benbradford
Well-Known Member
I have been brewing for years and about a year ago I thought that I was done with my setup. Upon further conversation with a commercial brewer, I realized that I could further improve on my design.
I currently have a 5 vessel setup. It has essentially 2 bk's and 2 mt's (all keg conversions). Each boil kettle has center dip tube, dial thermo, sight glass, herms coil, and 2 120v electric heating elements(3000w). Each mt is fitted with a false bottom and dial thermo. The 5th vessel is a converted 7.75 short keg that sits above the mt's for expanded mash space for high gravity beers and for sparging.
My stand also includes 2 pumps(1 chugger and 1 march). I chill using a convolutus chiller.
Allright, here are my concerns. I currently do not have a process for whirlpoolling. I would like to add a rims tube that could be cross utilized on either bk for faster temp rises.
Another thought is that a professional brewery runs on essentially a 4 vessel system that starts with a hlt tank(kept at constant 170) and blended with cold water when necessary to add water at any temp desired. I am considering modifying one of my mt's to be a designated lauter tank and mt seperate. This would be a gravity setup with a 1" valve to allow the full mash to be transferred. I would be able to eventually add a motorized mash paddle to lauter tun and a more sophisticated sparge setup to mt. Finally I would like to add a whirlpool in and out on the bk's for creating cleaner wort into chiller.
I just read about a hopback prechiller that could be filled with rice hulls for filtering that sounds interesting also.
In a further attempt to plan my stand, I am interested in switching from single tier to multi tier and implement some gravity transfers.
I would also have to have a cold water vessel for blending since I usually use some combination of filtered and treated water.
here is a pic of my setup now.
The 7.75 5th tank is not pictured but it isn't that complicated.
I currently have a 5 vessel setup. It has essentially 2 bk's and 2 mt's (all keg conversions). Each boil kettle has center dip tube, dial thermo, sight glass, herms coil, and 2 120v electric heating elements(3000w). Each mt is fitted with a false bottom and dial thermo. The 5th vessel is a converted 7.75 short keg that sits above the mt's for expanded mash space for high gravity beers and for sparging.
My stand also includes 2 pumps(1 chugger and 1 march). I chill using a convolutus chiller.
Allright, here are my concerns. I currently do not have a process for whirlpoolling. I would like to add a rims tube that could be cross utilized on either bk for faster temp rises.
Another thought is that a professional brewery runs on essentially a 4 vessel system that starts with a hlt tank(kept at constant 170) and blended with cold water when necessary to add water at any temp desired. I am considering modifying one of my mt's to be a designated lauter tank and mt seperate. This would be a gravity setup with a 1" valve to allow the full mash to be transferred. I would be able to eventually add a motorized mash paddle to lauter tun and a more sophisticated sparge setup to mt. Finally I would like to add a whirlpool in and out on the bk's for creating cleaner wort into chiller.
I just read about a hopback prechiller that could be filled with rice hulls for filtering that sounds interesting also.
In a further attempt to plan my stand, I am interested in switching from single tier to multi tier and implement some gravity transfers.
I would also have to have a cold water vessel for blending since I usually use some combination of filtered and treated water.
here is a pic of my setup now.
The 7.75 5th tank is not pictured but it isn't that complicated.
