Countertop Brutus 20

[The Pol]

FWIW I think he is doing 3.5 gallon batches and starting with 4.5

4.5 gallons from 160F to boiling takes 18 minutes with 2000W

JT's Beer Home Page

 

[jkarp]

Pol's got it. Since the system is always at 170 when I kick the PID to manual mode for the boil, time is actually a little less. I think Pol and I both found that a 5 gal boil is about the max for 120V with a single element. Proceed with caution if you're considering to scale this setup to 5 gal batches where you'll be wanting 6-7 gal pre-boil. A 240V kettle like Pols would be much more appropriate.

 

[The Pol]

FWIW, I can boil 7.5-8 gallons from sparge temp. in 13 minutes with 5500W, then dial it back to 70% for the remainder of the boil. If scaling up, like J said... 240VAC is necessary as you will need a solid 3500W or so to get a nice boil at 7.5 gallons or so.

 

[jkarp]

OK, I started a build thread in DIY...

 

[toddmuchmore]

Pol's got it. Since the system is always at 170 when I kick the PID to manual mode for the boil, time is actually a little less. I think Pol and I both found that a 5 gal boil is about the max for 120V with a single element. Proceed with caution if you're considering to scale this setup to 5 gal batches where you'll be wanting 6-7 gal pre-boil. A 240V kettle like Pols would be much more appropriate.

Thanks guys. I actually only do 2.75gal batches. I'm the only beer drinker in the house and I like to brew and have variety. This is why this system is so appealing to me. Looking forward to reading the build thread!

 

[BrewBeemer]

Kona Brewing Longboard Lager, baby!

Na, FireRock for me, Steep Trail w/Jagged Edge in 24 pack from Costco is always in the outside frig for the general party company. The good biers on tap for those that appreciate a bier not general bier..

 

[geis6]

Na, FireRock for me, Steep Trail w/Jagged Edge in 24 pack from Costco is always in the outside frig for the general party company. The good biers on tap for those that appreciate a bier not general bier..

What island you on BrewBeemer where you can get beers from Concord California at your Costco, Bethel Island?

 

[BrewBeemer]

What island you on BrewBeemer where you can get beers from Concord California at your Costco, Bethel Island?

Your locations would take many days paddling an outrigger unless the westerly winds
were in my favor.
I'm still working on that keg of rum that washed ashore on the island.
Rum in the winter sounds mighty good on the beach watching the sunsets letting all worries pass.
Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.
Careful, I have lehr on the run going crazy looking for where my island home's located.
One friend just sold a 60' tall palm tree for $15K, it was transplanted 1 1/2 miles away on the island.

 

[geis6]

Careful, I have lehr on the run going crazy looking for where my island home's located.

Really? It took me 5 minutes and some google to solve the riddle. I guess that explains getting Black Diamond from Costco. You near the bay or the town?

 

[BrewBeemer]

Neither, a city with over 3,000 privately owned boats some with waterfront properties and as well 8 marinas and the ability to handle up to 30 plus ships.

 

[mengel]

Here's what's arguably the most clever (and space-saving) bit. Chiller and pump all in one package:

How difficult (and/or practical) would it be to replace the coils with a plate chiller?

 

[jkarp]

Here's what's arguably the most clever (and space-saving) bit. Chiller and pump all in one package:

How difficult (and/or practical) would it be to replace the coils with a plate chiller?

Trivial, really. Plenty of room to plumb a plate chiller inside the bucket. I know at least one other CB20 builder went that route.

 

[Malintent]

Kona Brewing Longboard Lager, baby!

mmmmmmmm... my favorite when I was in Hawaii last summer. When swmbo came home a month or so ago with a 6-pack of it, reporting that she found a place by where she works (in NY) that has it... let's just say she had almost a good night as I had

 

[Tfire136]

Trivial, really. Plenty of room to plumb a plate chiller inside the bucket. I know at least one other CB20 builder went that route.

Well this may be the first of many questions as I have determined this is the exact setup I need lol. As I am gathering the pieces to put this all together, I already have a "Chillout" 10 plate chiller from homebrewstuff.com that I would like to integrate into my system. I am wondering if anyone has suggestions about how I could mount this to the bucket, and how I would set up all the plumbing and fittings (and would this actually function similar as if I had the CFC). I figure this chiller should more than suffice for 3.5g batches. By the way jkarp....this system is ingenious, thanks for sharing!

 

[Radboud]

Reviving this thread as I am building this setup. I read Jkarps article on BYO and decided to go for that instead of a full fledged herms. I won't be using a CFC but an IC. I have a few questions though:

What would happen if one would start recirculation right after dough-in? You might be able to do step/ramp mashes in your coooler this way.

What would be the max feasible volume (that goes into the fermenter) for a 1.050-55 beer? As Jkarp I am going to use a 5gal cooler for mashing.

 

[jkarp]

Hey HBT. Long time, no visit.

I just happened to notice Blichmann got a patent on RIMS, specifically, a two-vessel RIMS system. Dunno where I'd find the time, but I'm sorely tempted to invalidate it.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=8993273

 

[Jayhawk79]

I know this thread hasn’t been active, but hope I can still get some feedback. I’m curious about kettle material in this build. Seems aluminum is good when heat source is external due to thermal properties, but may fight against us when heat source is internal as it may lead to more heat escaping. Do you think SS is best for electric kettles? Is the heat transfer out of aluminum negligible? I know jkarp insulated his aluminum kettle in the original build. I assume for these reasons. Would it be necessary to do the same with a SS kettle?

 

[imasickboy]

Stainless steel has a much lower thermal conductivity than aluminum, but for this application, it shouldn't matter enough to make the change. The insulation in this project is more needed because of the single 120V heating element.