The Mallee Mash House

[kirem]

My brewery in phase two of its life. Wiring, plumbing and some wleding on the frame yet to be done. It is a HERMS system. I originally had the heat-exchanger as part of the HLT and I had a gas kettle. The brewery now has an independent heatEx and is all electric. I have brewed with the new heatex and electric kettle on a trial basis before getting them modified again and was very happy with the new system. I am going to upgrade the insulation once I am happy with setup. The whole idea is to not spend time on brew day doing things I know can be easily automated, ie watching temperatures and cleanup. I designed the system so I could easily remove the solids (spent grain and hops) after brewing, then circulate the system on some hot caustic, dump that and circulate on some citric acid and pack up.



Overall view of the brewery HLT on top, mash tun underneath, kettle on the right and heat exchanger between mash tun and kettle. Mill on the left

Control panel with the left PID (temperature and time programmable) for step mashing, right PID for HLT, switch to isolate elements and control knob at bottom is a burst fire control for the kettle. The switch is either Kettle ON or OFF or ON for HLT and heatexchanger, the heatex and HLT are interlocked, so both can't be on at the same time, heatexchanger takes priority. I used the PIDs alarms for this.

Poor picture. solenoid controlled by float switch (to be refitted) to auto fill HLT. The copper tube is still fitted inside the HLT. I may turn this one into a Cold Water tank and use the coil inplace for part of the wort cooling system and build another HLT.



Mash tun is on a tipper so when I am finished I can tip the spent grains straight into the wheel barrow and a quick wash out

removable false bottom, outlet is in the middle of the base

Heat exchanger soon to be fitted with L port 3 way valve - either return to mash tun or to kettle. Enables me to preheat between mash tun and kettle, the kettle has less work to get the wort upto a rolling boil. HeatEx has a 3.6kW element, yet to be insulated and has an auto water level, so not run dry. You can see the float valve and the port on the bottom for a water solenoid to be fitted. Same system as the HLT


Kettle on a tipper similar to mash tun, the frame still needs modifying to fit it



Whirlpool inlets and outlets. lugs are for a false bottom. I had huge troubles with pellet hops clogging up my outlets. When this is finished, after I have drained the kettle, I can tip wash out and return upright. 3.6kW element



crankanstein SS 3D



standard brewer's March pump

 

[edoeven]

looks great. has me rethinking some of my design for my brewery

 

[kirem]

looks great. has me rethinking some of my design for my brewery

the welders laughed when I told them this was the last set of mods.

I am sure once I start brewing with this system, I'll come across things I want changed.

One thing I am thinking of changing tomorrow is the control box mounting. It is currently bolted to the frame, I am thinking of putting it on some big hinges and the wheels on the frame don't do the job, so I am thinking of other ways I can put wheels on it and it remains stable.

I am also looking at a couple of ways that I can implement an auto fly sparge system. either using another float valve in the mash tun and have that control a solenoid on the HLT or hack up an ultrasonic kit used for proximity detection on vehicles to help drivers park without touching another vehicle.

 

[kirem]

Got some more work done on the mash house during the week. 95% wired up, I went and got some 15amp electrical cable to wire up the elements and supply wit 15amp cable. Waiting on a few parts in the mail to complete the setup

I have a welder and some steel coming to modify the frame to accept my tipping kettle. The kettle will need more modification to fit a false bottom without gaps, no biggy.

I broke my burst fire controller for the kettle, snapped the pot when tightening it up on the control box. So that one is spare parts and I have another on the way. They way they glue those things together makes it very hard to pull apart with destruction. I needed another anyone so I'll pull the broken one apart and put it in a new box.

I have made contact with thermowrap http://www.thermowrap.com.au/. I can get off cuts to insulate the vessels.

 

[kirem]

nearly done.

once the new burst fire controller rocks up, fit that for the kettle and wire up element.
Wire up earths.

I am adding another switch for a water solenoid to the counter flow chiller.

the aim is to have one power in and one water in.

I need to do a bit of water and wort plumbing yet. I have a water filter that needs to be mounted.

A bit of frame modification later tonight for the kettle.


Anyone got a good idea on how to get that double sided tape off the panel door?

 

[T.D.]

Cripes Kirk, this brewery is really looking serious these days! Makes my setup look vastly inadequate in comparison! I'm furiously trying to ignore the voices in my head telling me to upgrade! :lol:

Looking good mate. :super:

 

[ArnieW]

View attachment 20829nearly done.
Anyone got a good idea on how to get that double sided tape off the panel door?

looking good kirk. Re double sided tape, try eucalyptus oil.

 

[agraham]

Kirem you make me want to cry, that is a very nice setup you got there mate, love the idea of the tippers for the mash/lauter tun and the boiler.

 

[kirem]

looking good kirk. Re double sided tape, try eucalyptus oil.

tried that.

 

[kirem]

Here are some pictures of the updated recirculating cooling system for the plate chiller. Basically an esky with an aquarium pump feeding a plate chiller, return to esk via a peltier effect cooling sump from one of those office water coolers. I have another 2 peltier effect devices that I can put on that sump to beef up the cooling if required during summer. I can put either dry ice or ice from water in the esky to help keep the water temperature down.

 

[kirem]

Unfortunately just before Christmas, the bloke that did all my welding and fabrication took his own life. It knocked me around a bit and I felt quite strange doing any work on my brewery, especially altering any work he did or asking another welder to do some work for me.

I don't begin to understand the hurt he was going through and I had no idea of his life's problems. I had only spoken to him a couple of days before it became too much for him and he had mentioned nothing. He was a blokes-bloke, national dirt bike, vintage dirt bike champion and absolutely loved his kids. The kind of guy brought up not to cry or share too much of his emotions and don't talk bad about anyone and he loved my brewery always asking about it's development and what beers I had made.

I have thought about posting this, even written it a couple of times and bailed out. I have tears welling up and miss him dearly.

I wish I could have helped him, I don't pretend that I could have stopped him or even helped him but I would have given it a try.

Anyway, life must go on and I have started developing my brewery again. It still feels strange, especially looking at some part of it and thinking of the brainstorming we did to produce it.

 

[fcmcg]

Unfortunately just before Christmas, the bloke that did all my welding and fabrication took his own life. It knocked me around a bit and I felt quite strange doing any work on my brewery, especially altering any work he did or asking another welder to do some work for me.


Um...a very sad story....
if anyone needs help or wants to talk to someone ...there is lifeline...and for those of us in Melb...Beyond Blue....SWMBO works for Beyond Blue and they also run mens line and depression net...you can find them on the net or in the front of the phone directory

Kirem...i hope that the brewery works out....i'm sure there will always be a memory of your friend associated with it , every time you use it...but try and remember the good times and brain storming you did
maybe you could make a belgian strong ale or something that'll have cellaring potential in his honour...and drink a bottle once a year in his memory ?

 

[kirem]

Um...a very sad story....
if anyone needs help or wants to talk to someone ...there is lifeline...and for those of us in Melb...Beyond Blue....SWMBO works for Beyond Blue and they also run mens line and depression net...you can find them on the net or in the front of the phone directory

Kirem...i hope that the brewery works out....i'm sure there will always be a memory of your friend associated with it , every time you use it...but try and remember the good times and brain storming you did
maybe you could make a belgian strong ale or something that'll have cellaring potential in his honour...and drink a bottle once a year in his memory ?

Although he didn't leave a note, I think he may have got on the booze that dreadful night and that has been a difficult thing to overcome.

There is an awful lot of suicide this year, I work with a lot of grape growers and they are certainly going through some very tough times and a lot are at the end of the line and unfortunately fall over it.

I think a lot more has to be done to get men to open up during tough times, at least if we know they are struggling, their mates and family can keep an eye on them. I don't know how to change that, not being emotional and bottling it all up has been ingrained in the male pysc, especially Australian men for ever. It is viewed as a sign of weakness. The support is there, getting someone to ring the support is the biggest hurdle.

We handed out beyond blue pamphlets at our pre-vintage grower meeting and we got hammered for it, both locally and in the state/national media.

 

[schooey]

Anyone got a good idea on how to get that double sided tape off the panel door?

Ooooooooo..... I've seen a panel just like that one somewhere...

I used a bit of the wife's fingernail polish remover (Acetone) to get it off mine.

 

[fraser_john]

We handed out beyond blue pamphlets at our pre-vintage grower meeting and we got hammered for it, both locally and in the state/national media.

That is a pretty ordinary response from the locals and especially the media given Jeff Kennetts promotion of the issue.

John

 

[kirem]

There is always something to add to the Brewery.

This new product from auberins will make the automated start a much nicer solution;

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=pr...products_id=115