1 BBL MashTun

Got a BrewBuilt 31 gallon stainless steel kettle for use as my MashTun. With the upgrade to the 1 BBL BK, I wasn't going to be able to mash enough grains to fill it and MoreBeer had a sale of 10% off earlier this month, so I jumped in and got the 1 BBL kettle with TC and false bottom. It is almost identical to the SS Brewtech I got, except it is a LOT shinier and has much better/larger volume etchings (and no valves or whirlpool fittings). This came with two TC fittings (similar to SS) and was identical in dimensions.

Keg Washer and CIP stand

Working on building a cheap self contained CIP pump / heater / storage cart (as well as functioning keg washer). It should be under $350 all total, as opposed to $6,000 like the one at the left, since it it mostly made out of PVC and plastic buckets. The most expensive part on here is the 1.6 hp lawn pump and the 240v RIMs heater and SS triclamp parts.  Much thanks to the posts and DIY projects at HomebrewTalk Forums.

New 1 BBL Unitank

Finally got the Black Friday 1 BBL unitank on 15% off I got from SS Brewtech after they shipped it from my local city (it was "on a truck out for delivery") to Rhode Island (and then back). This thing is so damn pretty. Shiny curved surfaces and with 6" heavy duty casters, it rolls around pretty well for a top heavy fermenter. I was prepared for it to be big, so it is not too surprising there (I think I was prepped for it to be even bigger.

New 1 BBL Boil Kettle

Got the new SS Brewtech 31 gallon brew kettle in and started working on adding the new triclamp fittings I wanted. I didn't get the 20 gallon eBrew, because, well, it cost more, didn't really need the heating element (it probably would work with my system) and was ONLY 20 gallons (they don't offer a 30 gallon one). But I needed to add some TC's for thermometers and the 5500W heating element. I had already done this on my converted kegs a couple months ago, so, shouldn't be too bad...

Domain name secured...

I just locked in on the domain name for MossyCupBrewing.com for 3 years (currently just forwarding here). I settled on the logo left and at least have some "simple" SVG images for the brewery. I like this logo because it is simple and can be mono-color for prints like on my kettle jackets and glassware and it has some "tree" context like the Mossy Cup Oak. Next is to get the LLC and the Federal TTB filings going. *deep breath*...

Building a Brew Valve Tree

This thread on homebrewtalk.com about valve tree setups and automation is amazing! In all my years brewing on my frame, as complex and automated as I've gotten it, I've always thought making a hard plumbed setup like the pro brew systems would be cool. Well, some of the hardware is getting cheap enough these days and I thought I would have a go at how I would layout my setup with 3-way valves in T port form...

To go big...or not...

Working through trying to decide if all the paper work, fees, licenses and head ache are worth getting wholesaler license to make/sell beer. I was working on some logos for the L.L.C. if I was going to do this. I also started talking and reading all the filing/paperwork necessary. UGH!!...it is a LOT!

Glycol Chiller (and heater!)

Got my Brew Built IceMaster Max 2 dual vessel glycol chiller (with built-in temp controllers and pumps) in from morebeer.com today. First thing I did (after checking that pumps all worked and the chiller worked and no leaks) was to begin diving into tearing it apart. The plan was to wire in switched outlets for 120v heater pads when the controller needed heating. I didn't want to permanently modify heaters and peripherals, so just went with switched 120v outlets mounted in the back top.

Black Friday Specials!

Took advantage of the Black Friday specials and got a Brewbuilt Icemaster Max 2 glycol chiller for fermentation for $100 off. Upped the game on my boil to be able to do 1 BBL batches with a 30 gallon Brew kettle from SS Brewtech at 15% off. And, got a 1 BBL unitank fermenter on 15% off too! Well, guess it just got serious. I convinced myself to save the $1000 on the jacketed unitank and spend it on those other items, but it was hard passing up the jacketed version.

Brewing - Pilsner

Brewed a 10 gallon Pilsner today to test out the whole new eBrew Panel. It went great. I did this as a pure electric brew, even though I could connect up to the gas and run that too. I had to pack 20 gallons of water in 5 gallon buckets from my soft water tap and then added some CaCL2 (0.7g / gallon) to the initial mash to help lower pH.

RIMs tube heater

I have been using my HLT or BK to heat PBW cleaner for the fermenter clean up (5-7 gallons of water needed) with CIP spray ball.  Normally, this would be perfect to clean just with all my brew setup, but it is less and less convenient to do then.  I normally clean all the brew day stuff with scrub pad and bar keeps friend and hot water.  The fermenter is 2-3 weeks later and it really screams that it wants just 3 gallons of 180'F PBW.  Well, that is close to the minimum volume I can heat in my HLT and it is not great at getting all the liquid out of the vessel (it still has a dip tube and misses about 1/2 gallon on pickup).

Making eBrew Kettle Jackets

As the weather turns colder and as I've begun to convert my system over to electric (still has natural gas option), I've begun lusting over a better insulation for my MT, HLT and BK. They are notoriously lossy during the cold winter brewing months and I've had time to think it might be easy enough for me to work some magic with a sewing machine on some 3mm thick neoprene and some nylon zippers...

New eBrew 50A Control Panel

Right. I had basically convinced myself that I really didn't need an elaborate $2500 50 amp control panel. After all, I had my two Ranco temp controllers controlling automatic HLT coil by-pass and gas solenoid for HLT temp burner and that all worked smashing. All I wanted out of electric backup was a little faster HLT temp ramp (for large step mashes) and being able to sustain a boil in the cold winter months on a full 14 gallons. That really only needed a simple 30A switch box and I could move the cord from the HLT to the BK easily once that transition was ready...

Adding a Simple 240v 30A Switch Box

With the completion of the upgrades to the kettles to have 240v electric elements in the HLT and BK, I now needed to just put in a 30A GFCI breaker and an L14-30R 4 prong outlet (I needed neutral to be able to supply the 120v break out for my Ranco controllers and the pumps).  This would then wire via a typical L14-30 generator cord to a breakout/switch box on the brew frame (with proper ground) that would allow me to switch on a 3 prong L6-30 cord that I would plug into either the HLT or the BK, depending on need.

Boil Kettle & Hot Liquor Tank Upgrades

I have been lusting after the idea of putting in some 1.5" ferrules in my HLT and BK to host some 5500W electric ripple heaters (240v of course). Just something I could quick plug in and with a big knife switch breaker box, quickly boost my gas heat options. Nothing fancy...just some raw V*A pure energy for the colder months and big temp steps...

Brewing - Sockeye Dagger Falls clone

Today was the day I would test out some of the new additions and changes I had made to my brewery! Namely, the bottom drain mash tun and the replumbed natural gas access from the garage instead of off the back patio deck (to help make it easier to wheel 15 gallons of fresh wort in my large half bbl stainless steel conical fermenter from SS Brewtech).

Mash Tun Bottom Drain Upgrade

While recently riding shotgun on a brew day for a friend, Chris Stephani, I was intrigued to see that his mash tun utilized a normal half barrel keg, and had a bottom drain, based on the normal tap port of the keg used upside down. He has a flat silicon custom for that connection to a normal 1.5" TC. It drips just a very small amount, and I think he really wants to redo it, but it works. And best of all, it uses a very efficient bottom drain that leaves no lost head space or dip tube through false bottom. I was enamored...

Brewing - Dark IPA

It was LONG over due time for me to replenish my long gone favorite house beer, my beloved Dark IPA. I was quite frustrated with myself for letting it go so long, especially since I had been working from home all summer due to some crazy disease or something. It was not rational or reasonable that I had let things get so far out of control. And, so, with a couple weeks off to bleed down my extensive time off before retiring, I resolved to have a brew day!

Blog return from the dead!

Well, after *many* years of not updating my Blog or brewing page, I've decided it is time for some updates! Oh, I've still been brewing; just more like a well oiled recipe book with little changes. I'm now retired from my day job as a DRAM/NAND Flash Electrical Engineer working for Micron Technology of almost 26 years...and one of the things I wanted to toy with was growing my brewery scale (or at least seeing how to make it better). I'm still not sure to what end...