Say hello to my new AG brewhouse

[Turk10mm]

The materials are all bought, the bench itself is already built, the only thing I don't have yet are my quick disconnect connections and electrical supplies for the pump. What you see is my current configuration. I still have to install all the valves on the hlt and kettle. But anyways. I designed it in sketchup.

Not including vessels, I'm in it for about a grand total of 500 bucks. That's burners, wood, pump, tubing/connections, everything.

Hope you like it. If you dont, there's not much I can change since its already built. When its complete I'll post the comparison photo.

 

[bgrayson726]

Looks legit. I'm looking forward to the final product!

 

[Wiezer]

Is that wooden bench/cart going to become a fire hazard?

 

[Turk10mm]

nothing a good fire extinguisher and a kick down the driveway couldn't fix. in all seriousness, no, its not. the burner is 12" above the wood and the heat is going the other way. There isn't enough radiant heat to get the wood more than warm. i'm going to check temps on my first full boil and keep an eye on the wood for scorching. if there is any chance of it, i'll lay down some sheet metal on the deck.

 

[Saints1313]

very interested to see how this turns out. Ive got the designs/specs for the Brutus 10, but kinda seeing what other options are out there and this one looks sharp.

 

[Saints1313]

+1

 

[Turk10mm]

well, i'd be more than happy to send the plans along. Its a very simple build. All the measurements are easy. After designing in sketchup I felt confident in cutting all my pieces and then assembling. Worked like a charm. pics of the setup coming soon.

 

[BellTap]

Looks nice. I would add 2 more wheels in the center of the platform for added stability. I built a platform like that once and mine had some fairly heavy objects toward the center, so it really needed them. I was using 2x6 beams fyi.

 

[Turk10mm]

I was going to do that, and in fact they were part of the plan. But I'm 6'5 and 300 lbs. I can literally jump on the center tier without any flex. The center tier ties into 4 horizontal 2x4's. Its definitely overbuilt, which was the idea.

 

[wyzazz]

nothing a good fire extinguisher and a kick down the driveway couldn't fix. in all seriousness, no, its not. the burner is 12" above the wood and the heat is going the other way. There isn't enough radiant heat to get the wood more than warm. i'm going to check temps on my first full boil and keep an eye on the wood for scorching. if there is any chance of it, i'll lay down some sheet metal on the deck.

If you're worried about heat, Hardi-Backer will do the job better than sheet metal.

 

[TheSeether]

Why is the spacer necessary to attach the central platform to the horizontal spars? It seems to me the vertical supports could attach directly to exterior frame in the same fashion as the 2 decks on the outside. You would get better rigidity and support to omit the spacers but I'm betting there is a reason for your design.

 

[TheSeether]

Also, I would consider adding a short parapet around the platforms to prevent the burners from slipping over the edge. Failing that I would securely fasten the burners to their respective decks.

 

[Turk10mm]

Why is the spacer necessary to attach the central platform to the horizontal spars? It seems to me the vertical supports could attach directly to exterior frame in the same fashion as the 2 decks on the outside. You would get better rigidity and support to omit the spacers but I'm betting there is a reason for your design.

I did that to set the middle tier back a little bit. This allows for the pump to sit underneath the middle tier and extend out at a useful height without extending more than a couple inches away from the outer dimensions of the bench. I wanted to make it as snag proof as possible with as little pump hanging out. Its a 7' bench and it will slide directly under my 8' work bench in the garage.

You have a point on the rails around the decking to prevent the burner from sliding off. Thanks for the input.

I'm also considering putting the switch closer to the pump itself. I thought about making it easily reachable while standing, but I have a feeling i'll be switching the pump on and gating the valve at the same time.

 

[bruin_ale]

I've brewed w/ propane on a wooden stand for many years, I can second the fact that the wood doesn't even get warm.

 

[Turk10mm]

Well, after much activity around the house (we found a house we like out of the blue, so we made a deal on it and now we're selling ours) the brewhaus is complete. Hopefully next weekend I'll get to make a trial run!

I still need to think about rails to keep anything from sliding off the decking, but I'm thinking that the weight of the pots with liquid (the only time they'll be burning) that I'd have more chance of tipping than sliding.

Tell me what you think!

Here's the final modification for the switch. I decided to keep the switch close to the pump valve handle for simplicity and its just more simple to place it there, not to mention stays out of the way.

 

[Turk10mm]

oh, and don't laugh. I had my first experience with a gas fired nail gun. This sucker will NEVER come apart.

 

[billf2112]

Looks great. You could put some simple linolium (sp) floor tiles or single sheet on the top to make it easier to clean and reduce germ build up.

 

[BeerIsDelicious]

I definitely would have removed that bud light box before snapping the picture. Have some PRIDE, man. :cross:

Looks really good, though. I keep going back and forth between building something like this and having a steel stand welded for me. This is making me lean more towards the wood. Good job.

 

[Turk10mm]

a steel stand may be in my future at some point, but i just couldn't justify the cost yet. Considering I'm about 100 bucks in on the bench itself, its semi disposable. If/When I got to a steel stand it'll be 100% stainless since I live on the Gulf Coast. Too much humidity for steel to last very long.

The budlight box is for holding bottles... but i still drink it too. Its a great cheap session beer. i'd never bother making something comparable because its just not worth the effort.