The following is how my brew stand has evolved since I started AG two summers ago. The first thing I did was use the terraces in back yard for a 3 tier system. At the time I had a SQ-14 Bayou Classic where I heated the strike water drained to my Coleman Extreme 54 qt mash tun then to a bottling bucket I hauled back up the hill after my second batch sparge to boil in a keggle I made.
After that I got tired of hauling things in and out and wanted something that would roll. I don't weld nor do I want to pay someone to, I do however work at a paint store and got a great deal on a 4' rolling scaffold that that I turned into a two burner set up that when I added a KAB4 Bayou Classic Burner as well as a 44 qt Bayou Classic stainless pot. While I originally was just going to use this as a strike water pot for my 10 gal batches I soon found myself boiling all my 5 gal batches in it because it was much lighter to move and clean after the boil was over. I used a 1 gallon aluminum measuring pitcher to scoop the water into the mash tun until it was light enough to easily lift and dump much more safely. I originally thought that the power of a KAB4 was going to save me time with the increased heat output it turned out it did not, at least on my 5 gallon batches. Because of the higher PSI regulator it was harder to fine tune the flame and I ended up watching the pot like a hawk and couldn't walk away to clean up. On small batches it ended up costing me time and I went back to using the SQ14 on a regular basis because it had better finite control on the heat level. I also realized that pushing and 8' long brew stand in and out of my walk out basement was a giant PITA.
Looking to save time I began to experiment with BIAB which is how I ended up with the current state of my brew stand. I also wanted to shrink the size my brew stand. I wanted to have a hybrid batch sparge and BIAB a best of both worlds. I decided I want some sort of pulley system that could be tied off for easy of draining the grain. I also wanted the ability to still do large beers or ten gallon batches in the keggle. The entire upper wood apparatus is removable for a platform (that is yet to be built) to support the mash tun. I wanted cheap and simple so I repurposed one of the two lower 2"x8" and a new 2"x"4 for the upper support structure. The second 2"x8" will be used to make the mash tun platform for big beers and ten gallon batches. I bought a pulley used some rope that was laying around along with two carbineers and a 1" pipe strap (not pictured, its over on the side, follow the rope) that the rope is clipped to with a couple loops at different lengths to make sure that everything drains into the pot and then higher for easier basket removal. This is much easier to push in and out of basement door and over the grass yard.
I can't wait to take her for the maiden voyage. I hope this helps some one else in their search for the best brew stand for their needs, even if you figure out what you would have done better.
After that I got tired of hauling things in and out and wanted something that would roll. I don't weld nor do I want to pay someone to, I do however work at a paint store and got a great deal on a 4' rolling scaffold that that I turned into a two burner set up that when I added a KAB4 Bayou Classic Burner as well as a 44 qt Bayou Classic stainless pot. While I originally was just going to use this as a strike water pot for my 10 gal batches I soon found myself boiling all my 5 gal batches in it because it was much lighter to move and clean after the boil was over. I used a 1 gallon aluminum measuring pitcher to scoop the water into the mash tun until it was light enough to easily lift and dump much more safely. I originally thought that the power of a KAB4 was going to save me time with the increased heat output it turned out it did not, at least on my 5 gallon batches. Because of the higher PSI regulator it was harder to fine tune the flame and I ended up watching the pot like a hawk and couldn't walk away to clean up. On small batches it ended up costing me time and I went back to using the SQ14 on a regular basis because it had better finite control on the heat level. I also realized that pushing and 8' long brew stand in and out of my walk out basement was a giant PITA.
Looking to save time I began to experiment with BIAB which is how I ended up with the current state of my brew stand. I also wanted to shrink the size my brew stand. I wanted to have a hybrid batch sparge and BIAB a best of both worlds. I decided I want some sort of pulley system that could be tied off for easy of draining the grain. I also wanted the ability to still do large beers or ten gallon batches in the keggle. The entire upper wood apparatus is removable for a platform (that is yet to be built) to support the mash tun. I wanted cheap and simple so I repurposed one of the two lower 2"x8" and a new 2"x"4 for the upper support structure. The second 2"x8" will be used to make the mash tun platform for big beers and ten gallon batches. I bought a pulley used some rope that was laying around along with two carbineers and a 1" pipe strap (not pictured, its over on the side, follow the rope) that the rope is clipped to with a couple loops at different lengths to make sure that everything drains into the pot and then higher for easier basket removal. This is much easier to push in and out of basement door and over the grass yard.
I can't wait to take her for the maiden voyage. I hope this helps some one else in their search for the best brew stand for their needs, even if you figure out what you would have done better.
