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.

jet burner

What burner should I use with my new brew stand? What burner works with low pressure propane? What is the difference between low pressure and high pressure propane? These are all questions faced when building a brew stand or sculpture. They can also be difficult questions to answer if you have not experienced the different burners. Let’s face it, we want to make the right choice up front because brewing equipment can become expensive. This article discusses low pressure propane regulators and low pressure regulators.

Over the last month I have had the chance to fine tune my current brewing sculpture and consider the options that I want on my new sculputure which is in the planning stage. I have come to the conclusion that low pressure propane is the right option for me.  During my research, I read several people discussing what regulator to use with certain types of jet burners. I found numerous opinions on what works best. I read anything from a 0-30 psi adjustable high pressure regulator to a standard .5 psi regulator.

The most important information you can learn in this article is to know what type of burner you really have. If you followed the Brutus Ten design, you will notice that most people have installed a jet burner. They can be cheaper in price and work great for automation.  Most of these jet burners are, indeed, low pressure propane.

So. Let’s think about pressure for a moment. I had the general thought that I want this thing to burn like a jet engine. The more propane pressure, the quicker it will heat! After all, if I turn my garden hose on to wash down the house or driveway,  I want it to have as much pressure as possible so the stream is nice and steady. This seems reasonable to apply this to a propane burner, however it really is not correct.  This goes back to knowing what kind of burner you have. High or low pressure?

I initially constructed my system taking the advice from several threads from some of the more popular internet brewing forums. Over and over again I read that a 0-30 psi regulator would work great! Guess what? It did work, but not as well as it should have. You see, I installed a Honeywell gas valve to assist in automating my mash tun through temperature control.  If I had the 0-30 psi regulator throttled down, it would work (with fine tuning by way of the ball valve).

If I just would have taken the original advice from Lonnie Mac over at alenuts.com, I would have figured this out long ago. He has said several times that he runs his jet burners on a low pressure regulator(s) and has not had any issues. I installed a low pressure regulator in place of my adjustable 0-30 psi regulator. I purchased a Mr. Heater brand .5  psi 200,00 BTU low pressure regulator . I fired up my jet burners and noticed that I did not need to throttle back anything with the ball valve. The burner provided a perfect flame! In fact, I am able to run two burners at the same time off this regulator.  There are other low pressure regulator options available such as the two stage regulator, however that is not covered in the scope of this article. (The two-stage low pressure is a great option as well)

Below are a few different videos which showing the jet burner being used with a low pressure regulator. The propane valve and ball valve are completely open. This is a 23 tip jet burner rated at 175000 BTU. (.5psi Low Pressure Propane)

Banjo Burner

I enjoy the gadgets of brewing as much as the brewing itself. In fact, I often find myself making changes to a brewing sculpture for my own entertainment. Does it make the beer taste any better? Most likely not. But… It sure is fun.

I decided that I wanted to change one of my Jet Burners over to a Cast Iron Banjo Burner. I faced two separate challenges with this installation. One was mounting, and the other was plumbing. The jet burner was previously mounted and supported with black gas pipe. The jet burner did not have the weight of the Banjo Burner and connected to 1/2 inch black gas pipe without additional supports. Not trivial at all. The Banjo Burner, however,  is connected to the gas supply by way of a brass orifice. The Brass orifice will not support the weight of the burner so brackets needed to be built.

The Banjo Burner is approximately 10 inches around and 15 inches in length at its longest point. The Banjo Burner comes with four mounting holes on the side of the burner. I created a custom offset bracket using 3/4 inch wide by 1/8 inch thick steel. I completed alignment, clamping, and welded the brackets in place. It fits quite nicely in the space that used to be occupied by the jet burner!

Once in place, it was time for the plumping. I utilized the gas ball valve that was already installed on my Brutus Ten. I didn’t want a long BBQ with extra slop connecting the burner to the gas ball valve so I visited my local Propane Dealer for parts. One of the employees created a customer fit hose to run from the ball valve to the Banjo Burner. This hose really made the project look great.

All the parts were connected and it was time for a test burn! It fired right up and I couldn’t be happier. The Banjo Burner is sooooo much quieter and seems to burn hotter. I can’t wait to compare the results. Stay Tuned!

Brutus Ten

This Brewtus Ten was built completely from 2″x2″ steel square tubing based on Lonie’s original plans. Let’s face it, if we didn’t need it for brewing, we  could always use it as a car stand. This brew stand was built to last.

From left to right, our Brewtus Ten beer brewing system consists of a boil kettle, mash tun, and hot liquor tank. All three of which were created from modified kegs with tig welded fittings.

The boil kettle is quite simple. It consisted of a ball valve, dip tub, and a mash screen. I just toss whole hops into the boil and the mash screen filters them out.

The Mash Tun is the heart of this system. Inside the mash tun is a stainless steel false bottom. The outside bottom of the Mash Tun consists of a simple ball valve and thermometer.  The top portion of the Mash Tun consists of a stainless steel tee which accomodates a temperature probe. For more pictures of our Mash Tun, visit this link. Mash Tun

The Boil Kettle incorporates a ball valve, thermometer, and a port for a temperature probe. I created a custom welded bracket for a float switch. The float switch turns the pump off when the water reaches the predefinded water level.

I initially built the Brewtus Ten with two ASCO Valves. I was concerened with the pilot gas while using the ASCO Valve. If the pilot light burned out, the ASCO valve will still allow propane to flow. This was a safety issue to me. I changed the ASCO valves over to the Honeywell Gas Valves. This system uses a thermocouple. If the pilot fails, gas will not flow. This system is similar to how a gas water heater functions.

My system uses two March Brand magnetic pumps. If I could justify the extra money, I would purchase self priming pumps.

I started my control system using Love controls. The love controls worked well but I wanted more control and automation over the entire system. I wanted something that would control the pumps and provide me with more precise controls. I purchased a BCS-460 control system from Embedded Control Concepts.   The BCS-460 allows me complete control over the entire brewing process. Follow this link for more information on the BCS-460. BCS 460

Mash Tun Return

There has been lots of discussion as to the proper placement of the temperature probe in the mash tun. In fact, it took me three different placements to find one that works well. I, like you, want my mash temperature to be as stable as possible.

My temperature probe location is at the top of the kettle nearest the actual mash return. I wanted to know the actual temperature of the wort that is being returned into the kettle and not the temperature of the grain bed. With this setup, I have been able to regulate the temperature of my mash within one degree which is confirmed by the lower thermometer.
The heart of my system is the BCS-460 which allows me numerous options. I constantly recirculate the wort through a pump during mash. The mash tun resides above a propane burner which is connected to a Honeywell brand gas valve. I am not a big fan of the ASCO system since it lacks safety features. The gas valve is controlled by the BCS-460 based on the readings from the temperature probe.

Mash Tun Lower Portion

 The temperature probe placement shown utilizes a 1/2″ stainless steel T fitting, a 1/2″ stainless steel compression fitting, and a 1/2″ barbed hose fitting. The 1/2″ stainless compression fitting needed to be drilled out to accomodate the temperature probe.

The bottom of my mash tun consists of a ball valve and a thermometer. The object inserted in the kettle to the left of the thermometer is a thermowell from the initial configuration. This will eventually be removed and capped since it is not being used.

Creating a better Mash Tun for your beer brewing system is a creative process with numerous options. This converted beer keg is scratching the surface!

Thermowell in a Carboy

This article was written as follow-up to the previous article titled “Fermentation Temperature Control”. If you have any intent on duplicating a tasty beer, you need to have some process controls in place. Simple things can change your beer such as fermentation or mash temperatures. Let’s face it…. Most of us can crush the same amount of grains for the mash and add the same amount of hops to the boil.

If you ferment your beer inside a carboy, (or even a conical) a fermentation temperature control is easy to make. The picture to the left is a caboy with a sixteen inch stainless steel thermowell and an orange colored carboy hood. Two sizes of carboy hoods are available, one for a 6.5 gallon carboy and one for a 5.0 gallon carboy. The carboy hood comes with two attachments. One is used to connect a blow-off tube. Vnyl hoses size 3/8 and 1/2 inch work great. The other attachment port is for the thermowell. Slide the thermowell into the center most port. Make sure to purchase a flared thermowell so it completes the seal and acts as a stopper. It would make a person really unhappy if you pushed your thermowell all the way into the ”soon to be beer” because the end wasn’t flared.

Love Temperature Sensor

If you are familiar with the love temperature control, you know they come with a temperature probe. The temperature probe has a black rubber-likea coating on it. Depending on what thermowell you decide to purchase, the coating causes the temperature probe to be too thick to fit. To remedy this, I removed the coating from the temperature probe using a razor knife. I have not had any issues with the probe by removing the coating.

Puterbaugh Farms, Hops Direct

Nestled in the fertile Yakima Valley of Washington is a place called Puterbaugh Farms. As a home brewer, it is better known as Hops Direct. Puterbaugh Farms is a fourth generation hop farming family that produces quality hops for brewers.

According to their website, the family forefathers were farmers in France and migrated to Canada and then onto Mabton. Puterbaugh Farms currently produces 11 different hops varieties.

Pellet Hops ready to be packaged

A few of my brewing buddies and I decided that we needed a few pounds of hops to make it into the winter. I contacted Hops Direct on the telephone and was greeted by a very friendly voice.  I told her that I wanted to drive to Mabton and for a local pickup of some hops. She told me that they normally like a 24 hour lead time but would be glad to process my order more quickly.

I placed our order for six pounds of various hops and was assured they would be ready when I arrived. After a few hours of driving and several wrong turns, I arrived at Puterbaugh Farms.  I walked into the warehouse and was greeted by friendly staff of completed my order. I told her lucky she was working around such great smelling hops all day long. She looked at me funny and laughed.

Out of Season Hop Fields

Hop Direct leaf hops are cut directly from their bail and sealed in a light-impermeable mylar bag. The hop leaf arrives at your doorstep as fresh as possible. Hop Direct type 90 hop pellets are vacuum sealed in mylar bags. You can visit the Hops Direct website at http://www.hopsdirect.com.

Rogue Ales Brewing

Rogue Ales Brewery was opened in Newport, Oregon, with a small but enthusiastic customer base, made up of curious locals who dropped by to see what was going on and never left. Rogue claims to be a small revolution, which expresses itself through handcrafted Ales, Porters, Stouts, Lagers and Spirits, and this is the way they conduct their business. Rogue ales are currently available in 50 states and 21 countries.

You may have seen a Rogue Ale in a store near you such as Dead Guy or Double Dead Guy Ale.  These beers use John Maier’s proprietory yeast strain, Pacman Yeast.  The Dead Guy Ale recipe kit is available to Home Beer Brewers through Brewcraft USA. In fact, everything but the yeast can be purchased in these kits. The Pacman yeast can be purchased seperately.

Nestled inside the Rogue Ales Brewery, is a  two story brewpub which offers a panoramic view of Yaquina Bay and the marina. You can enjoy the full line of Rogue brews, brewery tours, and 50 taps. The Menu features “the World’s Greatest Burger’s”, the American Kobe beef burgers. If you are in Newport, Oregon, this place is worth a visit! Visit Rogue Ales Brewing website at http://www.rogue.com.

Take a youtube video tour of Rogue Ales Brewery lead by Rogue Ale Brewing tour guide Chris Garret.

Love Temperature Control Box

After completing numerous home batches of beer and realizing that I did not have any control over my fermentation temperature, I decided to build a simple little device which I labeled the “Fermentation Temperature Control” (or FTC for short). 

This device works great for those want to ferment inside a refrigerator or freezer and have digital control over the process. The device pictured is installed on the side of a freezer.

The device consists of an electrical box, an outlet, and a LOVE brand temperature control. The LOVE control comes with a temperature sensor which I place inside the carboy by way of a stainless thermowell. You could also place the temperature probe (in a thermowell) inside a glass of water which is stored inside the freezer or refrigerator. Ambient air readings are not as accurate using the Love style temperature sensor.

The freezer or refrigerator is set to its coldest setting. The Refrigerator or freezer is plugged into the Fermentation Temperature Control outlet.  That’s all there is to it. Set the Love Control to the appropriate temperatures and watch your fermentation temperatures hold steady!

BCS 460 Temperature Control by Embedded Control Concepts

This Temperature Control has to be one of the coolest beer brewing gadgets I have had the chance to utilize. It truly takes temperature sensing and control to the next level. Their control systems are true network appliances. Each system employs a custom embedded web server, which allows all process monitoring and control to be done via web browser. Plug a BCS-460 into your network and control your process from any computer with internet access.

The BCS-460 control system gives you the power of a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) at an affordable cost. By using our unique interface, users are able to program and update the controller quickly and easily, and without the additional cost of programming software.

The BCS-460 comes as a base module. Home Beer Brewers will need to purchase temperature sensors and relays to utilize the system. The system handles four inputs (temperature sensors) and four outputs via relays. The relays and temperatures sensors are not included with the system and will need to be purchased seperately.  The system also allows 4 Discrete Inputs (Dins) such as a float switch control .

My system consists of four relays and two temperature probes. I use the temperature probes to moniter the temperature of the boil kettle and mash tun. The relays control two seperate pumps and a gas control valve. The additional relays is currently installed as an unused outlet.

The system is fully programmable via a web based interface. After a few minor bumps in the road, I found the interface very easy to use. The developer of the system provides excellent online support for his system and helped me fine tune my system. I am now able to control the temperate of my Mash within 1 degree and hold it for however long I decide.

I am sure you will find the BCS-460 as an amazing Beer Brewing Gadget. You can visit their website at http://www.embeddedcontrolconcepts.com.