Stout Kettles powered by BCS Build

[sandyeggoxj]

Well time to start my build. My kettles came in today and more stuff is on the way. The short version: 30-gallon kettles for the average 1/2bbl batch. Semi-automated BCS-462 controlled eHerms single tier brewery. I am building this to be a badass homebrew rig and scaleable to a 1-bbl pilot system in the next couple years when I go pro.

Kettles are made by Stout Tanks and Kettles out of PDX. I shipped them to the local brewery who had a loading dock. This cut my freight in half. I would highly suggest doing something like this if you decide to order from Stout.

Here is what I ordered:

Boil Kettle:
BK30TW-TI-SG-EL1. (2240). 30 Gal. Brew Kettle with (1) 1.5in. TC Port for electric element w/1in. NPS adapter, Thermowell, Tangential Inlet, Sight Glass, (2)3/4in. valves, (2) 1/2in. hose barbs, clamps/gaskets
HLT:
HL30TW-RHC-SG-EL1-XP. (Custom). 30 Gal. Hot Liquor Tank with Thermowell, RAISED HERMS Coil, Sight Glass,(1) Element Port with 1" NSP adapter, (1) Upper Port, (1)3/4in. Valve, (3) 1/2in. Hose Barbs, clamps/gaskets
MLT:
MT30TW-RF-BO (476). 115L Mash Tun with Bottom Outlet, Thermowell, Recirculation Fitting, (1)19mm Valve, (2) 1/2in. Hose Barbs, Clamps/Gaskets
Sparge Arm:
SP12SA. (720). Sparge Arm, 12in. long, with 2 clamps/gaskets, (1) 1.5in. end cap



I will total up all my costs once I get a little bit further in. I will post it up here in this first post.


And on to the pictures!

Here they are in the back of my pickup truck:


First look:







I had questions about the thermowell that it came with. This answered my questions. It is about 3" deep and has 1/2"NPT threads. It is welded in place so inside the kettles it is completely sanitary. I will just need a 1/2"npt x 1/4" compression to hold the temperature probes in place.




This is the sparge arm that came with the setup. It has a bunch of holes in the bottom for fly sparging:




And now for some brew porn. It came with more tri-clamps and gaskets but some were installed on the kettles at the time I took the pictures.








It also came with (3) 1/2" NPT x 3" bi-metal thermometers. Since I am going to control this with a BCS I don't need the temperatures of the vessels. I plan to use these in other places. Likely output of the plate chiller, city water into the plate chiller and another place. I haven't really decided on the last location.




One thing that is odd is this fitting on the back of the HLT. The lower port is for the heating element but I have no idea what the top port is for. Do you guys know? I thought maybe it is a water fill port. It is a 1.5" TC port.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

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[sandyeggoxj]

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[sandyeggoxj]

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[sandyeggoxj]

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[PLOVE]

Purdy. Glad things seemed to have worked out with the thermowells. Will definitely enjoy watching your blingy thingy buildout. Always fun to have new toys

 

[Ttownbrewer]

One thing that is odd is this fitting on the back of the HLT. The lower port is for the heating element but I have no idea what the top port is for. Do you guys know? I thought maybe it is a water fill port. It is a 1.5" TC port.

This is for water recirculation to avoid stratification in the HLT.

Good luck on the build, I'll be watching this one!

Cheers!



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[sandyeggoxj]

This is for water recirculation to avoid stratification in the HLT.

Good luck on the build, I'll be watching this one!

Cheers!



Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

That makes sense! I think I'll plumb from the filter to it for filling. And use it to recirc the hlt periodically during the mash.

 

[snackson]

If you haven't purchased all your temp probes yet, what about trying one of these out? http://www.brewershardware.com/1-2-MPT-2-long-BCS-460-462-Temperature-Sensor.html It could thread into it without have to buy a compressiong fitting. A little thermal paste on it might do the trick. I am looking at getting the 1BBL setup with legs in the future and luckily those are all triclamp. Where are you located at and how much was freight for the kettles?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Thanks snacks! I saw those yesterday. They are in the shopping cart and waiting for tomorrow when I get a big check deposited. I will be ordering my bcs, temp probes, some valves, pumps and grain mill. Should be a happy friday!

I live in Tucson, atm. Freight for residential was going to be $350. It took 2-pallets to fit the three vessels. I thought that was way too much money so I called up Dragoon Brewing Co, a local craft brewery, and asked if I could borrow their loading dock. They agreed which brought the freight down to $190. It will probably cost you a bit more for 3-pallets of stuff. Freight shipping has to do with volume and weights. Since there is a lot of empty space it will cost more per pound. A side story: I was looking at buying a DynaTorch CNC plasma table last year. They come fully assembled, crated, and shipped via truck freight. The freight was something like $1500. But if they added 500# or more of weight to the crate it would drop the freight to the $500 range. I joked that they should just fill the bottom of the crate with concrete and save big bucks shipping!

I thought that it was going to be all tri-clamp too. And everything is triclamp, except the thermowell. Oh well. It came with those dial thermometers and the stem of the thermometer is 2.5".

If you are going to do anything custom you had better order it soon. If it is a product that is not in production yet it could take 6-months to get it. Once it is at PDX it only takes a few days be freight to get to your door. Overall the quality is pretty good. It is made in china stuff no matter how you slice it. I looked around for a while and never really found a US producer that made something similar. I would have spent a little bit more too! Tri-clamp and sanitary welded fittings were top priority for me.

 

[snackson]

If you are going to do anything custom you had better order it soon. If it is a product that is not in production yet it could take 6-months to get it. Once it is at PDX it only takes a few days be freight to get to your door. Overall the quality is pretty good. It is made in china stuff no matter how you slice it. I looked around for a while and never really found a US producer that made something similar. I would have spent a little bit more too! Tri-clamp and sanitary welded fittings were top priority for me.

I have a nine month deployment coming up and I will be purchasing them towards the end of that once I save enough money up. Going to try and time it right so I get them about a month or two after returning. I have a BCS 462 right now (just to monitor fermenter temp) and am going to turn that into a whole controller for 50 amp EBrew setup while deployed (built my PID controller on last deployment).

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Nice! I'm planning on ordering a 462 tomorrow. How well does it handle fermentation control?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Stuff ordered today:

Pumps + silicone tubing and spare TC gaskets and end caps + Kegerator gas/beer tubing from Stainless Brewing.

Monster mill MM2-2.0 with hopper and base from Monster Mill Direct

BCS462 + MPT M12 Temp probes + 3-pc Ball Valves and some other stainless goodies from Brewers Hardware

That should do it for spending this week. I already have a shipment en route from EBrewSupply with my enclosure and all the goodies.

Next week will be a plate chiller from Duda and hopefully receiving all the goodies I ordered this week!

 

[thomasjr16]

Subscribed! I've been toying around with buying a 20 gal system from one manuf or another for the past six months and finally hit the buy order about a month ago from Stout. I'm planning to use a bcs-462 50amp 2 element kit from ebrew supply so while I wait until July/August for my goodies I'm excited to watch the build a steal some ideas. Best of luck!

 

[HerkDriver]

Subscribed as well! Love seeing the Stout builds. I ended up changing thermowells to Tri Clamps. My 20 gal setup sounds a lot like thomasjr16's. July will indeed be a great month for brewing. Where do you end up brewing most in Tucson? I went to school there and can't imagine being anywhere that's non-airconditioned for too long. You could almost put your mash tun on the pavement to get it up to temperature...

Love the build so far! Keep posting pics!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Welcome aboard guys! Progress will be light until the middle of next week when brown Santa comes to visit again!

Well I spend the summers at 7k feet so it is okay! Winter is nice to be outside.

 

[Biergarden]

Good stuff! When will you be brewing? I'm very interested in your opinion of these kettles from Stout. I short listed that same company for a 3bbl brew house and fermenters.
Keep us posted

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Probably April. I have a ton of stuff ordered and now I'm waiting. The bcs is on back order, so I hope it ships by the end of next week. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I am moving by the end of the month AND gone every weekend. None of that will help me brew sooner...

 

[pnerboso]

Subscribed. Looking into a similar setup only Ebiab. Had you given any thought to the TC kettles at brewers hardware? Still deciding between them and stout for kettles.


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[sandyeggoxj]

Brewers Hardware look nice as well. They actually look very similar and might be manufactured in the same plant in china. I wanted some thing like sight glasses, herms coils and such to be pre-built. I probably could have saved a few bucks by going with BrewersHardware. One of the big advantages I see is that you could probably get the kettles faster!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

A little progress this week.

Here is the element enclosure. I put a 1.5" weld on ferrule into the clamp to show the clearance on the kettle:



I also got some new portable beer tools:



And my heatsink came in for the SSRs. This is 6.5"x18.5". That should be adequate. The 64oz SS growler is in the picture for scale.




Brown Santa has all the parts for my panel on his sleigh today. I should see it in a few hours! All the ordered I placed on Friday STILL haven't shipped. One from StainlessBrewing, one from Brewers Hardware and one from Monster Hardware. The suspense is killing me!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Panel parts are in!

OK, here is a question for you guys. I just sold something that I wasn't expecting. Should I fork out a few extra bucks and build the stand out of 304? I was just going to go carbon steel initially.

 

[Ttownbrewer]

Panel parts are in!

OK, here is a question for you guys. I just sold something that I wasn't expecting. Should I fork out a few extra bucks and build the stand out of 304? I was just going to go carbon steel initially.

That's what I'm planning to do. Less upkeep down the road, not that it matters with an electric system. But.. 304 is just so shiny!


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[sandyeggoxj]

This unexpected money should be put to good use. I'll price it out tomorrow and see what I really think after that...

 

[sandyeggoxj]

A few updates today:

Here is the packaging from EBrewSupply. That is where I got most of my panel parts, including the enclosure. I am very impressed with that company so far.




I swung by the electrician supply store. Picked up 20' of 10/3 sjoow, 150' of 10 gauge, 10' of 2-wire "thermostat wire" for the temp probes and signal wires in the panel, and then a little 14 gauge for various 115vac stuff like pumps, wireless cards and BCS.



Brewers hardware sent over a few goodies. Some valves that are 1/2" FPT x 1.5" TC for the pumps, temperature probes with M12 quick disconnect fittings and temperature wiring. the M12 QDs allow the temperature probe to be left in the kettles but the wiring disconnected during cleaning or storage. Should be handy.







And lastly, I made a little progress on the panel today. Drilled the top for the heat sink, mocked up the front controls and drilled the holes and then almost finished the temperature probe connectors and element/pump flanged outlets. I will finish tomorrow and send it off to paint.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Finsished up drilling a bunch of holes and here is what I have:





Went in for paint:





Switches and LEDs are installed. Tablet is in place as a mockup. I need to attach it somehow and I haven't decided how to do that yet. It will be my interface with the BCS via a wireless link.



Now for the big decision on labels. Should the power switch for the elements match the lockout switch at the top, or should the BK switch be on the right. My stand will have HLT, MLT, BK, from left to right.

 

[Kaiden]

Subscribed, interested in seen it all come together! Looks good...

 

[hammis]

well done sir!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Thanks guys! I was trying to find thermal paste in town for the relays but I am having a hard time. I should have just ordered it from amazon a few days ago. D'oh!

I still haven't decided on my labels but I won't get a chance to sure the inside until Monday. I'm gone for the weekend again.
I am making slow progress. I am hoping to power it up and brew some water by the end of the month, but that might be optimistic.

 

[waffle418]

Thanks guys! I was trying to find thermal paste in town for the relays but I am having a hard time. I should have just ordered it from amazon a few days ago. D'oh!

I still haven't decided on my labels but I won't get a chance to sure the inside until Monday. I'm gone for the weekend again.
I am making slow progress. I am hoping to power it up and brew some water by the end of the month, but that might be optimistic.

Radio Shack, or a computer part store would have it. Best Buy actually has it too sometimes.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Going to try RadioShack. The best buy near me only keeps one or two tubes on hand and someone just bought them.

How much do you think I need for 5 relays?

 

[waffle418]

Going to try RadioShack. The best buy near me only keeps one or two tubes on hand and someone just bought them.

How much do you think I need for 5 relays?

1 tube should be plenty. I put a dot and spread it out using something like an old credit card... just need a thin layer.

Here's a How-to

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Sweet. Purchase and installed. RadioShack had it. I went with Arctic silver brand ceramique.

 

[waffle418]

Sweet. Purchase and installed. RadioShack had it. I went with Arctic silver brand ceramique.

Artic Silver's in my panel and in my pc Just a personal preference to me.

 

[Docbruw]

Your order from Ebrew supply didn't have the paste in it? Mine did. BTW your build is looking good.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I didn't order a kit. I pieced it together. I am using some different relays and such where the kit didn't make sense. Plus I thought ut had too many extras. Like LEDs . I only want green to tell me when things are actually powered.

 

[Kaiden]

Interested to see this touch pad come into play with this controller! Looks good so far!


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[sandyeggoxj]

Thanks! Me too! I hope it works okay. I've heard it works pretty well on a phone so I hope it works on the tablet.

I got my mill and bcs462 in the mail today but they will be idle all weekend as I had to run to San Diego for the weekend. I will pick it back up in a few days.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

San Diego was fun. Have you been to Mike Hess Brewing? If not you should check it out. It was great beer and a fun place. Bought a growler and kept the pint glass that they used for the taster flight! I made the mistake of showing up with an empty stomach. D'oh!

I was hoping to make it to 2Kids brewing too because he is a member here but it just didn't work. Maybe next time I am out that way.

Bought the steel today for the brew stand. I decided to go with 1.5"x1.5"x14ga mild steel. I can't decide what I want so I will mock it up for cheap and use it for a while and see what happens. It was $70 for 60'. I bought a few other odds and ends and walked out for about $100. I will definitely have a bit left over, but I really like my scrap pile. Hoping to crank out the stand tomorrow because I am moving this weekend. If I can get the stand done then all that will be left is wiring up the panel. Making progress!

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Here are some updated pictures:









Starting the brew stand:















I still haven't decided how to finish the stand. I was going to put some cross bars on the top to hold the kettles, but I was also considering putting a top on it. Just something thin like 12 gauge. Decisions, Decisions...