100 gallons...
- Thread starter Arkador
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Arkador
Well-Known Member
I need to add pictures of you and your Yeast Starter adventure from that day.....
Kauai_Kahuna
Well-Known Member
I just wanted to ask, do you guys allow applications to join? Then I just need to find a job, find a place to live, move. Man too much hassles, I'll just live vicariously.
F...... Awesome. Looks like a good time was had by all.
F...... Awesome. Looks like a good time was had by all.
Hambone
Well-Known Member
holy schnikies! that's incredible
OP
OP
Arkador
Well-Known Member
this thread alone has recruited 2 new members to our club..... we are setting up plans to fire it up again in September and October (too hot here now, at over 100degrees)
OP
OP
Arkador
Well-Known Member
the new kettle for the big brew system came in today. We were originally looking for around 150 gallon capacity, but this one is a whopping 170 gallons. Here it is! We have a bit of welding to do, we will be replacing the piping on the bottom with a smaller 1.5" tri-clamp fitting and then building a stand for the burners. We'll hopefully start working on the stand and burners this week or next.
nickpgoodman
Well-Known Member
We got a great deal on this kettle.
If there are any stainless welders/fabricators on the board that live in the area that want to help let me know.
We have two holes on the bottom that have less than stellar looking welds, we plan to cut them out and weld a solid patch in place.
You can't tell from the pic, but the bottom is actually sloped just a bit, so we are going to put the valve on the upward part of the slope, that should leave most of the trub on the lower slope.
I have 4 of the 23 tip multi-jet burners I picked up locally, that should be more than enough btus to fire this thing. We will also build a windscreen/heat shround around the bottom too.
If there are any stainless welders/fabricators on the board that live in the area that want to help let me know.
We have two holes on the bottom that have less than stellar looking welds, we plan to cut them out and weld a solid patch in place.
You can't tell from the pic, but the bottom is actually sloped just a bit, so we are going to put the valve on the upward part of the slope, that should leave most of the trub on the lower slope.
I have 4 of the 23 tip multi-jet burners I picked up locally, that should be more than enough btus to fire this thing. We will also build a windscreen/heat shround around the bottom too.
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Arkador
Well-Known Member
Here are a couple more pics of you on the bigbrew day..
"bet ya won't drink it..."
What did you get, $27 for drinking that starter on a dare?
bhatchable
Well-Known Member
wow. everything, including brewing rigs, are bigger in texas
ajwillys
Well-Known Member
Hey, what kind of burners are you using on the 55 gal drums? Are they the usual 23 or 32 tip wok burners?
I'm just curious if you can use something like this in a real brewery? I mean, do they allow homemade equipment or is it like kitchens where you have to have coded stuff. This thing is awesome and I want to build one now!!! Great job.
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
Yes you can use this in a pro brewery. It doesn't need to certified. As long as you have food grade things you should be fine.
Check out this nanobrewery they built their own
Check out this nanobrewery they built their own
Thanks! I am just thinking of a way to not have to spend an arm and a leg but still have big enough equipment. Stainless brewing equipment is just so expensive.
My thinking on this, and what is making me a little excited, is no mucking out of a manhole from a tun. This mash tun, if constructed right (permanent wheels), could yield a mash cart as a second function. Simply unhook your sanitary tri-clover fittings and wheel it onto the farmers trailer to take to his farm to dispose of. They would be cheap enough to make as many as you needed for tuns/carts.
It used to take me over an hour to muck/clean a 15 bbl tun. These, look like you could skip mucking out and transport to the trailer with just one person. I'm thinking based only on what we had to do, which was a minimal 2 person job and required a come along to get it in the trailer. Any thoughts on this possible aspect? Easily move-able, larger scale mash tuns that are basically their own dumpsters? Wouldn't you have the ability to go as large as your kettle could handle (just by adding tuns), and go as small as one tun for pilot batches. Thinking out loud and hoping to get good feedback either way.
Again, you guy's tun has inspired me and thank you for it.
It used to take me over an hour to muck/clean a 15 bbl tun. These, look like you could skip mucking out and transport to the trailer with just one person. I'm thinking based only on what we had to do, which was a minimal 2 person job and required a come along to get it in the trailer. Any thoughts on this possible aspect? Easily move-able, larger scale mash tuns that are basically their own dumpsters? Wouldn't you have the ability to go as large as your kettle could handle (just by adding tuns), and go as small as one tun for pilot batches. Thinking out loud and hoping to get good feedback either way.
Again, you guy's tun has inspired me and thank you for it.
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Arkador
Well-Known Member
We do a 2man bucket bregade, and just take it to a compost pile. It took about 15 bucketloads to empty it.
One of our local breweries used this rig to brew a pilot batch of one of their brews if i recall correctly.
Hopefully Nick will see this thread updated and chime in on this. I believe the new 170gal boil kettle is going to be fired by 3x 23tip burners.
FireNightFly
Well-Known Member
Very nice!!! I need to hit the lottery or something, i so want one in my basement =D
I'm excited because it won't take winning a lottery to afford something along these lines.
nickpgoodman
Well-Known Member
We have 2 x 55 gallon boil kettles. One of them is just fired with 3 of your standard hi-pressure turkey fryer burners, all 3 fed from 1 20lb propane tank, the other kettle is fired by what we named the mexi-burner, it's a huge freaking cast iron burner about 4 times the size of one of those cast iron turkey fryer burners. Either kettle has 0 problems bringing 45 gallons of wort to boil.
Here's a pic of the 3 burner stand, only one I have handy. I'll have to get a pic of the new burner.
The new 170 gallon kettle will be fired by 3 of the 23 tip burners with the ability to shut one off once a boil is reached.
Duh, forgot about the pics on the first page, you can see the second stand and the end of the other burner.
Here's a pic of the 3 burner stand, only one I have handy. I'll have to get a pic of the new burner.
The new 170 gallon kettle will be fired by 3 of the 23 tip burners with the ability to shut one off once a boil is reached.
Duh, forgot about the pics on the first page, you can see the second stand and the end of the other burner.
ReeseAllen
Well-Known Member
While looking for deals on craigslist a week or two ago, I came across these guys trying to sell their entire brew setup. They got kicked out of their rental unit, apparently, and I guess they're just getting rid of everything rather than find a new location. Bummer.
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
They posted on ProbBrewer.com as well, but pulled the add because they got a bit more time from the landlord.
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
Check out these guys. They are called Breaker Brewing Company. They are a commercial brewery brewing on a 3 vessel system all 55 gallon stainless barrels!
Here are some Flikr pictures.
Here are some Flikr pictures.
Grimsawyer
Well-Known Member
WTF?!?! Brewing out of a storage unit? Can anyone set up shop in one and sell beer with the right liscenses or is this one of those under the radar things? Never heard of such a thing. HAHA!! Sounds like an awesome idea if ya ask me!
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
as long as it complies with your state brewery laws and the TBB ok's the site you can brew professionally anywhere. All you have to do is go through all that paperwork.
Wow, this might be the key to a small "gourmet market" nano-brewery. Oklahoma just changed its laws a while back, allowing a manufacturers license. This license allows for the self distribution at wholesale cost to anyone. However, I'm still thinking the pub is the way to make more money, and this state doesn't allow a pub to brew above 3.2%ABW, so.... I am so thankful you guys posted these links. If anyone has anymore good nano-scale brewery info please post or PM me with links. This mash tun has started a monster in me. Thanks again guys.
ajwillys
Well-Known Member
In general, it has to be not physically attached to a house, it has to have a drain and a hot water source, and the local zoning has to allow for a brewery. If you are in an area that is not properly zoned, you will have to get a variance which can vary from super easy to super hard depending on the town/zoning/neighbors.
camiller
Well-Known Member
I think it is a "Active Space" type facility rather than a storage unit.
http://activspace.com faq said:
in fact:
Gilligan's Brewing Company: March 2008
Activspace Online - ActivSpace at Ballard
now what is interesting is that in one place in the faq it says:
ANother section of the faq says (emphasis added):
However, if these guys got permits and everything they are technically not "Home" brewing.
Grimsawyer
Well-Known Member
I love loopholes!
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
looking at opening a brewery in Washington State and again here in Colorado, every state is different. The TBB tends to bow down to the state's laws. Washington State is 400 ft from school, church, and house. Where here in Colorado, it is a little more lenient. I think it is still away from a house but still more lenient than Washington. Just find out through your state's liquor board what the laws are.
Grimsawyer
Well-Known Member
How much propane do you go through in a brew day on this rig?
Cold_Steel
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This is why I brought an ale pail for my share.
The MLT is based on the 100gal Rubermaid water trough
which has a drain on the bottom side (this is where we connected the braided drain line)
the unit was then wrapped in wooden boards similar to those that you would wrap a hottub in, and the cavity was filled with spray foam.
the top is made of a sheet of a HDPE sheet (Same material as a cutting board)
NATL HDPE CUTTING BOARD SHEET - InterstatePlastics
one end was cut off so that a hinge could be added and be bolted down to the top of the bin.
Once that was done, a hole was drilled in the anchor section of the lid to feed the sparge arm, which was done just like you would for any MLT but larger.
So I am seriously considering going to buy this but I am not convinced it is food grade.
Does anyone know if this is a food grade product?
Clayton
Well-Known Member
dude is for drinking water i think it will be ok
Kauai_Kahuna
Well-Known Member
I'm amazed that people get so freaked out on plastic ratings, and still have not totally freaked about everything else in life.
I'm even more amazed on this homegrown, geterdone, massive brew.
I can only dream of growing my own livers to enjoy this much capacity.
I'm even more amazed on this homegrown, geterdone, massive brew.
I can only dream of growing my own livers to enjoy this much capacity.
Cold_Steel
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well so is a cat dish that doesnt mean when im thirst i reach down and pick it up.
I have serious issues with serving my family tainted beers. I DO NOT TRUST major corporations. I dont think when they are designing a horse tank they are saying to themselves "we need to use more expensive materials to make it safe for humans" when its designed for animals.
I think they base it around the cheapest materials they can use that keeps the profit as high as possible for a good return on wall st.. remember it is most likely made in china. Got Lead?
I emailed them to find out.
leboeuf
Well-Known Member
Most plastics are inert by chemical structure. It's not like you can cut corners and save money to make some product out of a dangerous plastic substance. I'm not certain of this but I think polyethylene is still one of the cheapest if not the cheapest plastic to bulk manufacture.
Basically it would take more work to make a plastic non food safe.... then again there was that whole bpa thing that we all freaked out about... of course that wasn't in polyethylene anyway.
Basically it would take more work to make a plastic non food safe.... then again there was that whole bpa thing that we all freaked out about... of course that wasn't in polyethylene anyway.
Cold_Steel
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Ok so I just contacted them over the phone. I used the 1800 number on the website and spoke with the commercial division.
It is NOT food grade plastic. It has no FDA approval for human consumption.
This is why I dont like to "think" it is or isnt. I want to know.
I mean my god, think of the childern!!! Oh thats right
believe me when I tell you I am bummed on this news because I thought I had just found my new mash tun.
OMJ
Well-Known Member
Just cause they didnt spend the money to get it FDA approved doesnt mean its not safe. If you didnt you should find out what kind of plastic it is cause that would tell a lot.
leboeuf
Well-Known Member
Hmmmm yea that stinks... HDPE or #2 plastic is always food safe in it's raw form. But if the added dyes or softening agents are not food safe then you're out of luck.
I'm sure you can find something that will work!
I'm sure you can find something that will work!
leboeuf
Well-Known Member
There are other options. I would check usplastics. This polypro tank is fairly cheap...
Tamco® Polypropylene High Temperature Tanks, 50 Gallon and Up - US Plastic Corporation
Edit: correction it's spendy as hell, but is lab grade
Tamco® Polypropylene High Temperature Tanks, 50 Gallon and Up - US Plastic Corporation
Edit: correction it's spendy as hell, but is lab grade
nickpgoodman
Well-Known Member
Well, several thousand gallons of beer have been brewed with this by our club over the last few years and we are still going strong. If it's save for livestock to eat/drink out of then why not us?
Nwcw2001
Well-Known Member
This thread has gone from brewery envy to a debate on the safety of plastic? Hmmm
