Show us your sculpture or brew rig

[limulus]

Budzu,
That is a beautiful system.

 

[wuertele]

Wow, all these beautiful systems! I hope every submits theirs to brewbot.org's sortable table: http://brewbot.org/brewery-submission

 

[sketerbuck]

this is mine.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j56/sketerbuck/beerrig-1.jpg

 

[J-Malone]

Every single one on here is AWESOME! You know why.... Because they are all used to make outstanding beer!!!!

3dog,
Here is a better picture of my hop sock.

I use it whenever I add anything to the boil, hops, spices, whatever. It works great especially when brewing beers with lots of additions at different times, like an IPA. THe parts cost me about $8 at the orange box and it took about 15 to assemble, I am not sure what the long skinny hop bag costs, I got it when I bought some guys stuff off Craigslist. Every brewer needs one!

I have a question, is that a in place chiller in the boil kettle? I havent seen this on any other rig and I think I really like it. Care to explain or give pros and cons? Also, any special instructions on how to add it to a keggle? I have a newly acquired on and am looking for ideas to Bling it out...

 

[diatonic]

I have a question, is that a in place chiller in the boil kettle? I havent seen this on any other rig and I think I really like it. Care to explain or give pros and cons? Also, any special instructions on how to add it to a keggle? I have a newly acquired on and am looking for ideas to Bling it out...

Hey, my boil kettle is set up like that! (this pic doesn't show inside).

How to install in keggle:

1. Weld two 1/2" stainless couplings in the bulkhead where you want to connect coil
2. Bend up a coil of copper tubing
3. Flare ends of copper tubing to connect to flared connectors inside keg
4. Attach fittings outside keg to run cold water in the bottom, and out the top of the coil

It can make cleaning the kettle more tedious, but it sure is handy. Also, as I approach the boil there is always a little steam that escapes outside as a little water that remained in the coil flashes to steam

 

[klyph]

It's a mounted HEX coil, just like many use in their HLT. There are a million ways to skin the cat, welded, weldless, soldered...

 

[keithster]

Here are some specs:

Natural gas via gas tube.
23 jet burners
tri-clover fittings
custom rigid stainless lines
Self designed hybrid heater/cooler coil
keyed power switch to pumps
illuminated pump switches (red = power, green = on)
28 gal kettles
prime/sampling valves on each pump "out"
1 1/2" square thick wall frame
wheels on one side, move like wheel barrel

I think that's it.

 

[J-Malone]

Hey, my boil kettle is set up like that! (this pic doesn't show inside).

How to install in keggle:

1. Weld two 1/2" stainless couplings in the bulkhead where you want to connect coil
2. Bend up a coil of copper tubing
3. Flare ends of copper tubing to connect to flared connectors inside keg
4. Attach fittings outside keg to run cold water in the bottom, and out the top of the coil

It can make cleaning the kettle more tedious, but it sure is handy. Also, as I approach the boil there is always a little steam that escapes outside as a little water that remained in the coil flashes to steam

I think I like it! As for it getting in the way while cleaning, I was thinking, maybe making one that a larger circle. So that it is much closer to the outside wall of the keggle. Recirculating Ice water through that and then also installing a whirlpool return and recirculating the wort at the same time to drop temps in a heartbeat...would that work?

 

[klyph]

I think I like it! As for it getting in the way while cleaning, I was thinking, maybe making one that a larger circle. So that it is much closer to the outside wall of the keggle. Recirculating Ice water through that and then also installing a whirlpool return and recirculating the wort at the same time to drop temps in a heartbeat...would that work?

Yup, I do that with my immersion chiller, recirculating makes a huge difference. I'd run cold tap water through it until you get down to around 120F-110F then start the ice water, you'll melt your ice right off the bat if you use it when the wort is above 200F. Then when you get closer to pitching temps, the tap water isn't cold enough to maintain the speed at which it was dropping in the beginning, that's when you hit it with the ice water to finish it off.

 

[keithster]

I sued to have a coil in my boil kettle and another coil in a bucket of ice water. The tap water would run through the coil in ice water first so the water going into the boil kettle coil was chilled and the ice lasted much longer that way.

I decided that I wanted to get away from a coil in any of the kettles, chilling or recirculating, so I made the coil you see below.

The coil started with a 20' long 1 1/4" tube with a 5/8" tube set inside of it. I bent it, welded fittings on, and sealed up the "jacket" line. When the wort is recirculating it runs through the small line and my heated sparge water runs through the jacket line. When it comes time to cool the wort runs through the small line again and tap water runs through the jacket line. The hot water from the heat exchange is captured to make another batch or to clean the gear with.

It's been working great, no clogs, and flows very well. I need to get some good pics to post.

 

[klyph]

Nice, a SS triclamp counterflow HEX coil. Though it does seem like it would act as a radiator, how far do you have to set the HLT temp higher to hit the mash temp you're after?

 

[jlandin]

My Brutus 10 inspired system:

Build thread in my signature...

--
Josh

 

[dmbeck2]

Here's Ole Woody.

 

[chrislehr]

Here's Ole Woody.

I really like the drawer for all the small bits like stoppers and stuff. I need to come up with something for that, I am starting to have stuff EVERYWHERE

 

[dmbeck2]

Yeah, the drawer is definitely good to have. It was one of those cheap plastic / Rubbermaid type drawers that I had lying around so I just screwed it into the brew stand and it holds all of the miscellaneous stuff in one place. Thats the advantage of a wooden brew stand...you can easily add stuff on to it.

 

[drumming102]

Started with this:

Ended with this:

Live casted the build as well.

Bonfire cast (First brew session) in about 2 weeks

 

[rrogerstwo]

A little more wiring and plumbing and she will be done.

Control panel

RIMS tube

Started with one Blichmann burner then added another, then the plate chiller so I just built a sculpture to put it all on. Will test run this weekend.

 

[keithster]

I just watch the temp on the mash and adjust accordingly. The coil is there to maintain the mash temp. When I start a brew day I fire up the burners under the MT and the HLT Once I hit the dough in temp I kill the MT burner and start the recurc.

We are having a big brew day for the local club on Sunday. I'll take some pics and post them.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I'm fairly certain he built it, but he's only made two posts since joining in October.

You could look at Kal's write-up in the electric brewing section for a good, detailed plan for an awesome control panel.

Brouwerij Kabouter would be the one to talk to he built one recently for a member....I think it's called a panel mount enclosure or something like that. A very ergonomic design.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Just received kettles from conical-fermenter.com. Its a 2 bbl HERMS, all electric, with 5500 watt heatsticks. Haven't finished adapting everything to tri-clamp, but its close to functional.

You can't brew beer on that. It won't work.

 

[kegtoe]

you guys make me sick


and jelous

 

[EricT]

Here it is, simple and perfect for my needs (for now).

 

[EricT]

One last pic of everything put away.

 

[Hawgbranch]

Here are a some shots of my humble system. I brewed my second batch through it yesterday. A Racer 5 Clone.

 

[Layne]

Looking good! I'm ready for a glass of that!

 

[mariojr]

One last pic of everything put away.

Is that an electric HLT?

 

[EricT]

Is that an electric HLT?

Sort of, I use a 2000W heat stick. With the insulation on it, it doesn't take too long for the water to heat up and it keeps temps very well.

 

[mariojr]

Sort of, I use a 2000W heat stick. With the insulation on it, it doesn't take too long for the water to heat up and it keeps temps very well.

Almost exactly like my system, but the element is installed in my HLT. It does work pretty well. I just start heating up the water first and prep everything else while its doing it's thing. And you don't have to worry about overshooting your h2o temp if you lose track of time because it heats up nice and gently.

How accurate is that thermometer? That's one thing I'm missing from mine.

 

[EricT]

Almost exactly like my system, but the element is installed in my HLT. It does work pretty well. I just start heating up the water first and prep everything else while its doing it's thing. And you don't have to worry about overshooting your h2o temp if you lose track of time because it heats up nice and gently.

How accurate is that thermometer? That's one thing I'm missing from mine.

/agree. I wasnt sure if I was going to keep it electric so decided not to install a permanent heating element. I have another 2000W heat stick I can throw in to speed things up. Unfortunately I cant hook both in my garage at one time due to Amps available but like you said with a little planning one works just fine.
As for the thermometer, it works fine but you have to stir the water every once in a while or else it will read low. Another function the Heat stick works well for. Pretty sure I ordered mine through Bargain Fittings.

EDIT Just went to look at your rig, they are very similar, you are alot more automated then I am. Nice rig.

 

[Hockyplr]

Here is mine, just another woody! More pics of the build in my signature.