Critique My Design

[balconybrewer]

ok all, i am looking at upgrading from odd bits i find to setup on a brewday to a simple 2 tier system. key word here being simple, just want a nice organised system with some storage under it.

i batch sparge, no pump (not thinking of getting one) and no chill.

here is my current idea, please feel free to point out negative points, and any links to a similar system that works would also be appreciated

 

[bigholty]

Main thing I think you need to consider is how to get the strike and sparge water into the mash tun, as it is higher than your HLT and gravity cant help you! You'll either need to transfer it with a bucket, or lift the HLT up, or bring the mash tun down and fill it, the lift it back up.
Cheers.

 

[raven19]

I would switch the HLT and the mash tun around, so you can gravity feed your sparge water into the mash tun (and kettle to top up if need be).

Then gravity from mash tun to a bucket, then tip bucket into your kettle. That is how my system is set up.

3 tiered would eliminate the need for a bucket though!

 

[matti]

HLT on top
Mash tun in middle
Kettle below

Keep kettle off the floor so you can slide in a cube under kettle tap.

or get a pump.

water is heavy-grain is heavier.
nothing worse then sparging with bucker transfers.

 

[bulp]

+3 To what the previous three posts have said, i'd put the HLT up top and the mash tun down, would be easier for sparging and strike water, Also just a thing to consider Grain has a lot of nasty bacteria living on it and when you mill you make quite a bit of dust, you'd probably want to mill as far away from your brewery as possible .

Cheers

 

[balconybrewer]

all very informitive so far, but dont quite understand the grain mill response, do others agree with this?????

 

[brendo]

all very informitive so far, but dont quite understand the grain mill response, do others agree with this?????

i guess that if your mill is too close to your vessels (as per your diagram) you run the risk of having material end up in those vessels due to the milling process (dust, husks, etc).

Would mean that you need to either make sure your vessels are covered to prevent this or else locate your mill elsewhere.

Might be a problem if you end up with husks in your HLT/Kettle and then do a boil as you might start extracting tannins.

I reckon that is where bulp is coming from.

Brendo

 

[Offline]

The grain contains all sorts of things that can and do cause infections in beer, if the dust generated while milling gets into any of your post boil equipment you could end up with infected beer.

Some beer styles can actually have this done on purpose I have been lead to believe

 

[brendo]

The grain contains all sorts of things that can and do cause infections in beer, if the dust generated while milling gets into any of your post boil equipment you could end up with infected beer.

Some beer styles can actually have this done on purpose I have been lead to believe

hadn't considered possibility of infection also... good point!

 

[TerritoryBrew]

hadn't considered possibility of infection also... good point!

I think there is little chance of this or the extraction of tannins. At the start of the day (milling) to the adding the wort to the fermenter is a long day and I think you would be cleaning and sanitizing prior to adding the wort to your post boil equipment.

I mill my grain near the vessels and I have never had a problem. I don't see a lot of stuff (dust or otherwise) going into the kettle or HLT. I wouldn't worry about it.

My mill clamps onto the end of the bench and I remove it before heating up the HLT.

 

[marlow_coates]

Do you no chill or chill?

If you chill in the kettle (as I do) then you want as little chance of infection as possible while doing so. On this reasoning it may be better to keep mill away.

However if you no chill (which I am lead to believe means putting the boiled wort quickly into the cube) then even with the mill there I would have thought there to be little chance of infection given quick transfer times and small opeing on cube.

Could be wrong but just my 2c.

Looks like a good system still. If not using pumps though I would go for the 3 tier system simply to make it easier to transfer fluids. Using buckets or jugs sucks the big one. :icon_cheers:

 

[balconybrewer]

i no - chill. and the mill would be under the bench, only hopper on top.

any other critisism, especially from anyone with a similar design???

cheers

 

[mika]

You still haven't answered the water transfer question from HLT to MLT ? You can bucket, but you're going to lose a bunch if temp in doing that, not a big issue, but bucketing it seems like a PITA.
And another one for keeping the mill well away from the rig. Grain has lacto growing on it, keeping the dust away from the rig would just be good practice.

 

[TerritoryBrew]

i no - chill. and the mill would be under the bench, only hopper on top.

any other critisism, especially from anyone with a similar design???

cheers

How will you fit a bucket underneath it to catch the grain? Or will you use a grain bag or similar?

 

[browndog]

The guys are right, HLT on top, then your mash tun, then your kettle, gravity is your friend. With a sight guage on your HLT you will be laughing, you will only need a jug to recirculate the first runnings when you star to sparge, then it is straight in to the kettle. As to your mill being part of your rig, take a look on the net at how many people have it the way you do and how many don't then draw your own conclusions.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Guest Lurker]

To help you in your decision on where to put the mill: I mill the grain the day before, in an area separate from the brew rig, and I shower and change my clothes before I brew. But hey live on the edge if you really want the mill on the frame.

 

[Kenny the plumber]

Id move the grain mill imagine cleaning spilt wort out of that lol

 

[TidalPete]

The guys are right, HLT on top, then your mash tun, then your kettle, gravity is your friend. With a sight guage on your HLT you will be laughing, you will only need a jug to recirculate the first runnings when you star to sparge, then it is straight in to the kettle. As to your mill being part of your rig, take a look on the net at how many people have it the way you do and how many don't then draw your own conclusions.

cheers

Browndog

Browndog's advice is spot on but you can get away with a dipstick instead of a sight gauge if you want to save dollars?
Keep that mill well away from your rig for the reasons mentioned above. Mine is stored in a seperate location & the grain milled well away from my brewstand.
Nobody has commented on your plan to use the lower part of your setup for storage. If you can guarantee that there will be no wort, water, or whatever dripping down from above then by all means use it for storage otherwise just put gear that can be cleaned up with a good hose-over down there. Part of that space could be used to store your gas cylinder (Under the HLT --- highest part) anyway. I take it that you do plan to use gas?

TP :beer:

 

[warra48]

Am I right in thinking that with a 3 tiered system, HLT, mashtun, kettle, you'd need two burners?
One for the HLT and one for the kettle?

Other than that, I can see the logic of using gravity to do the heavy work for you.

 

[balconybrewer]

ok to clear up a few question,

1. had planned to put brackets inder mill to slide a tub in and out to aviod grain particles going all over the place but now have changed my mind and will mill spearatly
2. i will be using gas, an italian spiral, there will be a set of brackets under the HLT and Kettle so it can be interchanged easily and may go to electric HLT down the track.
3. i was intending on using a bucket to strike and sparge.

i know i have seen 2 tier systems out there without pumps, where are the ppl with them and there pros / cons

cheers