished all the wiring today... it ran on a test stand prior to this, now it is running for real in all it's glory. I am so sick of the build that I am contemplating giving up brewing, selling it, and getting a bike.

I dunno... it runs very well. The stock BCS PID setting seem to work REALLY well. Whether I am running the RIMS at 9000W or 4500W, it holds the temps within .5F. Also, there was some concern about flash boiling and issues running such a high wattage RIMS heater... it isnt a problem.

The pumps are WHISPER quiet, actually you can hear the control box cooling fan above them when they are both running. At first I though I had miswired something and that the pumps were not running at all.

The heating times are insanely fast, it is the best rig I can muster... now I just have to decide if I want to use it, or move on.

BCSshot.jpg


P1030946.jpg


P1030949.jpg


P1030951.jpg
 
PLEASE a couple pics in side those vessels... Heroic build!!!

I will get a few this morning...

I have been flushing the system with hot (140F) OxiClean to get all of the nastiness from the building, out... I will be doing it again today too, plus it is a good way to fiddle with the BCS control.
 
As promised, some more photos of DigiBrew:

MLT INSIDE (button falsie, autosparge)
P1030953.jpg


BK INSIDE (50' x 1/2" SS chiller, Triclamp installed, (2) 4500W heaters)
P1030954.jpg


Blichman Valves
P1030956.jpg


Blichman Valves
P1030957.jpg
 
Okay, finished all the wiring today... it ran on a test stand prior to this, now it is running for real in all it's glory. I am so sick of the build that I am contemplating giving up brewing, selling it, and getting a bike.

I dunno... it runs very well. The stock BCS PID setting seem to work REALLY well. Whether I am running the RIMS at 9000W or 4500W, it holds the temps within .5F. Also, there was some concern about flash boiling and issues running such a high wattage RIMS heater... it isnt a problem.

The pumps are WHISPER quiet, actually you can hear the control box cooling fan above them when they are both running. At first I though I had miswired something and that the pumps were not running at all.

The heating times are insanely fast, it is the best rig I can muster... now I just have to decide if I want to use it, or move on.

BCSshot.jpg


P1030946.jpg


P1030949.jpg


P1030951.jpg

You must use it not "move on", enjoy your efforts with that super sano rig.
 
Thanks BB... I may, it is a toss up. I am having fun doing the control testing, I will be sous vide cooking in it this evening. That will be insanely cool:mug:

The control box contains 10 SSRs and associated heatsinks... which is the reason for the cooling fan. The fan is a 105CFM 220VAC muffin fan that is mounted so that it PULLS air OUT of the box. On the underside of the box there are (5) 1.375" DIA. holes that draw air in from various locations, through the box, and out the top.

All of this said, after 4 hours of running both pumps, the BK and RIMS heaters, utilizing PID control... I powered the rig down and opened the box, the SSRs were cold to the touch ;)

Here is the DigiBrew performing some Sous Vide cooking for dinner... shweet.

sousvide.jpg
 
Wow, very clean and obviously patterned after Pol's rig, but with a little more industrial look. Consider me jealous.
 
Sweet looking rig willynilly :mug:
You should film the rigs maiden run with appropriately themed music playing in background; bow-chicka-wow-wow

Cheers;
BeerCanuck
 
Nice choice of valve...Swagelok 60 Series :mug:




I read about continuous hopping in Brewing up a Business. How does your machine work? What styles are you using it for?

60 Series Swagelok is a fine choice so thanks for the prop. They are very smooth and easy to clean and don't have that silly lock that the chinese Blichmann valves have. I hate those locks.

As for the hopping device, it's pretty much only good for IPA's although you could use it on lower hopped beers by altering the angle of the tripod to reduce the rate of pellet drop. You could for instance add an ounce of late hops over the last 20 minutes of the boil instead of in more discrete increments. It works by spinning a teflon plate in the main tube at a rate of 1 RPM. The teflon plate has a small cutout at the edge to allow hop pellets to escape as the plate spins and reaches its lowest point. Depending on the angle, it usually dispenses about 6-12 hop pellets per minute and I've made a number of 60 Minute IPA clones and they all have tasted great.
 
Wheres that thread at? NICE! I like your idea with the Therminator (bringing the back ports to the front). Would like to see more of that.

The pic shows it all and it's pretty simple really. I added double elbows to bring the back side ports to the front. They flow well so there is no noticeable restriction. The hose thread on the water ports is adapted to my QD's and so no water hose is used. I chill exactly as Lonnie has it laid out in his BYO plans as that's the easiest way.
 
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