Hop Spider Build

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on February 10, 2012 at 10:29 pm {no comments}

I’ve tried various methods of adding hops to my boil kettle during the course of the last several years.  When I first started brewing, I was brewing extract beers.  With this process,  I used lots of  hop pellets. With the pellets came the hop bag. Some of the beers required two or three separate hops bags depending on the style and additions.

Soon after switching to all grain brewing I faced a new challenge. I really enjoy using leaf hops for brewing. I also enjoy letting them float in the boil unrestricted.  The problem comes when it is time to transfer the cooled wort into the fermentor.   I don’t want the hop debris making there way into the fermentor.  I found several solutions to work around this issue but I was still faced with lots of loose hops to clean out of my boil kettle at the end of the brew day.

I finally found the answer after reading one of my favorite home brew magazines. It is called the hop spider. For whatever reason(s) you have decided to try the hop spider, you will find this build very simple and inexpensive.  The hop spider allows you to make whatever additions you want to make at whatever time you want to make them. You can do all of this by using only one strainer bag. This is a very simple process. Once the boil is over and its time to remove the hops, You simply remove the hop spider and attached strainer bag. This is incredibly easy to use.

Parts List

- One 4 inch to 3 inch PVC reducing coupling
- One nylon paint staining bag or other hop bag
- Three  1/4″ All Thread” with 6 each 1/4″ x 20 nuts and 3 each 1/4″ wing nuts
- One stainless steel hose clamp that will fit the 3 inch end of the coupling
- Power drill with a 1/4″ drill bit

Start by drilling three 1/4″  evenly spaced holes into the top (4″ side) of the reducer coupling

Thread one of the 1/4″ nuts approximately 1/2″  onto the “all thread”. Repeat this for all three threads.

Place the all thread into the coupling as shown. Thread a 1/4″ x 20 nut onto the all thread on the inside of the coupling to hold the all thread securely in place. Complete this process for all three threads.

You should now have something that looks like the picture above.

Gently place the strainer bag over the outer edges of the coupling. Once in place, secure the strainer by using the stainless steel hose clamp.

The wing nuts are used to keep the hop spider in place. Simply thread the wing nuts onto the all thread until they line up with the edge of your kettle.

You should now have a completed hop spider. Enjoy!

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3 Tier Beer Brewing Stand Update #5

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on July 25, 2011 at 9:06 pm {4 comments}

My new beer brewing stand is getting so close I can almost taste the home brew.

All of the hard plumbing of the gas lines has been completed and tested. The gas valve and pilot light works as expected. After I tightened the pilot light compression fitting the brewing stand seems leak free!

I have completed the based for the top tier and secured it in place.

So… What’s left?  I need to complete the design for the easy dump top tier.  I am developing something a bit different than the tipsy dump. If all goes well, it will function a bit smoother.

I need to mount the pump and also intend on adding a longer propane “in” hose.

 

 

 

3 Tier Beer Brewing stand Update #4

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on July 11, 2011 at 10:40 pm {no comments}

The propane banjo burner and propane jet burner have been plumbed. The main vertical tube is assembled using 1/2″ steel black pipe.  The Banjo burner has a 1/4″ ball valve assembled in-line.

This system is designed for 10 (or less) psi propane to enter the main black pipe assembly. From there, the propane will flow to the Banjo Burner and the Jet Burner. The Jet Burner has a 1/2 psi regulator prior to propane entering the gas valve. (Since the gas valve functions at 1/2 psi) The gas valve is part of the automation system.

It’s getting really close to being completed.

 

 

 

Beer Brewing Temperature Control using Johnson Controls

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on July 9, 2011 at 10:08 pm {one comment}

A friend of mine wanted me to assemble a temperature control box for his gas valve. He chose the Johnson Control A419 to be the heart of his system. The controller has a digital display with adjustable differential. It can be used to heat or cool and features a wide setpoint temperature range (-30° F to 220° F) and differential adjustment (1° F to 3° F). The temperature sensor is a 1.94 inch thermistor on an 8 foot cable. The purpose of this build is to control the gas valve which fires the burner for the hot liquor tank.

The challenges I faced building this control box was different voltages. The A419 he purchased runs on 120 or 240 volts but the gas valve functions on 24 volts. This means that I needed to power the A419 with 120 volts and power the switched side with 24 volts.

This system was also designed for future additions. The goal was to make any future upgrades as easy to complete as possible. The plan for this box will be to add an additional controller, switches, and LED lights to the front of the panel. The lower portion of the control box will someday house two separate outlets which will run brewing pumps.

This control box consists of the box, a 24 volt transformer, a Johnson Controls A419 120/240 volt controller, two terminal blocks, and wire. Cost of materials is estimated at around $120.

 

3 Tier Brewing Stand Update #3

Filed under Brewing Hardware, General Beer Brewing by on July 3, 2011 at 3:51 pm {no comments}

One of the main components of my mash process is the Tri Clover RIMS tube which I purchased from Brewers Hardware. The RIMS tube contains an electric water heater element and temperature sensor.  Liquid wort will be circulated through the RIMS tube. The BCS 460 will turn the heating element on and off based on input from the temperature sensor.

I have now completed the mounting of the RIMS Tube on my new brewing stand. The RIMS tube is mounted vertically using two electrical pipe clamps. Removal of RIMS Tube for cleaning only requires turning two wing nuts.

The water heater element will be mounted at the bottom of the RIMS Tube.

I also completed the brackets for the Hot Liquor Tank gas valve. The burner and gas valve have their own individual brackets to support their weight. The gas valve is protected by a heat and liquid drip shield.

Stay tuned for the results of the gas line and component plumbing.

 

3 Tier Brew Stand Build Update #2

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on June 23, 2011 at 11:08 pm {no comments}

With summer here, I have not had as much time to work on this brewing stand as I would have like. One thing I realize is that all the custom made brackets are taking up serious time. Thank goodness most are now completed.

As of this update, I have added the pump mount to the stand. The mount includes tapped threads. I have also completed the mounting of the high pressure banjo burner.

The low pressure jet burner has been mounted.  On my old Brutus Ten clone, the jet burner didn’t have any support brackets. They were simply supported by the black gas pipe. On this build, I want to make sure every component is securely fastened.  I will provide more detailed images once the stand goes to paint. This burner will eventually be connected to a propane gas valve. The mounts for the gas valve have been designed but still need to be installed.

WIFi Wireless Options for Beer Brewing

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on May 24, 2011 at 10:19 pm {no comments}

How do I connect my BCS-460 wirelessly to the internet? This seems to be one of the more common questions asked about the BCS-460 beer brewing controller.  It can also be one of the more confusing this to do… Until now…

The Universal WIFI Internet Adapter from NETGEAR makes this a simple task. You can plug your BCS460 Ethernet cable directly into the Universal WIFI Internet Adapter and have your BCS460 connect to your home network, wirelessly.  The directions in the box for the Netgear Universal WIFI Internet Adapter were easy to follow and took minimal programming to connect to my home network. I completed mine in less than 5 minutes.

As of 10/2010, I found the NETGEAR Universal Wifi Adapter at Walmart for $59.99.  The package comes with two options for power. You can use the supplied USB Cable connector or the Standard 120v plugin. Velco and an ethernet cable are included.

This stand alone device takes much less room than a concerted router and looks a lot cleaner for installation purposes.

RIMS Tube for Brewing Beer

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on October 13, 2010 at 8:54 pm {2 comments}

My newly added RIMS Tube for brewing beer makes provides another notch in my “gadgetry” belt. In fact, I think I enjoy gadgets just as much as I like the results (beer).

A few months back, I purchased the RIMS Tube for brewing beer from brewershardware.com. I’ve finally had a chance to brew a few batches of beer using this RIMS Tube.

The first challenge was finding a way to mount the rims tube to my current brew stand. I wanted easy access to the RIMS tube but didn’t want it to be in my way. It also needed to be out of the way of my propane burners and pumps. So, I created a horizontal bracket and mounted it just above the pumps. (See Picture)

The second challenge I had was determining what I was going to do for a power source. My home is newer but does not have a 220 volt circuit wired in the garage. My garage circuits are all 15 amps. I decided to use a 120v water heater element with the brewing Rims Tube.  This also forced me to purchase a heavier gauge extension cord. During my first test with water, I discovered that a 16 gauge cord didn’t handle the current very well. The extension cord was warm to the touch. I changed this out a 12 gauge cord and eliminated the issue.

Lastly, I had to create the BCS-460 connections. The connections were for the temperature probe and relay for the heater element. I purchased an additional relay and heatsink. Since I had already wired several other relays and probes to the system this was an easy process. I created a separate outlet box specifically for plugging in the water heater element (brewing RIMS Tube). It’s as simple as it gets.

The old – Prior to the RIMS Tube used for brewing, I recirculated during the entire mash process. My temperature probe was installed in the area nearest the “mash return” to the kettle. Temperature was regulated by means of a burner which received propane from a  Honeywell  brand gas valve.  My mash kettle has a false bottom and I don’t worry about scorching the grain. With this process, I am/was able to control the temperature of the mash +- 1 degree.

The new – Wort is drained from the mash tun under the false bottom into the pump. The pump pushes the wort into the RIMS Tube and past the temperature probe and heating element. Wort is passed back into the mash tun nearest the top of the kettle where it passes by another temperature probe.

After brewing several batches of beer using the RIMS Tube, I feel like I still need to tweak “something”. I am not sure exactly what “something”  is but the temperature stability is not as consistent as it was on my propane system. During my last batch of beer, I was wanting to maintain a temperature of 154 degrees during mash.  The BCS460 was set for +- 2 degrees of this setting but I saw swings as high as 158 degrees and as low as 150 degrees. It also took a bit longer to “Ramp” the temperature to 168 degrees for mash out. Perhaps this is being caused by my using a 120 volt water heater element instead of making this a 220 volt system. I will continue to work out my issues for precision temperature control.

Cleaning of the RIMS Tube after brewing beer is simple. I use a carboy brush on the main tube and a line cleaning brush on the ports. It is easy to rinse and disassemble. The water heater element usually is coated with proteins and such. A simple scrub or soak on the element and all seems to be well.

Overall, I am enjoying the RIMS Tube for brewing beer and will continue to tweak my system settings until it gives me the precision that I am after.

Home Brewers RIMS Tube

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on July 30, 2010 at 7:52 pm {2 comments}

Today I received my RIMS Tube from Derrin over at Brewers Hardware. The item was shipped via USPS priority mail. Needless to say, I opened the package and was excited about all the sparkle from the stainless steel.  The items inside the package matched exactly what was described on Derrin’s website.

For those who may not know what a RIMS Tube is…. R.I.M.S. stands for Recirculating Infusion Mash System. Simply put, during the mash process,  the wort is recirculated through the RIMS Tube to maintain the temperature of the wort. Inside the RIMS Tube is a hot water heater element. The heater element is usually controlled (on and off) by some sort of PID and temperature probe which would be installed in the RIMS Tube.

The RIMS Tube from  brewershardware.com includes the following:

  • 1 – 1.5″ Tri Clover 2-piece RIMS Tube
  • 4 – Silicone Gaskets
  • 1 – PTFE Center Gasket
  • 5 – Tri Clover Clamps
  • 1 – 3″ Tri Clover Thermowell is standard, other fittings or built sensors are optional.
  • 1 – 1.5″ Tri Clover X 1″ NPS adapter

A water heater element and temperature controller are required but not included. Your system will also require a pump.

This well designed RIMS Tube is 16 inches in overall length and is designed as two pieces.  The two piece design allows you to rotate the inlet and outlet tubes into a most favorable position.

I am looking forward to using the RIMS Tube for the first time. Check back soon for updates!

[singlepic id=17 w=320 h=240 float=]

Jet Burner versus Banjo Burner

Filed under Brewing Hardware by on February 6, 2010 at 7:57 pm {one comment}

Like most brewers, I am interested on always finding a better way to do things. I own a Banjo burner along with several jet burners and have been tossing around my opinion of what really is a better burner. I have yet come to any conclussion. I have, however, reached an opinion on where the High Pressure Banjo burner might work better.

This test was done with the interest of boil in mind. I wanted to know how quick I could reach a boil after mash out.  I ran the test using a low pressure jet burner at .5 psi and a high pressure Banjo burner at 10 psi. Both propane burners were ran fully open and had their own propane source.

Two very similar stainless converted kegs (kettles) containing 6.5 gallons each were used.  I started this test at 166 on both kettles. Altitude for my testing location was around 980 feet.  I monitored the temperature of both kettles using a laptop, BCS460 , and two temperature probes.

When I made this video, I broke it into several  different segmants. Excuse the redundancy in advance!

Without spoiling the results from the video,  it is my opinion that the high pressure Banjo burner would make a great burner for your boil kettle or possibly your hot liquor tank. It is a little hot to be controlling your mash tun and takes adjusting if you want to reduce the heat.  After around twelve and a half minutes, the Banjo burner had the Jet burner by around seventeen degrees.

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