Help! What type of brewing system should I build?

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michiganjoe

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I want to step up to all grain brewing and I would like some advice as to what type of system I should build. I am not a rocket scientist but I will have help from a few engineer friends. Should I build a RIMS? 1,2, or 3 tier?

I am sure I want to retrofit kegs and brew 10 gallon batches. Money is always a factor but I to build something that I will be proud to own and will make good beer. I am also fairly certain I want to avoid using wood in my build.

Thoughts??? I appreciate them!
 
not sure about your non wood comment but... we need lots more information on what you want to answer the question. Some people will say xxxxxx is the best but it is stupid to think one is better than another for everyone. its all a preference, roll through the DIY section and/ or the electric section, you will find lots of ideas and people will tell you what they like and dont like about their own setups!
 
There are benefits to any system and it's mostly just a personal choice.

My plan is to build either a HERMS or RIMS electric system. I started out planning a RIMS system because it is so similar to the heat devices we use on plastic injection molds, but I'm leaning more towards a HERMS system with copper coil in the HLT now.

People also use gas controls instead of electric, but since I brew mostly in my garage I decided to go with that. If I really needed to brew away from the garage I have enough stuff to do that too.

I can't see why you would need to use wood for anything if you don't want to. There are lots of builds in the DIY area and online if you want to check out lots of pictures and get an idea of how it all works.
 
I have an electric HERMS similar to theelectricbrewery.com and I love it. But I agree with the other posters that it well be personal preference.

What are your goals? Do you want simple/complex, portable/fixed, cheap/expensive, moderate control/great control, manual/automated?
 
I have seen people make the frames out of wood. Maybe I should just tbe asking what type of system you all are using and what do you like or dislike about your current setup.
 
I have seen people make the frames out of wood. Maybe I should just tbe asking what type of system you all are using and what do you like or dislike about your current setup.

Thats a better question. I am electric RIMS, 2 tier, with keggles and a cooler mash tun, immersion chiller. If i was to change one thing it would be the chiller (next on the project list) to a counterflow chiller. I like the set it and forget it for temperatures, that is very nice! the only hassle so far is adjusting valves for pump flow to keep the grant from running dry/ overflowing. You can see my build thread linked below.
 
My setup:

Rectangular cooler mash tun with stainless braid
5 gallon extract kettle
10 gallon megapot

I love batch sparging. Super cheap and super easy.
 
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