Show us your brewrig

[jeremy]

Nice one! After spending 2 weeks comparing the Bunnings "Rack-it" system with the equivalent Masters system, and several other options, a stainless steel bench popped up on Gumtree for $75. Perfect!

So this is my "Before" and "After" systems:

Still more work to do, I might start another thread to see if people can help me out with it!

Cheers,

Jeremy.

 

[spog]

Nice score with the bench and just in time I say, the top in the first pic looks like it's not far off shitting itself.

 

[jeremy]

I have replaced that benchtop once since that photo, and my replacement benchtop started to do that again after the first boil-over. Suffice it to say I am glad to finally be on a stainless surface. Particle board does not a good brew bench make!

 

[Meddo]

Not a complete doco but thought I'd throw up a few piccies given the discussion about benches / Rack-It etc. System is a recirculating 1V (obviously), at the moment struggling a bit for mash conversion for some reason (last two have been 77% although the one before that was at 84% - so I know it can do better...). I suspect that more open space in the bottom of the malt pipe would help, although I haven't been having any problems with flow-rate through the grain bed.

71 litre cheeky peak SS kettle
38 litre cheap ebay SS malt pipe
KK pump, 3-piece ball valves and camlocks
Bunnings rack-it 900x600 shelf with wheels
MillMaster Mini mill and hopper
Ghetto malt pipe hoist and wort return distributor

Loving the wheely rack-it system, I put four little timber offcuts on the base of the mill mount to act as keys into the mesh shelf - means it doesn't move around at all when milling into a bucket under the mesh.

At the moment it's just running off a KK 2200W element and pre-built KK STC1000 equivalent. I've got the parts for a matho's controller and 2x romar 2400W elements that I'll get wired and fitted in the next couple of weeks once I've got my last assignment finished. Really looking forward to quicker ramp times and a more rollicking boil. I also really need to get the volumes etched into it ASAP.

 

[The Judge]

Pretty rad score there Jeremy!

 

[mofox1]

Yo meddo, what are you using for your mash tun insulation?

Looking pretty schmick there btw.

 

[Meddo]

Yo meddo, what are you using for your mash tun insulation?
Looking pretty schmick there btw.

This stuff, same thing that Pugwash used on his. Does a pretty good job from what I can tell and easy to work with. Couldn't get my silver tape to stick to it though so used the cheapest straps Bunnings had to keep it secure.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ideal-diy-floors-900mm-black-anti-fatigue-rib-foam-matting-roll_p6610195

 

[Denobrew]

Here is a picture of my system. Still a work in progress.

 

[Mr B]

Here is a picture of my system. Still a work in progress.

Nice setup. Particularly like the mash tun, nice work with the bottom drain and the legs/base. Hmmmm.........

 

[Zorco]

Here is a picture of my system. Still a work in progress.

Spoon hook: check. You've got some organised thinking there.


I've taken notes mate
[emoji16]

 

[Denobrew]

Spoon hook: check. You've got some organised thinking there.


I've taken notes mate

Here's a video of a brew day a few weeks ago if you're interested cosdog

https://youtu.be/vQRgK-EK1OI

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

With Your gravity fly sparging, if you add a ball valve to the inlet to the top of the mash tun, open the HLT outlet ball valve 100% and throttle the flow with the newly added valve you'll probably find it easier with the flow towards the end, cheers!

 

[Mardoo]

Great advice. Thanks!

 

[Denobrew]

With Your gravity fly sparging, if you add a ball valve to the inlet to the top of the mash tun, open the HLT outlet ball valve 100% and throttle the flow with the newly added valve you'll probably find it easier with the flow towards the end, cheers!

Thanks DJ, I find fly sparging the most labor intensive, anything that will help is good advice. Cheers Tim

 

[Nebes]

What about a blichmann auto sparge arm then you only have to adjust the outlet of your mash tun

 

[Denobrew]

What about a blichmann auto sparge arm then you only have to adjust the outlet of your mash tun

Another great idea. Tidal Pete recommended I take a look at my recirculation and that there could be room for improvement, I'll take your advice on board and see what I can manufacture. Cheers Tim

 

[Zorco]

Spoon hook: check. You've got some organised thinking there.


I've taken notes mate

Here's a video of a brew day a few weeks ago if you're interested cosdog

https://youtu.be/vQRgK-EK1OI

Ripper video mate. The gear looks excellent. It was a good watch while I negotiated my hangover on the lounge this morning too!

I've learnt a few things from gash as well! A top bloke. I wonder if he is on AHB?

 

[simchez]

Great day to brew!!

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Hopefully this goes into use tomorrow:



Bling


Designed for 25 litre batch size; I don't drink enough to need anything bigger.

Top left is mash / wort kettle with agitator and induction heatiing. Middle right is lauter tun / whirlpool. Bottom left is sparge water heater.

All the vessels will be insulated in two layers of foam before this goes into use, I had the foam off whilst doing a final cleanup.

Gravity flow except for lauter tun to kettle which is manual (by bucket). If I get sick of bucketing I might put a pump in.

All butterfly valves except on water tank because I hate ball valves. Butterfly on the mash exit is 1.5", hopefully the mash won't block it. We used to pump 10 tonnes of mash through a 3" plug valve so it should be OK.

Yes, the sparge tank is too small. I already had that pot so I went with it. If it turns out to be too much of a PITA I'll increase it.

 

[Meddo]

Nice looking rig LC. Any pics inside?

Forgive my ignorance please - after draining the mash through the kettle outlet, how will you be sanitising the outlet prior to draining cooled wort to FV? Is just a rinse and spray of sanitiser enough?

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Some bits that go with the above:


Bling bits

Left to right: mash agitator already mentioned, SS sparge distributor, carbon fibre lauter plate. Lauter plate spacing is 0.6mm.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Forgive my ignorance please - after draining the mash through the kettle outlet, how will you be sanitising the outlet prior to draining cooled wort to FV? Is just a rinse and spray of sanitiser enough?

Mash drains to lauter tun. Green wort returns to mash / wort kettle and is boiled. Final wort drains to lauter / whirlpool and is cooled in place. Whirlpool end of drain hose is left in place, other end is uncoupled and placed in tank of hot water. Cooled wort drains to FV through this hose.


mash inner


Lauter inner

Sorry for the bad pics, I'm not a good photographer and the bling confuses the autofocus on the camera.

I should have mentioned that the motor on the agitator is a windscreen wiper motor from our friends at Motion Dynamics.

 

[SBOB]

carbon fibre lauter plate.

so it drains faster?

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Nice one.

No, it just turned out to be easier to fabricate in carbon than in SS.

 

[Camo6]

Hopefully this goes into use tomorrow:



Bling


Designed for 25 litre batch size; I don't drink enough to need anything bigger.

Top left is mash / wort kettle with agitator and induction heatiing. Middle right is lauter tun / whirlpool. Bottom left is sparge water heater.

All the vessels will be insulated in two layers of foam before this goes into use, I had the foam off whilst doing a final cleanup.

Gravity flow except for lauter tun to kettle which is manual (by bucket). If I get sick of bucketing I might put a pump in.

All butterfly valves except on water tank because I hate ball valves. Butterfly on the mash exit is 1.5", hopefully the mash won't block it. We used to pump 10 tonnes of mash through a 3" plug valve so it should be OK.

Yes, the sparge tank is too small. I already had that pot so I went with it. If it turns out to be too much of a PITA I'll increase it.

You know what they say: "Big pot, big spout...little pot, allllll spout."

I like the wort return LC. Nice and simple to construct. HLT scales also a bonus and that stirrer is very neat. I'm both surprised at, and admiring of, the lack of over-engineering. I kinda expected a spectromagraph or platominator incorporated in somehow but you've shown amazing restraint.
Who are you Lyrebird_Cycles?

 

[SBOB]

HLT scales also a bonus and that stirrer is very neat.

isnt that the induction heater and not scales?

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Yep, that's the induction heater. The scales are separate (not shown).

 

[Camo6]

isnt that the induction heater and not scales?

My bad. I was distracted by that spout.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

I'm both surprised at, and admiring of, the lack of over-engineering.

There's more to this than meets the eye. The lautering system is designed to automatically hold a diffferential pressure set point, I don't know of any home scale brewhouse that has incorporated this feature previously. I haven't shown the bits that accomplish this as I don't want to publish it yet.

I built two smaller prototypes and they worked a treat, this is the final proof of concept. I am certain it is patentable but I don't know if it's worth doing so, having been through the wringer some years ago on a wine technology I invented which cost a fortune to develop and went nowhere in the market. The financial effects of that are still plaguing me today.


I will also eventually add automatic control of mash temperature (hence the thermowell) and when I do it will be incorporate a bit of fun: The agitator drive will be linked to the heater controller so the motor goes to 65 RPM x 100% duty cycle when the heater is on and back to 45 RPM x 30% duty cycle when it isn't.

 

[GibboQLD]

The lautering system is designed to automatically hold a diffferential pressure set point, I don't know of any home scale brewhouse that has incorporated this feature previously. I haven't shown the bits that accomplish this as I don't want to publish it yet. I built two smaller prototypes and they worked a treat, this is the final proof of concept.

Looking forward to the write-up! Sweet rig!