Next Belfast Brew Day - Equipment Build

[Bazza]

Yoyoyo an' ting! (some street talk there)

For our next Belfast brew day (date TBD) we're playing with the idea of, instead of (or as well as??) doing a brew, we'll share some tips, techniques or efforts on DIY equipment building.

One piece of equipment that has been mentioned more than once now is a copper wort chiller. So if anyone's familiar with the old 'how to twist 10m of copper pipe round a tall paint tin without causing a kink in the pipe' trick and are happy to do a demo then let us know.

If you can think of any other pieces of equipment you'd like help to build, or would like to share the knowledge, then post a reply and we can get some sort of list together for the next brew day.

I'd say we're safe to have a beer or two on the day, as long as we're not operating any power tools, high voltage equipment or a forklift.


Anyway, keep the ideas coming.

Cheers,

-Barry

[iain_todd]

No idea what a sparge arm is, but def up for the wort cooler

[matthewdick23]

wort chiller
stir plate
convert 2 kegs I have into a hlt and mash tun


we should do this one at someones house I think

[Bill_00]

Stir Plate for me!

Possibly a proper dry hopper

[Bazza]

No idea what a sparge arm is, but def up for the wort cooler

Remember on the brew day all the malarkey with the tinfoil with the slits on top of the grain bed and the endless pouring of jugs of water onto said tinfoil? Well the sparge arm saves you all that effort. It connects directly to your hlt tap via a piece of flexible tubing and sits over the grain bed evenly distributing water over the top of the grain bed through a perforated copper pipe. You can get fancy rotating ones for use with circular mash tuns but I've read most of them are shite.

+1 on the stir plate, Matthew.

-Barry

[mr.drankin]

What is the deal with these group buys?? How often do they get organised ? 

[iain_todd]

Nice one Bazza, so do you still do the same technique - sparge a bit, rest a bit, strain and repeat? Or does this enable it all to be done as one continuous flow?

[Bill_00]

Yoyoyo an' ting! (some street talk there)

Makin' a bad ting good

[Bazza]

Or does this enable it all to be done as one continuous flow?

Continuous flow, Iain. I guess I should have clarified that it's for fly sparging only.


-Barry

[Bazza]

Makin' a bad ting good

Fo' real!

South(_Belfast)side!


-Barry

[iain_todd]

Hi Bazz-Meister.


Does that not mean its not as efficient as the other method, if there's not enough time to convert the remaining starch etc?

[Bazza]

Does that not mean its not as efficient as the other method, if there's not enough time to convert the remaining starch etc?

The opposite, Iain. Generally fly sparging would be regarded as more efficient than batch sparging, since you're properly rinsing the grains with a constant flow of water after mashing. But it's all down to how well you execute either method, really; one man's batch sparging method may be more efficient than another man's fly sparge. In small-scale brewing there's probably very little in it and what method you use is down to personal preference.

-Barry

[sub82]

Iain - yeah we use the batch sparge method as we found inconsistencies, most likely due to inexperience, when attempting to fly sparge.

[Bazza]

BTW, if you're looking for conicals, a group buy is the way to go. They're a third the price they are anywhere else.

I assume, Shane, by 'conical' you're referring to the little glass flasks and not the cool ss fermenters? Now there'd be a group buy I'd be interested in

-Barry