Moving from single tier to stand alone burners.

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Surly

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
989
Reaction score
90
Location
Prairie Farm
My single tier two burner brew stand needs work. After 13 years or so I must replace one burner. And yes, it needs a good cleaning and shelving replacement etc. I don’t want to do the upgrades. The unit was built as a rollout operation. I would move it to the patio and connect to my natural gas feed. After moving to a new domicile I asked it to perform stationary duty in a dedicated brewery. There, it was fired by LP with a stubbed line directly into the brewery.

I am now planning a remodel of the brewery. I have found I need to increase floor space.

I do not want to reduce the capacity of my brewery. I like the 15 gallon level of brewing. As I age I will begin adapting the brewery to meet my future needs. Right now this is the plan...replace the single tier platform with two standalone quality brew stands. An Edelmetall Bru Burner will be used to fire the HLT. I have chosen the Hell Fire for the boiling operation.

The LP line will be mounted on a wall with a number of points I can attach the standalone burners. Accommodation will be made to add LP heater operations and possibly cooling as well.

Now my question and ask for advice....

I will be able to stage my burners wherever I like. My two pumps I would like mounted on a small dolly, or, pump station. I desire to be able to roll the, “pump station” around as needed.

as I brew in the Wisconsin winter I would like to quick release the pumps from the stationto move the pumps to warm storage.

any thoughts?
 
I use a single burner (Edelmetall converted to natural gas) on the Edelmetall stand with a converted keg brew kettle. I use cam-lock fittings with silicon hose as my quick release. I have custom built a stand to house my chugger pump and plate chiller that works out very well since it can be relocated easily.

With the brief explaination you have given above I don't fully understand why your going with a single tier platform with two standalone stands since in theory they will take up the same amount of space. With two seperate burner stands you may want to have two seperate pump stations as well.

Going from propane to natural gas I would not want to go back to propane.
 
ITV I no longer have natural gas as an option. Rather than using LP in 20 lb tanks I stubbed my homes LP tank to the brewery.

You are correct when stating the actual space savings between a single tier and two standalone burners. Besides simply wanting to change my brewery and processes I think I can store this new set up easier than the single tier.

For me it is about the hobby and trying new arrangements. Moving from the kitchen stove with 5 gallon kits I processed through various levels. I have reached capacity at 15 gallons. Much of that was using DIY gear and equipment. I then began to convert the home made gear to higher quality professional grade. After this project I plan to go back to a single tier system. That system will be electric and all stainless steel.

But the progression first takes me to a walk in cooler with various temp controlled chambers for fermenting and storage of beer and equipment in winter. I may for giggles actually license the brewery and give away growlers via donations. My end stage brewery is one that can be operated by a person in their 80's with physical limitations.

If you have a picture of your pump station I would love to see it.
 
Are you using a plate chiller?
Below are some pics of my pump/chiller stand ( click on the thumnail to display larger): IMG_1543.JPGIMG_1544.JPGIMG_1545.JPG
 
TY ITV - You have provided me some good options.

One of my applications is, during the Wisconsin winters I must haul my wet gear and supplies to a warm garage. So, I seek alternatives for lighter weight solutions. I currently have a wooden box with my two pumps attached. It's a hand full. That will be solved when I design and build that walk in cooler mentioned above. I will set up a small chamber that is heated by a light bulb contained in a paint can. I will use an extra temp control device to take the chill out of the chamber.

I started brewing with a DIY emersion chiller. I then made a counter flow chiller using this forum for direction. I replaced it with a SS counter flow a couple of years ago. Now....

A plate chiller looks to me to be a very option for me. I doubt I will ever expand above a 15 gallon brewery capacity. Would your chiller handle 15 gallons ok? Do you like it? What kind is it? Would you make any other purchase decisions?
 
I have a Shirron plate chiller which is my first chiller so I can't compare it to another type. If I had to start over I would get another plate chiller. During a beer club brew day I am the first to chill down my wort compared to the other members immersion chillers. I used it on a 10 gallon batch recently without any issues. Provided your ground water is cold, which in your case shouldn't be a problem it will easily handle 15 gallons.

Due to plate chillers small passages it is important to make sure that the wort is free of debris or it can clog up. My brew kettle has a false bottom and before I transfer wort to the plate chiller, I recirculate from the discharge of my brew kettle through the pump and back into the top of the brew kettle with the discharge hose going into a 400 micron hop basket to act as a filter. Alternately you can use an inline filter capable of handling boiling temperatures.

After I am done brewing I recirculate hot PBW through the plate chiller to clean it, I don't want the wort to build up inside the small passages. An overnight soak of diluted beer line cleaner will really clean it out (which I do about once per year), no need to bake it in the oven.
 
I have an upright freezer that I use as my fermentation chamber, for the heater I use a small ceramic type: Cermic Heater that works great. Light bulbs don't last very long and are less efficient.
IMG_1038.JPG
 
Last edited:
What if you used a hand truck to mount all your stuff on? Then it will be easier to lug all your stuff up and then be able to move it wherever to run the pumps.
 
I split the line from my home's propane regulator to the patio where I brew. However, I don't have enough pressure to run my high pressure Bayou Classic. It looks like there is a regulator on the tank, as well as the one at the house. Do I need to switch out a regulator somewhere?
I get propane to the burner, but you couldn't roast a hot dog on that flame.

Thoughts?
 
Back
Top