What is your brewing setup?

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jeff
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What is your brewing setup?

Post by jeff »

I am exploring a new concept that may simplify how equipment setups are handled in BTP. The idea is to eliminate equipment selection at the mash schedule step level and move these selections to a general mash schedule configuration. Not only will this simplify equipment selection but will simplify setup of the steps themselves.

What I need from you is some information on what type of setup you use so I can get an idea of what major setup types exist. For example, do you use a mash/lauter tun & HLT setup or picnic cooler and kitchen stove configuration; or a combination of the two? The more data I can collect from you, the better. Thanks for your help!
Last edited by jeff on Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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billvelek
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My equipment

Post by billvelek »

Hi Jeff. I mash in a picnic cooler (48 quart ice chest) with a stainless steel mesh hose for lautering (I use the batch sparge method). I then boil in a propane turkey fryer; the pot is 32 quarts as I recall, and I've had it so long that I can't remember the BTUs of the burner, but I'd guess it is just somewhere close to 60k, which seems to be fairly typical. Usually ferment in glass carboys, but occasionally will use a plastic bucket if the carboys are in use, and then I'll usually transfer from bucket to carboy after the carboy becomes available, for a secondary.

Cheers.

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Post by jawbox »

Two setups

1) HLT, 10gal Gott/Rubbermaid Mash/Lauter, Boil Kettle. 2 Sanke's for HLT and boil Kettle.
2) Brutus 10 Direct Fired: HLT, Mash Tun (Direct Fired, constant recirculation), Boil Kettle. All three Blichmann Boilermakers.
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slothrob
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equipment

Post by slothrob »

I primarily use a cooler mash tun with a kettle, usually heated on the stove, as an HLT. I typically run multiple infusion mashes, but perform decoctions with a reasonable frequency, and mostly batch sparge into a second kettle. Depending on the batch size, it then goes back on the stove or out to a propane burner.
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jeff
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Post by jeff »

Great stuff guys!

Ok, I am going to attempt to distill what you have posted so far plus some other variations into generalized categories:

HLT or Stovetop Kettle + Direct Fired Combo Mash/Lauter Tun + Boil Kettle
HLT or Stovetop Kettle + Unheated Combo Mash/Lauter Tun + Boil Kettle
HLT or Stovetop Kettle + Unheated Mash Tun + Lauter Tun + Boil Kettle
HLT or Stovetop Kettle + Direct Fired Mash Tun + Lauter Tun + Boil Kettle

What am I missing?
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billvelek
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I can't think of any other combinations.

Post by billvelek »

I can't think of any other combinations.

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Post by jctull »

I think my setup is included in what you have, but my HLT is an old Electrim bin. That is added to my Gott cooler mashtun/sparge unit, to a boil kettle on a flame.
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Post by Smurfe »

I use a Sabco Brew Magic. Mash/Lauter tun, HLT made from Keggles
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jawbox
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Post by jawbox »

Smurfe wrote:I use a Sabco Brew Magic. Mash/Lauter tun, HLT made from Keggles
Rims system.
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Post by bobcat_brewer »

Both of these cover my setup(s).

HLT or Stovetop Kettle + Direct Fired Combo Mash/Lauter Tun + Boil Kettle
HLT or Stovetop Kettle + Unheated Combo Mash/Lauter Tun + Boil Kettle
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My setup is a HERMS system

Post by tgioiosa »

I use a 15 gal. pot for HLT, with a copper heat exchanger coil in it. I heat strike water in the HLT first, transfer it to the Mash Tun (10 gal Igloo cooler).
Then I fill the HLT with spargewater and heat to 170F. While that is heating, I recirculate the Mash through the heat exchanger by in the HLT via pump to maintain or raise Mash Temps.
The recirc of the Mash is computer controlled and only occurs when it senses that the Mash temp is off by 1 or 2 degrees. So it will run the recirc cycle as needed to pick up heat from the exchanger coil.
Then I transfer from Mash Tun to another 15 gal. pot for boiling.
All my heat sources are electric elements inside the vessels.
5000 watts for HLT and 4500 Watts for Boil Kettle, controlled via SSR and temp sensors.

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Rims system

Post by matte75 »

I use a "all in one" Rims system. A Speidel Braumeister. See link: www. speidels-braumeister.de

I mash using the built-in pumps, then lifting the maltpipe and sparge, after that boil in the same kettle. 3000W electric boiler.

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Post by Trickydick »

jawbox wrote:Two setups

1) HLT, 10gal Gott/Rubbermaid Mash/Lauter, Boil Kettle. 2 Sanke's for HLT and boil Kettle.
2) Brutus 10 Direct Fired: HLT, Mash Tun (Direct Fired, constant recirculation), Boil Kettle. All three Blichmann Boilermakers.
Mine is same as above, though haven't used my Brutus yet - tomorrow will be first run.
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Post by starsailor »

My current setup:

HLT - 7gal aluminum turkey fryer pot with a weldless ball valve and sightglass.
MLT - 50qt Igloo Ice Cube Cooler with a weldless ball valve and copper sparge manifold.
BP - 15.5gal Hoff-Stevens Keggle with a weldless ballvalve and copper manifold.
Heat Source - Turkey Fryer Burner

Future setup:

Feb 2012 - Replace turkey fryer burner with a 3-tier 2 high pressure burner brew stand using the same vessels.
Spring 2012 - Add a 3rd high pressure burner to the stand to heat a pressure cooker steam generator and a second manifold to the MLT to do steam infusion step mashes.
Summer 2012 - Add a small BBQ grill (low pressure) to cook lunch while brewing at club brew days.
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Post by jeff »

starsailor wrote:Summer 2012 - Add a small BBQ grill (low pressure) to cook lunch while brewing at club brew days.
Nice touch :wink:
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