My Brutus finally done

After eating peanut butter sandwiches all winter to get this thing done, I can now go out to dinner, and my wife can finally stop whining so much. :cross:

I have to thank Lonnie for the inspiration to build it, and to all others that I have stolen a design element or two from in order to create my own version.
It is all stainless with the exception of the Autosparger and the ASCO valves.
I've ran through fluid movement tests, boil/burner tests, but have not done a full test brew with it yet. I still need to fix my false bottom, and then I'll be ready to brew on it.

Here are the other pictures of the build progress. I hope you can view it from the Picasa link below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Trailmudder/Brutus?feat=directlink

I will lead a very happy life if I never have to drill another hole in Stainless Steel. -But....it was still worth it!

Please let me know what you think.

Is that an immersion chiller or a cfc?

Anyway, everything in this picture is win. I want it all... let's be friends.

Burgs,
It's a Jamil-O-Chiller (immersion chiller). I basically took the one sold by Midwest Supplies (on sale) and added a 3/8" Stainless Steel racking cane and bent it so that the wort can recirculate in a whirlpool.

I can be friends with most anyone....

Nicely done..... that looks like a work of art.

More than nice.

Cool idea for the pump cover.

Looks awesome! Very shiny

Impressive work.
Tell us more about the fermenter in this pic:

What happened to the keggle and two unmodified kegs you have in the one picture? Just there to show relative size or were you planning on using them at one point before deciding on the pots?

Nice fermenter....that looks like a hell of an Ebay Score!

XXguy said:

Nicely done..... that looks like a work of art.

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Thank you. I treated it as such. I just took my time and let it be.

Rob_T said:

Cool idea for the pump cover.

Looks awesome! Very shiny

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I am bummed that I can't take the credit on the pump cover. It is awesome though. Thanks!

ibbones said:

More than nice.

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Thank you very much.

bendavanza said:

Impressive work.
Tell us more about the fermenter in this pic:

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All I know is that it is a Milk Fermenter. I gathered some parts off of Ebay to round out the clovers. The main access point wasn't made for a clover but I found A 4" Clover and a seal that fit exactly over the hole. I need to ground off the bottom part of the clamp to get it to put pressure on the fitting to seal it down.

Thirteen said:

What happened to the keggle and two unmodified kegs you have in the one picture? Just there to show relative size or were you planning on using them at one point before deciding on the pots?

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I decided to buy the kettles. Just had an opportunity and went with it. Eventually I may sell off the kegs or just use them as fermenters like I am doing now. I still use the keggle. I am brewing a Witbier in about an hour with it.
I may end up using this as my back up system...you know in case I want to brew a batch while another is running.

ScubaSteve said:

Nice fermenter....that looks like a hell of an Ebay Score!

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Actually I bought that from a friend of mine. I'll have to ask him where he got it at. It will hold 7 gallons.

Did you use the plans from the BYO mag? Or is this your design? If it's the BYO, what changes did you use.

ibbones said:

Did you use the plans from the BYO mag? Or is this your design? If it's the BYO, what changes did you use.

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This is based off of Lonnie's plans. I did however make some minor changes. I the length, width and height was made a little longer than the dimensions given.
I decided to not use a Therminator. I may revisit this later. Instead, I went with a Jamil-O-Chiller

I made the control box so that it is movable for storage reasons. I did use a full gas beam that I had a Tig Welder seal and pressure test for me.
Also, I did an ASCO valve on the Boil Kettle since I wanted an automatic shut off in case of a Boil Over or something. I wouldn't want to reach down to shut off gas with boiling wort coming out and burning me.

This thing works wonderfully. I still have control over the brewing process yet allowing some automation.

that's the biggest whisk i have ever seen!! looking sharp, brewnick.

very nice, how big is that fermentor?

brewnickbrew said:

I decided to not use a Therminator. I may revisit this later. Instead, I went with a Jamil-O-Chiller

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I'm really pleased with mine. The obvious features are chilling quite rapidly and there is no fiddling with flow rates to get to the desired output temp.

The added benefits, which I didn't see until I started using it, are twofold. First the whirlpool wraps up the trub in a nice mound at the center of the false bottom. Virtually none goes into the fermenter. Secondly, once the wort temp drops below 90 deg. I raise the wort recirculation outflow tube to the to top of my keggle and it splashes vigorously for 10 min or so until I get to the transfer/pitch temp. Aeration accomplished!

What I haven't done is come up with a better way to attach the outflow cane to the chiller in an adjustable way other than zip ties or hose clamps.

Maltose said:

that's the biggest whisk i have ever seen!! looking sharp, brewnick.

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no ****, that thing is mean.

awesome looking system.

Any details on the propane regulator and burner setup you chose?

Thanks

Maltose said:

that's the biggest whisk i have ever seen!! looking sharp, brewnick.

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That thing had me laughing so hard when I saw it. I just knew I had to have it.

humann_brewing said:

very nice, how big is that fermentor?

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The fermenter is 7 gallon at full capacity, so....it's perfect for 5-6 gallon batches.

artbrau said:

What I haven't done is come up with a better way to attach the outflow cane to the chiller in an adjustable way other than zip ties or hose clamps.

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I used worm clamps which are stainless steel and attached it that way. Glad to hear it is working. I cannot wait to brew on this thing.

android said:

no ****, that thing is mean.

awesome looking system.

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Thank you. I do get some looks when I am standing in my garage holding it. -The whisk that is.....

kmcrofton said:

Any details on the propane regulator and burner setup you chose?

Thanks

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I am using an Acetylene regulator at about 1/2 PSI. I picked one up really cheap -free!
These regulators are low pressure, high volume. It works great. Not sure of the longevity of it with propane use.
The 10 Jet burners I got from BBQ Guys.com. I had to JB weld some spots as they leaked. I think this is common with these cast burners. I used the gas beam idea as Lonnie had planned out. No leaks at all. AS you can see in the Picasa link, it gives off a nice blue flame at 1/2 PSI.

Let me know if you have any further questions. I found out that this was an area that's way over thought. Understandably so!

bringing back a thread here. However, are they Bayou brew kettles? If so, what size? I am currently doing a brutus 20 build but am thinking I might sell my progress and do a brutus 10. I just like the design a bit better as space isn't a huge concern. I have looked at the kettles and they seem to have a good price to quality ratio.

Bear with me a bit on this question. I'm assuming a brutus consists of a mash tun, a kettle, and a third kettle with pump and CFC chiller. I see a lot of pics of Brutus systems with three kettles. What's the third kettle for? I also don't understand how your chiller will be working. Doesn't that chiller need to be immersed in the BK?

Sorry for the newbie questions. I'd really appreciate it if someone could help me to understand.

Many Thanks. Impressive looking system.

CoalCracker said:

bringing back a thread here. However, are they Bayou brew kettles? If so, what size? I am currently doing a brutus 20 build but am thinking I might sell my progress and do a brutus 10. I just like the design a bit better as space isn't a huge concern. I have looked at the kettles and they seem to have a good price to quality ratio.

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Yep they are Bayou Classic Kettles, 15.5 gallons. I have not had any issues with them so far. They are on the thin side, but the guy who TIG welded the fittings on didn't have any issues. They worked out great for me so, I'd say I am happy with them.

Dgonza9 said:

Bear with me a bit on this question. I'm assuming a brutus consists of a mash tun, a kettle, and a third kettle with pump and CFC chiller. I see a lot of pics of Brutus systems with three kettles. What's the third kettle for? I also don't understand how your chiller will be working. Doesn't that chiller need to be immersed in the BK?

Sorry for the newbie questions. I'd really appreciate it if someone could help me to understand.

Many Thanks. Impressive looking system.

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Thank you.
No problem on the questions at all. The 3 kettles are for the Boil Kettle, Mash Tun, and the Hot Liquor Tank (Sparge water)
On my system I am using an immersion chiller which does get put into the BK at the end of the boil.
Most of the Brutus set ups out there have two pumps as well. Some also use the Plate Chiller. I decided to use the Jamil-O-Chiller design which seems to work well for me.

............... Please let me know what you think.

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Well, lad, I think it's beautifull! Fine craftsmanship........

brewnickbrew said:

Yep they are Bayou Classic Kettles, 15.5 gallons. I have not had any issues with them so far. They are on the thin side, but the guy who TIG welded the fittings on didn't have any issues. They worked out great for me so, I'd say I am happy with them.


Thank you.
No problem on the questions at all. The 3 kettles are for the Boil Kettle, Mash Tun, and the Hot Liquor Tank (Sparge water)
On my system I am using an immersion chiller which does get put into the BK at the end of the boil.
Most of the Brutus set ups out there have two pumps as well. Some also use the Plate Chiller. I decided to use the Jamil-O-Chiller design which seems to work well for me.

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I thought "Brutus" meant that you were doing no sparge brewing, but instead recirculating without a separate HLT.

sudbuster said:

Well, lad, I think it's beautifull! Fine craftsmanship........

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Thank you very much Sudbuster! I love this system.

Dgonza9 said:

I thought "Brutus" meant that you were doing no sparge brewing, but instead recirculating without a separate HLT.

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Brutus was the name that Lonnie Mac gave the system. I'm not 100% sure why he named it that. I think I read it somewhere at one time, but don't remember.
The "hot liquor" is used during fly sparging but certainly be used to batch sparge as well.
You may be thinking of the Brutus 20 system that Lonnie has built that uses two kettles instead of 3.

I am indeed thinking of the Brutus 20.

What is this, a Brutus 10? Does that just mean you have a direct fired mash?

Dgonza9 said:

I am indeed thinking of the Brutus 20.

What is this, a Brutus 10? Does that just mean you have a direct fired mash?

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Mine is direct fired. I guess you could call it a Brutus 15 since my kettles are 15.5 gallons.
I believe Lonnie's original Brutus 20 is also direct fired.
I've seen some Brutus 20's that are electric as well. It all comes down to preference.

Okay, let me just ask. Does "Brutus" mean you do a "continuous batch sparge" or not?

Dgonza9 said:

Okay, let me just ask. Does "Brutus" mean you do a "continuous batch sparge" or not?

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Nope. Brutus was just the name Lonnie gave his great designs. *IF* there's a common theme, it's that they're all direct fired.

jkarp said:

Nope. Brutus was just the name Lonnie gave his great designs. *IF* there's a common theme, it's that they're all direct fired.

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Thanks jKarp. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Nicely done! I really like the idea you had for the pump shroud. Congrats on the completion of the build, now let the fun begin!

She is beautiful Brewnick! You did an excellent job, you should be very proud! One question, how do you like them cam-locks? Are they 1/2 inch and what two letters on the male and female ends did you end up buying? Once again she really is a thing of beauty!

John

brewnickbrew said:

After eating peanut butter sandwiches all winter to get this thing done, I can now go out to dinner, and my wife can finally stop whining so much. :cross:

I have to thank Lonnie for the inspiration to build it, and to all others that I have stolen a design element or two from in order to create my own version.
It is all stainless with the exception of the Autosparger and the ASCO valves.
I've ran through fluid movement tests, boil/burner tests, but have not done a full test brew with it yet. I still need to fix my false bottom, and then I'll be ready to brew on it.

Here are the other pictures of the build progress. I hope you can view it from the Picasa link below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Trailmudder/Brutus?feat=directlink

I will lead a very happy life if I never have to drill another hole in Stainless Steel. -But....it was still worth it!

Please let me know what you think.

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Hey Brewnick,
What are you using for a false bottom? Looks like standard hinged in your pics, but do you mind sharing what size it is?

Brewnick,

Awesome job! The detail is fantastic. She's definitely a clean machine. I was looking at sparge setup. Is that an auto sparge? Guess you recirculate the wort, then disconnect and then plug into the sparge unit? Or do you recirculate using the sparge rig?

Snake10

Sorry for the delay in responding to you all..........
Let me know if you have any further questions.

schweaty said:

Nicely done! I really like the idea you had for the pump shroud. Congrats on the completion of the build, now let the fun begin!

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Thank very much it has been fun so far. I cannot wait to keep the brews going.

jcav said:

She is beautiful Brewnick! You did an excellent job, you should be very proud! One question, how do you like them cam-locks? Are they 1/2 inch and what two letters on the male and female ends did you end up buying? Once again she really is a thing of beauty!

John

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Thanks John.
I really like the cam locks a lot. They are 1/2 inch. I used a combination of the letters. I'd have to go back and look in more detail. I am sure I ordered almost all the letters they carry.

ReverseMonk said:

Hey Brewnick,
What are you using for a false bottom? Looks like standard hinged in your pics, but do you mind sharing what size it is?

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I am using a custom made false bottom made by Jaybird (see vendors classifieds) It is solid made. I did have to modify it some. I am using the high temp silicone tubing split down the middle and wedged between the kettle wall and the False Bottom. That way there is no channeling.
Let me know if you want to see pictures of this. I can tell you it works great.

Snake10 said:

Brewnick,

Awesome job! The detail is fantastic. She's definitely a clean machine. I was looking at sparge setup. Is that an auto sparge? Guess you recirculate the wort, then disconnect and then plug into the sparge unit? Or do you recirculate using the sparge rig?

Snake10

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Snake: Thank you.
I do have the auto sparge set up. I adjust it so that I can recirculate through the auto sparger. Come time for sparge I adjust it so that the float valve will do it's job.

brewnickbrew said:

I am using a custom made false bottom made by Jaybird (see vendors classifieds) It is solid made. I did have to modify it some. I am using the high temp silicone tubing split down the middle and wedged between the kettle wall and the False Bottom. That way there is no channeling.
Let me know if you want to see pictures of this. I can tell you it works great.

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I have a couple 15" FBs from Jaybird and I can attest to their high quality. You said yours are custom made...is your FB one of his standard 15" or did you truly have a custom diameter cut for your kettles? I am looking at the same kettles you use (the specs on the Bayou website say 15 1/4" for the kettles) for a new build for a friend and curious what diameter your false bottoms are.

Cheers

ReverseMonk said:

I have a couple 15" FBs from Jaybird and I can attest to their high quality. You said yours are custom made...is your FB one of his standard 15" or did you truly have a custom diameter cut for your kettles? I am looking at the same kettles you use (the specs on the Bayou website say 15 1/4" for the kettles) for a new build for a friend and curious what diameter your false bottoms are.

Cheers

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Yeah, I had to have J-Bird make them 15.5" and it was still too small. I think 15" 5/8 would have been more appropriate.
I ended up grinding the FB down to allow for silicone tubing to be wedged in.
This ended up being a happy accident as there is no way channeling can be taken into effect with this set up. It takes some extra work to get it set in there just right, but I have learned how to finagle it in there.

Let me know if you need to see pictures. I can try and get one uploaded for you this weekend if you'd like.
I can also get the final dimensions of the FB too.
Let me know if you have any further questions.

schweaty said:

Nicely done! I really like the idea you had for the pump shroud. Congrats on the completion of the build, now let the fun begin!

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Thank you.
So far this thing is awesome.

Very nice build!!!

Nice setup man. Definitely the new standard when others are going to start doing theirs. Makes me want to be shipped out of NYC sooner and down to Florida so I can do some building of my own.

tch1980 said:

Very nice build!!!

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Thank you. It is brewing like a charm!

USMCYoder said:

Nice setup man. Definitely the new standard when others are going to start doing theirs. Makes me want to be shipped out of NYC sooner and down to Florida so I can do some building of my own.

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Thank you. I would highly suggest building this if you have the time. Best of luck. Be patient and it will pay off in the end. I am so glad I took my time with it.