Brewing equipment would you love to have, but isn't being made by anyone

[HahnWerke]

Someone needs to combine the ball and keg with the floating dip tube

Pretty neat idea, I didn't know this was a problem! Then again, we've only just got a 50 liter keg, so we're bound to find out

 

[HahnWerke]

A home canning system.

Hello November,

Canning system as in aluminium (aluminum, I'm European ) cans? That's going to be tricky, but a nice challenge!

 

[HahnWerke]

While not on subject, but sorta is. Take a look at RR track planer. I think it's rrtrack.com or something to that effect. You'll kinda see what they use as a way to build a layout. This would be very cool to using something like that to build a brew system.

I have absolutely know idea the technical aspects of building those or what kinda effort it takes going into one, but speaking from a consumer standpoint, I can say they are awesome.

To all the R&D folks out there doing this stuff, hat's off to ya.

KT

Probably started out as a hobby projects - these kinds of projects are very difficult to monetize. In the Netherlands we have Brouwhulp (Brewhelp), a very nice bit of software that somebody built and is actually free of charge. We use it all the time.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Easily available 2 gallon glass carboys.

More sizes and shapes of glass carboys in general, really.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

I'm not sure if anybody makes this or not, but I'd like a flow meter that I can measure the amount of liquid is going through my hoses. This would be useful for calculating priming sugar(you would know that you transferred exactly 4.76 gallons of liquid through your siphon and into your keg or bottling bucket), and it would be nice to have before the tap on a kegerator so you knew how much beer has been dispensed, thus knowing how much is left.

I've seen digital flow metering things designed for garden hoses for sale at home improvement stores for like $20-25. I don't know what their temperature tolerance is, though...or sanitizability, or food-appropriateness of materials...

But there's definitely stuff out there. (My professional experience, granted, is that flowmeters sold as such tend to be either +/-10%-odd accuracy, obscenely expensive, or both, but I've only been looking in fairly specialized contexts).

 

[HahnWerke]

Easily available 2 gallon glass carboys.

More sizes and shapes of glass carboys in general, really.

I've seen a thread on this very forum with all kinds of nasty wounds coming from exploded carboys...

...Which actually should be an incentive to design something that is a lot better

 

[aangel]

I've seen a thread on this very forum with all kinds of nasty wounds coming from exploded carboys...

...Which actually should be an incentive to design something that is a lot better

Brew Demon's got that covered.

 

[csdunham]

A bottling spigot and wand that thread together. I'm sick of trying to jam a piece of tubing between the two.

 

[HahnWerke]

A bottling spigot and wand that thread together. I'm sick of trying to jam a piece of tubing between the two.

Hello cddunham,

That's actually the way that we do it, a very short piece of silicone tubing that slides right over the spigot and bottling pipe. Perhaps we have a set that is matched quite well, we haven't had any problems. I'll look into that!

 

[HahnWerke]

Brew Demon's got that covered.

With those plastic conical fermentors you mean? Those seem pretty nice for the price!

 

[schematix]

Hello schematix!

1: Are you talking about a fermenter that is basically horizontal to fit in a freezer like this? http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-39276693957820/frigidaire-mfc25v7gw-chest-freezer-for-220-volts-2.gif
Good suggestion. Isn't anybody already making horizontal fermenters? All the big breweries have them...

2: Perhaps this can be combined with the sparging filter of my design? I'll look into this. What kind of filter are you now using?

1. Yes a freezer like that. It would need to be short and squat. A suitably sized vessel can be purchased already. The feature I am most interested in is the 1 atm pressure rating for pressurized fermentation, carbonation and pressurized racking. That's what i can't find in anything under 1 BBL.

2. Every filter i've tried ends up clogging so right now i don't use anything. Clogging is worst than nothing at all. Right now I use only a few oz of hops and don't recirculate to chill as much as i'd like. Not sure how your design would apply here but if you can explain, I would entertain the idea.

 

[Jwin]

1. Yes a freezer like that. It would need to be short and squat. A suitably sized vessel can be purchased already. The feature I am most interested in is the 1 atm pressure rating for pressurized fermentation, carbonation and pressurized racking. That's what i can't find in anything under 1 BBL.

2. Every filter i've tried ends up clogging so right now i don't use anything. Clogging is worst than nothing at all. Right now I use only a few oz of hops and don't recirculate to chill as much as i'd like. Not sure how your design would apply here but if you can explain, I would entertain the idea.

Seen the new squared speidels?
I pressure transfer in my old round 60l.

 

[HahnWerke]

1. Yes a freezer like that. It would need to be short and squat. A suitably sized vessel can be purchased already. The feature I am most interested in is the 1 atm pressure rating for pressurized fermentation, carbonation and pressurized racking. That's what i can't find in anything under 1 BBL.

2. Every filter i've tried ends up clogging so right now i don't use anything. Clogging is worst than nothing at all. Right now I use only a few oz of hops and don't recirculate to chill as much as i'd like. Not sure how your design would apply here but if you can explain, I would entertain the idea.

Hello schematix:

1: check!

2: It depends on the particle size of your trub I suppose. If it's really fine particles you're trying to sift out, then our filter won't work either... Perhaps a multi-stage filter or a cyclone-style filter that uses centrifugal force to separate the wort from the trub?

 

[Britinusa]

A flat airlock, as in i could stack buckets in the fermentation fridge

Would it work to drill a hole on the side of the bucket at the top, then insert the rubber grommet and then a ridged plastic tube bent up at at 90 angle, then the airlock can fit into that, or manufacture and airlock with a 90 bend on the base.
You would have to take care stacking the buckets but with enough head space it could work?

 

[Owly055]

Small dimension Corny kegs (fairly small diameter), designed to lay down in the fridge.... perhaps 8" diameter by 14" long, with as floating dip tube so you can lay a pair of them side by side on a lower shelf in the fridge, along with a slanted holder for you mini CO2 bottle (paint ball tank). I currently use Tap-a-Draft system for this reason. It all fits easily on a single shelf. The short kegs have to be on the top shelf, or you have to remove several shelves.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

An in bag circulator with temp control much like the Annova Sous Vide, but designed to circulate mash including grain while maintaining temp. Flow would be downward instead of upward, so as to avoid sucking the bag in. It would be an entirely self contained RIMS system for BIAB, or any other full volume mash system.


H.W.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I'd like a way to pitch correct yeast amounts without starters, rehydration, or multiple packs/vials.

 

[Owly055]

A home canning system.

What is meant by "home canning system"............ Merely a crimper to put the tops on cans? Or an actual "canning line" that measures the fill, sets the lids on and crimps?

The crimping equipment is extremely simple in principle, but crimping the lid on is only part of a canning line. It would be fairly simple to build a crimper so you could fill cans with your beer gun, but the complexity goes up from there with conveyors to automate the process, vacuum systems to pick up and hold the lids, auto fillers, and of course label printers.

The problem for most of us would be getting cans and lids at reasonable cost. It would probably be a matter of doing a group buy of a truckload..........


H.W.

 

[estricklin]

What is meant by "home canning system"............ Merely a crimper to put the tops on cans? Or an actual "canning line" that measures the fill, sets the lids on and crimps?

The crimping equipment is extremely simple in principle, but crimping the lid on is only part of a canning line. It would be fairly simple to build a crimper so you could fill cans with your beer gun, but the complexity goes up from there with conveyors to automate the process, vacuum systems to pick up and hold the lids, auto fillers, and of course label printers.

The problem for most of us would be getting cans and lids at reasonable cost. It would probably be a matter of doing a group buy of a truckload..........


H.W.

I've checked into this a LOT. The cost of the cans isn't an issue, if there was a home canner available at a reasonable cost, home brew suppliers could easily buy a pallet of cans and sell them.

A simple machine that crimps the cans is all that most of us want.

 

[Owly055]

I've checked into this a LOT. The cost of the cans isn't an issue, if there was a home canner available at a reasonable cost, home brew suppliers could easily buy a pallet of cans and sell them.

A simple machine that crimps the cans is all that most of us want.

Roll crimping the lids on is child's play. I've seen photos of machines that look like a drill press with a table that the can rests on, a suction cup holds the lid in place, and the can rotates as two pairs of rollers run around the can, one after the other crimping the lid on in two stages.

Here is a can seamer (antique) with a $100 buy it now price on Ebay..... not that it is appropriate for beer cans, but it gives an idea of how simple the process is, and has some excellent illustrations of how they work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Cast-Iron-Hand-Crank-Heavy-Duty-Seamer-Sealer-for-Can-796-ml-540-ml-/111826444988?hash=item1a096022bc:g:lfoAAOSwlV9WS06W

Here's a seamer on Alibaba (powered)

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Easy-Use-Manual-Can-Seamer-Machine_60276351408.html?spm=a2700.7724857.29.359.d86Fbo

And here's Cask Brewing's budget "manual" canning line:

http://www.cask.com/main/index.php?page_id=152


Note that Ebay has dozens of listings for rollers for seamers as well as seamers themselves if you search under "can seamer"

If you are clever and not afraid to spend some money to fabricate and buy a few components, you could put one together yourself........I know I could, and the easiest place to start would be the $100 Ebay seamer for steel cans. Note that the vertical spacing is adjustable, and the platens and other components could probably be replaced. It would be a fun thing to play with and get an idea of what is involved. I've actually used these for canning fruits and veggies years ago, and they work very well.



H.W.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Yes flow meters exist, things like rpints can use them. That said the food quality ones are like $50 each which makes them to pricy for most multi tap keezers

 

[Owly055]

I have a vision.... yes.... the fog lifting gradually.... Oh yes, there it is!! Is it a "cyclocanner".....No... It's the PediCanner.... Yes yes... that's it!

A man sits on what looks like and office chair but there is a set of pedals, and a table.... with a bunch of empty cans in tray, and a stack of lids to the right, to the left is a rotating table some sort, a set of dies, one central one that's resting on a lid on top of a can, and several oddly shaped rollers on an arm that pivots. The guy's pedaling, and the table assembly is rotating. Hanging over the fixed table is what looks like a beer gun, and he's filling cans, then sliding them in place on the rotating table, dropping lids on, and lowering the central die into position, then flipping the pivoting arm into position, and pedaling, then sliding the finished cans to his left. The can's aren't pretty...... just blank silver cans. In another scene, I see him scribbling a funny face or something on each can, writing "MyPa", and a date, and putting them in cases.... Oh... Here's another scene. He has a package labeled "thermal transfer paper", and a funny little device that wraps around the can, and he's designing a really cool label on the computer.


H.W.

 

[HahnWerke]

An in bag circulator with temp control much like the Annova Sous Vide, but designed to circulate mash including grain while maintaining temp. Flow would be downward instead of upward, so as to avoid sucking the bag in. It would be an entirely self contained RIMS system for BIAB, or any other full volume mash system.


H.W.

Wouldn't you need to separate the grains from the wort beforehand?

 

[HahnWerke]

I'd like a way to pitch correct yeast amounts without starters, rehydration, or multiple packs/vials.

Hello moreb33rplz,

How would you see this? An automated system that you can put the basic ingredients in (yeast, wort extract, water, yeast nutrients) and that mixes and controls the temperature, aeration etc?

 

[HahnWerke]

I have a vision.... yes.... the fog lifting gradually.... Oh yes, there it is!! Is it a "cyclocanner".....No... It's the PediCanner.... Yes yes... that's it!

A man sits on what looks like and office chair but there is a set of pedals, and a table.... with a bunch of empty cans in tray, and a stack of lids to the right, to the left is a rotating table some sort, a set of dies, one central one that's resting on a lid on top of a can, and several oddly shaped rollers on an arm that pivots. The guy's pedaling, and the table assembly is rotating. Hanging over the fixed table is what looks like a beer gun, and he's filling cans, then sliding them in place on the rotating table, dropping lids on, and lowering the central die into position, then flipping the pivoting arm into position, and pedaling, then sliding the finished cans to his left. The can's aren't pretty...... just blank silver cans. In another scene, I see him scribbling a funny face or something on each can, writing "MyPa", and a date, and putting them in cases.... Oh... Here's another scene. He has a package labeled "thermal transfer paper", and a funny little device that wraps around the can, and he's designing a really cool label on the computer.


H.W.

I like your visions, H.W.! A home beer canning system would be a very cool product, if indeed a lot of home brewers would like to put the beer into cans! If would have to be a very quick and easy-to-use system. Tabletop size, powered by a small electric motor with the dies operated either by hand or some kind of spring-action that ensures repeatability. It's kinda hard to make it even easier than putting a cap on a bottle, but at least you're done with washing out bottles every time. This is definitely going on the list!

 

[Owly055]

Wouldn't you need to separate the grains from the wort beforehand?

No........ That's the whole idea, an impeller that was indifferent to grain.... basically what they call a "trash pump". The impeller would look a lot like the impeller on an automotive water pump, would sit in the bottom of the tube, and discharge laterally. Liquid would be drawn in through slots near the top of the tube, travel down, and discharged at the bottom. Remember this is for a full volume mash (BIAB), which is not particularly thick. About 2 pounds of grain per gallon.........

H.W.