The MaxOut Brew Station

pola0502ds said:

So what kettle do you put a lid on and why? I don't use any lids as it lets all the impurities out.

Also, did you polish your kegs? I am about to and I want to get an idea of how long it is going to take me.

Nice setup.

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I use the lids on the HLT/ heat exchanger and the Mash Tun during recirculation and one on the BK after the boil. I do not cover the BK during the boil. The lids help maintain temps and post boil protect from infection. I agree it is not a good ides to cover during boil to let all the impurities out. Thank for the tip.

I did polish my kegs with an angle grinder with a fine 4" Gator polishing pad and it took about 20 min and 1 pad per keg on this rig I built using a Minn Kota trolling motor to continuously rotate the keg. I started a thread titled " Polishing a keg with a Minn Kota" in the DIY section. Check it out if you like. It worked good and gave my kegs a unique look. I did not want a fully polished look to keep clean and wanted it to blend with the rest of the system. I am happy with the results but make sure you wear a mask during this process as it creates allot of fine metal dust that leaves a metallic taste in your mouth. After the first keg I looked like I was snorting pencil dust and consuming too many brews to get that taste out of my mouth.

emetcalf said:

Awesome system. It's a good thing you like homebrewing, it would suck to finish your first batch and think "This is lame, I just want to buy some beer from the store".

Also, it's kind of late but I think the hops on your cervesa were meant to be at the start of your boil, then 15 minutes before you end the boil. It sounds like you did 1 package for 75 minutes, then added the second package 15 minutes later at 60 minutes. I just re-read that post and I'm not sure which way you did it. Either way, your set-up still rocks.

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Trust me I started out with a smaller plan but grew out of control. Like you said I was worried that I was not going to like brewing too but I think the more I invested the more I was determined not to fail. Hopefully I'm not on some artificial high and will continue to brew for the rest of my life.

Yes the hops were 1st addition at start of boil then the last one 15 min before end. Thanks. I made a mistake with my first batch. The last addition was supposed to be 2min before end of boil so at 58 min I threw them in. Then I realized I had calculated my water volumes for a 90 min boil...so they ended up 32 min before end. I just added a .25 oz more 2 min before the end. Should be ok in secondary now. I drank the sample I pulled before racking to secondary and it's good! Can't wait to get a fully aged taste.

stratslinger said:

Wait - is that your fourth batch ever, or simply your fourth batch on this rig?

If it's your fourth ever, color me even more amazed!!! I've been watching this thread progress the past couple days, and you've got some amazing work here - but to do it all before ever brewing a batch just boggles the mind!

Keep with it - with gear like this and your obvious capacity to learn new things to an impressive level of detail, I've no doubt you'll be making some amazing beers!

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My fourth batch on this rig and basically ever. The only other brewing history was a couple beer in a bucket kits 18 years ago. Thanks for the encouragement!

horseinmay said:

I find it weird that you are brewing only your 4th batch of beer on one of the raddest homebrew systems around. Good on ya!!
I'm on the 4th iteration of my system, and have yet to get anywhere near your level of stainlessness. I just built a new wooden brewstand out of timber I found at work.
Since your system and process is so pristine, you might want to make upgrading your fermenters the next step. I've found fermenting in corny kegs to be one of the best moves I've made. I won't go back to glass or buckets, but I may upgrade to a sanke fermenter eventually. Cheers.

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I do plan on upgrading to stainless fermentors and considered corny kegs but they will not fit in my current fermenting chambers. I am looking at a small walk in box a friend of mine wants to give me but that is down the road a little. I would love to get a couple 15 gallon conicals and set them up in the walk in or fab them into my existing fermenting chamber. Before I take that step I want to get a little more brewing experience under my belt. Thanks for your comments.

Im like you max. I built a very nice rig, dropped 3 grand or more into it without ever brewing. Ive brewed 3 times on it and i love it. Everyone told me to skip extract and go straight to all grain.

OMG. I just had to wipe the drool off of my chin! That's an awesome set up and it's beautiful besides. I'm so jealous!

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and letting us live vicariously through you.

Can I move in?

Yooper said:

OMG. I just had to wipe the drool off of my chin! That's an awesome set up and it's beautiful besides. I'm so jealous!

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and letting us live vicariously through you.

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Thanks! I could have never done it without the information I've gotten here.

This just goes to prove what you can have for about 5K rather than just buying a premade system for the same amount. Wise shopping, and a little ingenuity goes a long way.

Wow, I think you have "maxed out" your allotment of stainless steel!


That is one sweet man-cave. I love the bargain shopping and repurposing of equipment. It's what makes your system unique from so many others.

Nice job!

JonW said:

Wow, I think you have "maxed out" your allotment of stainless steel!


That is one sweet man-cave. I love the bargain shopping and repurposing of equipment. It's what makes your system unique from so many others.

Nice job!

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Thanks, I looked at your system duing the design stage and its really cool and compact. I wanted to think outside the box while not going way out on budget and am very pleased so far. Now that the system is functioning I can focus on brewing and other aspects of the build/hobby. Next improvement is to cover the OSB with tile or stainless. I love your custom web pages for the BCS and want one……..Please share...!

Absolutely Awesome!!!!! I am a die hard DIY'er as well, and love home brewing. I have always been one of those guys that has to have a project going at all times. Once I found this hobby, I have plenty of "to do" projects on my list at this point now. I just finished my keezer build and am wrapping up my basement bar build. I am now moving on to a single tier, 3 vessel AG system build in the very near future. I have already acquired the kegs and have started ordering my fittings for converting them. I'll probably go with a "traditional" rig on casters, so I can wheel it out of my basement and onto my lower patio. I would love to get my hands on a similar stainless steel work station like you did, but I would have to go with an all electric system, because my brewing room is in my basement.....hence the cooking out on the patio. Your system is amazing and I hope it serves you well!

Hoppopotomus said:

Absolutely Awesome!!!!! I am a die hard DIY'er as well, and love home brewing. I have always been one of those guys that has to have a project going at all times. Once I found this hobby, I have plenty of "to do" projects on my list at this point now. I just finished my keezer build and am wrapping up my basement bar build. I am now moving on to a single tier, 3 vessel AG system build in the very near future. I have already acquired the kegs and have started ordering my fittings for converting them. I'll probably go with a "traditional" rig on casters, so I can wheel it out of my basement and onto my lower patio. I would love to get my hands on a similar stainless steel work station like you did, but I would have to go with an all electric system, because my brewing room is in my basement.....hence the cooking out on the patio. Your system is amazing and I hope it serves you well!

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Thank You, and good luck on starting your build!

Well finally after 8 months of building and 2 months brewing the wait is over. I have poured my first brew off the MaxOut brew station and all I can say is…..Moosehead just lost their best customer.

I am amazed how well it turned out and now the hook is set. I don’t know if I can ever drink another off the shelf beer again. I was not expecting my first brew to be much but I am happily surprised. I could not wait any longer so I went from a 3 week primary to a serving keg for 1.5 weeks and once the liquid line was connected I could not resist. I tasted it when I took my FG reading and it was a little harsh but the 1.5 weeks in the serving keg really mellowed it out and to be honest I like it better than I could have imagined. Thanks again to all here who have fueled my passion to take on this hobby head first. It’s been a long road to get here but the rewards have proven well worth the trip! Cheers!!

Well its not that nice of a set up, he doesn't even have a glycol chiller. Haha just kidding sweet man!

Nice work! I am as amazed as others that this was only your 4th batch and you have this pimped out setup, but hey if you have all the equipment from the get-go, you're really only dropping the $ in the future to make your process easier and more efficient. The only way I could be more amazed is that if you managed to do all of this for under $5K

I can say without a doubt, that I will never have a rig / man-cave to rival that. And I'm fine with that. I still love reading build threads and seeing pictures of the amazing systems that folks put together.

Congrats!

That has to be the most amazing homebrew setup ever !!!!!!! Absolutely freaking fantastic !!!!!
Good for you, you surely did it right....

Can you tell us how you made these stainless coils? Did you cut up a stainless immersion chiller, or do the bending yourself? I've wanted to upgrade the copper ones in my kettles to stainless.

diatonic said:

Can you tell us how you made these stainless coils? Did you cut up a stainless immersion chiller, or do the bending yourself? I've wanted to upgrade the copper ones in my kettles to stainless.

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I used a 50' coil of SS tubing I bought here-

http://cgi.ebay.com/304-304L-SS-Tub...ultDomain_0&hash=item43a39b208a#ht_1752wt_995

It all ready comes in a large coil so I took an old bucket and screwed one end to the bottom side. I have a rotating bucket seat that I placed on the bucket. I laid down across the bucket and rotated around pulling the tubing around the outside holding one hand close to bucket and the other around 12 inches out. it started out a little rough but got better as I went along. You really need to take your time and pull with all your strength almost stretching the tubing around the bucket. Each time I pulled I could only bend around 6 inches at a time. I ended up with 43 feet or so in he exchanger. I could have fit the whole 50' but saved a piece for dip tubes. Because the swage lock fittings were 90 degrees I had to make a small bend in the coil right before the fittings to get it centered in the vessel. I used a hand held ratchet bender to make those bends and to bend the dip tubes. Hope that helps...

upperNY01brewer said:

That has to be the most amazing homebrew setup ever !!!!!!! Absolutely freaking fantastic !!!!!
Good for you, you surely did it right....

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Thank you

I'm envious!
Great build.

Thanks, I'm gonna brew again Friday and try a Vienna Lager. I am going to look into a bulk purchase of the base malt now I,m getting a feel for what I want. Tried my second batch going into secondary "beechwood blast" and it is good as well but not exactly my style. I brewed a few batches for friends who helped with the build along the way and and this one was a request. I like a beer with a little more body.

MaxOut said:

Tried my second batch going into secondary "beechwood blast" and it is good…

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Did you ferment on beechwood spirals? I think they're supposed to be flavor neutral.

diatonic said:

Did you ferment on beechwood spirals? I think they're supposed to be flavor neutral.

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No, this one was a HBS special and did not mention the wood spirals. I am not a fan of real light beers and or American style lagers like Bud, Coors, etc. What I sampled was like a Coors flavor and color. Iv'e heard of the wood spirals but was not mentioned in this recepie, sounds interesting. I don't think I will be brewing this one again.

MaxOut said:

No, this one was a HBS special and did not mention the wood spirals. I am not a fan of real light beers and or American style lagers like Bud, Coors, etc. What I sampled was like a Coors flavor and color. Iv'e heard of the wood spirals but was not mentioned in this recepie, sounds interesting. I don't think I will be brewing this one again.

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Ah, I was thinking maybe you tried to do some "Beechwood Aging" like Budweiser.

Rondacker said:

"Personal Space" station..

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So true in so many ways

Good frigg'n Gosh! Can I send a friend invite!
GREAT FRICK'N WORK man. super jealous

On another note... I saw you use to make soda.... Keep an eye on your in box.

Dude thats just sick. you shouldnt put stuff like that in our heads. Our wives might go looking for papers for a divorce. LOL

Wingnutj said:

So true in so many ways

Good frigg'n Gosh! Can I send a friend invite!
GREAT FRICK'N WORK man. super jealous

On another note... I saw you use to make soda.... Keep an eye on your in box.

Dude thats just sick. you shouldnt put stuff like that in our heads. Our wives might go looking for papers for a divorce. LOL

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Your too kind..and welcome to stop by if your ever in the southern MD area.

I would be divorced but my wife of 16 years started drinking with me about two years ago and was the best thing that ever happened to our relationship. Besides I convinced her that brewing was going to replace fishing....Need a boat??

"Those who drink together stay together"

Their Beechwood blast is good. I made it once with sweet orange peel and .5 oz coriander. It was delicious.

Will319 said:

Their Beechwood blast is good. I made it once with sweet orange peel and .5 oz coriander. It was delicious.

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I didn't add anything special to mine but that orange peel sounds like a nice touch. Some friends came by last night and I think we pretty much finished it off. It's drinkable but a little to light and bland for me. Seems to get better with age. Next up is their Pennsylvania style lager I just put on co2 last week. Planning on taking this one on vacation with me so my family can check it out. I'm happily surprised that all my beers have been clean and drinkable. Looking to buy some bulk grains now to lower the cost per batch. I also have a Vienna lager and a South of the Boarder in primary. Gonna brew the Moosehead clone recipe next. That is my favorite so far but the sample from the Pennsylvania lager tasted really good going into the keg.

very nice job....although you might reach your brew limit in about 2 months with that rig

This is just sick. I'm terribly jealous! Kickass man!

crash1292 said:

very nice job....although you might reach your brew limit in about 2 months with that rig

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The key now is to consume the beer at a similar rate I am brewing to keep the pipeline flowing. All in the name of perfecting the perfect brew.

My plan is to brew every two weeks minimum. I will eventually brew some Ale’s during the winter months to fill in the gaps and allow me to age the lagers longer. Right now I am so anxious to try the beer's I am rushing things a bit. I have noticed subtle differences in the beers as they age in the secondary or serving keg and realize the benefit. Once I incorporate the secondary mash tun I will be able to brew 15 gallon batches and that will equate to 30 gallons a month. This will give me enough reserves that I can experiment with smaller batches in between. My ultimate goal is different than most home brewers. My goal is to test many styles and decide on a favorite. Once I decide I want to brew it consistently and perfect it over time. I’m not as interested in constantly trying new styles as much as perfecting one really good one. Multiple smaller batches actually take up more space than the larger ones will. My capacities are 30 gallons in primary, 20 – 30 gallons in secondary and 40 gallons in serving. Total that’s nearly 100 gallons in the pipeline. I'm not sure if I will ever reach that volume but is interesting to think about.

Holy Sh*t.....that's a lot of brew! Can you say "liver transplant".

MaxOut said:

The key now is to consume the beer at a similar rate I am brewing to keep the pipeline flowing. All in the name of perfecting the perfect brew.

My plan is to brew every two weeks minimum. I will eventually brew some Ale’s during the winter months to fill in the gaps and allow me to age the lagers longer. Right now I am so anxious to try the beer's I am rushing things a bit. I have noticed subtle differences in the beers as they age in the secondary or serving keg and realize the benefit. Once I incorporate the secondary mash tun I will be able to brew 15 gallon batches and that will equate to 30 gallons a month. This will give me enough reserves that I can experiment with smaller batches in between. My ultimate goal is different than most home brewers. My goal is to test many styles and decide on a favorite. Once I decide I want to brew it consistently and perfect it over time. I’m not as interested in constantly trying new styles as much as perfecting one really good one. Multiple smaller batches actually take up more space than the larger ones will. My capacities are 30 gallons in primary, 20 – 30 gallons in secondary and 40 gallons in serving. Total that’s nearly 100 gallons in the pipeline. I'm not sure if I will ever reach that volume but is interesting to think about.

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I currently brew 30 gallons amonth but I do 3 - 10 gallon batches in one day. It's a long freaking day.

Anyway, do you have all the kegs and fermenters for that much beer? I am running into the problem of not having enough.

A fellow Marylander that has about as much sense as I do!

Our wives should console each other

Basement Brew Pub

Excellent job MaxOut on your rig and man-cave! Quick question, how do you like circulating Star San through your pumps to clean your system? Does it foam to much when going through the pumps or is it ok? I know the same company makes another product (IO Star I think) that supposedly foams a lot less when circulating through a pump. Just curious as I haven't used Star San yet with a pump as my stand is not finished yet.


John

rvklein said:

A fellow Marylander that has about as much sense as I do!

Our wives should console each other

Basement Brew Pub

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Wow dude, your basement sucks!

do you have a thread on your brewery?

pola0502ds said:

I currently brew 30 gallons amonth but I do 3 - 10 gallon batches in one day. It's a long freaking day.

Anyway, do you have all the kegs and fermenters for that much beer? I am running into the problem of not having enough.

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Right now I am focused on 5-7 gallon batches and will start the larger batches after I try these and decide what I want to brew bigger. I have enough primary’s and secondary’s but eventually will need more serving kegs (ball lock corneys). I am using buckets for fermentation but plan on upgrading to 15 gallon conicals once I get into larger batches. I will also add corneys as I start to fill my existing ones.

rvklein said:

A fellow Marylander that has about as much sense as I do!

Our wives should console each other

Basement Brew Pub

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You must have the same problem I have getting fresh beer from the suppliers around here... Nice Bar! You really went all out.