I think I’ve got a handle on where I stand with this brewery build. I can see light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

I give the project the once over here:

Any input, now’s the time to speak up!

I’m getting excited as I think I can get the inaugural run of the Silver Luce Brewery going soon. It’s taking a while as I really only work on this after the family is asleep. Despite how excited I am about this project, they always have, and always will, come first. But I really think I could brew within the next couple of weeks. Then comes the Keggerator project!

I may have come up with a solution for the MT that will at least make me feel a little more secure with an unsecured FB.

I knew that if I were going to use the bottom drain on the MT I was going to have to plug the drain tube hole in the FB with a bolt of some sort. When I was digging through my box of odd hardware for something suitable, I found a 1/4″ diameter bolt about 1 1/4″ long to mock it up with.

It occurred to me that a slightly longer one might actually extend into the bottom hole a little and act as a stabilizing pin. It won’t keep it completely centered but it would keep the FB from sliding too far out of whack.

Since ultimately I will be using a HERMS type recirculating system at some point, I think it may work out fine. Initially I probably won’t have the HERMS set up and will rely on just a simple infusion it may lead to some grain getting through the FB but once I start recirculating it should clear really well.

So now that the brew stand is finished, the issue now becomes one of plumbing.
The original design for the Silver Luce Brewery was one that I had been thinking about for quite some time but I never expected to have all of the parts for it at one time. I had always thought that I would piece it together as I found parts to use but I came across a guy who was selling almost everything I needed in one purchase.

Sounds good right? Well the problem is how to adapt the vision that he had for his brewery to mine. He obviously had some very different ideas on how it should work than I do. Probably not wrong, just different.

The main issue I have to deal with is that he welded half couplers to the kegs in places which would, presumably, work best for him. Not only are a couple of the welds not where I would have put them but I would have used full couplers so that fittings could be attached from the inside as well as the outside (a half coupler is not threaded all the way through, which works fine for using a thermometer screwed in from the outside but not so good when you want to attach a pick-up tube to your valve outlet).

Take for example the Mash Tun (MT) where he welded half couplers to the bottom, half way up the side and near the top.

I love the idea of the bottom drain. It makes a lot of sense.

I’m not sure I can use this port though since I have no way to attach a filter. I do have a false bottom (FB) that will cover it but I don’t know if it will work considering that I’ll have to plug up the hole the pick-up tube goes through and it wouldn’t be tethered to the keg as it would be via the pick-up tube in a normal side-wall configuration.

That is my biggest question. Anyone with advice, please give it! Will it stay in place with grain on it or will it move around when I’m stirring the mash?

I can plug up any of the half-couplers I want with a simple SS 1/2″ plug and cut other holes for valves and such as needed but I’d really love to try and use this existing port if possible.

I just finished screwing on the final flame shield and the support rails on the brew stand. This means major construction for the brew stand is complete. Complete, as long as you don’t consider the plumbing, H2O filter, pumps, burner supports, etc. that still need to be figured out and attached.

Flame shields screwed on.

Support rails in place and attached.

HLT, MT and Boil Kettle in place.

Next up the question of how to design the plumbing.

Well I must say that although I have no real prior experience working with metal, the first flame shield didn’t go nearly as bad as I thought it might.

I went down to the local metal supply shop and picked up two 4′ lengths of copper sheeting to use as the flame shield to protect the bare wood from the burner’s flame. Damn that shop was cool! It’s my new favorite place to go spend money. It’s a real guy’s shop. Row after row of metal and industrial tools and parts; I’m amazed I walked out with only what I came for. Well actually I was going to use stainless but the copper looked so cool…

Anyway, I took one sheet and bent it around a square to form the basic shape of the inside of the frame, where the burner will be. Then I used the edge of the square to hammer in the seams.

I thought about leaving the sheet lower than the wood since it looked so nice and might help keep any wind away from the flame but I decided to stick with my original plan and cut it so that when not in use I can use the area for storage. It’s a decision I’m sure I’ll regret and probably change back later (when I’m rich and can afford to waste money).

So I marked it for cutting and cut it down.

I used a pair of tin snips and a little elbow grease (well… hand grease anyway. I’m sure it’ll hurt tomorrow).

The finished piece is on the left and the cut on the right.

I used the scrap from the first cut to make a piece to cover the remaining exposed wood, since the interior is larger than 4′. In the end, I hid one seam in a corner and the other is a nice clean one that overlaps.

And this is the finished flame shield.

Hopefully tomorrow night (or tonight, since it’s after midnight) I’ll do the other one I need for the HLT side and I’ll be able to bolt them on as well as the support rails that I finished cutting last night. Then it’s on to tackling the plumbing problems and hopefully a brew night in the near future!

I am by no means a metal worker. In fact, I am a bit scared about working with metal. Now that I’ve made the disclaimer here is what I’m doing.

I picked up some old metal bed frames off of CraigsList the other day to use as supports for the kegs on the stand.

These are pretty hardy hunks of metal and I’m debating about if I need to add cross pieces for strength or leave as is.

I decided to cut an angle into these at the end to keep from getting snagged on the edges later. I have to hacksaw these by hand at night, after the kids are down, even though I have a tool that would make short work of these angles. Too noisy. So you can see the blade slipped a few times. Nothing paint wont take care of later.

Able to mock up a little further.

I still have to go down to metal shop and get some flashing to protect the wood from the burners but I’m getting there.