OP
OP
thanks Jay the false bottom is working great
Squam Lakes Brewery with Pictures
- Thread starter Boar Beer
- Start date
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OP
OP
MM3-2 Build
Still need to do some work like make a guard and fix the 1 hp motor down but its up and working
Still need to do some work like make a guard and fix the 1 hp motor down but its up and working
klyph
Well-Known Member
Now that's a hopper!
OP
OP
It was designed to be removed
You can just pick it up
It holds 1 1/2 buckets of grain easily
Remember we can be grinding 50-80 lbs for a single mash
You can just pick it up
It holds 1 1/2 buckets of grain easily
Remember we can be grinding 50-80 lbs for a single mash
Thanks for the data point. I set mine at 55 thousandths last night but it started snowing and my pots were outside needing a wash so I skipped the brew I was planning. I'll try it this weekend...
gointomexico
Well-Known Member
Where do you get your bottles from?
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
Love the thread. Congrats on your builds and going nano-pro.
What do you use for temp control during fermentation? I assume you are just keeping the ambient at good levels for your numerous fermentation vessels, but I am curious if you have anything else set-up.
What do you use for temp control during fermentation? I assume you are just keeping the ambient at good levels for your numerous fermentation vessels, but I am curious if you have anything else set-up.
thebeers54
Well-Known Member
All I have to say is wow.. and in MA we can self-distribute! 
We get our bottles drop shipped from Crosby and Baker. $6.95 per case, plus $128 per pallet for freight. Works out to around $8 per case.
We use temperature tolerant yeast and leave the fermenters at ambient temp, which we hold in the mid 60s year round. Its been working well so far.
kappclark
Well-Known Member
Hello from VT -
Very nice setup, and you can brew regardless of wind, rain, snow etc.
From the looks of the size of your vessels, comrade Obama may suspect you are exceeding the 200G limit !
Very nice setup, and you can brew regardless of wind, rain, snow etc.
From the looks of the size of your vessels, comrade Obama may suspect you are exceeding the 200G limit !
Oh yes, as a homebrewer I would definitely be exceeding the 200G limit. But I have a Brewer's Notice from the TTB and a Beverage Manufacturer's license from the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, so the sky is the limit now
.
Wow, just found this thread- incredible job! I hope everything is still going well for you. I'm curious about what you do for yeast- I saw something in the thread about the costs (twenty something per 500 grams) but not much more. Are you making starters? Just pitching a lot of dry yeast? Reusing yeast?
integrator
Well-Known Member
I'm sure they are reusing yeast. Especially since they have a line of beers, it would make it very easy to do.
I get all of my labels printed by Smith and Town Printers up in Berlin, NH http://www.smithandtownprinters.com. I typically get them printed off in batches of 1000, but they will also print off smaller quantities of 250 or 500 if I'm doing a custom batch of beer or something. I couldn't be happier with the quality and their prices were considerably less than the quotes I'd received from other companies. The labels are self-adhesive, so I apply them all by hand. Its a bit time consuming, but I'm still a bit too small to get into automated labeling machines. If you have any other questions, let me know.
I've been using dry yeast for the ease of use and repeatability. I don't have worry about under pitching from a failed starter, or contamination from reusing yeast. Buying fresh dry yeast is fairly inexpensive and to me is worth the piece of mind. So far I'm happy with the results.
OP
OP
We fly sparge
The bulkhead fitting was taken from a cooler that we were using for a MT before using the big bucket
The bulkhead fitting was taken from a cooler that we were using for a MT before using the big bucket
Is fly sparging a preference? Could you batch sparge and still be successful? Looking at 44 and 55 gal MTs it seems like most brews would fit and still be batch sparge compliant. At least at the 1bbl limit. Just asking as a possible insight to nano brewing.
Thanks for the fast response.
Thanks for the fast response.
OP
OP
Boy
As you will see on this site there is a huge amount of discussions about Fly, Batch and even some combinations. This is what we started out doing when we made 5 and 10 gallon batches and we just ramped it up to 1bb. Its fairly simple and you sparge until you get your required boil volume or you hit your required starting gravity.
As you will see on this site there is a huge amount of discussions about Fly, Batch and even some combinations. This is what we started out doing when we made 5 and 10 gallon batches and we just ramped it up to 1bb. Its fairly simple and you sparge until you get your required boil volume or you hit your required starting gravity.
Hopefully last question for a while. Did you notice any loss in flavor/quality from upsizing to the conicals? Or any loss with the bigger batches. How long do you keep the beer on the yeast? Thanks for all your help.
Yes, some of the flavors in my beers changed when I ramped them up to one barrel. This is likely due in part to the change in temperature that occurs in a one barrel fermentation compared to a 5 or 10 gallon batch. Other variables that may have played a roll include switching from propane to electric, better crush from my Monster mill, utilization differences from using bags to contain the hops in the boil, efficiency differences of my larger mash tun compared to my old Igloo cooler, and chilling the wort at a different rate using a plate chiller instead of an immersion chiller. I don't think my quality went down as a result of these changes, but some recipes taste a bit different now and I've had to make some adjustments as a result. The length of time I keep the beer on the yeast varies from beer to beer. I'll let it sit longer on a barleywine than on a wheat beer. I don't know what the optimum times are, but my system seems to be working pretty good for me so far.
OP
OP
Maybe you all have been wondering how the brewing was handled now that we are up and running.
The attached photos are the 6 42 gallon conical fermenators from Blichmann.
The attached photos are the 6 42 gallon conical fermenators from Blichmann.
Sweet Jesus! I have been throwing around the idea of a nano-brewery for a few months. But after all the research, I'll probably wait til I leave GA in the next few years. You're story is definitely an inspiration though. Looks like things are going pretty well.
stubbornman
Well-Known Member
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I just stumbled across this thread and read it all from page 1.
Congrats on an excellent set up, and an excellent brewery staff! It is really cool to see a father son team living the dream!
Side note: you posted a link to your website a few pages ago.
HOLY CRAP I've had your beer! A friend of mine who lives in NH sent me a "care package" a couple months back, and one of the beers was your Bobhouse bitter! You "officially" distribute to Maryland! (haha) It was definitely a great beer and it is living on in the sense that I used the empty bomber to bottle my latest batch.
Prost!
Congrats on an excellent set up, and an excellent brewery staff! It is really cool to see a father son team living the dream!
Side note: you posted a link to your website a few pages ago.
HOLY CRAP I've had your beer! A friend of mine who lives in NH sent me a "care package" a couple months back, and one of the beers was your Bobhouse bitter! You "officially" distribute to Maryland! (haha) It was definitely a great beer and it is living on in the sense that I used the empty bomber to bottle my latest batch.
Prost!
CoalCracker
Well-Known Member
Awesome job!! Big inspiration to get my ass in gear to get my brewery up and going. I had plans to do the blichmann 55s for my hlt,MLT,and kettle. I would like to do 1.5bbl brews. Is there a reason your not doing 1.5bbl brews with your system?
