Bridestone Iccle Brewery Latest Upgrade

[unclepumble]

I have been using an Argos mash tun on the Iccle brewery, (5gal all plastic set up)
since I kicked in again last year, however, I have recently been finding it a bit of a pain for mixing and sparging etc due to the volume (lack of) and shape.

Therefore when I a nice bright orange Igloo Cooler on ebay, I couldn't resist the temptation to upgrade.

£37 plus delivery wasn't to bad a price I thought as it couldn't possibly a flimsy as an argos cooler.

It arrived the other day so I have made a copper manifold to act as a false bottom, Just about shoehorned it in, & I have replaced the outlet tap, as the one supplied with the igloo, was a pushbutton one and required pressing all the time to get liquid out, (I think this is going to get fitted to CONNIE, as a sample tap).

The bottom now needs a good clean up to finish, as i made it out of a much larger one, and cut it down and resoldered etc.
wish I had started with new it would have been much quicker, but the result looks ok to me.

UP

 

[jenki]

looks good, :thumb: did you go for hacksaw slots in the manifoild?

 

[unclepumble]

looks good, :thumb: did you go for hacksaw slots in the manifoild?

Sort of, I had a mega dremmelathon when I originaly made the manifold last year, think I did over 40 cutting disks in making it.

The manifold was originaly 600mm by 600mm :shock:

UP

 

[Cussword]

How far apart are the slots, I have to do my mash tun this weekend. Coleman 42 litre ish :whistle:

 

[Muddydisco]

Nice buy UP :thumb:
When we going to see the big one up and running?

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Nice tun uncle :thumb:
BB

 

[corby_brewer]

How far apart are the slots, I have to do my mash tun this weekend. Coleman 42 litre ish :whistle:

When i made mine, i used a dremel and my slots are about 5mm apart will post a picture tomorrow.

 

[unclepumble]

How far apart are the slots, I have to do my mash tun this weekend. Coleman 42 litre ish :whistle:

Well If you look at the photo above the pipe is 15mm diameter, therefore the slots are about 5mm spacings in an ish kind of way, there were that many slots in the original that i JUST HACKED AT IT AFTER A WHILE JUST TO GET IT DONE.

Nice buy UP
When we going to see the big one up and running?

Fairly soon, I needed to do some work on a few things I wasn't happy with, I have done a little work to my underback pump to strengthen the outlet pipework, it was a bit flimsy, so after a bit of hole drilling etc its solid as a rock now.

I also want to insulate my underback pump, I bought an element for it the other day, the last runs were with the element out of my (Iccle Brewery boiler), so am waiting for a nice S/S element shroud to arrive, then it will be done.

Then most importantly Connie needs a crib, poor little thing is shivering in the garage at the mo, so I need get some woodworking done, I am also waiting for fittings to arrive so can do nothing at the mo.

The Only other problem is I am also doing landscaping in the garden, trying to sort out planting and growing veg seeds on between frosts, doing my house up, and working shifts so things take time. :cry:

Will be doing a brew on Monday on the Iccle, but with Rims recirc on the mash, as I want to play with stepped mashes.

Then its balls out on sorting the Bards Brewery for once and for all.

UP

 

[Springer]

I want to play with stepped mashes.

Have also been doing some reading in this direction. I have an idea to produce a nice lager, if there is such a thing :lol: . Summer drink for the ladies
Read somewhere to mash for 30 mins at 50 degrees and then up it to 66 degress for 60 mins
What do you think Uncle will it make it better than something bought in a pub. :lol:
s

 

[unclepumble]

I want to play with stepped mashes.

Have also been doing some reading in this direction. I have an idea to produce a nice lager, if there is such a thing :lol: . Summer drink for the ladies
Read somewhere to mash for 30 mins at 50 degrees and then up it to 66 degress for 60 mins
What do you think Uncle will it make it better than something bought in a pub. :lol:
s

Its dead easy to make a lager much better than you will get in a pub, no need to step mash, just use all lager malt, mash at 65-66 deg for 90 mins, hop with hallertau hersbrucker and saaz, maybe some mittlefru, use a good quality yeast, and ensure that you ferment no higher than 15.5 Deg C.

And once in a keg, stick it in a fridge below 10deg for a couple of months.

But if you are looking at perfect german style brews, you need to perfect the decoction mash technique.

I have made a few lagers and all have gone down very well with people who have tried them.

UP

 

[brewzone]

UP beat Me too it! :-)

Whether You are using Lager Malt or Pale Malt for a Lager style beer You can use a single infusion mash at around 64C for 60-90 mins for a crisper dryer taste.

And it will be better than mass produced lager.

You would have to store it at around 4C for weeks/months and use lager yeast for a true lager.

Many of the lager type beers I've brewed simply using Saaz hops and a mash at 64C were really well accepted by My friends and family.

 

[Springer]

Thanks for the advice both, I will work to it and see how it goes. Have done several lager brews along these lines but results have been average, perhaps I don't like lager. :lol:
Would the stepped mash produce something noticeably different, keen to use my HERMS set up
S

 

[unclepumble]

you could protein rest at 52 for 30 mins or so then raise to 64deg c, but its not really neccesary with modern malts.

Good quality Lager yeast and the fermenting temp plus lagering at a cold temp for at least a month is the key to success.

Unless you want to speed things up with the conditioning by using maize, rice and corn syrup to replace some of the malt sugars, it will condition quicker in the keg but wont be as good as all malt.

UP

 

[mr_spin]

looking good Unclepumble. my igloo has now arrived. Could you be so kind as to post up a list of the parts used to replace the standard tap and where they were purchased from? I'm itching to get my first AG session underway.

Many thanks.

:

 

[Franklin]

was that 15 or 22mm copper pipe?

 

[unclepumble]

was that 15 or 22mm copper pipe?

All 15mm, that way there is no modification to the cooler outlet hole, when using a tank connector, so you put the old one back in and sell it should it become surplus.

UP