Wroxbrew's 20 gallon stout tank build

[Bensiff]

I hear you on this and I am contemplating switching to the Brewers Hardware thing, but I have to take a closer look at it. One thing for sure, is that you do need to remove the thread to triclamp fitting to clean it. There is a ton of gunk that builds up in there in the boil kettle that can not be rinsed away. I use a friction pipe wrench to unscrew it from the element to clean after each brew which is easy enough, but I'm not so sure with the Brewers Hardware piece as it looks like one piece, and the ground wire would be an issue with dissasembly. Hopefully its actually a 2 piece assembly. I don't want to deal with disconnecting the electrical connections just to clean it. That would be a non starter to me.

Good to know...ah the joys of getting to know a new system.

As far as the site glass...I'm not a huge fan of polycarbonite because of its heat sensitivities. I might go have a glass artist do that for me at some point.

 

[WroxBrew]

Good to know...ah the joys of getting to know a new system.

As far as the site glass...I'm not a huge fan of polycarbonite because of its heat sensitivities. I might go have a glass artist do that for me at some point.

Yup, but I'm makeing great beer so far and it should only get better. I thought the jump to something like this would set me back in my brewing more then it actually has, but there's still plenty to learn.

The issue with glass, is its easy to break. I could see tightening it just a little to much, and ..oops. I also remember reading in some post of someone accidently wacking their glass one and having it break. If that happened in mid brew that would be quite a freakin mess. As I said earlier I'm having a love/hate relationship with them at the moment.

 

[hammis]

Great build! For sight glasses i would recommend borosilicate glass tube from Mcmaster Carr.

 

[WroxBrew]

I saw in your build thread you mention that one thing you would change if you could was you'd raise the level of the element port. Can I ask what level you have it at now and where you'd move it to? It's hard to tell from the picture, but where do you have the thermowell in relation to the element?

Here's a better picture of what I was trying to describe. You will notice my enclosure is lower then the bottom of the tank. The bottom of the port is about an inch above the tank bottom. You can talk to John at Stout for an exact measurement. I would have just moved it up another inch to give some more space for an enclosure. I do not think it would really effect things too much. The thermowell is about a 1/3 of the way up the tank. You could easily move that up an inch also if you wanted to keep the same distance between the two.

 

[WroxBrew]

Now that I look at my own picture, it is probably less then an inch from the bottom of the tank.

 

[uberg33k]

Many thanks, sir. This will help greatly with design.

 

[bhchrist]

Wrox,

I was about to Email John, as I am getting close to pulling the trigger on my tanks (may add to 14.5 Conical as well) when I thought I would ask you first. Are all of the Tri Clover ports, with the exception of the element port, on the tanks 3/4"? I am looking to pair components from John and from Darrin at Brewer's Hardware and see Stout lists 3/4" valves for the tanks. This makes a big difference when buying sanitary "Tees" for temperature probes and the like.

 

[WroxBrew]

I think everything is 3/4" except possibly the whirlpool port on the boil kettle. I'm working late tonite, so I wont be able to give you a definitive answer on that one till tomorrow. The valves that come with the stout tanks are not full port. They have a 5/8" inside diameter, so there is some restriction coming off the 3/4" ports. The herms coil in the HLT, if your going that route, I think is 1/2".

 

[bhchrist]

Thanks. I just sent John a list of questions. I heard that the HERMS connection was smaller. From your previous posts it doesn't sound like you have had an issue with mash recirculation so I am guessing it is not a major issue. By the way, I see you are conditioning and tapping the Citra IPA. Is it the Kern River clone from CYBI? I brewed it 10 days ago and am starting the first dry hopping tonight.

 

[bhchrist]

I got a very quick turn around from John to my questions. He said that the TCs that they use are all 1.5" and that most of the pipe size is 1" (the tangential returns are 3/4" pipes). Should make life much easier with the accessories.

 

[cheez]

I got a very quick turn around from John to my questions. He said that the TCs that they use are all 1.5" and that most of the pipe size is 1" (the tangential returns are 3/4" pipes). Should make life much easier with the accessories.

I ordered a 20 gal MT and HLT along with a 30 gal BK from John a month or so ago and expect to pick it up in April/May. It was my understanding that the TC's were all 1.5" as well and I am also in the process of getting all of the TC fittings I need. Have fun!

 

[bhchrist]

I ordered a 20 gal MT and HLT along with a 30 gal BK from John a month or so ago and expect to pick it up in April/May. It was my understanding that the TC's were all 1.5" as well and I am also in the process of getting all of the TC fittings I need. Have fun!

Lucky devil. As much as I would love to revisit Portland again (last there in 1997), I am not sure the wife would go for a cross country drive from Wisconsin to pick up brewing equipment and she sure as hell isn't going to let me go alone to Portland! Good to know the lead time on the order will put me into early summer. Gives me time to get to work on the unfinished basement.

 

[WroxBrew]

I was away this weekend. Glad John answered your questions. I thought the whirlpool port was smaller. I'm using 3/4 hose barbs out of the bottom ports of all my kettles to my center inlet chugger pumps. I've never been to Portland, but it's on my bucket list.

 

[WroxBrew]

By the way, I see you are conditioning and tapping the Citra IPA. Is it the Kern River clone from CYBI? I brewed it 10 days ago and am starting the first dry hopping tonight.

It's just a recipe I've been playing around with. I'm using late addition citra/centennial and dry hopping with citra/cascade. Kinda a 3c's ipa actually. I just had some out of the keg this weekend and it has a nice melon with a hint of pineapple thing going on. It's a nice change from the big grapefruit bombs I've been having lately. I'll check out the Kern river clone recipe.

 

[bhchrist]

It is similar with late hopping of Citra with some Amarillo and a 3 step dry hop. It is a "Can You Brew It" recipe that has been getting raves. A pretty good listen on the Podcast and a great beer from the sounds of it. The Citra/Amarillo seems to be a popular combination in Denver, with New Glarus Black Top and Firestone Walker's Wookey Jack both using it to win gold in the Cascadian category and now Kern River in the DIPA category.

The three Cs sound good with Citra in the mix.

 

[WroxBrew]

It is similar with late hopping of Citra with some Amarillo and a 3 step dry hop. It is a "Can You Brew It" recipe that has been getting raves. A pretty good listen on the Podcast and a great beer from the sounds of it. The Citra/Amarillo seems to be a popular combination in Denver, with New Glarus Black Top and Firestone Walker's Wookey Jack both using it to win gold in the Cascadian category and now Kern River in the DIPA category.

The three Cs sound good with Citra in the mix.

I just picked up a bunch of Amarrilo. I might have to try that. I've never combined Citra/Amarillo together. Looks like a good recipe. I use nugget also as my bittering hop. Let me know how yours comes out.

 

[cheez]

I've never been to Portland, but it's on my bucket list.

We live a little closer to Seattle but enjoy going to Portland much more. As far as number of breweries, pubs, etc., you can't go wrong with either city!

 

[Bensiff]

I got a very quick turn around from John to my questions. He said that the TCs that they use are all 1.5" and that most of the pipe size is 1" (the tangential returns are 3/4" pipes). Should make life much easier with the accessories.

3/4, 1, 1/5" TC all use the 1.5" TC fitting. That is the flange that is the same so ordering any 1.5" TC will work between those sizes, just get the diameter that is correct for the application. It is the 1/2" and 2" that is a completely different size so would require a different clamp. So when they say 3/4, 1, 1.5" they are talking about a 1.5" TC fitting with different ID's. So Stout's 3/4" ball valve is actually a 1.5" TC fitting with a 3/4" ID. If you want you can order the 1.5" butterfly valve which is better for open/closed operations (not good for throttling though) and then keep the 3/4" on the outlets of things like the pumps for throttling. I hope that helps you guys to understand, it took me some digging to understand myself as it is confusing up front.

 

[bhchrist]

Thanks. For some reason, I was under the impression that the 1/2" and 3/4" TC fittings shared the same flange size. I am planning on using the butterfly valves where I can. With your pumps, are you moving hoses around or using three-way valves? I am leaning towards using the 3 way valves from Brewers Hardware, but it would be great to get your and Wrox thoughts (or anyone else using a TC set-up).

 

[tophmck]

Thanks. For some reason, I was under the impression that the 1/2" and 3/4" TC fittings shared the same flange size.

That's right. At least with standard TC fittings 1/2" and 3/4" share the same flange -- 3/4" and 1" do not. Maybe the tangential inlet is a non-standard fitting with 3/4" ID but a 1"/1.5" flange?

 

[bhchrist]

That must be the case, as John said their ports all use the 1.5" TC flange. It certainly gave me pause before ordering any SS valves and the like. With 1/2" hose and barbs, I am going to have flow reduction anyway, but it is a pretty big deal ordering an instrument Tee what the flange size is. The 1/2":3/4" flange is not readily available at reasonable prices.

 

[tophmck]

That must be the case, as John said their ports all use the 1.5" TC flange. It certainly gave me pause before ordering any SS valves and the like. With 1/2" hose and barbs, I am going to have flow reduction anyway, but it is a pretty big deal ordering an instrument Tee what the flange size is. The 1/2":3/4" flange is not readily available at reasonable prices.

If it's a 1.5" TC flange with a 3/4" pipe, then using a 1" instrument tee makes sense - just be aware that you may need to take apart the clamp where it transitions from 3/4" to 1" to clean, since the sudden change in diameter can give gunk a place to accumulate. (The same will go for your hose barbs.)

 

[bhchrist]

If it's a 1.5" TC flange with a 3/4" pipe, then using a 1" instrument tee makes sense - just be aware that you may need to take apart the clamp where it transitions from 3/4" to 1" to clean, since the sudden change in diameter can give gunk a place to accumulate. (The same will go for your hose barbs.)

Yup. I have looked at the reducers but don't think I want the extra space between the tee and the MLT return. I will be matching as much as I can elsewhere. I will probably have a 1.5" TC ports in place of the thermowells on the HLT and BK. Save $$ on the thermometers and have one less tee to buy. I will be recirculating the HLT water so the probe in the pot should be fine. I will be using Aubers TC probes.

Sorry Wrox, I should probably shut up about my build ideas in your thread.

 

[Bensiff]

Thanks. For some reason, I was under the impression that the 1/2" and 3/4" TC fittings shared the same flange size. I am planning on using the butterfly valves where I can. With your pumps, are you moving hoses around or using three-way valves? I am leaning towards using the 3 way valves from Brewers Hardware, but it would be great to get your and Wrox thoughts (or anyone else using a TC set-up).

My apologies, yes the 1/2 and 3/4 do share the same flange fitting of around 1". What I was thinking is that in most homebrew setups, they are still using a 1.5" TC fittings when they say 3/4" valve it is a 1.5" TC fitting with a 3/4" ID. But, I'm glad you caught that because of the crossover it would be important to clarify as you wouldn't want to have two different sized TC fittings on the same system if you don't have to.

 

[Bensiff]

I ordered a 20 gal MT and HLT along with a 30 gal BK from John a month or so ago and expect to pick it up in April/May. It was my understanding that the TC's were all 1.5" as well and I am also in the process of getting all of the TC fittings I need. Have fun!

My new kettles are supposed to be in May/June so I will be right behind you on my drive down. I'm hoping its before my wife goes into labor then I can go down with a friend or two and do a little brewpub hopping too.

 

[Bensiff]

Thanks. For some reason, I was under the impression that the 1/2" and 3/4" TC fittings shared the same flange size. I am planning on using the butterfly valves where I can. With your pumps, are you moving hoses around or using three-way valves? I am leaning towards using the 3 way valves from Brewers Hardware, but it would be great to get your and Wrox thoughts (or anyone else using a TC set-up).

I don't have the TC setup yet, sorry if I confused you on that. Initially I will be moving hoses and I probably will always do that to a certain degree. I have played with the idea to use some 3 way valves but that can get expensive fast. 3 way valves cannot be used to throttle a pump so that is another hangup with getting too overboard on those.

 

[cheez]

My new kettles are supposed to be in May/June so I will be right behind you on my drive down. I'm hoping its before my wife goes into labor then I can go down with a friend or two and do a little brewpub hopping too.

Good luck with the kettles and kid! Let's stay in touch on the timing and maybe we can hook up for a beer.

 

[Bensiff]

Good luck with the kettles and kid! Let's stay in touch on the timing and maybe we can hook up for a beer.

Sure thing...I have been hitting up Puyallup River Brewing lately. Erik is a good guy making a go on a 1.5 barrel nano. Now all I need to do is get a license and I could collaborate with him on my upcoming .5 barrel system .

 

[WroxBrew]

Sure thing...I have been hitting up Puyallup River Brewing lately. Erik is a good guy making a go on a 1.5 barrel nano. Now all I need to do is get a license and I could collaborate with him on my upcoming .5 barrel system .

That's where I'm heading. A 2 or 3 barrel Nano. This will eventually be my test batch system in the brewery. I have an LLC setup and currently looking for a commercial space so I can get started on the licensing.

Just to confirm, All the ports have 1.5" tri-clamp fittings. We were discussing the diameter of the pipes the fittings are welded to. I am currently switching hoses around on my setup, but will be getting another pump and 1 or 2 3-way ball valves shortly. Most of my spare cash is going to ingredients and ball lock kegs at the moment. Brewing 1/2 barrel batches adds up pretty fast and I don't feel like bottling it all. My pipeline is starting to take shape though

 

[WroxBrew]

for orangehero: