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Author Topic: Counter top brewery.  (Read 7973 times)

Offline kgs

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #30 on: December 25, 2010, 05:46:48 am »
I started mashing 2 years ago in a two-gallon cooler with a SS braid. When I moved up to 5 gallons, I just unbolted the parts and moved it over to the new cooler; I could easily use the smaller cooler again if I felt like it. Parts list here, with illustrations. The only sketchy part is I still need fender washers to prevent a slight wobble. Ok, the second sketchy part is the coolers aren't blue. Life ain't perfect!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/sets/72157615665837325/
K.G. Schneider
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Offline euge

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #31 on: December 25, 2010, 11:13:43 am »
I have a similar igloo 2 gallon cooler. Bought it last weekend. Drilled the plastic tap out with a 1/2" bit and then slid a section of 1/2" OD vinyl tubing through the tap. It leaked a little but some teflon tape took care of that. Might use a dab of silicon to finish it off but meh. Not something to worry me overmuch.

Looking forward to brewing some small experimental batches.

Merry xmas!
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline Kit B

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #32 on: December 28, 2010, 03:14:07 pm »
I started mashing 2 years ago in a two-gallon cooler with a SS braid. When I moved up to 5 gallons, I just unbolted the parts and moved it over to the new cooler; I could easily use the smaller cooler again if I felt like it. Parts list here, with illustrations. The only sketchy part is I still need fender washers to prevent a slight wobble. Ok, the second sketchy part is the coolers aren't blue. Life ain't perfect!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/sets/72157615665837325/

...Looks like my mash tun's Mini Me.


Offline kgs

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #33 on: December 30, 2010, 08:39:05 am »
I started mashing 2 years ago in a two-gallon cooler with a SS braid. When I moved up to 5 gallons, I just unbolted the parts and moved it over to the new cooler; I could easily use the smaller cooler again if I felt like it. Parts list here, with illustrations. The only sketchy part is I still need fender washers to prevent a slight wobble. Ok, the second sketchy part is the coolers aren't blue. Life ain't perfect!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/sets/72157615665837325/

...Looks like my mash tun's Mini Me.


It does! My setup, which I actually use mostly for 3-gallon batches, has almost all those parts at this point, just to fit smaller brews, deck brewing, and a 6-foot bookcase in a city apartment (though the banjo burner fits under my printer table). Sort of like "The Borrowers Homebrew," if you remember that children's series.
K.G. Schneider
AHA Member

Offline beersk

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #34 on: December 30, 2010, 09:06:16 am »
I started mashing 2 years ago in a two-gallon cooler with a SS braid. When I moved up to 5 gallons, I just unbolted the parts and moved it over to the new cooler; I could easily use the smaller cooler again if I felt like it. Parts list here, with illustrations. The only sketchy part is I still need fender washers to prevent a slight wobble. Ok, the second sketchy part is the coolers aren't blue. Life ain't perfect!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgs/sets/72157615665837325/

...Looks like my mash tun's Mini Me.


It does! My setup, which I actually use mostly for 3-gallon batches, has almost all those parts at this point, just to fit smaller brews, deck brewing, and a 6-foot bookcase in a city apartment (though the banjo burner fits under my printer table). Sort of like "The Borrowers Homebrew," if you remember that children's series.
Awesome dude!  That looks like a cool setup for small batches!  I used to do 3 gallon batches, thinking about going back to them, for kicks.  I started off with a 3 gallon cooler with a ball valve setup, then got a 5 gallon cooler and moved the ball valve over.  I boiled in a 5 gallon kettle on a gas stove.  I pushed the envelope sometimes getting 4 1/2 gallons in the kettle and managing not to boil over...it was precarious.  But it worked!  And I made some of the best beer of my brewing career with that little setup.  Bottle it up and get about 30 bottles of beer, pretty neat really.  If I move and have to live in an apartment, I will likely go back to doing this.
Jesse

Offline hike20

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #35 on: December 30, 2010, 12:47:29 pm »
I use a 5 gallon igloo cooler with a bazooka screen and ball valve. I do 2.5 gallon batches, so the extra space in the tun allows me to do all-grain, even for high gravity beers. I'm also experimenting with no-sparge methods.

I did a few partial mash batches using the BIB method, and quickly found it very tedious and messy. Getting the cooler setup was just about the best money I've spent on equipment.

Offline weithman5

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #36 on: December 30, 2010, 01:32:57 pm »
the issue to me isn't the brewing.  it is getting a smaller fermentation chamber, and most importantly kegging.  i have found a 2.5 gallon hdpe carboy that may work, for 12 bucks but also interested in those 6 liter pet bottles from tap a draft. anyone use these
Don AHA member

Offline gmac

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #37 on: December 30, 2010, 04:37:55 pm »
Does a smaller vessel brew faster or does it take just as long to reach complete fermentation?  I've got a 1 gallon and a 5 gallon going and the 1 started slower (it was my starter jug) and seemed to finish quicker but I haven't taken a final gravity yet.  If it does, I may go to more little fermenters.  Just can't be patient.

Offline weithman5

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #38 on: December 30, 2010, 05:48:20 pm »
my guess is that if you assume the same gravity at onset then it would likely depend on starter size.  1 million cells would polish off 1 gallon before it could polish off 5 gallons.  5 million cells would probably get the job done as fast.  roughly, i am sure that you have to take in to account thermal loss changes in the volume to surface area as well as oxygen, nutrients etc. and how these play in to the sugar consumption
Don AHA member

Offline Malticulous

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #39 on: December 31, 2010, 08:34:38 am »
I just did 9L batch on the stove top.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/super-simple-mr-beer-all-grain-212639/
It's so easy I don't know why anyone would want to complicate it.

Offline kgs

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Re: Counter top brewery.
« Reply #40 on: January 01, 2011, 08:04:55 am »
the issue to me isn't the brewing.  it is getting a smaller fermentation chamber, and most importantly kegging.  i have found a 2.5 gallon hdpe carboy that may work, for 12 bucks but also interested in those 6 liter pet bottles from tap a draft. anyone use these

Better Bottle sells 3-gallon carboys. I have two of them. I actually wish they were more like 3.5 gallons; they're a tight fit for a half-batch. But for up to about 2.25 gallons of wort they are pretty good, and they're skinny so they fit in a lot of places. That said, I generally ferment in my 5-gallon BB carboy.
K.G. Schneider
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