Introductory Post

[FOPA]

I've decided to have a go at All Grain Homebrewing after a very enjoyable and inspirational tour of the Two Towers Microbrewery in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.
I'd done some homebrewing from kits in my student days - the results of which were drinkable, but not that enjoyable. Since I'm more quality rather than quantity these days (and because I had a 30 litre coolbox just sitting around) , I thought giving All Grain a go would be a good idea.
I signed up to the forum to check out the For Sale section as I'm going to need some kit, and don't want to invest too much until I get an idea whether I'm any good at it!

Regarding kit, my thoughts are:
1. Buy a new Fermenting Bin with tap, bung,and air trap (plus a hydrometer, paddle, bits of hose etc.)
2. Convert the Coolbox into a Mash Tun, with either the copper pipe or stainless braided hose filter and a ball valve
3. Obtain a cheap HLT / Boiler by one of the following:
a) Fleabay purchase of a Burco type Urn (but need one local, as most are pick-up only)
b) Convert my old Fermenting bin using a pair of kettle elements
One "boost" unit manually switched for quick heat-up
One connected to an STC1000 for final temperature control / maintaining the boil.
I've also spotted some 3.6kW TRIAC "dimmers" on Fleabay that I could use to drop the power to limit the on/off control (and avoid scorching?)
4. Bottle the finished product - Are the two-handed, or hammer on cappers as bad as people seem to suggest?

I've an Electronics background, so I'm OK with wiring up option (b) but am a bit concerned that a plastic bucket will get a touch "wobbly" when filled with boiling wort. Is there risk of the elements moving around and springing leaks, or worse still touching the bucket and melting it? I know there are concerns about the taps on fermenting bins when trying to retain hot wort, but waht about the bucket itself?

Any help, advice, or offers of cheap kit appreciated.

 

[dennisking]

Hi and welcome, you seem to have most things covered. You can convert a plastic bucket to a HLT just make sure it's reasonably thick plastic. Not something I've done myself so I would take advice from someone who has.

 

[bobsbeer]

Welcome. :

 

[RobWalker]

Sounds good as far as I can help - not an electronics man but I know fermentation equipment :thumb:

The buckets are made from food safe plastic. Providing your old one is as thick as the other, you'll be fine. It's better to stand it on concrete blocks etc than something you value though :p

Two handed cappers work a treat for me...

 

[Davybarman]

Hi and Welcome :

You will get plenty of help here!!
:thumb:

 

[wilsoa1111]

Welcome,
having just done the all grain conversion myself i recommend the kettle hack as its called, u wont need the fancy electronics unless u want them-lets face it its an excuse to have fun :thumb: - i just switch one off when its boiling and the other maintains it nicely. btw argos value kettles seem the easist to convert :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZDupTFTOWQ
as for the mashtun i used the ss braid as the one i got off ebay had a comprssion fit end (was cheaper and im using batch sparging) and hooked nicely in without any clips nonsense to the copper pipe-biggest pain was removing a bit of the inside of the tank connector(make sure u get one off ebay with a rubber washer)-so pipe would go all the way through had to use a hacksaw as a file in the end took 2hrs and lots of harsh language and a rubber mallet, dog seemed to think it was funny...
i also recommend when removing the rubber inner to leave enough so that when the braid is bent(and fixed by wire) that it reaches the bottom of the tun to remove deadspace (increaes efficeny) by taking advantage of siphon effects. to make the holes in plastic i used a dremel with a template.

also dont use cappers yet, not collected enough bottles, just screwtops-2l lemonade 18p ea (dont explode if u get it wrong) and looking into kegging
hope it helps :) btw as a first recipe i recommend ed worts pale ale, and if u like malty sub the vienna for munich and hops to goldings lvly stuff

 

[Dieseljockey]

Welcome to the forum..... :thumb: ....you seem to have the basics, you'll learn as you go on. Any Q's just ask away the guys will try to help.

 

[Andyhull]

Welcome to the forum.

I've built my own set up too, i used a recycled mango barrel from the local indian takeaway.
Just give a few a call and ask if they have any going spare, they just bin them usually.
I got 2 an was told that if i wanted any more i just had to ring.
They're thick and the ones i have are ideal at 33ltr.

Andy

 

[FOPA]

Thanks for all the replies. If I luck-out on Burcos, then a trip to Argos will be likely. The Value kettle is only 2.2KW, so the 10 Amp relay in the STC1000 will be up to the job of controlling the temp when in use as a HLT. How do I stop it "tripping" when using it as a boiler? I'm guessing the elements will trip as soon as I hit the boil?

The suggestion of the Pale Ale as a first brew is also appreciated. I was going to come on to that once I has sorted out the kit. I had planned for a nice hoppy Pale Ale as my first AG brew, so this sounds like it could be the ticket. I take it I can search in the Recipes section to find it?

Thanks again for all the welcomes & advice.

 

[EskiBrew]

Welcome to the forum :thumb:

How do I stop it "tripping" when using it as a boiler? I'm guessing the elements will trip as soon as I hit the boil?

I've not seen the argos one but usually there is a bi-metalic which is heated by steam when the kettle boils - this causes it to bend and release release the power switch. If you are just using the element itself, that bi-metal strip will not be used.

I take it I can search in the Recipes section to find it?

Yes you can.

 

[FOPA]

OK, thanks for all the advice so far. I've managed to acquire a 27L Burco, so won't need to worry about kettle elements in plastic buckets!

I picked it up cheap on eBay, because the thermostat is broken. So I've ordered a 3.8KW "dimmer" and an STC1000 temperature controller, which works out cheaper than a replacement Burco thermostat, and I should get better control, both in terms of the HLT temperatures and not boiling away too much liquid in the brewpot. (To be honest, I wanted to do that anyway, and the broken thermostat gave me the excuse, and a nice saving on the Burco).

My coolbox now has tinfoil and newspaper giftwrapping around the inner box, extra insulation, and a drain tap fitted. I found a plastic bulkhead connector with a hose barb online, which is for use in caravan water systems so should be fine. I also bought some caravan water hose and an in-line tap at the same time. The lid on the coolbox is hollow, so I'm trying to figure out the neatest way to put a hole in so I can fill it full of polystyrene packaging to get the thermal retention of the box even better.

Will keep you all posted of my progress.

 

[EskiBrew]

That's a great find on the Burco :thumb:

 

[joe1002]

Welcome to the forum :

 

[Wendy1971]

hi and welcome :thumb:

 

[silverbrewer]

I live in Birmingham, and the two towers brewery is news to me! I must get out more and stop just drinking Fullers ESB, and trying to clone itin my shed...sorry....Brewery )

Looking at the membership log, uk home brewing seems to be rapidity ramping up in proportion to the price of beer in the pubs!!!!

Could all peeps put an approximation of where they live on their details so help can be offered by not only the cleverest, but also the nearest?

Rog, Sutton Coldfield.

 

[FOPA]

Could all peeps put an approximation of where they live on their details so help can be offered by not only the cleverest, but also the nearest?

Rog, Sutton Coldfield.

Rog, I'm pretty close - My username FOPA was chosen as my intended first AG brew will be named Four Oaks Pale Ale!

The Two Towers brewery tour is well worth it. We did it as part of a Groupon deal, which meant it only cost £4 a head, and we got to sample 4 beers while we were there. If they aren't running the tours anymore, you can still sample their very tasty wares at the Brown Lion. Google them, as it will not let me add the url as a new user.

 

[EskiBrew]

I live in Birmingham, and the two towers brewery is news to me! I must get out more and stop just drinking Fullers ESB, and trying to clone itin my shed...sorry....Brewery )

Looking at the membership log, uk home brewing seems to be rapidity ramping up in proportion to the price of beer in the pubs!!!!

Could all peeps put an approximation of where they live on their details so help can be offered by not only the cleverest, but also the nearest?

Rog, Sutton Coldfield.

Rog - have a look at the top of the page - you can see a set of buttons - click on the one marked Map and add your location - you should see others nearby :thumb:

 

[FOPA]

OK Thanks for all the help - first AG brew, Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale made with Maris Otter malt and some locally grown hops, (FOPA prototype #1) is now bubbling away in the fermention bucket. Looking forward to trying it in a few weeks. Will post some photos of the equipment when I have time. :

 

[FOPA]

OK photos as promised...

All the kit set up ready to brew - Burco (insulated with some leftover underlay from hardwood flooring I fitted a while ago), Temp Controller box and Coolbox Mash Tun

Immersion cooler in the Burco

Inside the mashtun - by cutting the spigot nut in half, I managed to fix the modified tap hose directly to the inside thread removing the need for nasty hose clips. Makes cleaning easy too!

I fitted my eBay purchases (temp controller and Triac "dimmer") to an old Port box to control the Burco. The temp controller relay is only rated at 10 Amps which isn't enough to drive the Burco direct, so I use the relay to switch the gate voltage to the Triac in the "dimmer" unit. The dimmer also allows me to turn down the Burco once I have a rolling boil to prevent boilovers. Works a treat!

 

[PD]

If your brews half as good as your build, you'll have some wonderful beer.