Pimping the Rig

I have been working on my brewing rig for over five years and have put together some images of my up-dated set-up. I recognize that I will never be finished with this project, but why would I want to be?!

Stripped Down Rig:



This is my modified rig stripped down for storage. By stripped down I mean it has no fittings of valves attached. The black and yellow hoses are glycol lines attached to the second zone of my chiller.

The main changes are the electrical set-up, including a thermostatically controlled plug. It also contains a general use plug and the switch for my pump. I have moved all my mashing into the smaller kettle on the right and installed a tri-clover in-let near the top for various uses such as sparging. The center vessel, which previously was used as a mash tun/whirlpool, is now the hot liquor tank. I made this switch because I like a heated mash tun and the new HLT heats more quickly and easily. It also doubles as a great CIP (clean in place) unit.

Mash/Lauter Tun:



This vessel is 40 gallons and steam jacketed. The false bottom is a Blichmann 20 gallon false bottom. It is secured to the kettle by a stainless bolt attached to a removable outlet sleeve. The image here shows the Fly Sparge ring attached. I also have fittings for Batch Sparging and RIM recirculation.

Recirculation Infusion Mash Set-up:





The Mash/Lauter Tun is steam jacketed and very easily adjusted to any given mash temperature. Additionally, a Recirculation Infusion Mash unit is utilized for holding mash temperatures. The RIM unit consists of an inline water heater element which plugs into an outlet wired into a Ranco digital controller. The controller’s thermo-coupler is located in an inline thermo-well.

(continued)

Sparge/Lauter Set-up:



Whether I am Fly or Batch sparging, the operation and set up are virtually the same. Gravity is used to feed water into the Lauter Tun. An outlet valve on the Hot Liquor Tank controls the flow. The Fly Sparge ring (pictured previously) assures a smooth, uniform spray of water. A Batch Sparge tube delivers water in a hastier fashion. The run-off is pumped into the Brew Kettle. Care is taken not to draw the run-off too quickly. A valve on the pump outlet readily takes care of this. Run-off is pumped into the kettle from the bottom to help prevent any problems with hot-side aeration. The unique design of the Blichmann false bottom allows excellent results for either Fly of Batch sparging.

Wort boil is straight forward. The kettle is 60 gallons and also steam jacketed. A small standpipe in the outlet creates a fine hop and break reservoir in the dish bottom. At the end of the boil the wort is gently whirlpooled enough to get a general settling of hop and break material.

Chilling Set-up:



The wort is run out through a two zone, inline filter to remove more of the hop and break material. It is pumped through a two zone plate heat exchanger for cooling. The first zone uses well water to draw the majority of the heat from the wort. A second zone uses chilled glycol, pumped from a Glycol Chiller/Chest Freezer. Inline valves are used to control the flow and regulated the wort temperature going into the fermenter. With this set-up a 20 gallon batch can be chilled from boiling to 35 degrees in 15 minutes.

The wort is pumped into a jacketed, 24-gallon conical fermenter, which is chilled with glycol. The temperature of fermentation is controlled using a glycol circulation pump and a Ranco Digital Controller.

Everything put in its place:



In operation the brewing rig is situated as pictured here. This allows easy access to the counter and equipment needed. Note the conical fermenter in the corner, as well as the Glycol Chiller/Chest Freezer. The whole set-up easily fits in half of the garage.

BP, it doesn't look like your conical is jacketed. Do you have a coil inside?

Also, do I understand that you glycol reservoir is in the chest cooler?

Thanks.

Oh yea, awesome rig!!

That thing is INSANE! I love it.

The conical is jacketed, look closely near the bottom of the cone and you can see where the outer jacket is nested.

The chest freezer is the glycol chiller. I have a pond pump in there that is controlled by a ranco controller with a thermo-coupler in the fermenter.

this sir is beer porn..... well done

Brewpastor said:

I have a pond pump in there that is controlled by a ranco controller with a thermo-coupler in the fermenter.

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What is the temperature spread (delta T) between the chest freezer and the fermenting beer? Does it work for lagering?

Thanks again.

If you don't mind my asking, and you have kept track, how much have you spent on this rig? I mean....it's simply an amazing setup, but I'd have to buy my wife a small island before she'd let me build a rig like that.

Awesome!!!

arturo7 said:

What is the temperature spread (delta T) between the chest freezer and the fermenting beer? Does it work for lagering?

Thanks again.

Click to expand...

It works very well for lagering. I generally keep the Glycol Chiller at about 28 degrees (2nd Ranco Controller). I have had the fermenter lagering at 34 degrees.

weirdboy said:

If you don't mind my asking, and you have kept track, how much have you spent on this rig? I mean....it's simply an amazing setup, but I'd have to buy my wife a small island before she'd let me build a rig like that.

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I have not kept track and really don't want to know, although it isn't as bad as it appears. The kettles came off ebay and were less then $500 for the pair. My father-in-law picked them up so shipping did not cost anything. The pump is from ebay and again was a steal because it did not work, but I had the motor. The stainless pieces were given to me by my old business partner at the brewery and the HLT was bought at a restaurant auction years ago. The structural material are recycled sign poles I salvaged from the city's municipal scrap yard for free.

The chest freezer and glycol also came from the old brewery. And the two conical hoppers were bought with a gift certificate.

No doubt there was a lot of expense. Welding the fermenter together, the sealed lid, hoses, bolts, copper, controllers, switches. But the bottom line is this system is the result of Time AND money, with a lot of scrounging on the side.

You give me hope, good sir, that one day I might too possess the rig of the gods.

Time, resourcefulness and money are all you need...

Well, one out of three ain't bad

So you are rich?

Well BP, the irony of this thread is amazing! Under your username, you have "Beer, not rocket science". Yet, your rig is obviously scarfed pieces of the space shuttle.

Very well done. I think I got a little chubby looking at those pics.

Ever since I saw pictures of your setup I've always wondered where your steam boiler is located? Are you firing your kettles some other way? I like how your automation is built for making better beer and not for total push button operation... Too cool...

bull8042 said:

Well BP, the irony of this thread is amazing! Under your username, you have "Beer, not rocket science". Yet, your rig is obviously scarfed pieces of the space shuttle.

Very well done. I think I got a little chubby looking at those pics.

Click to expand...

Yeah, me too. I mean, if I could ever get a chubby, that is. That would be the thing to do it.

Wow. Just wow.

And today I thought, "oh, I should take a picture of my ghetto kitchen 3-tier sculpture" which involves two coolers, a bar stool, a milk crate and my kitchen stove. Now, I just want to drool over your pictures.

I love this rig. Best I've seen so far.

YooperBrew said:

Yeah, me too. I mean, if I could ever get a chubby, that is. That would be the thing to do it.

Wow. Just wow.

And today I thought, "oh, I should take a picture of my ghetto kitchen 3-tier sculpture" which involves two coolers, a bar stool, a milk crate and my kitchen stove. Now, I just want to drool over your pictures.

Click to expand...

I got a chubby based on the thought of you gettin a chubby.

Is that wierd?

GilaMinumBeer said:

I got a chubby based on the thought of you gettin a chubby.

Is that wierd?

Click to expand...

You a$$hole! You beat me to it!

leboeuf said:

Ever since I saw pictures of your setup I've always wondered where your steam boiler is located? Are you firing your kettles some other way?

Click to expand...

My guess, based on the tarnish on the supports, that he's got a burner inside the support column.

Just a guess.

If correct, is the jacket filled with water to generate steam within and x-fer around the kettle walls?

That's my basic assumption, I'm just making sure there isn't some kind of mind blowing steam technique hidden in there...

Very nice setup. Once I get a man cave to brew in, I hope to start a rig...

Damn!!! I'm speachless.

Wow.. i never thought of a dish shaped MLT. That is nasty with a capital N.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks everyone. It is a great toy. My wife tells me it is cheaper then a sports car!

The kettles are heated by themselves - no external boiler. I have water in the jackets, about a third full. Dual jet burners in each column heat the water to provide the stream. The jackets are sealed with pressure relief valves, so it is basically a big pressure cooker. I have been using a steam kettle heated in this manner for nearly 20 years. I bought a 20 gallon steam kettle from a restaurant equipment guy who showed me how to rig it up. People often looked at me wide eyed when I explain what I am doing, but it has never been a problem at all.

Brewpastor said:

People often looked at me wide eyed when I explain what I am doing, but it has never been a problem at all.

Click to expand...

I figured as much and, personally, I think it's brilliant. No external boiler. Thorough heat distribution. And teh relief valve takes care of the potential boom issue.

I gotta get me one of those conicals. I've been eyeballing the B3 self contained 12 gal unit. Maybe, if I am a really good boy......

That is definitely inspiring. Great work!

Congrats - that thing is unbelievable!

I'm sure I've seen film of Pink Floyd playing something like that on stage back in about 1970...

IanP said:

I'm sure I've seen film of Pink Floyd playing something like that on stage back in about 1970...

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The percussion section of the local orchestra is a little shallow of late...

Please pardon my steady stream of questions about the conical. My garage gets sun all afternoon. I am trying to find a cooling solution that doesn't require another fridge.

Here comes another:

The cooling jacket on the conical, is it a reservoir, similar to the kettles, or is it a network of tubing?

Thanks again.

It is a reservoir, a simple jacket. Some place on here I have a thread about how it was made. Zymurgy is suppose to run an article. I will see if I can find it for you.

http://https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/temperature-controlled-fermentation-81596/

That is one thread

And here is the other:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/zymurgy-article-review-help-76042/

When the first picture came up, I sat there staring at the computer, waiting for the music to begin. What is the right music to go with a rig like that?

Someday, tourists will flock to your garage to see that thing. People will plan their vacations with you in mind. The roads between Wall Drug and Corrales, NW will need to be widened.

Got it.

Just a ticky tack thought. Are you running straight glycol or a glycol water mix? Glycol can handle the cold but it is not a good thermal conductor. If you thin it out with water, maybe 40-60, you will get much better heat transfer and thus use less power at a given temperature.

Congratulations, perfect setup.

Someday, tourists will flock to your garage to see that thing. People will plan their vacations with you in mind. The roads between Wall Drug and Corrales, NW will need to be widened.

Click to expand...

One of the must see spots in New Mexico for me.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

arturo7 said:

Got it.

Just a ticky tack thought. Are you running straight glycol or a glycol water mix? Glycol can handle the cold but it is not a good thermal conductor. If you thin it out with water, maybe 40-60, you will get much better heat transfer and thus use less power at a given temperature.

Click to expand...

I run a water mix. Not ticky tacky at all. Thanks.

holy f'ing $hit