New equipment and/or upgrades discussion

[stakem1]

What have you purchased lately as an upgrade to your setup or what are you considering upgrading but havent pulled the trigger on yet?

I like to keep it simple. My mash tun is a 140 qt coffin cooler with a cpvc manifold. My boil kettles are modified kegs. I love keeping it rustic and hands on but I think its time to finally buy a march pump and start fly sparging.

 

[Rau711]

I went a little crazy recently. I haven't been kegging because I made a rootbeer that I kegged and of course once you go root beer you never go back. So I bought 2 more 5 Gallon kegs and a counter pressure filler. I also got 2 March pumps to help move some wort around without hurting my back. I have been using different levels of my garage to use gravity for many of these things so this should be a huge help. My next upgrade would be some way to whirlpool. Not sure if I will have a stainless steel welder angle a tube into my existing kettle or just get a keggle that has one already in it. I would also like a sight glass to have better ideas of water levels than my untrusty stick method.

 

[stakem1]

I have also been delaying my grain milling station project...i really need to finish it.

Several brews ago, a friend was running the mill for me with a corded drill like always. He tried to balance it on the edge of my cooler to add more grain and it tumbled to the ground. In the process, it bent the shaft going in to the mill. It is still useable and the rollers are not effected but it got me thinkin that i need a better way to do this. So...

I have a spare rotary motor and want to build a small table that I can affix the mill to. Add a power switch and add a gear and chain. Also, increasing the hopper size is a must.

Maybe ill get the stuff this week and make that my weekend project.

 

[quirkzoo1]

Finally upgraded to a 10 gal cylindrical mash tun with SS braid. Kegerator is just a mini-fridge from craigslist. Next project is to figure out if I can fit two kegs in there and then build a tap tower on the top.

What are folks suggestions on tap towers, I haven't really looked into it yet but when I just browse what is out there I get really confused.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

I'll be building a keezer over the next month or two. Slowly collecting parts (CO2 tank, 4 way manifold, dual primary regulator, perlick faucets w/ shanks, kegs, quick disconnect keg fittings bought so far).

Need to build a collar and buy another freezer for fermentation. Wife probably won't understand the need for two chest freezers. Better to ask forgiveness type of deal...lol.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Found a chest freezer yesterday near the community dumpster. Looks like someone threw away a perfectly functioning (so far, anyway) 5.0 CF GE Freezer. Probably a few years old, but its been running without issue for over 24 hours now. Keezer build begins as soon as my new Dewalt circular saw shows up. Wonderful timing. The homebrew gods are smiling down on me.

 

[harrymel1]

time to finally buy a march pump and start fly sparging.

Why? Fly sparging sucks.

 

[harrymel1]

To answer your OP, I have been working on a homemade stir plate. I just need to finalize the parameters for depth from magnet and I should be good to go.

Next DIY is an O2 set up. Should be able to score some legitimate regulators and such from my friends in the medical community.

Finally, my mash tun (igloo water cooler) is in severe disrepair in needs to be replaced. I have the money, but I'm a cheap ass and want a 10G cooler for $30 or less. Craigslist is not helpful lately.

 

[stakem1]

Why? Fly sparging sucks.

The main reason is safety. I cant feasibly create a gravity fed system without having to move my excessively heavy mash tun multiple times in a brew day. Getting a pump eliminates the moving of equipment and the risks associated.

I am pretty thick headed when it comes to trying things out for myself. When people say "fly sparging sucks" it makes me want to do it even more just to say I did it. See also: decoction mashing and why it is unnecessary with todays malts but I do it for some styles of beer anyway. I honestly love brewing as much if not more than actually drinking. So when the opportunity presents itself to try something new or different I dont hesitate in trying it at least once.

Keep in mind, the cost of creating a sparge arm is going to be around $5 for me considering I have nearly all the spare parts laying around.

Edit: so i just went back and reread the context of my posts. I didnt mean for it to come across like fly sparging is the next step in my brewing advancement...it was more about getting a pump and that providing me with the chance to try fly sparging.

 

[quirkzoo1]

See also: decoction mashing and why it is unnecessary with todays malts but I do it for some styles of beer anyway. I honestly love brewing as much if not more than actually drinking. So when the opportunity presents itself to try something new or different I dont hesitate in trying it at least once.

So much this. If you are only about drinking the beer, there is really no point in homebrewing in the end the cost savings are minimal, especially if you factor in the time it takes to get proficient enough to brew beer at the level of most commercially available beers.

I myself love to geek out about brewing, the process, the experimentation...

 

[Rau711]

I love making sour beers. The processes the different ways you can do it. I hate drinking sour beers. I love messing around and doing different things.

 

[harrymel1]

The main reason is safety. I cant feasibly create a gravity fed system without having to move my excessively heavy mash tun multiple times in a brew day. Getting a pump eliminates the moving of equipment and the risks associated.

I am pretty thick headed when it comes to trying things out for myself. When people say "fly sparging sucks" it makes me want to do it even more just to say I did it. See also: decoction mashing and why it is unnecessary with todays malts but I do it for some styles of beer anyway. I honestly love brewing as much if not more than actually drinking. So when the opportunity presents itself to try something new or different I dont hesitate in trying it at least once.

Keep in mind, the cost of creating a sparge arm is going to be around $5 for me considering I have nearly all the spare parts laying around.

Edit: so i just went back and reread the context of my posts. I didnt mean for it to come across like fly sparging is the next step in my brewing advancement...it was more about getting a pump and that providing me with the chance to try fly sparging.

All of this is reasonable.

Endorsement approved.

 

[StarRaptor1]

Next DIY is an O2 set up. Should be able to score some legitimate regulators and such from my friends in the medical community.

He're a good article on that - http://brewnundrum.blogspot.com/2013/04/oxygen-flow-meter-for-disposable-oxygen.html

 

[domtronzero]

I pretty much only brew sour beers and meads these days, but the best things that helped my system efficiency and taste of my beer were (in order of importance):

1. temp-controlled fermentation area (deep chest freezer with external temp control)
2. Yeast starter
3. O2 kit with 0.5 micron SS diffusing stone

The best things that made my brewday easier:
1. Immersion wort chiller
2. A flower-pot dolly from Home Despot to move carboys/MT/kettle around when they're full (pic below)
3. A friend burly enough to help me lift my HLT and dump hot water from my kettle into my MT and HLT.

 

[quirkzoo1]

2. A flower-pot dolly from Home Despot to move carboys/MT/kettle around when they're full (pic below)

Nice! I love this idea.

 

[StarRaptor1]

After building my keezer and a stir plate I am currently working on building my new Brewhouse

Here is the to scale concept

The layout for the control panel

The control panel box

The hole layout blueprints

The Asco valves that control the gas

I've procured about 85% of the electronic and about 50% of the hardware. The stand is being built by Brewers Hardware which is also where I am getting the remaining hardware and my new boil kettle

I'll be creating several posts for my site about the project and updating the "Brewery's" Facebook Page

 

[domtronzero]

Nice! I love this idea.

Pffft, and no likes?

 

[quirkzoo1]

Pffft, and no likes?

remedied.

 

[ubenumber21]

I bought a fridge and temperature control to ferment in , a new burner set up and new gas bottles

 

[StarRaptor1]

A lot of drilling, boring and filing later

 

[ncaudle]

soooooo many things/upgrades I want to do:
replace my old aluminum kettle
get a 2nd burner
construct a brew sculpture
get a HLT with valve
get march pumps
some type of wort chiller (yeah, you heard right - I don't use a chiller)
ferm temp control - though no space for a chest freezer...
keg setup
etc
etc
etc

 

[Rau711]

I need another chest freezer for lagering since I turned mine into a keezer. I bought this one ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CWDZYI/?tag=talkbeer-20 ) and might do it again.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Almost done...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80758608@N02/9835704475/

 

[surlytheduff1]

I made a collar/extended windshield today for my Bayou burner. I've only brewed a few times with it, but I had been getting excessive heat up the sides of my pot. I used short pieces of aluminum flashing pop riveted together for it - was short one section but went ahead and did a quick trial run and it really seemed to help keep my sightglass T & ball lock valve from getting overly hot.

 

[axeman91821]

I'm thinking about buying a Blichmann burner to replace the cheap turkey fryer that I have been using. Seems like a lot of people that own one are really happy.

 

[Rau711]

I'm 85% of the way to being ready for a single tier system. I just need some sight glasses and whirlpool ports. Might just upgrade to keggles that have these installed already. As for the system itself I have my cousin (who has been working at Firestone Walker for a year or so welding their upgrades so you degenerates can get their beer) drawing up some prints and getting me a cost sheet to see how much I can't afford it right now with all my vacations planned this year.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Just bought me a storage rack to house all my gear. Now I should be all neat and orgranized.

 

[mcaulifww]

To answer your OP, I have been working on a homemade stir plate. I just need to finalize the parameters for depth from magnet and I should be good to go.

Finally, my mash tun (igloo water cooler) is in severe disrepair in needs to be replaced. I have the money, but I'm a cheap ass and want a 10G cooler for $30 or less. Craigslist is not helpful lately.

thinking of diying a stirplate soon.

my brew partner just got a 7.5 gal kettle and burner(probs a turkey fryer).
I'd like to build a Mash Tun so we can do all grain batches.
no space for a chest freezer for temp control right now

 

[Phischy1]

I buy a lot of used equpiment and sometimes sit on it for years before finally getting it all done.

Some old stuff:

Kegeracer:

Used ugly chest freezer that some rattlecans fixed up fast.

Motorized mill (JSP Maltmill)

Old brew method:

New gravity fed system w/ pump so I can do a HERMS system:

Used conical that's out to be modded, stand cut down and the lower brace moved all the way down to allow for the yeast harvester. Freezer came from CL, conical from a buddy who had to quit for medical reasons.

I hope to get everything finally together after GABF and start brewing for the first time since last Nov.

I batch sparge and bought a new 15 gal HLT (not shown), thermowells in the mashtun and BK, immersion chiller with a superchiller setup. And I have my old carboy heat/cooled system so I can do 2 different brews in a weekend.

 

[Bobbito]

I recently made the decision to get the Speidel Braumeister. A bit pricey but I don't have the space to set up a full system and knowing myself, I would have ended up spending the money in the long run on my own system if I had the space.

I'm installing a new 240v outlet in the garage where I will be doing my brewing. Once I get it up and running and do my first batch, I'll report back.