15G Brew Sculpture (Tippy Clone)

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lil' league

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Joined
Jun 27, 2008
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Location
Austin
I really liked the design of the B3 tippy dump.. It saves a little bit of space and it only needs 1 pump! I've been stacking my pots on furniture for too long.. THE BUILD IS ON!



Stage 1:

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Looks really good so far... In this case, why would such a rig need a pump at all? It looks to me like you could go gravity-fed the whole way...

I'm definitely excited to see how this project turns out!
 
Looks really good so far... In this case, why would such a rig need a pump at all? It looks to me like you could go gravity-fed the whole way...

I'm definitely excited to see how this project turns out!

For recirculating the water for the mash tun to keep a more consistent temp.
 
Stage II:

Frame is back from the powder coater.. I'm really hoping this stuff holds up. Banjo burners, iron propane lines and pump is going in next.. Hopefully we'll be brewing soon!

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Looks really good so far... In this case, why would such a rig need a pump at all? It looks to me like you could go gravity-fed the whole way...

I'm definitely excited to see how this project turns out!



I wanted a pump for the recirc also because I wanted the height of the kettle to be sufficient to gravity feed into my conical, rather than chance infecting my batch.
 
Waunabeer said:
It looks awesome, but where's the "Tippy" part of the sculpture? Are you adding that part later?

I'm still undecided if the tippy is a necessity at this point, it seems like it might be more work than it's worth for all the fabrication..
 
If you're using a keggle as a mashtun, you'll thank yourself for adding the tippy dump every time you use it. I'm looking for a good way of emptying mine. The scooper and shop vac method isnt cutting it.
 
I think it's pretty clear that you need to start over and incorporate a tippy dump from the get-go. And with the scrap there, you can send it to me. Eh? Eh?


Seriously though, nice build. I'd probably put in the tippy just to say I did it, but that looks pretty sweet with or without it.
 
The propane manifold is pretty much mocked up, just need to figure out how I'm going to mount it to the frame..Any ideas? I want it to be removable in case a leak pops up down the road. I probably went overboard on shutoffs, but hey, you only live once!

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Use pipe brackets that screw into the frame, drill and tap the brew rig and your good to go.
 
Well it took me awhile to get my pics updated.. but its finally complete. I got all of the propane plumbing installed; I used custom copper lines into the burners. Then for the pump, I just installed a simple waterproof switch out of the way, under the pump. Did my first test batch a few weeks ago and it worked better than I had hoped. The powder coat has also held up to the heat perfectly so far. Its my first serious build and I learned a lot in the process.. I think some changes I would have made (in hindsight) are leaving more clearance off of the frame for the brewkettle to dissipate the heat during chilling. The frame holds heat very well..which works to my advantage for the mash (only lost 2 degrees during a 60min mash with no direct firing). I also would've brought the overall height of the structure down slightly to better accomodate the ceiling height. The best thing I like about the design though is the simplicity.. I know there are plenty of badass control panels and automated systems out there but I have to say.. I really like the manual operation!

Brew On. :mug:

Lil' League "Cavalry Brewing Co"

on tap: Coffee Raspberry Porter, Centennial Pale Ale

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Coffee Raspberry Porter

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rekoob said:
nice build. is that powder coat holding up?

Yes, the powder coat seems to be really strong. I haven't noticed any discoloration from the heat or anything yet.
 
Nice setup - I cant decide between this style or a brutus. This one may be a tad too tall for my Keggles in my garage.
 
Nice looking rig! I made one that's similar that I'd like to add a tippy to at some point. The step that tilts up really makes it easier to brew.

Dave

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Bossbrew said:
Nice looking rig! I made one that's similar that I'd like to add a tippy to at some point. The step that tilts up really makes it easier to brew.

Dave

I like it! I really need to add the storage area underneath like that.
 
Well, it's just extruded galvanized steel with a couple of braces. I started out with sheet aluminum (recycled state park signs) but it didn't drain very well.

I agree with you about height. Mine was too tall, so I decided to cut out a few inches and re-weld at the same time I made the angle braces for the mash tun. That made it easier to move the HLT in and out.

You've made great rig...

Dave
 
Lil League: Great looking build and something I am looking to copy. Only I'm going to do a Hybrid electric / propane. Propane for the BK, electric for the HLT. If you don't mine me asking.

1. Why did you go so high with the build?
2. How high is it?
3. If you don't mind, what did you pay for the steel required?

Thanks!
 
CoalCracker said:
Lil League: Great looking build and something I am looking to copy. Only I'm going to do a Hybrid electric / propane. Propane for the BK, electric for the HLT. If you don't mine me asking.

1. Why did you go so high with the build?
2. How high is it?
3. If you don't mind, what did you pay for the steel required?

Thanks!

The top of the stand is right at around 60" with the casters. The original plan was to keep it high enough to gravity feed both the mash to the bk and the bk to a conical fermenter without using a pump. Also I wanted enough clearance for the pump to where I can gravity water from the HLT to keep it from airlocking. Looking at the design now, it could be shorter, just depends on your preference.

The steel itself was around $200 plus freight if I'm not mistaken.
 
Thanks,
I will be copying this for sure. One more question, what size did you make the shelves? I'll be using keggles as well and was looking at 20x20"
 
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