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Building Grist Case Out of Wood

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  • Building Grist Case Out of Wood

    Can anyone think of a reason why a grist case cannot be made out of wood? We only need a small one, and I can build one pretty easily for a fraction of the cost with the nicest wood. So why not? Does it matter if the case would hold uncrushed or crushed grains?

  • #2
    I would not go the wood route. Your grist case is probably going to be suspended above your MT and so its going to get exposed to a lot of steam and being in the brewhouse it will probably get water on it, which would lead to warping and mold growth. Being in a hot humid climate like North Carolina would also turn that thing into the perfect breeding ground for wild yeasts and acetobacters. Most health departments would probably frown on using a porous material like wood in the constuction of your brewhouse. Go with stainless or platsic.
    Todd Crowell
    Head Brewer
    Kettlehouse Brewing
    Missoula, MT

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    • #3
      I agree, too many potential issues with wood. We have a plastic grist case, the 1.5 ton Polydome http://www.polydome.com/bulk_bins.html We had a hatch cut into the cover, with hingers and a metal rim on the hatch door added (very simple and cheap to do). Pouring the grain in through the hatch (we buy pre crushed) I can easily get over 1000# of grain in the case. If you went in though the center I have no doubt you could get more than that in there.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by dinobrew View Post
        I would not go the wood route. Your grist case is probably going to be suspended above your MT and so its going to get exposed to a lot of steam and being in the brewhouse it will probably get water on it, which would lead to warping and mold growth. Being in a hot humid climate like North Carolina would also turn that thing into the perfect breeding ground for wild yeasts and acetobacters. Most health departments would probably frown on using a porous material like wood in the constuction of your brewhouse. Go with stainless or platsic.
        Good point, but I should have specified that our grist case setup will be a bit odd because of our layout. It will be placed on the floor about 15 feet way from kettle.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by wailingguitar View Post
          I agree, too many potential issues with wood. We have a plastic grist case, the 1.5 ton Polydome http://www.polydome.com/bulk_bins.html We had a hatch cut into the cover, with hingers and a metal rim on the hatch door added (very simple and cheap to do). Pouring the grain in through the hatch (we buy pre crushed) I can easily get over 1000# of grain in the case. If you went in though the center I have no doubt you could get more than that in there.
          Thank you for the polydome recommendation. That's a great price. It's a bit tall though. We want to place it on the floor, so I'm going to go back and see how we might work with something that tall. Thanks!

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          • #6
            Grist has a very high angle of repose, so the walls of the conical part must be very steep, hence a grist case is tall if you want to be able to get the grist out the bottom.

            I don't want anything made of wood anywhere near the brew house--that includes wooden studs in the walls. Short of a full marine-grade epoxy seal, there's no way to keep moisture out of the wood.
            Timm Turrentine

            Brewerywright,
            Terminal Gravity Brewing,
            Enterprise. Oregon.

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