My all grain build- tell me what you think

[Ludesbrews]

Guys,

I threw together this all grain build this morning. Tell me what you think- please be brutally honest and give pointers when you can.

All will remain stationary but boil will take place on my larger propane burner in middle of garage door opening, with door open.

Thanks guys
151

 

[RPh_Guy]

Looks good to me.

My brew stand consists of a folding table that I have to set up in my garage every brew day. PITA.

 

[Ludesbrews]

I heard that the tubes I have to transport the hot water from the HLT to the MT and from the MT to the boiling kettled should be a different material, as what I have now may create a plasticlike taste. Any idea about that?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Silicone is best. It's more expensive but lasts forever.

Vinyl shouldn't leave a plastic taste though.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

Looks great...other than that Giants sticker

 

[kh54s10]

Start looking for something larger than that small hutch for storing your equipment. You will soon stuff that full!

 

[Soulshine2]

Guys,

I threw together this all grain build this morning. Tell me what you think- please be brutally honest and give pointers when you can.

All will remain stationary but boil will take place on my larger propane burner in middle of garage door opening, with door open.

Thanks guys
151 View attachment 635088View attachment 635089View attachment 635090

the repurposed cabinet is nice. the 3 tier rig has potential. You have the right idea...Just remember you'll be dealing with those vessels full of hot water ,mash and wort. that structure needs some runners and bracing to keep it from going over sideways and seriously burning yourself.

btw- NICE mash paddle

 

[mongoose33]

The only thing I'm wondering about is how you're going to transfer wort to the fermenter. It's always nice to have the boil kettle high enough that you can rack right into the fermenter. Are you planning to lift that full BK to a higher place to rack into the fermenter?

That's the only thing I think you could look at differently.

 

[Ludesbrews]

The only thing I'm wondering about is how you're going to transfer wort to the fermenter. It's always nice to have the boil kettle high enough that you can rack right into the fermenter. Are you planning to lift that full BK to a higher place to rack into the fermenter?

That's the only thing I think you could look at differently.

Since I plan on fermenting inside in my basement as I have done in the past, I planned on bringing the boil kettle inside and transferring there.

Thoughts?

 

[kh54s10]

I try to move heavy liquid as little as possible. Especially if it is hot. So I cool the wort while the kettle is still sitting on the burner. Off of course. I have it high enough that it will drain directly into my fermenter. I then carry the fermenter and put it in my fermentation chamber.

 

[Soulshine2]

As I said above, It looks to me like you have the right idea, gravity does the work. BUT , it appears that you built it backwards...
Mine is also gravity ,but I started my plan from the fermenter on the ground (on a 2 wheel dolly) with the tier heights governed by the heights of the vessel before it respectively and relation to each other . add 2-3 inches above each vessel top to the spout ,valve or spigot above it and so on. As time goes by you will quickly get tired of or get hurt moving 5 gallons of liquid from point A to point B .

This was mine, just before i added the electronics, just to make sure i had the heights right.

heres the setup of the poster above me.

 

[kh54s10]

As I said above, It looks to me like you have the right idea, gravity does the work. BUT , it appears that you built it backwards...
Mine is also gravity ,but I started my plan from the fermenter on the ground (on a 2 wheel dolly) with the tier heights governed by the heights of the vessel before it respectively and relation to each other . add 2-3 inches above each vessel top to the spout ,valve or spigot above it and so on. As time goes by you will quickly get tired of or get hurt moving 5 gallons of liquid from point A to point B .

This was mine, just before i added the electronics, just to make sure i had the heights right.

Nice! You added the picture of mine so that I don't have to.

Yes, work from the ground up... Fermenter on the floor, BK high enough to drain into the tallest fermenter, mash tun high enough to drain into the BK, HLT high enough to drain into the mash tun.

Notice that I ran PEX tubing across the ceiling to fill the HLT. Just open a valve... No lifting of buckets or pots of water.

I have moved since then and need to set up the same here. But deciding if I want to go BIAB electric first....

 

[Soulshine2]

No problem. I couldnt take full crefit for my design ...it was modeled after yours. And with my idea of moving the brewery to the pole barn I too am planning on bringing a water line in overhead ...where can i find a dump valve like a safety shower.

 

[mongoose33]

Since I plan on fermenting inside in my basement as I have done in the past, I planned on bringing the boil kettle inside and transferring there.

Thoughts?

Well....it's certainly not going to be any heavier that way.

The two guys above are, in essence, talking about how to reduce the physical work as much as possible. The less you have to carry full anything, the better, though that may not be possible depending on circumstances. Their designs work well for that.

When I started brewing I transferred cooled wort to my fermenter in the garage, then hauled it down to the basement. Similar thing for you.

However....one element of this is cleanup. I never wanted to transfer to the fermenter in the basement. There almost always are drips and small spills, and I wanted to isolate that in the garage. So, think on that and whether it's important to you.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I don't worry about the boil kettle being higher than the fermenter as I prefer to transfer with a pump. I have one hooked up for whirlpool anyway, plus I use a spray aerator to aerate the wort and it's much more effective with the higher flow rate I get using a pump.

In fact, with my new move, I will have a dedicated brew space and I plan to have the fermenter already in the chest freezer that is my ferm chamber before I initiate the transfer. That way I don't have to lift it in there after it's full. I'm setting it up to use the same ratcheting pulley that I use for may MIAB to lift it out when it's time to drain to a keg. This way I'm not ever lifting that stuff by hand.

 

[FrozenWinter]

I heard that the tubes I have to transport the hot water from the HLT to the MT and from the MT to the boiling kettled should be a different material, as what I have now may create a plasticlike taste. Any idea about that?

I've had no issues with polyvinyl lines. The ones going from MT to BK and BK to fermentor will discolor over time but other than that no issues with flavor.
I'm upgrading all mine to silicon right now but only because I'm also redesigning my stand and the old lines are cut too short for the new rig and not set up with QDs.
Stand looks great, similar to my current one only I used 2x4's instead of 4x4's.

 

[kh54s10]

Nice! You added the picture of mine so that I don't have to.

Yes, work from the ground up... Fermenter on the floor, BK high enough to drain into the tallest fermenter, mash tun high enough to drain into the BK, HLT high enough to drain into the mash tun.

Notice that I ran PEX tubing across the ceiling to fill the HLT. Just open a valve... No lifting of buckets or pots of water.

I have moved since then and need to set up the same here. But deciding if I want to go BIAB electric first....

I went BIAB electric with a Unibrau. I have brewed on it just once so far in the kitchen. I used hoses to get water from the kitchen sink to the unit. I will set up things more permanently eventually. I want everything set and ready to go, no putting things away and then getting it all out for brew day. Can't yet decide where to set up. Porch, kitchen or garage.