TungstenBeer
Well-Known Member
Another thread, another new build. I'm hoping to stay diligent so I can chronicle this whole thing with pictures, links, and Q&A (from both ends).
I came across Kal's website and the idea for an indoor brewery somewhere in the summer or fall of 2013. Shortly thereafter I constructed a temporary "mini" electric brewery to improve consistency between brews and I am glad I did. Actually, I only did one all-grain batch ever without using some kind of electric mash. I can't imagine brewing without it. So, right now I do an electric mash using an E-HERMS set-up out of two 10 gallon coolers (yup), and boil with propane in my garage. I knew based on my career path that the house I owned at the time had become a temporary living situation for me, so the plan was to use that setup for a few years until I got into a new house and could construct a big boy brewery.
For purposes of this thread, I'll refer to my current system as "Mini" and the new system "Big Boy."
Here's a rough timeline so far:
Late summer 2013: Found Kal's website.
December 2013: Planned out construction of a Mini E-HERMS setup using two coolers.
March 2014: Finished Mini system, and started brewing.
October 2014: Stopped buying any new parts that could not also be used in the Big Boy system.
March 2015: Started buying Control Panel parts for the Big Boy setup, and other parts when I found them on sale (for example, a HERMS coil that was on sale).
March 2016: Construction started on the new house, and a space in the basement was earmarked for the brewery (however, not all the infrastructure was originally installed, since we decided to spend that money on a bigger driveway, which I do not regret at all).
May 2017: Started construction of the infrastructure and Big Boy panel.
My design will be very similar to Kal's, but not quite a clone. Here are some key differences I decided to put in:
No post is complete without pictures, so here's the enclosure I'm using for the panel. I like it because it has metal locks instead of plastic, and there is no access panel or whatever it's called that has to be JB welded to secure it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T5H18U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Now, for the initial progress report... my first step based on weather and friends' availability to help out was to start work on the control panel.
Measuring and cutting holes in the proper place is one of the most challenging things for me. I try to dry fit as much as possible beforehand, or if I'm missing components, I use paper to cut out "replicas":
I use a T-square and a couple triangles and rulers to measure:
All measured! You'd need a decoder ring to understand it, but I get it:
It's impossible to work on this stuff without having a beer, so I tapped into my stash from Vermont visit a couple weeks ago:
I came across Kal's website and the idea for an indoor brewery somewhere in the summer or fall of 2013. Shortly thereafter I constructed a temporary "mini" electric brewery to improve consistency between brews and I am glad I did. Actually, I only did one all-grain batch ever without using some kind of electric mash. I can't imagine brewing without it. So, right now I do an electric mash using an E-HERMS set-up out of two 10 gallon coolers (yup), and boil with propane in my garage. I knew based on my career path that the house I owned at the time had become a temporary living situation for me, so the plan was to use that setup for a few years until I got into a new house and could construct a big boy brewery.
For purposes of this thread, I'll refer to my current system as "Mini" and the new system "Big Boy."
Here's a rough timeline so far:
Late summer 2013: Found Kal's website.
December 2013: Planned out construction of a Mini E-HERMS setup using two coolers.
March 2014: Finished Mini system, and started brewing.
October 2014: Stopped buying any new parts that could not also be used in the Big Boy system.
March 2015: Started buying Control Panel parts for the Big Boy setup, and other parts when I found them on sale (for example, a HERMS coil that was on sale).
March 2016: Construction started on the new house, and a space in the basement was earmarked for the brewery (however, not all the infrastructure was originally installed, since we decided to spend that money on a bigger driveway, which I do not regret at all).
May 2017: Started construction of the infrastructure and Big Boy panel.
My design will be very similar to Kal's, but not quite a clone. Here are some key differences I decided to put in:
No post is complete without pictures, so here's the enclosure I'm using for the panel. I like it because it has metal locks instead of plastic, and there is no access panel or whatever it's called that has to be JB welded to secure it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T5H18U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Now, for the initial progress report... my first step based on weather and friends' availability to help out was to start work on the control panel.
Measuring and cutting holes in the proper place is one of the most challenging things for me. I try to dry fit as much as possible beforehand, or if I'm missing components, I use paper to cut out "replicas":
I use a T-square and a couple triangles and rulers to measure:
All measured! You'd need a decoder ring to understand it, but I get it:
It's impossible to work on this stuff without having a beer, so I tapped into my stash from Vermont visit a couple weeks ago:
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