The BeoirMaker a Braumeister / Grainfather inspired build

[darren996]

I was looking at upgrading my plastic EBIAB re-circulation setup and was looking around at various products on the internet.  I love the idea of single vessel brewing simply because of its simplicity.  I wanted something that would not take up a lot of space, was quick to assemble, and is very easy to maintain and a breeze to clean.   I have nothing against 3 vessel brewing, I just don't have the time or space for this method of brewing.

I did a lot of research and looked into the Grainfather and Braumeister.  The braumeister was too expensive and the grainfather didn't have the capacity that I wanted but is a very well-priced piece of kit and if I was in a position to purchase, the Grainfather would be the one.

I then came across the braumeiser project and this appealed to the diy'er in me and I felt it was something that I or anyone could do a version of with very limited fabrication skills and tools.  I was initially just going to use my PID controller, but was swayed by the Ardbir for control as this gives a massive amount of control to the brewing process.  I decided pretty early that I didn't want the central bar and malt pipe that needed to be clamped down (I didn't have the tools).


The goal of this project was to create a single vessel brewing system with upward  mash re-circulation.  The aims were:
•   Use as much stainless steel as possible.
•   No central bar or clamped down malt pipe.
•   Upward mash re-circulation.
•   Mash temperature control.
•   Easy store, setup and clean
•   Pump not mounted to pot, this is easier to clean and I also pump to a plate chiller and recirc the cooled wort back into the kettle (Whirlpool).
•   As cheap as possible but maintain a level of quality.

The total cost at the time of writing is around the 565 euro mark for a 45 L insulated brewing system with a 21L malt pipe.  This could be done much cheaper (300 euro or less) using a standard outer pot, immersion chiller, a cheaper pump and a PID.  I use a Topsflo TS5 pump @ 73 euro, a plate chiller @ 125 euro, a 50L Thermopot  @ 76 euro and an Ardbir unit @ 140+ euro built to my spec.

The breakdown of items used and cost are included in the attached excel sheet

[darren996]

The Mechanical build

The Outer Pot

For the outer pot I used a Bergland 50l thermo pot.  I wanted a thermo pot as I aimed to use a 2.5kw element and the pot would be well insulated for a better boil.   I was going to use a bendable heating element like the braumeister but this was working out to be too expensive (80 euro with shipping from the UK), so I decided on a burko element which worked out about 25 euros total.
I installed a deck fitting from brewbuilder into the kettle for minimum deadspace.  This is connected to a ball valve and this is the only drainage point in the kettle.  I use this ball valve to connect to the pump for re-circulation back to the inner pot.

The outer pot required two holes to be drilled i.e. a 40mm hole for the heating element and a 20mm hole for the deck drain.  I used a hole saw for the 40mm hole and step bit for the 20mm hole.  I earthed the pot and element by drilling a hole in the lip of the pot and securing the earth wires from the plug and element to a bolt using suitably rated terminal connectors.  I also used 2.5 mm 3 core wire rated at 16 amps.

I purchased some cheap stainless furniture legs from aliexpress.  The thermo pot has a lip on the bottom so I was able to fix some wood flush to the base of the pot and attach the legs to the wood.  I fastened the wood to the pot with some 3" inox screws and it is very sturdy.

[darren996]

The Mechanical build

The Inner Pot

The inner pot is a Bergland 21 litre stock pot.  I drilled three 20mm holes in the base of the pot for three brass tank connectors.  Two of the connectors are for draining the pot when it is lifted from the outer pot and one is for the wort intake from the pump.  These connectors also keep the pot off the heating element.

I cut the wort intake tank connector in half and connected a female male connector to it.  I then connected a 50cm length of flexible 304 grade stainless steel tubing to the male connector.  The flexi tube could be shaped to the side of the pot and fed through one of the handles on the pot.  I then connected a male brass hose tap connector to this flexi tube.   I got the idea for the wort intake tube from Jim Payne on YouTube (The Old Farts brewery channel), thanks Jim!

Now for the filters. 

I wanted to keep the price down so I decided I was going to use the Lid of the stock pot.  I got a pizza tray and stencilled some holes onto a piece of paper.  I then stuck the stencil to the inside of the pot by spraying some milk on first.  I then got a step bit and drilled lots of holes in the lid. The benefit of using the lid is that it offers a perfect seal on the pot and is very rigid.
I had intended on using some stainless steel latch fittings to secure the lid, but this required more drilling.  Instead I opted for some paper binders that work really well.  I am waiting on some stainless steel binders from China.

The final pieces of the filter system are two 28cm splatter guards.  These fit the Bergland pot really well.  I place one filter on the bottom of the pot to prevent the grain from draining through the tank connectors.  The other one is secured to the lid using two stainless steel nuts and bolts.

So that's it for the mechanical build.
The outer pot is connected to a pump via some silicone tubing from the ball valve.  The Pump is connected to the wort flow pipe on the inner pot by a brass hose connector and the wort recirculates up through the mash and out the top of pot and down the sides where it is drained through the deck drain and out to the pump again.

[darren996]

Electrical Control Unit – The Ardbir

I am not an electrician so if you are not sure about using mains voltage seek advice as mains voltage kills.  I would advise the use of terminal connectors that are properly crimped for save connections and heat sleeves where required.

When I started I had intended to use my PID controller (Rex c100), but a forum post on the National Homebrew Club got me very interested in the Ardbir control unit.  This looked like it did everything the Braumeister does and more. 

The forum post is here, http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/index.php?topic=10671.0, and was started by gazz.  Thanks to pob, McMellow and molc for the help. 

What you require
•   Ardbir all in one board
•   40a SSR  (comes as optional add on)
•   DS18B20 temperature probe (comes as optional add on)
•   1x4 membrane keyboard (comes as optional add on)
•   Box ( 190 X 140 X 70 )
•   Mains cable 3 core 1.5 or 2.5.  I use 2.5 for anything over  10a
•   12v power cable ( recycled from a computer psu )
•   13 amp plug
•   13 amp terminal block

Optional
•   SSR heatsink
•   Thermal Paste for heatsink
•   Neutrik powercon connectors ( detachable )
•   Gx16 3 pin aviation connector for the temp probe ( detachable )
•   A suitable mains to 12v switchable power unit

My unit is only controlling a single heating element using an ssr and a 12v 3 amp pump.  At the time of writing I am waiting on the pump relay and a female socket panel mount to relay the power to the pump.

My unit uses all detachable cables and will eventually be mounted to the wall in my brew shed.
I only wanted one mains input into the box so I purchased a mains to 12v power supply to power the ardbir.
I purchased Neutrik Powercon type connectors for the mains in and mains out connections and gx16 3 pin connectors for the temperature control. 
All these connectors are optional extras

Prepare your box
Spend some time and have a think about how everything is going to fit inside your box, draw it out on a piece of paper before you start drilling your holes.  I decided to mount the ssr heatsink externally; this gives more room to the inside of the box, and also keeps the inside of the box nice and cool.  If you do this make sure and earth the heatsink.

I am not going to include a wiring diagram as the official ardbir Github documents contain everything that you require. 

They can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/96o6i39o50llama/AAD3cgNyiUxKXF73_qjhm_uia?dl=0
https://github.com/arzaman/Open-Ardbir-NANO

The ardbir is on going and I will update as I go along.

[darren996]

Some vids of first brew day, brewing a Hefeweizen
Everything went well with the system

Initial Water Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLXtORhQ5Xc


Initial Mash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWtE6wDTx5E

Mash after 30 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5iF0PWH_aU

Boil Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKYe6Gk_rGk

Whirlpool test - Topsflo TS5 12v pump, diy whirlpool arm, in 28 litres of water and some porridge..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj1t-15OsAY

[DEMPSEY]

When your mash is complete how do you intent to remove the malt pipe before you start to boil. It will be heavy with the wet malt in it and will need time to fully drain.

[darren996]

I did my first brew over christmas with 5 kg and I was able to easily lift it out manually. The malt pipe drains a bit when the pump is turned off.

I made some lifting handles out of the handles of the splatter guards and I plan to attach them to a hoist in the future.

[BrewDorg]

When your mash is complete how do you intent to remove the malt pipe before you start to boil. It will be heavy with the wet malt in it and will need time to fully drain.

I've seen Darren's videos and pics of the system in action. The malt pipe sits nicely on the rim of the outer pot and drains through the tank connectors. I think there's some magic involved though

[Will_D]

Great writeup. I really like the way you heat sink sticks outside

Did you just cut a slot or is there a big square hole in the side?

Also how warm / hot is the SSR/heatsink getting as its 40 amp rated and only switching 10 amps?

[darren996]

Thanks Will.

I just cut a thin enough slot in the side of the box and slotted the heatsink in.  Also the two screws that hold my ssr to the heatsink tighten up nicely to the side of the box, so the heatsink feels very solid. I cut the end of the heatsink off, it was a bit bulky.
I haven't measured the temp inside the box yet, I just went by feel and it wasn't warm at all.  I used the Ardbir for mash and full boil.  I will get a temp reading on the next boil.

[McMelloW]

Thanks Darren, this gives a very good picture of what you have build. Well done.

Two little remarks. I just wonder or the grain is not circulating to much in the grainpipe?
I you mount your control box to the wall. Make sure you can get is of easy. I was surprised how often my box was opend again and/or connected to my laptop. My box is hooked on to the Grainfather and secured with velcro ribbon.

Gool luck and happy brewing with this equipment

[pob]

Brill, great write up.

Love these builds.

[darren996]

McMellow I like the idea of Velcro and this is probably how I will mount the unit to the wall.

The grain didnt fill the pipe so there was room for recirculation.  The ardbir has pump rests that kick in at defined intervals. This lets things settle down.

[Leann ull]

Darren great job, get yourself a couple of 304 bolts and secure them half way up to side walls and get some bar and you can rest an drain like the BM or GF  drain it whilst your pot boils.
Other option ive seen are substantial cake racks or oven shelves on the top

[darren996]

Cheers CH I was considering an oven grill/rack thingy, I also have a beam directly over where i brew so I am considering a hoist also..