Brutus/More Beer 1100 Hybrid Stand Complete

[HomerJ]

This is a very well thought out build. Nice work!! I am very impressed. I dont think my build will be quite as nice but hopefully it will make some great beer.

 

[cdburg]

This is a very well thought out build. Nice work!! I am very impressed. I dont think my build will be quite as nice but hopefully it will make some great beer.

Thanks for the kind words. With some planning, I'm sure you will be able to build a great stand.

Also, just in case anyone is interested, I added another link to photos with some enhancements and "fixes" we've made to the stand since the original build was complete. Hopefully they will help anyone looking to make a similar design.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/brutus-more-beer-1100-hybrid-stand-complete-73169/#post763614

 

[BrewBeemer]

Nice looking stand but I do not understand why the frame material is such large material unless it's a dual purpose stand to hold up 20 yard dump trucks fully loaded?

 

[cdburg]

Nice looking stand but I do not understand why the frame material is such large material unless it's a dual purpose stand to hold up 20 yard dump trucks fully loaded?

The original design was based off the Brutus 10 (Home of Brutus Ten!) so I used the same 2" x 2" X .120 wall stainless steel. Yes, it may be overkill, but I'd rather err on the side of caution when 100+ lbs of boiling water and grain are suspended in front of me. It I happen to need a stand to support my truck while I change the oil, I also have it.

 

[nathan]

that chevy in the background is beautiful just as she is. Don't go changing it! I love a well worn truck.

 

[RonRock]

I like the Tippy Dump. Good thinking. How has it worked out? Do you think it would work with a Keggel. I'm wondering about the extra height.

 

[cdburg]

I like the Tippy Dump. Good thinking. How has it worked out? Do you think it would work with a Keggel. I'm wondering about the extra height.

The tippy dump is definitely nice to have. It makes cleaning out the spent grain a little easier. It's also nice to have when trying to drain the last bit of liquid out of the pot.

It should work on a converted keg. You'd just have to use taller supports and a deeper basket. For safety purposes, the fulcrum of the tippy dump should be near the middle of the pot. Since a converted keg is taller than the kettles I used, a tippy dump might be even more useful. I'd think it would be harder to reach the bottom of a converted keg.

 

[schmartz]

Unbelievable the amount of planning and work you put into this but it shows. I'm with a lot of others that I'll be taking some lessons and ideas away from your system. Thanks!

I was wondering where you got the convoluted copper or how you made it? Looks like a great way to heat the mash or cool wort.

 

[cdburg]

Thanks for the kind words. I've probably done 10 brews on it so far, and I've made a few minor tweaks, but overall, I've been very pleased with the stand.

The heat exchanger came from MoreBeer:
Convoluted Copper Heat Exchanger | MoreBeer

It's not cheap, but it definitely works nicely. They also sell the convoluted copper in a roll, but it's only $5 cheaper than the heat exchanger. I looked for other companies that sold the copper online, but didn't have much luck finding other options.

 

[nathan]

you can convolute your own with a rubber mallet and some patience.

 

[BrewBeemer]

The original design was based off the Brutus 10 (Home of Brutus Ten!) so I used the same 2" x 2" X .120 wall stainless steel. Yes, it may be overkill, but I'd rather err on the side of caution when 100+ lbs of boiling water and grain are suspended in front of me. It I happen to need a stand to support my truck while I change the oil, I also have it.

OK, I now understand the reason why such a heavy brew frame, you being a chebbie owner. FE land over on this end, over a million miles each F250 and F350 truck. Still on only motor number four of original miles. That would be 500K plus pulling boats the length of the California central valley 39 years. Yup over 60K a year for a few years, business calls. I went thru chebbies and stooges years ago. I have a old tired 1996 D6N Catapillar, 150 HP 36,500# 125 bar Argricultural in use at the ranch for spring grading can I bring over test your brew stand? All Joking aside it looks great. I'm thinking just to be different why not use 4130 Chromoly aircraft tubing, light and strong plus my past aviation and drag racing background thinking again. Brew on bro....

 

[atkinsr]

Day-yum! That is awesome! I am *so* jealous. I'm getting close to doing one myself and never having used one, I'm a bit concerned about making big design mistakes. I've read the brutus, B3, and Sabco info and like things about all of them.. and hate some things about each.

This is the closest I've seen to perfection!

One question.. this has been a concern of mine with several of the designs... Why have the control panel mounted in front, especially fixed mount with sharp corners?

It seems like I'd constantly be walking around it.. or knowing me (I'm quite a clutz, having lost my right eye picking up a bucket of water. Top that!), walking into the corner, severing an artery and bleeding out in the driveway.

... or, isn't this an issue?

 

[cdburg]

Thanks! I've been very pleased with it so far, especially after adding the "bleeder" valves to the pumps. Those make getting a prime on the March pumps SO much easier. I'd definitely recommend that set up to anyone using a March pump.

So far, the location of the control panel hasn't been an issue. We thought about going with something similar to the Brutus 10, with the control panel mount coming off a corner diagonally. Ultimately, I didn't like the extra space it added to the footprint. I also wanted easy access to the controls, especially the pump switches, when I was brewing. We decided to go with a control panel closer to the MoreBeer 1100 for ease of use and footprint size.

The control panel really doesn't stick out TOO far from the body of the stand, and the bottom of it is pretty low. Since I'm a pretty tall guy, I'd need to really crouch down to hit my head. Just to be safe though, the bottom corners are all rounded. It would still hurt, but it shouldn't draw blood, hopefully. It's also far enough from the pumps that the risk of me hitting something when I'm messing with them is pretty low.

 

[cdburg]

After another year brewing on the stand, we went back and made a few enhancements and fixes.

We added another ball valve in the plumbing to the low-pressure burner after the Honeywell valve and plugged 10 jets on the 23-jet low-pressure burner to reduce the BTU output. The change and fixes were mostly due to heat stress and cracking on the frame. I updated my original Picasa link post here with pictures of the revision:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/brutus-more-beer-1100-hybrid-stand-complete-73169/#post763614

 

[Djlunchbox]

i love your build man, i'm thinking of cloneing it to make clone brews in

do you remember what you paid for the stainless materials alone?

 

[cdburg]

i love your build man, i'm thinking of cloneing in to make clone brews in

do you remember what you paid for the stainless materials alone?

The stainless was bought when the market was much closer to the peak. I don't recall the exact amount, but it was a nice chunk of change, especially since the basket for the tippy dump was custom fabricated.

That said, I'd do it all over again. The stainless is much easier to maintain and clean. I don't have to worry about painting, and if I get some stains on the stand, some Bar Keeper's Friend takes it off nicely.

Stainless isn't cheap, but this thing should last for quite some time. If all else fails, as someone else pointed out, I can park a car on it.

 

[Djlunchbox]

The stainless was bought when the market was much closer to the peak. I don't recall the exact amount, but it was a nice chunk of change, especially since the basket for the tippy dump was custom fabricated.

That said, I'd do it all over again. The stainless is much easier to maintain and clean. I don't have to worry about painting, and if I get some stains on the stand, some Bar Keeper's Friend takes it off nicely.

Stainless isn't cheap, but this thing should last for quite some time. If all else fails, as someone else pointed out, I can park a car on it.

and there was no issues welding it with the hobart handler? I have the identical welding setup for doing my hot rodding:rockin: i am assuming that was stainless wire?

 

[cdburg]

and there was no issues welding it with the hobart handler? I have the identical welding setup for doing my hot rodding:rockin: i am assuming that was stainless wire?

The MIG welding was a learning on the job type experience for both my step Dad and me. The Hobart worked well, but we did get some spattering occasionally that required some clean up (lots of grinding). That may have been user error or may have been the machine. A TIG might work better, but I couldn't afford one.

Everything on the stand, including the repairs last weekend, was done with the Hobart, stainless wire and an Argon gas mix. For a smaller welder, it held its own.

 

[Djlunchbox]

The MIG welding was a learning on the job type experience for both my step Dad and me. The Hobart worked well, but we did get some spattering occasionally that required some clean up (lots of grinding). That may have been user error or may have been the machine. A TIG might work better, but I couldn't afford one.

Everything on the stand, including the repairs last weekend, was done with the Hobart, stainless wire and an Argon gas mix. For a smaller welder, it held its own.

yeah, on that machine, you only have a short duty cycle, i hate it. welds look good tho. bumping the gas pressure up a few psi and turning the wire speed down just a hair will help keep the spatter down. i have mine set to 15 psi While the trigger is being pulled. be sure to set it that way, not while its off (if you didn't already). same as a paint gun

i've been hotrodding cars and trucks for half my life, now i want to make a nice hotrod themed brewstand and fridge for the garage

 

[cdburg]

yeah, on that machine, you only have a short duty cycle, i hate it. welds look good tho. bumping the gas pressure up a few psi and turning the wire speed down just a hair will help keep the spatter down. i have mine set to 15 psi While the trigger is being pulled. be sure to set it that way, not while its off (if you didn't already). same as a paint gun

i've been hotrodding cars and trucks for half my life, now i want to make a nice hotrod themed brewstand and fridge for the garage

Yup, the duty cycle is a killer, but we got used to working around "breaks" for the Hobart. I think we were using about 11 psi last weekend. Next time we weld, I'll bump it up a bit. Thanks for the tip.

The welder can definitely make you a nice stand. You just have to know how to work with it. It sounds like you have that part covered though. Build a nice one!

 

[Djlunchbox]

i will honor yours proudly!, lol

 

[ScubaSteve]

So how do you like them kettles?

 

[cdburg]

So how do you like them kettles?

The kettles are great. The sides and bottom (especially) are pretty thick. They've stood up nicely to almost 2 years of use now. They clean up well, and haven't had any issues with the heat I've applied to them.

If they were thinner, I think I would have dented them by now. It's too easy to drop a wet kettle. Having a kettle with some substance to it is a good thing. I'd definitely go with one of the heavy duty kettles over one of the thinner-walled options.

 

[bwgomaha]

Question... Why not simplify by raising the HLT above the MT and heating the strike and sparge water for the MT? That'd be a good way to cut cost & simplify (no 2nd pump or 3rd burner). I am doing a build now & going down the RIMS route instead of the HERMS path. Just hoping for some precision on the mash temp & better wort-clarity. I am sure you considered this... what was your choice for going HERMS & not using a PID?

Nice build... sweet metalwork. I hope you keep your stepdad well supplied with brew!

 

[cdburg]

Question... Why not simplify by raising the HLT above the MT and heating the strike and sparge water for the MT? That'd be a good way to cut cost & simplify (no 2nd pump or 3rd burner). I am doing a build now & going down the RIMS route instead of the HERMS path. Just hoping for some precision on the mash temp & better wort-clarity. I am sure you considered this... what was your choice for going HERMS & not using a PID?

Nice build... sweet metalwork. I hope you keep your stepdad well supplied with brew!

I'd always planned on having two pumps. After flameout, I use one pump to whirlpool the kettle while using an immersion chiller (Jamil chiller). Once the temp gets down below 90 F, I then use the second pump to push ice water through the chiller. It lets me get down to pitching temp pretty quickly.

You could definitely build something that uses gravity to eliminate one of the pumps. I like the ease of having everything at one level.

I've found the set up to be very accurate. I can easily keep the mash at a set temp. I can also ramp up the temperature for a step mash or mashout when needed. It's worked great for me over the past 2 years.

I used the Ranco units because I was familiar with them and knew what to buy. There are definitely other options, but I went for what I knew. I'm not an electrician, so having a more "pre-wired" unit was a plus.

 

[bwgomaha]

i understand... nice build. It interesting to see how the same solution is tackled by different approaches. You put a thousand brewers in the same room & ask a question... you'll get a thousand and one different answers.

 

[cdburg]

That's the beauty of building your own rig - you get something that is set up exactly as you want. Good luck with your build!

 

[cfinan]

What are the measurements of your stand? How much steel did it take you? I'm planning on building a similar stand this spring.

 

[cdburg]

What are the measurements of your stand? How much steel did it take you? I'm planning on building a similar stand this spring.

The stand is about 21 inches wide by 74 inches long. It's 28 inches tall without the casters.

I started with Lonnie's Brutus 10 plans, but expanded the stand to hold the the newer MoreBeer 15 gallon kettles instead of their previous Italian kettles. I also wanted it to be able to handle the next size kettle, if I wanted to move up down the road.

If I can find the cut chart, I'll post it. I'm not exactly sure where it is though. I also can't find the receipt for the stainless. If I come across it though, I'll post the total amount I used.

 

[cfinan]

Thanks, I appreciate the help.