Upgrading the brewery!

[Libertytree]

This boiling in two parts is a PITA and not efficient in time or energy, especially when making 20 gal batches (9+cases), so an upgrade is in order. Ordered the burner today and got free 2 day shipping! I'll order the 40qt/10gal brew kettle next week and build the bottle washing station in Jan. I'll have to do one more split wort cook using the 5gal pot but I'll be doing it in the garage on the new burner and have better control of the boil overall with no boil overs on the crappy stove. There ain't no way this stove could boil a full 5gals in any reasonable amount of time, if at all.

Using the burner instead of the stove doing one whole 5-6gal (20gallon) batch at a time cuts the work/time by 60% and the energy cost by 50%. I'm not sure of the efficiency with the bottle washing station but I believe it's about 75% in time/work and more than 80% in water usage.

The hell of it is, it's almost just as easy to do a 20gal batch as it is a 5gal batch, if you're set up for it. Here's some pics.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419RNDRQF2L.jpg

















http://p.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/globalAssets/imgLoading_30x30.gif http://i.ebayimg.com/t/CONCORD-40-QT-Stainless-Steel-Stockpot-Brew-Kettle-w-Lid-Heavy-Cookware-/00/s/NjE3WDYxNw==/$%28KGrHqJ,%21p8E63Zwg4W%28BPBOqpgwpg%7E%7E60_12.J PG








http://imageshack.us/a/img841/5688/img20130424205325.jpg

[Dogman]

That rig reminds me of my turkey fryer, the burner would work fine, but my pot is aluminum and I think stainless steel would be best. For sure will bring things up to a boil in a hurry.

[Libertytree]

It's stainless alright, alum ain't worth a shit for this.

[Dogman]

What is the burner rated for...Less than one zillion BTU for sure...:0

[Libertytree]

It's a 55000, not a monster but will do what I want it to do, cheaply.

[Dogman]

It's a 55000, not a monster but will do what I want it to do, cheaply. Monsters are not needed that is a very respectable heat output.

[BrewTech]

I think you are going to be much happier going this route. It WILL save you money and grief, and you will make better beer. An efficient boil is essential to making good beer.

--H H--

[Libertytree]

I know I'll be happier going this route, that damn stove is fickle as hell! The settings don't work exactly the same from use to use, one time 7 is perfect and then an hour later 7 turns into a monster boil over.

[mick silver]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=8%20gallon%20pot&clk_rvr_id=560514061908&adpos=1s1&MT_ID=69&crlp=16003492834_2416792&device=c&geo_id=10232&keyword=8+gallon+pot&crdt=0 this place sale used stuff i dont know if it would work for the stuff you guys are doing ... are being able to look at the pics and make what you need , that would be great http://www.specialprojects.com/equipment/food+processing/

[BrewTech]

Key thing is to have enough kettle volume to boil the living shit out of the wort. Simmering the wort for an hour is not enough. In truth, the biochemical dynamics that occur during the boil make what happens during yeast fermentation look like child's play.

Using a 7.5 gallon pot at home, I could never get a really robust boil without boilover. I think an 8.5 gallon pot would be minimum volume to boil a 5 gallon batch properly. Too bad I never did it! Like many homebrewers, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on what I was doing. Now that I can spend someone else's money, it's all good.

[Libertytree]

That's where I'm at now BT, I think it's worth every penny to go with the 10gal pot. Sometimes you're only as good as your tools. I wish I had someone elses money to spend but that ain't happenin'.

[BrewTech]

Sometimes you're only as good as your tools.

That's why you get as good as you can brewing on a simple system... when somebody gives you the pro tools you are amazed at what you can actually make!

[Dogman]

Have always back in the day enjoyed non big name beers. Most if not all of the microbrewery that I have visited were each and everyone unique. Also they sure in the hell help the local economy's.

This is not really a home brew post, but I was tickled to see the first microbrewery open in my part of Texas about 25 miles south of me.

http://www.truevinebrewing.com/home.html

[woodman]

I have been using a keg for my brew pot. It is from a half-barrel so is 15 gallons. Stainless. Works mighty nice with my propane burner, like what you are using.

[Libertytree]

I've looked all over for one of those but no luck. The SS ones on ebay are the best deal I've found.

[BrewTech]

I've looked all over for one of those but no luck. The SS ones on ebay are the best deal I've found.

If you're going to buy a 1/2 BBL keg to use as a brewpot, just make sure it isn't a Microstar keg. You have no idea how many people I've seen using those in their homebrew systems. The only problem is, every one of those is leased from Microstar, so it's basically stolen property.

That being said, 1/2 BBL kegs make perfect brew kettles.

[Libertytree]

Got the burner, it's impressive and the pic really doesn't do it justice, its a lil beast to look at, though I haven't fired her up yet. Ordered the brew kettle today, decided to go with the 60qt/15gal. This is gonna be sweet! Having the extra boil capacity seems to change things immensely in science brewing, something I'm just starting to understand.

[Dogman]

Having the extra boil capacity seems to change things immensely in science brewing, something I'm just starting to understand.

Isn't that like shelf space in a house or storage space?
There is never enough! If it exists it will be filled and more space is needed!

:)

[Libertytree]

Isn't that like shelf space in a house or storage space?
There is never enough! If it exists it will be filled and more space is needed!

:)

It was more to do with the $ I had and what the better deal was overall. I'm learning that there are recipes that I can use that are purely based on ratios of wort vs water, this brewpot gives me the capability to do that. I'll never need anything bigger unless I follow BT's steps and go pro but that ain't gonna happen.

[Dogman]

It was more to do with the $ I had and what the better deal was overall. I'm learning that there are recipes that I can use that are purely based on ratios of wort vs water, this brewpot gives me the capability to do that. I'll never need anything bigger unless I follow BT's steps and go pro but that ain't gonna happen.

You and I both know that at our our age in life, that saying "ain't gonna happen" almost certainly guarantees that it will!

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;D

[BrewTech]

It was more to do with the $ I had and what the better deal was overall. I'm learning that there are recipes that I can use that are purely based on ratios of wort vs water, this brewpot gives me the capability to do that. I'll never need anything bigger unless I follow BT's steps and go pro but that ain't gonna happen.

It never even occurred to me that I might actually make beer at home until about 5 years ago. I've been pro for about a year and a half.

Trust me, I had NO idea what was going to happen, and and on what timeline when I started. I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that making beer is my job. And in this town? I'm going to guess that 1/3 of the breweries in this county (82?) didn't even exist when I did my first batch on the stove. Hell, it could be more than that.

And, with your system upgrades, you could potentially make better beer than I ever did at home. Trust me, I never won any awards for my homebrew.

Never say never, bro!

[Libertytree]

Dude, that's amazing! Going from where you were as a homebrewer to making a living at it in 3.5 years, it blows my mind. Plus, you get to do what you love and when that happens it's not like work at all.

I don't have any aspirations to be a pro but the goal is to produce professional results as cheaply and easily as possible. All of the upgrades are designed to save time, money and effort with as little front end $ investment necessary. Plus, I love learning and soaking in the knowledge about brewing, it is truly a part time job in a sense I reckon and it keeps me off the grid to boot.

I could maybe see a time when I put one of my batches into a competition but that's a ways off and to tell ya the truth I don't know if I'd even want to put up with all the beer snobs. I spent 15 years involved in the wine biz and dealing with all the snobs is what eventually drove me out of it, even though I really liked it overall.

Brewing beer is a lot funner, saving all the dollars is sweet and the buzz is a better buzz :)

[Libertytree]

Santa made an early visit just now, ok it was UPS but I got the 60qt SS stockpot sitting here and boy oh boy does it look massively sweet and nothing short of awesome. As BT might say, it's enough to make me sparge in my grundies :) The burner and this pot compliment each other perfectly, I'm one tickled redneck!

[Glass]

. As BT might say, it's enough to make me sparge in my grundies :)

oh wow. hehehe. I can tell your excited. Possibly more excited than Big Kev. He used to get excited. Big Kev was a tv shopping promoter. He was a big guy and he used to shake all over calling out "i'm Excited!". a BLG. big likeable guy.

So whats first or foist for the pot?

[Libertytree]

oh wow. hehehe. I can tell your excited. Possibly more excited than Big Kev. He used to get excited. Big Kev was a tv shopping promoter. He was a big guy and he used to shake all over calling out "i'm Excited!". a BLG. big likeable guy.

So whats first or foist for the pot?

I'm planning on a 7gal boil with 18lbs of LME.... another thread.

You're right though dude, I'm excited as hell, that piece of metal is pretty.

[Libertytree]

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