ExPo Homebrewers

[Ichimonji]

Sure!

I sketched up the stand after measuring my neighbor's then asked a buddy to weld it up for me. All kettles are stainless 15 gallon kegs with welded fittings for thermometers and valves. The mash run (middle tier) has a false bottom. It's a propane system with a modified RV regulator so I can flow enough gas to fire two (of three) 200k BTU burners at the same time. This shortens brew time a little by allowing me to heat the hot liquor (top tier) tank and mash out at the same time.

Clear water to clean-up is about 8 hours. I can cut this down by filtering water, filling kettles, measuring and grinding grain the night before, and having a helper for clean-up.

I usually ferment for two weeks, then keg. I force carbonate so it's ready in another two days.

 

[Black Dog]

So how much propane do you go through in a brew day with that system?

 

[Ichimonji]

I'm not sure. I usually "human scale" the tanks ad use the least full first and transition to a more full tank for the 90 minute boil. I by that time in the brew, I'm usually cleaning or working on some other project, so I don't hang around and watch. A fuller bottle means that I shouldn't run out of gas at some undetermined time and have to restart the boil.

I move my propane cylinders all around (camp stove, flamethrower, patio stove) so I really don't know what my burn rate is.

I suppose I could weigh them before/after a brew...

 

[goofiefoot]

I've been brewing about 5 years and love it! I have a 4-tap kegerator that I try to keep full. Having a baby has had a bit of an impact on my brewing time, but I just brew more when I have the opportunity. Right now, I have a pale ale, imperial IPA, brown ale, and apfelwein on tap.

One thing to consider is fermentation temperature control. Once I built a fermentation chamber where I could accurately control my fermentation temps, my quality improved dramatically. Here in Texas, we don't have many basements, and since it's hot more often than it's not, we don't have much opportunity to ferment in ideal temps out in the "open". I put a temperature controller on a chest freezer and can maintain any temperature steadily throughout the fermentation.

Cheers!

 

[Black Dog]

One thing to consider is fermentation temperature control. Once I built a fermentation chamber where I could accurately control my fermentation temps, my quality improved dramatically.!

Me and my dad built one last winter. He got a temperature controller on ebay that had a hot and cold side and built in SSRs. One output went to an outlet for the freezer set to its lowest temperature, the other to a heating element inside the freezer. You set the temperature and the threshold and it will use which ever outlet is appropriate to maintain the constant temp.

 

[RGingerelli2001TRD]

Thought I'd share a photo of my BrewSteel ************ BrewStand:

 

[Black Dog]

By the looks of the control panel, is it safe to assume you are heating your HLT with an electric heating element? I've been looking at a lot of HERMS and it seems like pretty much every single one uses a water heater element for the HLT, and it is a split between gas and electric for the boil kettle.

edit: Never mind, I was just looking closer at your picture and I think I can see the gas flow temperature control knob thingamajigger just to the left of the control panel.

 

[RGingerelli2001TRD]

I'm using banjo burners on all three kettles, hlt top, mash bottom left, boil bottom right. The burner under the mash is controlled via a pid with a gas furnace control valve controlling the flame/mash temp.

 

[GCL4x4]

oh the Caribou Slobber and Dead Ringer , Mine was the Irish Red then the White house Honey Ale. Shall I assume we shopped our first 1 gallon batch kit from the same online northerbrewer store?
I applaud you good Sir! I'm up into the 5 gallon batches now and all setup for All Grain as well. I am also an HBT member though I lurk here more than HBT.