Homebrewers Association | AHA Forum
General Category => Pimp My System => Topic started by: bluesman on January 25, 2010, 03:49:50 AM
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I have always wanted a brewstand ever since I read my first Zymurgy Magazine. The question at hand is "What kind of brewstand will work for me".
I want something practical with some automation and something that will stand the test of time. Something that will be able to take a licking and keep on brewing.
The answer for me was "The Brutus 10".
With the help of the superior welding and fabrication skills of Capozzoli. We started the "Brutus 10 Build".
This is a work in progress.
Here we are at The Capozzoli Metalworks Cafe.
The metal has arrived. We have (2x) 2"x2"x20' by .120" wall 304 Stainless Steel square tubing. Ready to cut!
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/286.jpg)
Welding the gas inlet valves.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/486.jpg)
Just in case you were wondering who was welding. It's the one and only, never lonely Mr. "Capozzoli"! 8)
This is an example of a sanitary weld around the gas inlet valve.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/484.jpg)
This is the gas arm ready to be tacked into the rear frame assembly.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/493.jpg)
I will continue to update this thread as progress is made.
Cheers! 8)
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Nice work and nice welding job.
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And here I thought Capozzoli just cooked food!
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Wow! No corners cut for this stand!
Pretty welding. Glad the inlet valves got sanitary welds . . wouldn't want the gas to get infected! :D
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You da man bluesman! This is looking GREAT! Please keep the pics coming my friend!!
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And here I thought Capozzoli just cooked food!
I brew beer too....sometimes. ::)
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You guys going NG or Propane?
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Initially I'll be using propane, but I want to make a switch to NG sometime.
I want thank Lonnie Mac for the plans to build this fine thing of beauty.
I especially want to thank Capp for helping me out with all of the welding. He's the man.
It will take some time to get it all together, but I hope to have it complete by the end of this year. That's fully automated and producing beer.
I'll be posting plenty of pics along the way. 8)
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Lookin' forward to it! :)
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It has barely been started and I already think it is a thing of beauty! I am hungry for more
pics as well.
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It has barely been started and I already think it is a thing of beauty! I am hungry for more
pics as well.
It is actually further along. I just need to download the photos and post them.
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Yeah, lets see more pics. You can never have to many pics of tig welding.
Lets see some pics of the parts cuttin guy too.
Im thinking about going to get some fresh killed chickens next brew stand work day Pho lunch. Convinced them to let me take pictures. Maybe we can include some pictures of that process in this thread too; although unrelated, pics of TIg welding and chicken killing have to go together well....right?
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pics of TIg welding and chicken killing have to go together well....right?
Only if you weld at least one chicken wing.
Maybe you can do a blowtorch lunch, braised chicken( ;D) and flan with the carmelized sugar on top.
S'mores if you're less ambitious.
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OK...more pics
Here I am cutting some of the crossmembers.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/492.jpg)
Capozoli welding some of the crossmembers as he talks about the fresh killed chickens down on Kensington Ave. :o
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/499.jpg)
It was hard getting shots of Capp welding because that TIG welder generates 11,000F. It can blind you.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/501.jpg)
Preparing to weld the front frame assembly.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/503.jpg)
After that we headed down to Thang Long Vietnamese Restaurant on Kensington Street in Philly where we ordered Pho for lunch. It was close enough to the shop that we walked. Excellent food! 8)
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Fellas, this looks like too much fun! And it certainly brings back GREAT memories my friends!!! I hope it gives you many many great brew days!
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Barrels of fun indeed! 8)
...and barrels of beer to brew too. :D
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Speaking of....
You buying nice shiny Blingman pots - or finding some kegs somewhere ?
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It depends on what kind of deals are available. Blichmann kettles are pricey, but they sure are fine looking kettles. I have one keggle, so I may get the Capster to help me out on converting some kegs.
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A 15 gallon Boilermaker will only hit you $368.99 - $20 discount + $7.99 shipping. So for a little over a grand.... :o
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work day Pho lunch.
I saw that and suddenly craved some Pad Thai....now I am hungry.
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Lonnie, yeah this thing is fun to put together. Real easy with the instructions. Great engineering too especially in regards to the gas arm, making it possible to suspend the burners and reduce the heat transfer to the frame. Brilliant.
I wonder how we could get some photos of the TIG welding process at the weld pool.That is a major light ball. I know its possible. I guess you would have to be able to adjust the camera to take in less light? Or maybe physically take the photos through the filter lense of a welding shield?
Welding shop creme brule would be awesome. Maybe one of these days.
They told me over at the chicken joint that Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is coming up, falls on Valentines day in fact. Their tradition is to cook a fresh killed chicken for New Years dinner. Sorry for the cross thread contamination.
They are gonna give me the recipe for the dish. 8)
We working on the brew stand sat. bluesman? I think we have to grind down some of the twelve inchers to fit them in. Because we didnt completely follow the instruction there has been enough weld distortion to make them to tight. The frame is all pretty damn square and all, just a little arch in the horizontal members on the top.
Could be all welded up this weekend. Any luck with the punched plates for the casters?
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We working on the brew stand sat. bluesman? I think we have to grind down some of the twelve inchers to fit them in. Because we didnt completely follow the instruction there has been enough weld distortion to make them to tight. The frame is all pretty damn square and all, just a little arch in the horizontal members on the top.
Could be all welded up this weekend. Any luck with the punched plates for the casters?
Absolutely!
No problem. I'm ready when you are. 8)
Where we headin' for lunch this time Chef Capp?
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Hmmm? Well the Vietnamese place is always a good choice. There is also a great Mexican joint not to far. Also a famous landmark Puerto Rican restaurant not to far either.
Hey, did you know that Krakus market is a Polish Restaurant too? So many choices.
I dont know though, you and I spend more time at lunch then we do at work. ::)
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I dont know though, you and I spend more time at lunch then we do at work. ::)
sounds like place where I would like to work :)
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We worked on the brewstand last weekend and Capp got alot of the welding done.
Here's what it looked like before we started.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/007.jpg)
Capp welding the top support posts.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/030.jpg)
More cross supports welded in.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/041.jpg)
Everything is tacked in and ready for finish welding.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/044.jpg)
She's a beauty!
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/043.jpg)
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SUH WEEET!!
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Guess we are not working on it this weekend either?
Man I cant wait for this s***e to melt. Sucks!
Suppose I could of PM,ed but this thread was about to fall off the first page. :)
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I just saw this now. Nice work!
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Nice job, can't wait to see the finished pics and a shot or two during a session. :) ;)
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Guess we are not working on it this weekend either?
Man I cant wait for this s***e to melt. Sucks!
Suppose I could of PM,ed but this thread was about to fall off the first page. :)
Hopefully next weekend eh?
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The versatility of the Brutus 10 is shown here.
I have adapted the Brutus stand to accomodate a riser for the mash tun. As you can see I'm using the stand for batch sparging. I plan to use the Brutus stand with this configuration while I collect all of the other parts needed to fully automate it the way it was originally designed to do.
Thanks a million to the great Capozzoli for all of his help with the welding and also for all of the great cooking tips as well. As you can see he did a tremendous job. He clearly can weld as well as he can cook....and as we all know Capp can cook. Thank you my freind.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/e0676da2.jpg)
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/6d258c0a.jpg)
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Look at that neat shop in the background. All of the tools hanging orderly like.
It looks like a girls shop. :P
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I'm planning on a similar stand, having the MT raised so it will drain with gravity into the BK. I just like the idea of not having unnecessary particles flowing through my one and only pump. The only concern I have with doing it is not getting the top of the MT too high. What is the height of yours from the floor to the top Bluesman?
Oh... mine won't be as pretty looking though... I bought a mig welder a few years ago and I'm going to try my hand at it this spring or summer. ::) :o :D
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Look at that neat shop in the background. All of the tools hanging orderly like.
It looks like a girls shop. :P
HA! It's nice to be able to find stuff when you need it.
I need to post some better pics. This last post was pics taken from my iPhone. I have some better shots using my camera.
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I'm planning on a similar stand, having the MT raised so it will drain with gravity into the BK. I just like the idea of not having unnecessary particles flowing through my one and only pump. The only concern I have with doing it is not getting the top of the MT too high. What is the height of yours from the floor to the top Bluesman?
Oh... mine won't be as pretty looking though... I bought a mig welder a few years ago and I'm going to try my hand at it this spring or summer. ::) :o :D
It's 79.5" from the floor to the top of the mash tun. As you can see I don't have a cat walk :D but I am going to use the ladder to access the mash for adding grain and stirring.
I can't wait to christen this bad boy!
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Cap, now that you know Ron, well you can kinda tell he's all about quality (by the numbers). I work with him, very little is left to chance. ;)
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Cap, now that you know Ron, well you can kinda tell he's all about quality (by the numbers). I work with him, very little is left to chance. ;)
Oh he knows, but he has a high tolerance for beer geeks as he is a food geek. I think overall this thing worked out extremely well so far. I had alot of faith in Capp and as you can see he did an excellent job.
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Oh, quality people are the only kind of people I like to work with.
I hate when people say "its good enough".
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Oh, quality people are the only kind of people I like to work with.
I hate when people say "its good enough".
Yes. We didn't say "its good enough" too many times although I could have a few times. Quality is as quality does and this is an awesome assembly my friend. I am loving this!
Hope to brew with it next weekend. Break it in with a RIS. That seems appropriate...right? 8)
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Here are some more pics for your viewing pleasure. ;D
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/006.jpg)
This is prime example of what a typical TIG bead weld appears like on the Brutus stand.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/021.jpg)
Some really smooth welds.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/041-1.jpg)
All Stainless Steel Framing.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/039.jpg)
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So, I guess I am not considered a beer geek cause I am still a lowly stove top extract brewer. :-[
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Oh, quality people are the only kind of people I like to work with.
I hate when people say "its good enough".
Do I detect a supporter of controlled chaos? Thats how I roll... ;D :D
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I am a supporter of controlled chaos.
I just hate the saying "dont sweat the details". Its a bad idea. Better to sweat the details cause they are what will make any project come together well. The details are what really matter. If you focus on the details the big picture will always come out better. Plus if you focus on the details the project becomes broken down into steps instead of one big monster.
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As a raging Virgo, I fully support this line of thinking! :)
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Finally!
The Brutus 10 build (Smokestack Lightning Brewing) is complete and I am ready to start brewing beer. Hot Dawg! 8)
First off, I want to thank Lonnie Mac for inspiring me to build this fine piece of brewing equipment. Thanks for sending me the plans Lonnie.
I want to also thank Capozolli for his professional welding skills as he did a real kick ass job on this beauty. I couldn't have done it without him. Thanks Cap! Now we're going to build a UDS. ;D
I also want to personally thank my freind Jeff Bird for all of the machining that went into the brewstand. He is a first class machinist and a real beer lover at heart.
The plumbing and electrical as well as all of the assembly was done by me. It's been tested and is ready to rock.
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/P1010658.jpg)
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/P1010656.jpg)
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/P1010655.jpg)
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/repricej/P1010658.jpg)
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ron it's a beaut! have fun with it
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Looking good Ron.
Now kick some a$$ with that Bo Pilsner!!!
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Very impressive and inspiring! I really like the way you were able to put it to use for transitional batches as well. Great job! Cheers!
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Finally!
The Brutus 10 build (Smokestack Lightning Brewing) is complete and I am ready to start brewing beer. Hot Dawg! 8)
A thing of beauty Ron. But can you brew on it? ;) ;D
Can't wait to hear about the first batches . . .
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ron it's a beaut! have fun with it
Thanks man! :)
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Looking good Ron.
Now kick some a$$ with that Bo Pilsner!!!
That's the plan Thirsty. 8)
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Very impressive and inspiring! I really like the way you were able to put it to use for transitional batches as well. Great job! Cheers!
Thanks alot! :)
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Finally!
The Brutus 10 build (Smokestack Lightning Brewing) is complete and I am ready to start brewing beer. Hot Dawg! 8)
A thing of beauty Ron. But can you brew on it? ;) ;D
Can't wait to hear about the first batches . . .
I've been using as a hybrid system with the pumps and chiller only using a cooler mash tun as shown in the previous posts. I have now tweeked the burners, solenoid valves, Love switches, etc... to work together.
I'll be brewing a BPA the weekend after we get back from NHC. ;)
Can't wait! :)
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It's a beautiful thing!
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Just wow...
(http://e.deviantart.net/emoticons/j/jawdrop.gif)
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It's a beautiful thing!
Just wow...
(http://e.deviantart.net/emoticons/j/jawdrop.gif)
Thank you gents! 8)
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Very nice Ron and Cap.
The details is where it's at and distinguishes the master from the neophyte.
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Very nice Ron and Cap.
The details is where it's at and distinguishes the master from the neophyte.
Thanks Euge. :)
Capozzoli did some really great welding on the stand. I was super impressed. He's a real pro....no doubt. He'll be happy I posted the brewstand as he's been asking me every month when I was going to post pics.
I think he also wants to use the photos for entry in the Miller Welding competition.
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Outstanding, Ron! That is one Howlin' setup. Definitely worthy of a brewery name like Smokestack Lightning ;)
Seriously, that is one of the cleanest builds I've seen. Caps off to Hats...er, reverse that! ;D
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That is a serious work of art you guys have created, my hats off to you both.
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Outstanding, Ron! That is one Howlin' setup. Definitely worthy of a brewery name like Smokestack Lightning ;)
Seriously, that is one of the cleanest builds I've seen. Caps off to Hats...er, reverse that! ;D
Thanks Matt!
I'll have to make an Amber Ale and call it Little Red Rooster. What do you think? 8)
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That is a serious work of art you guys have created, my hats off to you both.
Thanks man! :-[
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You guys really did an outstanding job on the build. I'd almost (almost being the key word) be afraid to brew on it for fear of making it dirty. Very nice craftsmanship.
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Looks awesome Ron, Looks like you got the electrical part together well, too (no smoke, all the lights lit) ;) I'll have to stop over and check it out one of these days soon.
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Looks awesome Ron, Looks like you got the electrical part together well, too (no smoke, all the lights lit) ;) I'll have to stop over and check it out one of these days soon.
Jim...thanks for your help on the electrical. I needed that.
It all worked out just fine with a little help from my volt meter. :)
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You guys really did an outstanding job on the build. I'd almost (almost being the key word) be afraid to brew on it for fear of making it dirty. Very nice craftsmanship.
Thanks Mark! 8)
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Wow Ron, that thing is some high tech stuff. Really beautiful.
To quote Jaybeerman: "I know pro brewers who dont have a set up as nice". ;D
I dont know if you want to put a UDS next to that thing. You may need an original Capozzoli stackable modular smoker/outdoor cooking set up.
Maybe the prototype will be done by the next time you come up. ;)
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Wow Ron, that thing is some high tech stuff. Really beautiful.
To quote Jaybeerman: "I know pro brewers who dont have a set up as nice". ;D
I dont know if you want to put a UDS next to that thing. You may need an original Capozzoli stackable modular smoker/outdoor cooking set up.
Maybe the prototype will be done by the next time you come up. ;)
I'd like to come up for the UDS..... Capozzoli style. :)
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Haha it would be hilarious (and rewarding) to see a Brutus/UDS hybrid build that brews beer and does BBQ all at the same time! ;D
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Haha it would be hilarious (and rewarding) to see a Brutus/UDS hybrid build that brews beer and does BBQ all at the same time! ;D
Now that's a great concept! :)
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Haha it would be hilarious (and rewarding) to see a Brutus/UDS hybrid build that brews beer and does BBQ all at the same time! ;D
Now that's a great concept! :)
Something from Category 22 would be a piece of cake on that thing.
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Wow Ron, that thing is some high tech stuff. Really beautiful.
To quote Jaybeerman: "I know pro brewers who dont have a set up as nice". ;D
yeah, i'm jealous for sure, but i know ron will put it to good use.
can't wait to see the "Capozzoli stackable modular smoker/outdoor cooking set up"
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Haha it would be hilarious (and rewarding) to see a Brutus/UDS hybrid build that brews beer and does BBQ all at the same time! ;D
Now that's a great concept! :)
Something from Category 22 would be a piece of cake on that thing.
;D
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can't wait to see the "Capozzoli stackable modular smoker/outdoor cooking set up"
Me too. :)
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Its coming real soon. Its a pretty unique idea too, I think.
Ron if you really want only a UDS, lets look for a Stainless steel drum Man they are slick looking. It will better match the brewstand. ;D
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Its coming real soon. Its a pretty unique idea too, I think.
Ron if you really want only a UDS, lets look for a Stainless steel drum Man they are slick looking. It will better match the brewstand. ;D
Well you know me...I'm all about the Stainless steel. :)
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Try and find a used SS drum. New they can be pretty expensive.
I love this companies stuff! Good for so many applications.
http://www.drumsofsteel.com/main_page.html
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You need a bigger propane bottle......