Brew-stuff quality

[thornbrewer]

Does anyone have any experience with these systems or fermenters?

[YSBrewer]

I'm also looking into buying from them. Look forward to what others have to say.

[wailingguitar]

Ditto... the pic of their 15bbl brewhouse looks nice... the 7-15bbl brewhouse prices are AMAZING

[apoxbrew]

link?

tenchar

[ChesterBrew]

link?

tenchar

http://www.brew-stuff.com/

[HawRiverAles]

Ditto x 2

Add me to the list of folks who would love to hear more about this supplier. Anyone?

[YSBrewer]

I've emailed Don a few times and he's always gotten back to me. I'm still considering his 3.5 barrel setup but can't pull the trigger yet as we're waiting for a move in date at our location.

[kbills]

I have the 3 1/2 bbl system. Am just assembling now though, haven't gotten to brew on it yet. Waiting for gas company to hook up my propane, and trying to figure out how to wire the pumps up in a safe way. Had to send the pumps back that came with the system as they were aquarium pumps that can only handle 170 degrees.

[gnarlybarley]

Kbills, thanks for posting. Any other problems so far. Bham Brewer, he told me the pic of the 15bbl is actually the 10bbl system. He has not built a 15bbl yet. Looks nice though.

[kbills]

I finally got a couple brew sessions in on this. Both sessions went rather flawless. My efficiency on the first batch was pretty low (77%) but I think I sparged too fast, just need to dial in a good rate on that. Beyond that, the burners heated the water up at about 1 degree C per minute. Got a good whirlpool going on the second batch which really separated out the trub.

Now I need to upgrade my mill.... four hours to crush 220 pounds ...

[ChesterBrew]

I finally got a couple brew sessions in on this. Both sessions went rather flawless. My efficiency on the first batch was pretty low (77%) but I think I sparged too fast, just need to dial in a good rate on that. Beyond that, the burners heated the water up at about 1 degree C per minute. Got a good whirlpool going on the second batch which really separated out the trub.

Thanks for your follow-up post -- I was going to send you a PM today to see how it was working for you.

I sent them an email yesterday to them w/ some questions and am still waiting to hear back.

[Levante]

I finally got a couple brew sessions in on this. Both sessions went rather flawless. My efficiency on the first batch was pretty low (77%) but I think I sparged too fast, just need to dial in a good rate on that. Beyond that, the burners heated the water up at about 1 degree C per minute. Got a good whirlpool going on the second batch which really separated out the trub.

Now I need to upgrade my mill.... four hours to crush 220 pounds ...

Kbills (or anyone else who owns this 3.5bbl system):

Do both the mash tun and boil kettle have a false bottom? Did he refund you a little money for the pumps and explain the mistake? Also, are these burners propane only, or could they handle natural gas?

Could you do me a huge favor and post a few pictures of the system (inside and out). I'm interested in purchasing, but the price does seem too good to be true. Even one with somebody standing in front of it for perspective on the size would be great. Feel free to PM them to me if you don't want to post them in this thread.

Thanks!

[kbills]

the mash tun has a false bottom, the boil kettle does not. I attached a pic that shows the false bottom. I was a bit worried that I would end up with too much grain coming through the false bottom and getting stuck hoses on my circulation and pump. But with a little vorlof before starting the circulation, I have not had one issue with the mash.

the boil kettle has a port on the side for whirlpooling, so you don't need a false bottom. At the end of the boil, I get a whirlpool going with the paddle, then use the pump to keep it going for a little while. everything settles in to a nice cone in the middle. The four recipes I have brewed so far were pretty light on the hops, but am doing my black IPA this weekend, so that should end up being a pretty big cone.

I have a pic of the system in use, with the pumps I substituted installed. I would say it is about 10 wide, maybe 3 ft deep.

Re: the pumps, he said he has used those pumps for years with no problem, but the manufacturer told me they are only rated for 170 degrees. They are food grade plastic, but can't handle the temps. He is supposed to be sending me a partial refund for the pumps.

I don't know about running on natural gas.

the price is right for what you get - a pretty basic setup. No automation, no temp maintaining, etc. So more attention is needed on your part versus the more expensive systems. ie, I am monitoring the mash temp almost constantly, and trying to get used to metric temps as that is what the thermometers are in.

[Levante]

thanks very much for the reply, it helps with the decision quite a bit.

It is a basic setup, but it seems to me this is the best way to get started quickly and on a tight budget. The only other comparable system is the psychobrew setup, but the simultaneous double brew method on it seems like more work and more chance for variation in batches.

I hate the idea of dropping over 20 grand on an automated 3bbl system, when if things go as planned, we would want to upgrade almost immediately. Going bigger just isn't an option for us at the moment.

I'm assuming you batch sparge rather than trying to rig up some sort of fly sparge on this?

[kbills]

I looked at the psycho brew systems also, but they use Stout kettles, which take longer to get. In the end, our building build out took much longer and we could have gone with a psycho brew or Stout set up to begin with.

I do fly sparge. In the pic of the false bottom, you see a copper circle. This came with the system. I suspend this on top of the mash, and slowly pump from the HLT to this, while the other pump draws from the bottom of the mast and transfers to the boil. The trick is getting it suspended just right. I use picture hanging wire to do that. It's real fancy.