Living in the Phoenix area prompted me to design a brewery that I could use indoors during the summer heat. That meant that it had to be electric, small, portable, and able to run off 120V. The largest 120V heating element is 2000 W, which meant that I could boil no more than 5 gallons max - no problem since I like the process as brewing almost as much as the end product. Here's what I came up with - the Brewkart! I end up with 4 gallons into the fermenter, which is just fine by me. It's all stainless and copper, PID controlled, and fully portable for the occasional brewout. It's also a 2 vessel (Brutus 20 style - I still mange to get 70 - 72% effeciency) HERMS system that utilizes the coil for both mash temperature control as well as chilling. All I need to do is clean out the mash tun during the boil, and fill it with ice water that gets pumped through the coil to chill. Along with a constant recirculation of the wort, I can chill 4 gallons to pitching temp very quickly. Also, no hoses need to be moved while brewing (limits the possibility of indoor messes). Lastly, many props go out to the folks on homebrewtalk.com who inspired and helped me along the way!
SS bling:
Parts:
Coming together:
Building the panel:
Inside the kettle:
Done! (mostly):
Wet test:
At home in my office:
Brewday set-up (w/ exhaust fan):
First mash:
Topic: The Brewkart (Read 10636 times)
