Home Super Brewery Build: Hybrid Electric/Gas 3BBL Build

[marcb]

Inspired by the fantastically overblown Bluto555, PsychoBrew 4 Kettle systems, and a 2BBL Stout electric system I was lucky enough to brew on. I had several design goals for this including small footprint (relatively speaking), portable (sort of), Hybrid heating capability, capability of outputting anything from 20G - 80+gallons per brew day. I have a fantastic wife who is a saint and with all of our activities with our 4 kids I am lucky to have one brew day per month. I want to MAXIMIZE that brew day. I love automation and will automate wherever I can in this build! The foundation for this is two 200L Glacier tanks kettles that I purchased used and had new false bottoms fabricated for to leverage as Mash Tuns. A Fellow homebrewtalk member: Hampdenbrewing is providing the two 200L Boil/Whirlpool Kettles. A Tankless water heater will provide strike/sparge water. Each kettle will sit on a mobile 2'x2' stainless stand. I also ordered 2 Glacier Tanks 60G unitank fermenters that can be both ferms and brights that should be delivered in another month. I will document my build on this thread.

 

[prandlesc]

Stop with the joking - this isn't a homebrew set up - you're starting a nanobrewery with out telling SWMBO.

 

[marcb]

Stop with the joking - this isn't a homebrew set up - you're starting a nanobrewery with out telling SWMBO.

No comment ; )

 

[marcb]

Here are two of the stands, already coming together nicely!

 

[Rivenin]

i feel strangely aroused...

 

[Tupperwolf]

I like where this thread is going!

 

[bink00]

did someone say automation?

 

[marcb]

Rolling with a 4 element, 100 amp kit from ebrewsupply. I already had a BCS462 kicking around.....

 

[WPStrassburg]

So is this going to be hacked together like that keg washer contraption you had from a few weeks ago?

You're cutting into my brewing time as I'm spending most waking moments living vicariously through your stainless dream world...

Keep up the good work you hack, you! :rockin:

 

[marcb]

So is this going to be hacked together like that keg washer contraption you had from a few weeks ago?

You're cutting into my brewing time as I'm spending most waking moments living vicariously through your stainless dream world...

Keep up the good work you hack, you! :rockin:

Indeed ; )

 

[marcb]

The panel components are in!

 

[daksin]

Are you doing all the welding on this build? Looks nice!

 

[marcb]

Are you doing all the welding on this build? Looks nice!

I can weld but am not set up for stainless.....
: ( I've got a good local welder who does a fantastic job and reads my crappy drawings very well!

 

[Monster Mash]

When is the walk in cooler going to be installed?

 

[marcb]

When is the walk in cooler going to be installed?

Cleaning out the rest of the garage to make room for the walk in as I type : )

J/K but it is definitely in the works.... I told SWMBO that I could build a big cold room in the garage for all her organic veggies....

 

[Monster Mash]

With that large of a system you will need a walk in. I brew 25 gallons once a month and storing 5 kegs per batch is tough enough.

 

[marcb]

With that large of a system you will need a walk in. I brew 25 gallons once a month and storing 5 kegs per batch is tough enough.

I probably brew about 30 gallons per month now but we go through it pretty quick so no issues there. When there are 16+ kegs it will be a different story so I agree. Moving to combo ferms/brites will help as well as I can crash and carb at the same time then push into kegs and it will be ready to drink. Having a cold room will make it easier and as long as it has its own entrance and is locked it will also help me with ttb requirements.....

 

[marcb]

So I'm reconsidering the propane part, and will most likely go all electric. Fastev had a great idea for leveraging cfc's as heat exchangers off of a recirc loop on the tankless water heater for step mashes. I like this idea over a rims tube for gentle heating of the mash with simpler clean up.

 

[marcb]

Started laying out the control panel components, it's gonna be pretty well packed.

 

[CoalCracker]

Sub'd

Love theses <1bbl builds.

 

[marcb]

Sub'd

Love theses <1bbl builds.

Um I think you mean >1BBL builds ; ) I've seen some of your stuff in the forums, you do nice work! I was impressed with your 120v rig, lots of nice features clearly designed by a brew-gadgeteer!

 

[Sock]

Started laying out the control panel components, it's gonna be pretty well packed.

I hope you're not going to put the SSR's on din rail? That would be bad.

 

[marcb]

I hope you're not going to put the SSR's on din rail? That would be bad.

Just the pump ones per the ebrewsupply design, the element ones are on a monster heatsink on the lid.... Why is that a concern?

 

[mattd2]

I hope you're not going to put the SSR's on din rail? That would be bad.

Can you explain further with your comment? Placing the ssr on a din mounted heatsink should be no problem as long as you panel isn't jam packed with other stuff.

 

[CoalCracker]

Um I think you mean >1BBL builds ; ) I've seen some of your stuff in the forums, you do nice work! I was impressed with your 120v rig, lots of nice features clearly designed by a brew-gadgeteer!

Good Catch! Never been good at math lol! Thanks for the kind words. My latest build is in my sig. Also have more builds on my blog. The 120v system is long gone.

 

[FooFan]

sub

 

[marcb]

Good Catch! Never been good at math lol! Thanks for the kind words. My latest build is in my sig. Also have more builds on my blog. The 120v system is long gone.

Hey, just checked out your new rig, sweet! How did you mount the SSR's to the heatsink? Did you cut a big rectangle out of the lid or just drill the holes and mount the ssr's through the lid metal? I have that same monster heatsink but wasn't sure if the ssr's needed direct contact or if indirect through the top of the enclosure is ok...

 

[CoalCracker]

The control panel had a plate that i removed. I then epoxied and screwed the heatsink to the panel. Then attached the SSRs to the heatsink. Running a full boil, it barely get's warm. Does a great job dissipating heat.

 

[marcb]

The control panel had a plate that i removed. I then epoxied and screwed the heatsink to the panel. Then attached the SSRs to the heatsink. Running a full boil, it barely get's warm. Does a great job dissipating heat.

I've got 4 5500 elements that I'm going to be running in the boil.... I'll probably go with cutting out the larger rectangle and connecting directly

 

[CoalCracker]

Phew, Hate to see your electric bill haha.