Mini-batch Ghetto Electric! (1-2 gallons)

[McKnuckle]

It's a cold winter here in the Eastern US this year, and my garage, fridge, and kegs are all full of homebrew. Can't really use my propane gear or brew big batches, but I wanted to keep brewing in indoor comfort, and try a bunch of recipes without accumulating a lot of additional beer to store. SWMBO is kind with allowing me to mess up the kitchen, but she and the kids don't really like the smell, so I wanted to tuck things away and be free to brew without "permission."

I have a basement workshop with a single 15 amp circuit (120V). Never caused me a problem before; I run power tools, a water softening system, and keep a kegerator in there. But we all know that electric brewing prefers lotsa juice. Not an option for me. I had to find a way to do it small.

It's hard to find real world examples of ghetto setups. Most people seem to have complex, high powered, automatic systems and it's no surprise that they like to show them off. I looked around for low power, small batch inspiration that didn't also include a stovetop, but couldn't find much.

Not to be deterred, I did some research, crossed my fingers, and put together a bare bones system that is working really well so far. I'm BIAB mashing and boiling in a 6 gallon aluminum kettle, the narrow/tall kind (11" base). Brewing 1.5 gallon batches which yield about a 12 pack worth of beer in the end, 2-3 lbs of grain, about 2.25 gallons of water to start.

For heat I have a Brewhardware.com Hot Rod running a 1500W LWD element. It sits in the kettle and fits great across the bottom. It's plugged into an array of electric gadgets that make the process very low maintenance.

The yellow device is an inline GFCI outlet, since I don't have one in the basement. From there, a Belkin power switch is employed. Then the kicker - a short cycle timer from Titan Controls. This little gadget is a lifesaver! It turns on and off for programmable periods of time, ranging from a few seconds to 60 minutes. I am experimenting with it still, but running it at 5 minutes OFF, then 20 seconds ON. This keeps my mash temperature within a degree for the whole mash. Not super cheap ($69 on Amazon), but this device makes mashing a hands-off task. No, there's no stirring... that's the next DIY challenge to tackle, but it's not truly essential either.

I initially had a tough time both getting to a boil and holding mash temp. That's why the kettle is insulated with 2-3 layers of R5 pipe wrap material. The lid is also replaced with an insulation sandwich that has a cutout for the Hot Rod. It barely gets warm to the touch even approaching a boil - it does a great job! Once a boil is reached, the top comes off and I vent out a window directly overhead using a small fan.

Water comes up to strike temp from 70º in about a half hour, and reaches a boil from mash temp in less time. Works great with the small volumes I'm using here.

Let's hope that Spring comes soon! Although I am liking this small batch setup a lot...

 

[homebrew57]

This is cool, great job. I wouldn't mind making a small eBIAB system like this to test recipes during the winter. This gives me idea for a fall project for next winter. Thanks!

 

[MacBruver]

For the same price as the timer controller, Auber sells this PID controller complete with a temperature sensor. It's not SSR based, but for this type of application a relay is going to be just fine.


http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=471

 

[McKnuckle]

For the same price as the timer controller, Auber sells this PID controller...

Well that's cool and I wish I had known about it. Temp sensor looks a little dodgy for immersion in a mash, though. Maybe I'll pick one up eventually and tweak the system, or build a sexier one with a small stainless kettle.

But for now the little timer is great. My room has a stable ambient temperature, and I'm using the same kettle with fairly consistent volumes at a narrow temperature range. It's easy enough to just audition settings on the timer until you find one that works. My 5 minutes OFF/20 seconds ON setting kept plain water at 152º for over an hour today in a test. At most it dropped 1º before being corrected. Simple stuff.

 

[MacBruver]

Well that's cool and I wish I had known about it. Temp sensor looks a little dodgy for immersion in a mash, though. Maybe I'll pick one up eventually and tweak the system, or build a sexier one with a small stainless kettle.

The sensor probe cable is fully encased in silicone and since they are advertising it for sous vide, I'm guessing it's waterproof... but if you wanted a ghetto waterproof setup it'd be easy to make a copper thermowell for it.

But for now the little timer is great. My room has a stable ambient temperature, and I'm using the same kettle with fairly consistent volumes at a narrow temperature range. It's easy enough to just audition settings on the timer until you find one that works. My 5 minutes OFF/20 seconds ON setting kept plain water at 152º for over an hour today in a test. At most it dropped 1º before being corrected. Simple stuff.

Simple is good! It definitely wouldn't be worth it to replace your controller, but for anyone who wanted to build something similar but wanted direct temp controls the auber one is another option.