AG system upgrade

Methods, ingredients, advice and equipment specific to all-grain (mash), partial mash (mini mash) and "brew in a bag" (BIAB) brewing.

AG system upgrade

Postby Chris » Friday Nov 16, 2007 9:53 am

I'm looking to update my mashing system for the final time, so that I never need do it again. I want the best! (at a good price :D ). Not going with pumps though. I'm happy with gravity.

Here's what I've come up with- using exclusively the G&G website. If you know of another good supplier with similar (or better) products/prices, feel free to mention them.

50L stainless pot as mash tun and for wort boil, with
-3/4 inch nickle-plated tap (weldless)
-dial termometer with 6 inch probe

4-ring burner with stand
low pressure reg

urn-style HLT with
-3/4 inch nickle-plated tap (weldless)

And I'm happy with my meaty immersion chiller and 12inch false-bottom lauter tun.

All that works out at $764 or there about.

Any suggestions?
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Postby drsmurto » Friday Nov 16, 2007 11:07 am

Linky

Wayne aka Domonsura is the bloke. I bought a falsie from him and got him to fit it, plus taps for the tun and the keg i use for a kettle. I am eyeing off his 98L s/s pots so i can move up to double batches.....

Or there is the brew boy.....
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Postby Chris » Friday Nov 16, 2007 11:28 am

That brewboy is pretty good! Nice and compact too. How come there is no lautering?

I also wonder what the price is.
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Postby drsmurto » Friday Nov 16, 2007 12:16 pm

In the little story at the bottom i lists it as $3500

I havent seen it in action yet but i am going around for a case swap/brew day in 2 weeks time so will be able to see it do its thing.

A little, nay, a long way out of my price range. I WISH i has that kind of a brewing budget but with the interest rate rises my budget is slim. Thankfully i have managed to pick up all i need including 100kg of malt before the last rate rise so am ok.

If i was able to buy a new rig i think i would prefer to have the 2 kegs for HLT and tun and one of beerbellys 98L s/s pot for a kettle.

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Postby beerdrinker » Saturday Dec 15, 2007 1:02 am

Im after a 100L brewkettle, the 50L one is just too small :lol: Seems like not much extra effort to do a 60L batch compared to a 20L one,especially considering the quality of AG beer :wink: Definately upgrading once i get my beers fine tuned 8)
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Postby yardglass » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 9:41 am

drsmurto wrote:In the little story at the bottom i lists it as $3500



If i was able to buy a new rig i think i would prefer to have the 2 kegs for HLT and tun


Cheers
DrSmurto


hey doc,

i've got a couple of spare 50lt kegs but i can't see the point of converting one into a Tun, i currently only drop 1 degree over the 60 min in the old esky/tun, sure, you have the capacity and bling but isn't there a bit of mucking around to get the keg/tun to hold temp ?
just my 2 bobs

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Postby drsmurto » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 10:06 am

Yardy - fair point mate but i am looking at step mashing and rather than dumping in boiling water to increase the temps i was planning on heating the tun itself up. Yes its more work and having only done 9 AGs i am way ahead of myself. But then i spend far too much of my waking hours thinking about beer and brewing. :lol:
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Postby yardglass » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 10:11 am

yeah mate, know exactly what you mean, welding for 12 hours and thinking non stop about the next brew, setting up the new font, different yeasts.................. :lol:

will you mechanise (sp) the tun as far stirring the mash goes ?

cheers
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Postby drsmurto » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 10:12 am

mech a what? :shock:

No mate, i still like to stir the mash, no pumps on my setup. I like the idea of stirring it and have seen an experienced brewer do this but then i will need to upgrade my mash paddle which at the moment is a long plastic spoon!
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Postby Kevnlis » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 10:17 am

drsmurto wrote:mech a what? :shock:

No mate, i still like to stir the mash, no pumps on my setup. I like the idea of stirring it and have seen an experienced brewer do this but then i will need to upgrade my mash paddle which at the moment is a long plastic spoon!


I use a paint mixer from Bunnings. I think it cost about $10. It is heaps long enough and does a great job of thouroughly mixing the grist down without aerating the mash too much.
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Postby yardglass » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 10:17 am

drsmurto wrote:mech a what? :shock:

No mate, i still like to stir the mash, no pumps on my setup. I like the idea of stirring it and have seen an experienced brewer do this but then i will need to upgrade my mash paddle which at the moment is a long plastic spoon!


:lol:

was just thinking of some blokes setup on ahb recently where he had the motor from a spit roast doover and some paddles to stir the mash, he did a good job.

got me thinking now.........................
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Postby drsmurto » Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 10:44 am

I did notice a mechanical stirrer under the bench in the lab at work that is clearly not being used.......

Yeah, some of the setups on AHB are amazing looking - those computer controlled setups are ridiculous! But then it is a hobby and some are more addicted than others.... :lol:
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Re: AG system upgrade

Postby beerdrinker » Monday Jan 07, 2008 9:07 pm

Does anyone know where to get a cheap 100L boil kettle/stock pot? something around $100? cheers :)
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Re: AG system upgrade

Postby beerdrinker » Monday Jan 07, 2008 9:10 pm

the motor from a spit roast doover and some paddles to stir the mash
saw something similar on youtube with a windscreen wiper engine used to power the paddles
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Re: AG system upgrade

Postby drsmurto » Tuesday Jan 08, 2008 11:22 am

Chris - i got to see the brew boy in action at the Xmas case swap (AHB). Worked a treat, still not entirely sure how it works, i believe as the mash tun drains into the kettle (which holds the sparge water) the sparge water slwoly increases in gravity. So its a totally recirculating system. It was damn easy to use, i think Wayne designed it so you can brew whilst drinking, the old no no. Its double batches too so in the end 40L of wort comes out (chilled 8) as it should be) and the yeast is pitched. I will be adding a thermometer to my plate chiller next time i visit him so i can see clearly the temp of the wort rather than my current method of dangling a mercury thermometer in the stream as its goes into the fermenter. 2008 is the year of the hop flower (for me) so i am happy i invested in the hopscreen. Next to purchase it a bigger kettle so i can do double batches........

So many toys.......

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Re: AG system upgrade

Postby James L » Friday Jan 11, 2008 2:19 pm

That Beerbelly system is amazing... all you need... tempted to sell the car to get that bad boy...
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