Video: TOP TIER unboxing and assembly

At the risk of looking desperate for attention, I wanted to post this video in it's own thread.

I had been interested in the Top Tier for a long time but I never purchased the stand because all the stock photos online looked underwhelming. I searched for user videos and found ZERO. I ended up purchasing the stand after seeing it in action during a recent BrewingTV episode.

The video may be dry in parts, but I felt I needed to be as thorough as I could in the 15 minute limit.

Crank it up to 720p and enjoy



If you are a Top Tier owner or have experience with the system, I encourage you to join in on the original thread that inspired this video:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/does-anyone-out-there-own-top-tier-195134/

Very cool man. I guess I'll officially say that I'm jealous. I know when I was reading your post about you purchasing this the other day, you were getting a bit of negativity, but I think this is enough to prove the skeptics wrong. I'll really be looking forward to watching a brew video.

J

HalfPint said:

Very cool man. I guess I'll officially say that I'm jealous. I know when I was reading your post about you purchasing this the other day, you were getting a bit of negativity, but I think this is enough to prove the skeptics wrong. I'll really be looking forward to watching a brew video.

J

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Thanks. I don't mind the haters....they just happen to enjoy fabricating AS MUCH as they enjoy brewing. I like DIY projects, but I know what I'm capable of, and there's no way in hell that I could make something this nice for this price and in a short amount of time.

I sold my drumset that was sitting in the corner collecting dust to pay for the brew stand....no regrets.

Nice video!!.I was just looking at the top tier over the week-end,thinking of taking the plunge and this video has helped. What type of kettles do you have there? I was thinking of getting a couple of Blichman kettles. I was going to get the 10 gallon kettles because I really only do 5-gal batches. Do you think I can mash in a 10 gallon pot?

HickoryMike said:

At the risk of looking desperate for attention, I wanted to post this video in it's own thread.

I had been interested in the Top Tier for a long time but I never purchased the stand because all the stock photos online looked underwhelming. I searched for user videos and found ZERO. I ended up purchasing the stand after seeing it in action during a recent BrewingTV episode.

The video may be dry in parts, but I felt I needed to be as thorough as I could in the 15 minute limit.

Crank it up to 720p and enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm7u2CQBtP0

If you are a Top Tier owner or have experience with the system, I encourage you to join in on the original thread that inspired this video:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/does-anyone-out-there-own-top-tier-195134/

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How do you like the Blichmann burners? How long does a propane tank last on one of these? I just got one on order and I am anxious to use it. Thanks

I thought I would add the link to the Brewing Network, where the NB guys are using theirs.
http://www.brewingtv.com/episodes/2010/9/2/brewing-tv-episode-17-hop-madness-2010.html

After watching your video yesterday and this one, I pulled the trigger on one last night. My old stand required some lifting still and I want to save my back on brew day.

Wino24 said:

Nice video!!.I was just looking at the top tier over the week-end,thinking of taking the plunge and this video has helped. What type of kettles do you have there? I was thinking of getting a couple of Blichman kettles. I was going to get the 10 gallon kettles because I really only do 5-gal batches. Do you think I can mash in a 10 gallon pot?

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I am using 20g Megapots. I purchased them here: http://www.foodservicedirect.com/pr...Pot-with-Capsule-Bottom-80-Quart-Capacity.htm and added hardware from bargainfittings.com. So I have about $260ish in each pot. I spoiled myself with the stand, there's no way I could spoil myself with Blichmann pots too.

I went with these pots because they are only 17" tall. If you were to do a 3-vessel gravity feed with 3 tall pots, the HLT would be sky-high. I wanted the option of doing a gravity feed without the use of a ladder. These pots allow for that option.

If you're doing only 5 gal batches, a 10g mash tun would probably work. I have been using a 12g cooler, and I can fit most of my 10g batches in it.

Thanks for the feedback

billymeter said:

How do you like the Blichmann burners? How long does a propane tank last on one of these? I just got one on order and I am anxious to use it. Thanks

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I'm not sure how long a propane tank will last because I have yet to do a brew on the stand, but I'll keep you posted.

I love the Blichmann burners. I can tell you they are much quieter and burn much hotter than the SQ-14 I have been using. When I saw pictures of these burners in the past I always thought they looked kinda cheap. To me, it looked like Blichmann simply stretched a piece of sheet metal around a basic frame. I am pleased to say that the burners are actually solid as a rock. They are not at all flimsy at all nor do they look cheap in person. Very heavy duty. The 100% stainless look to these burners and stand is enough to make any brewer's heart flutter.

I have a top tier. I get between 3 and 5 sessions out of a 20 pound tank because I do a mix of all grain and extract. The extract uses a lot less propane for obvious reasons.

HickoryMike - your experience is typical. I went through the same reconfigurations. For anyone that is planning on purchasing a TopTier I would highly recommend that you get all the accessories you plan on using when you purchase this brewing platform. I find the utility stand to be very useful when brewing. Preplanning where you want to put everything is critical even if sliding the items on and off the rails is easy.

Also, mounting the equipment requires the correct length bolt (I think 1/2") or requires additional nuts to be screwed on the bolt in such a way as to artificially reduce the length of the bolt.

Most folks don't know this but you can get end caps for the aluminum extrusions that allow you to use the internal channels for gas and water. The stand has four channels and I plan on modifying one as a water supply manifold.

I like the facts that it is so easy to roll around my garage and on to my driveway.

My one beef with the system is how heavy the burners are. Having to lift that burner and put it on top of the extrusion while simultaneously making sure all the nuts slide in correctly is a real pain. I recommend you find someone to help with this effort or rig some kind of gantry for safely.

JVD_X said:

My one beef with the system is how heavy the burners are. Having to lift that burner and put it on top of the extrusion while simultaneously making sure all the nuts slide in correctly is a real pain. I recommend you find someone to help with this effort or rig some kind of gantry for safely.

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Yeah, sometimes it's nice beeing 6'1", 250lb. Those burners are monstrous....easily twice as heavy as my SQ-14.

JVD_X said:

I have a top tier. I get between 3 and 5 sessions out of a 20 pound tank because I do a mix of all grain and extract.

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How many burners do you have on your Top Tier? If you have more than one, are they all rigged to use the same propane tank? Do you run more than one burner at a time?

billymeter said:

How many burners do you have on your Top Tier? If you have more than one, are they all rigged to use the same propane tank? Do you run more than one burner at a time?

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I have three and they can all use the same propane tank simultaneously but I only run one at a time.

JVD_X said:

I have three and they can all use the same propane tank simultaneously but I only run one at a time.

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Cool, thanks for the info! :rockin:

HickoryMike said:

I am using 20g Megapots. I purchased them here: http://www.foodservicedirect.com/pr...Pot-with-Capsule-Bottom-80-Quart-Capacity.htm and added hardware from bargainfittings.com. So I have about $260ish in each pot. I spoiled myself with the stand, there's no way I could spoil myself with Blichmann pots too.

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Congrats on the purchase. Nice video for those looking at this equipment.

When you get a chance, can you post some detailed pictures of the pots? The website doesn't give more than a thumbnail. Also, what are the dimensions of them? The website says 20" - but doesn't say if that is height or width.

Edit: just caught that you said they were 17" tall. Can you still verify with wide both at the top and the base?

I'm 99.9% sure these are the exact pots that Northern Brewer sells as "Megapots." Here's the dimensions from Update International:

S/S stock pots are 18/8 stainless steel with a heavy duty 3-ply bottom consisting of 2 layers of stainless surrounding a 5mm thick aluminum core . Includes lid (aka capsule)
Description:

Specifications:
Capacity: 80 qt. (75.7 lt.)
Diameter: 20 in. (50.8 cm)
Depth: 16 in. (40 cm)
Thickness: 1.2 mm

HickoryMike said:

I'm 99.9% sure these are the exact pots that Northern Brewer sells as "Megapots." Here's the dimensions from Update International:

S/S stock pots are 18/8 stainless steel with a heavy duty 3-ply bottom consisting of 2 layers of stainless surrounding a 5mm thick aluminum core . Includes lid (aka capsule)
Description:

Specifications:
Capacity: 80 qt. (75.7 lt.)
Diameter: 20 in. (50.8 cm)
Depth: 16 in. (40 cm)
Thickness: 1.2 mm

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As a side note, if you are using a RIMS, HERMS, or Direct Fire recirculation system with a false bottom it is a best practice to purchase the largest MLT you can for the purpose of expanding the size of the false bottom so that run-off can go faster without causing a stuck mash. Especially with very large grain bills. I have a 15 gallon that works very well with 5 gallon batches of up to 12 pounds, and a 25 gallon that works well up to 30 pounds.

The TopTier can fit them all.

great video. That's the best look at a top tier I've gotten so far.

I'm still torn, as I really prefer the single tier design.....decisions decisions.

stevea1210 said:

great video. That's the best look at a top tier I've gotten so far.

I'm still torn, as I really prefer the single tier design.....decisions decisions.

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You could drop all three tiers down if you wanted to. Walking around the stand may not be your thing, but a single tier system is doable.

Here is the NB guy's set up from their BrewTV show...

I have mine as close to a single tier as you can get...





I'm planning on doing another batch this weekend so I'll try and remember to take some pictures while in progress.

RiverCityBrewer said:

I have mine as close to a single tier as you can get...

I'm planning on doing another batch this weekend so I'll try and remember to take some pictures while in progress.

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Pictures of the whole system including control panel would be much appreciated. Your (almost) single-tier system seems well thought out; I like the idea of minimizing the need to walk around the rack.

I look forward to additional detailed information in this (or the other) thread.

I managed to squeeze a brewday in yesterday and I remembered to take a few pictures before the wife took the camera.

Getting setup and filling the MLT through the filter:


Heating the strike water while recirculating:


Wiring in the control box (BCS-460):


Normal setup from left to right, MLT/HLT/Kettle


Gas manifold with electric valves:


Recirculating the mash and sparge water while steaming the fermenter:


Pump locations:


Sparging:


Thats where the wife took the camera away so unfortunately I don't have any pics of chilling which is just an IC that I recirculate ice water from the HLT through and transferring to the fermenter.

Joe

Thanks Joe! Is that the (red) control box on the left? It looks like a more like a recycle container, but I don't see anywhere on the TopTier where it is mounted.

I have a utility cart that I keep away from the stand, you can see the cables running to it in several of the pictures. I have enough cable to keep it about 15 ft away... well out of harms way should a spill occur.

RiverCityBrewer - what size Boilermaker is that - 10 gallon?

Beer porn! Win!

Captain_Bigelow said:

RiverCityBrewer - what size Boilermaker is that - 10 gallon?

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Its a 15 gallon... it just looks small compared to the 26 gallon kettle.

I can't compete with RCB's awesomeness, but I did wire a switch for my pump! Lame, I know, but I'm proud of it.

You'll probably want to get a GFCI adapter since you're getting electricity in close proximity to liquid.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/shockbuster-gfci-outlet-adapter.html

Nice work Mike, I second the GFCI as well... I think I use that exact one since I work out of my garage... just make sure you have a good ground.

HickoryMike said:

At the risk of looking desperate for attention, I wanted to post this video in it's own thread.

I had been interested in the Top Tier for a long time but I never purchased the stand because all the stock photos online looked underwhelming. I searched for user videos and found ZERO. I ended up purchasing the stand after seeing it in action during a recent BrewingTV episode.

Click to expand...

At the risk of sounding like a complete moron, I'll say that "sure, I built my own brew sculpture, but I sure wish someone else had done all the R&D to correct my mistakes before I made them." My brew sculpture is like many people I have known; "pretty and utterly useless". My setup makes beer but I'm now looking elsewhere for consistency and simplicity.

PS> don't tell my wife, she'll not be happy that I spent a year and countless dollars building my PAWS brewery and want to replace it.

billymeter said:

You'll probably want to get a GFCI adapter since you're getting electricity in close proximity to liquid.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/shockbuster-gfci-outlet-adapter.html

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I like the way you think. Ordered.

I ordered my stand through BMW two weeks ago, still no shipping email :-(. Hopefully it ships next week. So much for the "in stock - immediate shipping" which the Blichmann website claims.

Kudo's to OP for posting a video on this brew sculpture, the assembly, & his thoughts.
I put mine together yesterday, but found myself short one fitting (I used the same quick disconnet's from Pro Flow Dynamics).
Should have everything ready to go for next weekend.

Captain_Bigelow said:

I ordered my stand through BMW two weeks ago, still no shipping email :-(. Hopefully it ships next week. So much for the "in stock - immediate shipping" which the Blichmann website claims.

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It was a week before I had my tracking info, and that was after I emailed Ed to ask about it.

Shoot him an Email...it couldn't hurt.

I just got mine yesterday. It took 2 1/2 weeks from ordering to shipping, then about another 4 days for ground shipping.

It took me about 6 hours to assemble and I knocked out a quick brew last night. My initial impressions are that this stand is great. It is solid as a tank. Also the burners are amazing, very quiet (almost silent) and extremely powerful.

The only negative for me was that they don't manufacture a cover for it. I bought a tarp from HD which I have put over it when it is not in use.

A handy tool for assembly is a torque wrench and sockets. I picked one up from Sears for $20. It is nice that you know exactly how tight you are tightening the bolts. So they are not to tight or loose.

Glad you are enjoying it... I've got about 15 brews on mine so far and other than a little normal wear and tear, looks just like the day I put it together.

billymeter said:

You'll probably want to get a GFCI adapter since you're getting electricity in close proximity to liquid.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/shockbuster-gfci-outlet-adapter.html

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Is the purpose of these to use them on non-GFCI outlets or specifically on GFCI outlets? Sorry, I am very ignorant about electricity stuff.

Anything near water should be GFCI. Then if water comes into contact with the electricity it trips the GFCI. Preventing you electrocuting yourself and also damaging your electrical circuit.

Captain_Bigelow said:

Anything near water should be GFCI. Then if water comes into contact with the electricity it trips the GFCI. Preventing you electrocuting yourself and also damaging your electrical circuit.

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...and spilling your beer!