I have three brand new kegs with the tops cut off. Where should I go from here?

[bhamade]

I have done my due diligence and know the brewing process to a T. I went and procured three kegs legitimately from a distributor then got the tops cut off by a welder. I am now trying to plan my system.

I obviously am going to dive in with all grain brewing right off the bat. I know many will call me crazy for doing such, but I am not your average person and feet first has always been met with success.

What type of system do you suggest to make with these three kegs?

I have been leaning towards something like this: http://picasaweb.google.com/gruversm/Brutus#5320908863849952770

I am hesitant because the stand would be a pain in the ass which would cost $400 or so. lol

I wanna make something which can be upgraded without going too all out money wise at the beginning. I want to sink $600 into it now tops. I already have the kegs which are cut which don't count towards the $600. I know this means I will probably be bottling at first which is okay I guess. Thoughts?

Thanks for any and all replies except replies which are obvious flames or trolls.

 

[elpenoso]

Next? Weld some bulkheads time to put some valves on. But seriously without a stand you really cant have true "system". If I were you I would learn to weld and make my own stand.
Just make the beer equipment is overrated.

 

[Stuntman]

There is a post, by a wise brewer (Revvy), NOT to overwhelm a new comer. Your Keggles are already past my brew pots. Have been brewing 6 years. Have just made my first brew stand (not complete, gravity). Now am just curious where this thread goes. Good luck to you, but I feel that someone else is WAY better at fielding this one.

Good luck, and

 

[backhousebrew]

I have frames available at www.backhousebrew.com
Email me if you want more info and shipping cost
Don

 

[backhousebrew]

I have frames available at www.backhousebrew.com
Email me if you want more info and shipping cost
Don

 

[bhamade]

I have frames available at www.backhousebrew.com
Email me if you want more info and shipping cost
Don

I looked, and you're frames are like three quarters of my budget lol.

 

[bhamade]

There is a post, by a wise brewer (Revvy), NOT to overwhelm a new comer. Your Keggles are already past my brew pots. Have been brewing 6 years. Have just made my first brew stand (not complete, gravity). Now am just curious where this thread goes. Good luck to you, but I feel that someone else is WAY better at fielding this one.

Good luck, and

I also wanted to thank you for the kind words!

 

[Kahuna]

You definitely want to get some ball valves on those kegs. You can have your welder put some on or you can drill your kegs and use a weldless valve.

https://morebeer.com/view_product/19793

If you can't spring for a stand, consider picking up a couple of Bayoo Burners. They're well made and can hold a full keggle. Home Despot has them for around $50.

http://bayouclassicdepot.com/sq14_propane_burner.htm

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

Like the others said, you need a valve on the kegs and a stand - ideally with a pump. These things get real heavy when you have 10 gallons in them.

For keg fittings I recommend checking out bargainfittings.com. I got my stand from Pin Up - check out the Vendor section he is offering some really good deals right now and the stands come with free shipping.

 

[backhousebrew]

I could get the price down if you want to paint it yourself and get your own casters.
Thanks for looking
KEEP ON BREWING!

 

[bhamade]

Like the others said, you need a valve on the kegs and a stand - ideally with a pump. These things get real heavy when you have 10 gallons in them.

For keg fittings I recommend checking out bargainfittings.com. I got my stand from Pin Up - check out the Vendor section he is offering some really good deals right now and the stands come with free shipping.

I plan to get a march pump maybe two since it seems to be the cheapest and best. Can I just build a stand out of wood for now?

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

Wood be ok if you are going electric, but if gas I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons.

 

[bhamade]

Wood be ok if you are going electric, but if gas I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons.

I had planned to go gas because you can get two burners for around $100 and be good to go. Would electric be in the same ballpark?

 

[arturo7]

Tip #1 - Don't be in a hurry to build your rig.
If all goes well you will be using it for years. Putting time and effort into the design will pay off in the long run.

Tip #2 - Electric only makes sense if you have 220v.

Tip #3 - Start simple.
No need to build an elaborate stand from the start. All you really need is a decent table. Don't confuse bling with utility.

Tip $4 - Peruse this thread
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/show-us-your-sculpture-brew-rig-46578/


sdjbfpsadfb

 

[I-Hop]

I am in the same boat. I have 3 kegs with the tops cut off and the will to make a system but I don't know enough about systems to build one. I scored some free slotted angle iron which I can bolt together. Keep your eyes on Craigslist for some or even bedframes which you can cut to size and bolt together. This can be a cheap way out to putting together a "starter" system. Definitely look at the thread Arturo7 posted. I have found some pics of systems put together with the slotted angle iron like I have. Good luck, and have fun with it... don't stress over it. It IS supposed to be fun.

 

[Wayne1]

Slow down and take your time. As others have said: start small and build up.

You may want to pick up a Cajun Cooker or two. Look into the dual burner frame from Cajun Cookware for your hot liquor tank and kettle.

Put your third keg away for a bit and use a 10 gallon Gott cooler for a mash tun. It will maintain mash temperatures a lot better than a keg. Pick up a pump or two. You will also need some form of wort chiller.

Go over to BargainFittings.com to see what he has to help you with your rig.

Here is a link to what I built Brewstand This took me well over a year of scrounging parts and pieces and having a cousin who knew how to weld.

Here is what it looks like a year and a half and 50 brews later. I'm sure I'll find more things to do to it in the coming years.

 

[ButcherBrew]

Slow down and take your time. As others have said: start small and build up.

You may want to pick up a Cajun Cooker or two. Look into the dual burner frame from Cajun Cookware for your hot liquor tank and kettle.

Put your third keg away for a bit and use a 10 gallon Gott cooler for a mash tun. It will maintain mash temperatures a lot better than a keg. Pick up a pump or two. You will also need some form of wort chiller.

Go over to BargainFittings.com to see what he has to help you with your rig.

Here is a link to what I built Brewstand This took me well over a year of scrounging parts and pieces and having a cousin who knew how to weld.

Here is what it looks like a year and a half and 50 brews later. I'm sure I'll find more things to do to it in the coming years.

I am about to upgrade my set up and was curious if anyone had this brewstand that they use today and could offer some insight? How does it perform for All Grain brewing. I have a cooler MLT and KEggle for BK and HLT so I think this would work perfectly for me.

Any testimonials please?

Thanks

 

[DGibb]

I am looking to move to all-grain from stovetop partial boil extract, and this rig looks perfect. I can easily get a 10-gal Igloo cooler for a MLT and I have a line on kegs for keggles (legitimate, of course). I just needed to see what rig to put together, and this looks fantastic for me.

Hopefully, people will give us a review of this stand so I know how to proceed....

I found this rig on Amazon while trying to price the Cajun Cookware double burner ($259.00, FYI). It has good reviews and looks like it could work in a gravity system for sparge water. With a 60k BTU burner and a 105k BTU jet burner, that looks pretty efficient to me.

Does anybody have any experience with these?

 

[grimzella]

I looked, and you're frames are like three quarters of my budget lol.

thats the problem with these types of hobbies. Over priced equipment. i also play guitar and do astrophotography. Some hobbies can be quite expensive. some of the equipment are easy to build yourself tho. like racks. just build them yourself. i have seen WOOD tiers. cheap & easy to build. get to work!!

 

[tre9er]

Do you want to brew outside? If you don't mind, even when it's cold (or really hot), it makes it easier to go propane/gas. You could talk to a fabrication shop or someone who knows how to weld and get some ideas on what it would cost to make one "yourself". If you source the metal yourself, as mentioned with bed-frames or angle-iron, it could end up just a few hundred bucks depending on who you talk to and how nice they are.

Electric is very easy as well and affords the ability to brew indoors when the weather sucks. You could build a stand from wood or repurpose furniture such as sturdy tables, etc. and set something up "for now" while you learn the craft and decide what kind of stand you want eventually.

I wish I had a stand, but two buckets with a piece of plywood on top of my counter-top make up my HLT platform, mash tun on the counter, BK on a chair, fermenter on the floor. 3-tier gravity done cheap/free! No investment but I can still brew.

I'd get your keggles outfitted with at least a valve at the bottom and then decide on heat source. Once you have those things (and aforementioned MLT, cooler or keggle with heat source) you can set them up however you want. If you get tired of how you're doing it, think of getting a stand made.