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This isn't a new brew stand for me, just a reconfiguration. I had it as a single tier, with three vessels all at 4 feet or so, batch sparging with a single pump. Huge footprint and an absolute PITA messing with the pump so much, but it was mine and I made it work. Then I pulled my head out and mimmiced a B3-1550. First batch went soooo smoothly (really unusual with new equipment) and I hit my numbers to within 1 gravity point. It's awesome just pumping hot water and then gravity everything else. Also, I can set up a fly sparge any time I want (though I'm pretty happy with batch sparging) and I'm a copper coil, a johnson controller and a heat stick away from a HERMS system.

I know it's ugly, and there's lots better out there. But it's mine and I love it. And I'm drunk on a sunday and a bit sappy.



PS Just like the 1550, it's got a tippy dump system. I roll my yard waste bin next to the rig, tippy over the mash tun and dump it into the bin.

PPS If you look real hard, you can see the large burger flipper I use as a mashing fork hanging off the back of the top of the rig.

dude, that's great! It gives hope to poor jerks like me who can't afford stainless, and tippy dump systems, and sweet temp controllers. I might have to post my rig, it's far more ghetto than this one!

Again, good work

Baloo

Looking good, brotha!

Baloo: I have a leaking 5 gallon cooler for an HLT sitting on a table that feeds into my 7 gallon cooler MLT that sits on a folding chair, that feed into my kettle on the ground. You gheto like me?

BigNastyBrew wrote:Looking good, brotha!

Baloo: I have a leaking 5 gallon cooler for an HLT sitting on a table that feeds into my 7 gallon cooler MLT that sits on a folding chair, that feed into my kettle on the ground. You gheto like me?

Sounds about right! My HLT sits on the stove in the kitchen, I have a leaky 48qt MLT that sits on a table in the garage, and it feeds into my Keggle on the ground, that doesn't have a spigot on it, so I have to siphon my wort from kettle to carboy!


GHEEEETTTOOOO!!!

That's great! I have been stacking cinder blocks, putting books on a chair that's on a table, etc... I wouldnt' have thought that the shelving configuration would hold all the weight of the water.

I just bought some angled steel and some casters to make something pretty close to what you have, sans the pump. I hope it will help me out as much as your upgrade did for you.

brodie113 wrote:That's great! I have been stacking cinder blocks, putting books on a chair that's on a table, etc... I wouldnt' have thought that the shelving configuration would hold all the weight of the water.

I just bought some angled steel and some casters to make something pretty close to what you have, sans the pump. I hope it will help me out as much as your upgrade did for you.

Thanks! I love these wire bakers' racks. They're rated at something like 350 lbs per shelf. Just to be sure, I did a 'wet run' and filled all three vessels up to the top. 10 gallons in the cooler and kettle and 6 in the HLT. After draining, I even stood on the bottom shelf and also lifted myself up by the other two shelves...and at last check I clock in at an even two-fitty. No problems.

My long term plans include an electric element for the HLT so I can heat the sparge water in place. Then a controller with a probe in the Mash tun and an IC in the HLT to create a HERMS system. I figure that's a $150ish upgrade for a herms system.

Most importantly, being cheap means each upgrade has a high degree of WAF. (Wife approval factor)

YMMV, be safe, don't do what I do and don't sue me if you kill yourself doing what I did.