Tell us a little about you—where you’re from, how you came to love brewing.
I’m a homebrewer from Vancouver, Washington. Three years ago, I went to a local homebrewers’ supply store to borrow a keg tap for a party I was having and was amazed by all the supplies, tools, ingredients, and the idea of making my own beer. I was hooked from that day forward. I started making 5-gallon batches, then quickly upgraded to more advanced techniques, as well as 10-gallon batches!
What styles of beer do you like to brew?
Anything dark: browns, porters, stouts, and winter ales. I brew IPAs, too, just like every other homebrewer. My last brown ale won first place in a local homebrewers’ challenge, Trap Door Brewing’s inaugural Uptown Homebrew Challenge.
How often do you brew?
I try to brew once a month. Sometimes life gets in the way, though.
What is the evolution of your brew system (where did you start, and how has it changed to fit your brewing needs)?
My brew system started with a single Blichmann boil kettle and a Blichmann floor burner. At first, I was doing extract brews. After about a year of that, I moved up to all-grain and invested in a couple 15.5 Sanke kegs and converted them to a mash tun and a hot liquor tank. The brew stand originally was a stainless-steel shelving system. My, how far I've come!
What's your current brew system configuration?
I have an all-grain HERMS setup with all three kettles resting on an all-stainless steel brew stand. My brew stand is a horizontal, single-tier design that has three propane burners and holds a hot liquor tank (HLT), mash tun (MT), and boil kettle (BK), which you can see pictured below. Everything is stainless-steel.
My mechanical engineer brew buddy and I engineered the design using a 3-D CAD program, and you can see a mockup of that design below. My brew buddy works for a company that specializes in stainless-steel carts for the medical industry. We used his employer's shop and laborers to do the following:
• Each part was laser-cut by a computerized system based on the 3-D design. • Parts that require bending were done by a mechanical press to ensure clean lines/bends. • The brew stand was welded by professional stainless-steel welders. • Metal was acquired at “scrap” costs or at direct bulk costs from my brew buddy's employer ($0.13 per pound).
There is currently one chugger pump mounted to the base plate of the brew stand, and another pump will be added soon. The pumps are protected by a stainless-steel drip shields with ample room for the pump to "breathe." The pumps can be mounted in a manner that allows the pump head to be mounted horizontally or vertically.
The brew stand has a control box mounting bar that is attached to a flat-panel TV mount. This allows the control box to articulate in a multitude of positions. The control box itself has switches for the pumps and the HLT electric heating element and will also hold the PID (Johnson temperature controller for the electric heating element). All the wiring from the pumps passes under the brew stand and up inside the control box mount bar. The brew stand also has a pot filler faucet attached to a filtered water line, which you can see pictured between the two kettles on the left in the brew stand photo above. The faucet only needs to fill the HLT and MT kettles.
High grade, fully articulating locking casters are used all the way around, and they brake and lock in place. Stainless-steel wind guards hold and protect the LPG burners. These also help direct the heat where it needs to go. Each burner is electronically ignited by piezo igniters, which are connected to a battery-operated spark igniter module. The spark module is mounted on the front of the brew stand. Typical black pipe, valves, and bendy hose are used to deploy LP gas to the burners.
On the base of the brew stand, there is a mounted stainless-steel convoluted cross flow chiller. On the upper portion of the brew stand, there are removable stainless-steel plates under each section where the kettles rest. This helps direct the heat to the bottom of the kettle and not wash (heat wash) up to the PID thermometer, valves, and thermometers. The spaces between where the kettles go also has removable plates so they can be easily removed and cleaned.
I needed to mount my grain mill somewhere, and considered several options that I’d seen on various blogs, forums, and brewing magazines, but what I ended up with was something unique. My solution was a multi-use brew counter, which is pictured below. It features a sink with running water, a grain mill with shop-vac to reduce grain dust, and drawers and cabinets to store brewing supplies. It’s all topped off with a stainless-steel counter that was custom made from a local manufacturer.
I bought some used storage cabinets of Craigslist and connected them with plywood. For aesthetics, I attached cedar fence boards around the sides and back. I cut a hole on the top and mounted my grain mill underneath, which allows me to pour my grain into the mill, and the cracked grain is captured in a bucket below. To operate the mill, I attached a drill with a variable speed control device. I connected the electronics to a bank of switches for ease of use.
The counter features a sink with running, filtered water that drains into an old mop bucket, which I dump periodically when it becomes full. The drawers and cabinets allow me to store my tools and miscellaneous supplies, and the counter is mounted on casters for mobility.
What do you plan on adding next?
One more chugger pump needs to be added. I may change out the convoluted counterflow chiller for a traditional plate chiller.
Do you have a dream system?
My dream system is a full-on commercial brewery!
What's one item you can't brew without (besides beer)?
A supportive wife.