Building the Gluten-Free Brewery (at Home) May 06 2020, 2 Comments
My first homebrew rig was just that - a rig. I build supports out of angle iron, had three different burners on it, an attached pump, and it was capable of producing 15 gallons of beer per batch. My efficiency was consistently in the 80s, brew day was fast, cleanup was easy, it was pretty sweet.
However, it was way more brewery than I need right now. 5 gallon batches fits how I want to brew / drink moving forward much better.
But how to get started? What to include? It was a bit of a daunting task, since there are so many different options out there. But an exciting task as well.
Upon thinking about it, what I wanted was to build a quality setup, but I also wanted to build more of an "every person" home brewery. I wanted to make a system that would, in some ways, mimic what customers coming into the Shop would have at home, rather than a small-scale professional brewery.
So, here's what I went with:
- Mash tun - 10 gallon cooler with false bottom and weldless spigot (https://wineandhop.com/products/cooler-10-gal-mash-tun?_pos=1&_sid=1c54a7446&_ss=r)
- Boil kettle - 8 gallon heavy duty kettle with spigot and port for thermometer (https://wineandhop.com/products/heavy-duty-8-gallon-kettle-w-ball-valve-and-extra-port-1?_pos=6&_sid=0b3654b4d&_ss=r)
- Hot liquor tank - 8 gallon economy kettle with 2 ports, 1 for a spigot, 1 for thermometer (https://wineandhop.com/products/8-gallon-stainless-steel-kettle-w-2-ports-brewers-best?_pos=5&_sid=0b3654b4d&_ss=r)
- Immersion wort chiller - Standard copper immersion chiller (https://wineandhop.com/products/immersion-chillers-single?_pos=1&_sid=b127afe1b&_ss=r)
- Pump - Economy pump (https://wineandhop.com/collections/kettles-and-accessories/products/mkii-high-temperature-magnetic-pump-keg-king)
- Stainless steel quick connects - Connected to each spigot and tubing that attaches to pump (https://wineandhop.com/collections/kettles-and-accessories/quick-disconnects)
- Burner - Economy jet burner (https://wineandhop.com/products/element-floor-burner-brewers-best?_pos=4&_sid=8e5b84016&_ss=r)
- Glass carboys - Standard glass carboys, already had plenty on-hand :) (https://wineandhop.com/products/6-5-gallon-glass-carboy?_pos=3&_sid=bedc55f89&_ss=r)
I'm sure I'll change up the system as I go along, but this definitely got me excited to get brewing. First batch, an IPA! Until then, happy (gluten-free) homebrewing!
Comments
Ben on May 21 2020 at 01:07PM
Hey Bill, I’ve included an overview picture in the body of the page. On my next brew day I can take more detailed pictures. Thanks!
Bill on May 21 2020 at 01:04PM
Do you have a picture of the set up with the HLT and the pump? I am working on upgrading my system to utilize a pump and HLT but dont have anything in mind yet.
Just looking for ideas.