My "BIAB" brewery

[Pezzonovante11]

Hi fellow brewers.

I think it's way past time to post about this. I've been brewing with this rig for over a year now. I intended to do posts as I was building, but that didn't happen. This took me over a year to build, mostly DIY. Anyway I thought some might be curious as to what my BCS-controlled "BIAB" rig might be like.

First a bit about me. I've been brewing for ten years or so. Started out like most of you--in the kitchen. Then I moved on to a turkey fryer outside and a cooler for mashing. Then I brewed on a traditional single tier 3V system which started out with simple propane burner controls, and then morphed into a natural gas-fired RIMS system with PIDs and a hood so I could brew indoors.

I learned and experienced a lot in brewing. I learned what I liked and what I didn't. I've also made just about every mistake one can make when brewing all-grain. The design for my current brewery came out of that. My goals when creating this system were as follows:

1. To transition from gas to electric for safety and convenience.
2. To eliminate the sparge and the associated time/equipment with doing it.
3. To shorten the brew day.
4. To shorten cleaning time.
4. To have the ability automate (and be able to override that).
5. To make the system as sanitary as feasible.
6. To eliminate stuck recirculation which has absolutely plagued me over the years and has been probably the single greatest source of frustration for me.
7. To give me as much flexibility as possible in brewing.
8. To have a nice-looking brewery worthy of a little beer porn.

In a nutshell my system features:
A hydraulic scissor table base
A 20 gallon boil kettle with electric heating element
A 10 gallon mash tun that nests inside (or outside) of the boil kettle
Reverse-direction RIMS
Motorized valves
Tri-clamps throughout and a semi-sanitary design
Integrated march pump and counterflow chiller
Ability to do semi-automated brewing and CIP
BCS web-based controller with auto and manual controls for brew rig and my two fermenting fridges.


There are a couple of minor things I'd change but overall I really enjoy brewing with this and ultimately that's what my goal was.

As I get time I'll detail each part of the system a little more. If you're curious about anything feel free to ask. I've benefited tremendously from HBT so maybe I can give a little back.

Thanks for reading.

 

[iijakii]

Pretty sweet looking setup. What's all going on with that inner mash tun? A walk through of brew day would be good.

 

[Pezzonovante11]

I wanted A pot big enough to do 10 gallon batches without fear of boiling-over.
The Kettle Started out life as a 20 gallon Megapot big enough to store a child in.

1. Polished out the Megapot etching and removed the rubber handles. I hoped to etch my brewery logo on in place but still haven't decided on a name. I know, pathetic

2. Holes were punched in the sides of the kettle for a pickup tube, whirlpool return, and a heating element. 1.5" tri-clamp ferrules (from Bobby in NJ :rockin were brazed on. Hole drilled in bottom and 1" TC long ferrule brazed on.

3. Soldered on 3/4" FPT pipe caps to the bottom and used 3/4 pipe for the legs.

4. Brazed on tabs for a hold-down bar to keep the mash tun sealed to the bottom of the kettle.

5. Engraved 1/2 gallon and quart markings between the megapot's 1 gallon incremental etching.

6. Made custom Pickup and whirlpool triclamp fittings.

This was many, many hours of trying to braze and then cleaning up with a dremel tool. And sandpaper, and buffing wheels, and....anyway I'm happy with the results.

 

[Pezzonovante11]

HOW IT WORKS:

My mash tun is similar to the "malt pipe" in the Braumeister, with some differences.

When the mash tun is in place, it mates with the bottom of the boil kettle. Water is taken from the boil kettle (outer kettle) through a pickup tube. Water is then pumped through the center of the boil kettle, and into the mash tun. After passing through the grain from the bottom up, wort spills out through a hole in the side of the mash tun back into the boil kettle.

There are several holes in the side of the mash tun to accommodate different amounts of grain.

Also within the mash tun are two filter screens: one on bottom and one on top. The grain is trapped between these two screens. The grain is also contained by a BIAB bag. This is to simplify cleaning of the mash tun (just needs a warm rinse) and avoids the need for a tight seal on the top filter screen (which is very difficult to achieve for a number of reasons).

After mashing, the inner tun is chained to a stationary bracket on the wall, and the whole hydraulic table is dropped, letting the mash tun drain.

HOW I MADE IT

This started life as a 10-gallon Megapot. Unfortunately, a 10-gallon megapot won't fit inside a 20-gallon Megapot as it comes. Most unfortunate. I had to cut off the handles and make new, smaller handles out of some small pipe fittings.

Just like the brew kettle, holes were punched in the side and one drilled in the bottom. Triclamp ferrules were brazed in and legs added.

Four shoulder screws were soldered in protruding through the bottom of the tun. A Jaybird false bottom is secured to these with wingnuts. A large screw extends from the false bottom. After the tun is filled with grain a false top slides down this screw and is secured with a large nut.

A special fitting was made for the bottom of the tun. It has a piece of 1/2" pipe that protrudes a couple of inches. It slides into the 1" triclamp ferrule in the bottom of the boil kettle. There is an EDPM gasket and an adjustable collar than ensures a watertight seal between the two.

Loading goes like this: The false bottom is attached to the tun, then the bag of grains, then the false top and a securing nut. The whole tun drops into the boil kettle. Finally, a retaining bar goes over the top of the mash tun to secure it tightly to the boil kettle.

 

[tektonjp]

Great looking brew system. Amazing amount of loving effort. It is ironic, though, the lengths you've gone to "eliminate the sparge and the associated time/equipment with doing it." I think you've overcompensated!

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Beautiful setup. Not something I'd be interested in but as long as it works for you.

 

[newnick]

Great job putting all that together. I think some people have just as much fun building their brew equipment as they do brewing. This may be the finest example of that thought.
Brew on!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Wow! Can't find the appropriate words to compliment the awesomeness of what you have done. Unbelievable! A whole another level or three.

 

[Pezzonovante11]

@tektonjp -- you are right about the hypocrisy of less equipment, lol.

Yeah I know this Frankenstein is totally overkill. Hey, maybe I just found a name? Overkill Brewery? Wonder if that's been taken yet.

Despite what it looks like, its actually very easy to use. Anyway it's total fun to brew with, and yes, I got a lot of pleasure out of building this. I'd love to learn how to tig weld sometime and build an even freakier version.

 

[KonaOrganic]

This looks great. I am at the Genesis of my brewing exploration and was guided by a veteran brewer to explore this method.
Great fabrication work. Many compliments.

Enjoy the new year all.

 

[Jaybird]

@tektonjp -- you are right about the hypocrisy of less equipment, lol.

Yeah I know this Frankenstein is totally overkill. Hey, maybe I just found a name? Overkill Brewery? Wonder if that's been taken yet.

Despite what it looks like, its actually very easy to use. Anyway it's total fun to brew with, and yes, I got a lot of pleasure out of building this. I'd love to learn how to tig weld sometime and build an even freakier version.

Yeah I think Yuri has dibs on Overkill...LOL

Great looking set up man! How is the beer turning out? You may have said it but what is the efficiency your getting in your mash with that?

Cheers
Jay

 

[Pezzonovante11]

Yeah I think Yuri has dibs on Overkill...LOL

Great looking set up man! How is the beer turning out? You may have said it but what is the efficiency your getting in your mash with that?

Cheers
Jay

I'm making the best beer I've ever made. To be honest its probably less about the wort making and more due to the fact that when I built this brewery I finally got serious about fermentation temp control, oxygenation, and pitching rates.

My efficiency (to fermenter) is consistently in the 80-90% depending on the beer size.

If I crush to 0.028", I get very near 100% conversion efficiency.
To minimize losses from grain absorption, I use a larger volume of mash water and crank up that heating element to 100% (The huge kettle helps in preventing boilover). I get a huge boiloff rate, especially if I go 90 minutes. If I want to get really crazy I take the bag out of the mash tun and squeeze it but I prefer to keep my hands clean.

I recently did a 9 gallon batch of a Pliny the Elder Clone with an OG of 1.071 and got a (to fermenter) efficiency of 81%. Total efficiency was 75% due to dry-hop losses.

 

[Jaybird]

OUTSTANDING! I love to see a plan come together!

Cheers
Jay

 

[hafmpty]

This looks like a Frankenstein'ed Braumeister. I'm sure there are similarities but you've definitely made this your own. I would love to see a video of it in action. You got a YouTube channel or somewhere you could post a video?

 

[njpatg]

What kind of base is you system siting on and where did you get it from , thanks !

 

[Pezzonovante11]

The base is a hydraulic lift table from Harbor freight tools. They run 150-250 bucks.

Hmmm I've never done youtube but I may consider doing some video of an upcoming brew. If I do I'll update this thread with a link.