Blichmann Modular Brewing Stand "Top Tier" (spring 09)

[JVD_X]

I could not get the CFO to sign off on a Top Tier

LOL - so true. This time I bought it first and asked the CFO for forgiveness after the fact. She said "so does this mean that I can do the same?".... uhhhhh "no"

I really like your shelves. Are all those shelving components available from the manufacturer?

 

[chuckger]

LOL - so true. This time I bought it first and asked the CFO for forgiveness after the fact. She said "so does this mean that I can do the same?".... uhhhhh "no"

I really like your shelves. Are all those shelving components available from the manufacturer?

Oh you are in trouble now! You are going to come home from work some day and have the prettiest flower print curtains hangin in the brew room!

No the shelving material is all flat steel bought from Lowe's and I bent the edges with a hammer and a piece of angle iron, then fastened the corners together with bolt nut combo and then fastened the shelf to the base with bolt nut combo as well. The two sides of the base are 8"x24" 16 gauge steel and the top is 17"x18" 18 gauge steel.

 

[chuckger]

So yesterday I got my plate chiller and a few fittings that I was missing, I am still waiting on the cold side pump to come in so I only have pics of the plate chiller. The Cold pump will be in TOMORROW! I also found a couple of 1/2 barrel keg shells on craigslist so it looks like the third burner might be coming sooner than later! Anyway on to the update.
Here is a shot of the base that I built to hold the bucket that will have ice water and the imersion chiller inside that will be part of the coolant side of the plate chiller.

Here is shot of the plate chiller and mount that I built.

And here is a shot of the entire setup as it is now.

 

[chuckger]

Yesterday I added the cold pump and the rest of the cold tubing. I also added the thermo/sight glass fitting to the current brew kettle which will become the hot liquor tank when I get the two keggles finished.
Kettle with sight glass.

Cold circuit.

Whole thing from the back.

 

[samc]

Wow ! Great work - I tried designing one of those but got hung up on the burner shelf/supports. Went with a single tier which works great but I love how you engineered this.

 

[chuckger]

Wow ! Great work - I tried designing one of those but got hung up on the burner shelf/supports. Went with a single tier which works great but I love how you engineered this.

Hey thanks! It is always nice to hear a comliment especially since I am so excited about this thing!

 

[JVD_X]

You have done a GREAT job and have you considered turning the pump so the outlet is facing up? This is supposed to assist in allowing air out of the line. I have my pump mounted like yours but I need to add something to protect it from splashing.

 

[chuckger]

You have done a GREAT job and have you considered turning the pump so the outlet is facing up? This is supposed to assist in allowing air out of the line. I have my pump mounted like yours but I need to add something to protect it from splashing.

I built the bracket so that it would hold the pump sideways like you are talking but it just looked like the fluid would clow better if the pump head was in the vertical position so that is what I went with. When I get a march pump I am going to ount it vertical too right above the cold pump. I am working on a cover for the pump like you are talking about but I did not get much done yesterday because I attended a Halloween party that a fellow home brewer held on Saturday night so I was a bit under the weather yesterday, at least that is what I am telling everybody! I should get the pump cover finished today, I will post some pics.

 

[JVD_X]

I attended a Halloween party that a fellow home brewer held on Saturday night so I was a bit under the weather yesterday, at least that is what I am telling everybody! I should get the pump cover finished today, I will post some pics.

Awesome...

What did you use to bend your metal? How did you go about it. I want to get some diamond plate like lonnie mac uses but I have no clue on how to bend it to make it look good.

 

[chuckger]

Awesome...

What did you use to bend your metal? How did you go about it. I want to get some diamond plate like lonnie mac uses but I have no clue on how to bend it to make it look good.

I just used a tape measure to mark where I wanted to bend then line it up on a piece of scap angle iron I have laying aroundand tap it with a hammer from one end to the other then back again until it is bent over to 90 degrees. It does not look as nice as if you useda metal break but I do not have one, and most people don't. It does however make perfect 90 degree bends. If you are going to use treadplate you might want to use steel not aluminum, I think Aluminum would crack if you bent it with this manner... Not sure.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Lonnie uses 0.036" honeycomb patterned decorative stainless, not diamond plate. Here's a link. They do have a diamond patterned one as well as a diamond plate variant but personally I think he made the right call with the honeycomb...

http://www.mcmaster.com/#stainless-steel-sheets/=488o7k

 

[JVD_X]

Lonnie uses 0.036" honeycomb patterned decorative stainless, not diamond plate. Here's a link. They do have a diamond patterned one as well as a diamond plate variant but personally I think he made the right call with the honeycomb...

http://www.mcmaster.com/#stainless-steel-sheets/=488o7k

Excellent - thanks.

 

[chuckger]

Ok it has been a while since I posted any updates, so here are the latest pics of the rig. I added the second burner and I built the keggles witch are still in process, the keg masher kit will arrive today. Anyway here they are.

2nd burner from the front.

side... in this one you can see the wind screen that I built.

back corner where the wind screen meets the support bracket.

And the entire thing as it stands now.

I will post a few more shots as I complete things. Here is what is left. Gas manifold, water line to HLT, and keg masher install. Then later a march pump...

 

[JVD_X]

Can I make a suggestion? For your tubing... you may want to consider using 90 degree turns. This is a trick I learned from Bobby_M and Lonnie.

When I added 90 degree angles to my quick-disconnect it made a world of difference in the bend required by the soft tubing. However, instead of using the 90 degree quick disconnects from McMaster carr that Bobby uses, I built my own using a 90 degree elbow. This insures that I get the full 1/2" bore throughout my tubing.

 

[chuckger]

JDV X
I had thought about that but it was after the fact. The more I look at thing as it come together the more I see little things that I will address later and the tubing routing is on that list. I will definately take that into consideration when I get to the that point. At this time I am so anxious to brew an this thing I am just trying to get to a point where I can do so! Thanks for the input!

 

[chuckger]

water line is finished and I ran it through the first full run on Saturday. Holy caw it looks like I have to learn how to brew all over again!!!

 

[commander flatus]

Hey - Chuckger - could you post a parts list of the T-slot that you got from Faztek? It would be a big help for those of us trying to do this. I'm in exactly the same boat as you - badly want a Blichman top tier but SWMBO won't allow it.

Thanks!

 

[chuckger]

Sure, here is the bill of materials from Faztek. Of course you can order whatever you want and they will cut it to size for you so that it is a complete kit just needing assembly when you get it.

 

[commander flatus]

and i would point out that this is lots less expensive than the blichmann...

 

[chuckger]

I bet if you call and order you can use my quote number to get the parts list together, just make sure they read it back to you before you order it becasue there was some random piece on my order that I did not want. If you look closely at the quote there is a line item missing, but when you order it showed up. FYI...

I love mine it has made brewing a lot more fun!!! Good luck!

 

[JVD_X]

and i would point out that this is lots less expensive than the blichmann...

While this is certainly true I don't think it's a completely even comparison. For the record - I have a Blichmann top-tier.

The Blichmann uses 5" extrusion, not 3", which means it can safely handle much more weight. Remember that you are heating soft metal.

It has wheels (which means it can easily be moved about), leveling feet (for use on uneven surfaces like a driveway); it also came with all the hardware and burners, which of course were prefit.

It only took about 3 hours to set up and I was brewing right away, which for me means a lot because I don't have a lot of extra time.

 

[np0x]

It only took about 3 hours to set up and I was brewing right away, which for me means a lot because I don't have a lot of extra time.

Watch out this will turn into a batch sparge vs. fly sparge or arduino board vs. bcs-460. Money/Time continuum is a challenge that we all have to find our own way through...Your points about the dimensions and other features are good, I suspect that the actual delta in top tier cost vs. parting it out and getting a similar, but different setup will always make it an impossible comparison...I want a wall mounted version of the top tier...talk about being difficult.

 

[Shay]

While this is certainly true I don't think it's a completely even comparison. For the record - I have a Blichmann top-tier.

The Blichmann uses 5" extrusion, not 3", which means it can safely handle much more weight. Remember that you are heating soft metal.

It has wheels (which means it can easily be moved about), leveling feet (for use on uneven surfaces like a driveway); it also came with all the hardware and burners, which of course were prefit.

It only took about 3 hours to set up and I was brewing right away, which for me means a lot because I don't have a lot of extra time.

Are you using gravity or a pump? Would you mind posting some pictures? I would love to see how you have yours setup.

 

[JDT-]

JVD_X

I just purchased a Blichmann Top Tier myself and am waiting for delivery. I saw one in my LHBS and couldn't believe how solid the construction was.

Have you brewed on your's yet...just wondering how it was? Also, any parts to buy up front to hook up the gas? Or just wait and measure as needed...

Appreciate any feedback you can give and I am looking forward to my delivery in the next couple of weeks...

JD

 

[JVD_X]

Watch out this will turn into a batch sparge vs. fly sparge or arduino board vs. bcs-460. Money/Time continuum is a challenge that we all have to find our own way through...Your points about the dimensions and other features are good, I suspect that the actual delta in top tier cost vs. parting it out and getting a similar, but different setup will always make it an impossible comparison...I want a wall mounted version of the top tier...talk about being difficult.

probably!!!

Are you using gravity or a pump? Would you mind posting some pictures? I would love to see how you have yours setup.

I use gravity and pumps.

JVD_X

I just purchased a Blichmann Top Tier myself and am waiting for delivery. I saw one in my LHBS and couldn't believe how solid the construction was.

Have you brewed on your's yet...just wondering how it was? Also, any parts to buy up front to hook up the gas? Or just wait and measure as needed...

Appreciate any feedback you can give and I am looking forward to my delivery in the next couple of weeks...

JD

I have brewed about 5 times on it and I LOVE it. I find I am brewing much more consistently with it... but I believe this has to do more with having a consistent setup and stand... period. I would probably get the same experience from an equivalent single tier if that makes sense.

If I wasn't using a RIMS and instead was using direct fire and a mash stirrer I would not need a pump at all. I love gravity brewing... It is simple, it works very well and it's cheap. I want to add a mash stirrer so I can use direct heat instead of using my RIMS or my HERMS. Yes... I have the ability to do RIMS, HERMS, Gravity, and decoction all in one stand.

The quality is outstanding but the custom sizing of the center pillar makes it difficult to source additional components. For example, I wanted to add an arm to support my control box. I had to coble together pieces from Lowes.

It was very simple to build the gas manifold... but one thing that is not in the directions is that I would decide on the manifold design before attaching the burners. This is because the gas tubes from the support pillar to the burner do not have a lot of slack. So... I am adding gas control and my spacing is off a little bit.

 

[chuckger]

Here is the finished product in action. I did a Cream Ale and a Blonde back to back in 7 hours including water heat time and clean up!!

 

[commander flatus]

I think I'm leaning towards purchasing the Blichmann burners and build the stand myself. I may use a heavier-duty center post because it isn't much more expensive and I'm thinking I might like to do the ocassional 20 gallon batch.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[adx]

I think I'm leaning towards purchasing the Blichmann burners and build the stand myself. I may use a heavier-duty center post because it isn't much more expensive and I'm thinking I might like to do the ocassional 20 gallon batch.

Thanks for the pics.

Have you looked into this any more? I'm thinking about doing the same, since the prices of the burners is reasonable once you factor int he additional metal and time.

 

[commander flatus]

I think I'm leaning towards purchasing the Blichmann burners and build the stand myself. I may use a heavier-duty center post because it isn't much more expensive and I'm thinking I might like to do the ocassional 20 gallon batch.

Thanks for the pics.

If you look on the Blichmann website there's a picture of the stand without the burners on it and it looks like the stand comes with additional stainless steel parts to attach the burners to the stand.

I've been going back and forth or this - I thought about unistrut, but it's too pricey; I looked into welding a Brutus 10 spec stand and that was also pricey; I looked in to building a stand for Blichmann burners and it doesn't look possible.

I'm starting to think that I may just buy the Blichmann stand. So if I flamed anyone earlier in the tread - mea culpa.

flatulently,

 

[proffitt]

Hello,

I was also considering getting the Top Tier system, and found this thread while researching it. After seeing how chuckger built a similar system, I'd prefer to build one myself. I intended to get the Blichmann burners and mount them to my DIY stand, but I too have questions about how to mount the BE burners. I think I could do it with some sheet metal and angle iron, but I'd like to see some better pictures of how the BE burners mount to a Top Tier stand. Also, I'd like to see some close ups of how chuckger mounted burners to his stand. It looks like he just used sheet metal with one end bolted to the burner and the other to the stand.

But even the pictures and info given so far is greatly appreciated. It's given me lots of ideas for my design.

$$