StillSmart

I found it actually improved my beer & made me a better brewer. The 3v method works but I did find it a bit of a mission. And it was always a little bit inconsistent.

if you are making a few AG beers already - I am a quality drinker, not quantity drinker and you will find it makes you want to use it . It makes you want to experiment.

And if you cost it against the amount of beer you would have bought, I worked out mine out at 8 runs and we are even. So mine is paid for - ages ago!

I've always frowned on these systems, probably because I think they're extremely overpriced, plus I'd already invested my cash building a 50 litre 3 vessel setup that's served me well for many years.

But now I must admit, I quite like the idea of having one piece of kit that can AG brew that's portable with a small footprint.

Since my still now takes up all my brewing space in the guarage, I'd be quite happy to get one of these, it's the built in RIMS that make it give such consistent results, the only thing I would want to do is rinse the last sugar from the grain bed with sparge water once the grain container was lifted out? Is that possible without a HLT on this setup?

Don't think I'd ever sell my HLT anyway but in going to sell my boiler and a couple of stainless Mash Tuns to see if I can get enough penny's towards one like this.

Welcome aboard the Braumeister thought train...Anavrin...next stop Braumeister central

I went through exactly the same feeling over the last 2 years that I've lusted after one. Brewing on my 3v setup was starting to get a bore.

I have put my 100 liter boiler on the Bay, I was going to put my 80 liter thermo-pot mash tun on yesterday but then I thought...hold on sunshine...that will work fine as a fermenter, for both beer and a 50 liter wash, so I'm keeping the tun.

Also with the BM 20 doing it's own thing, I can run the still at the same time...BM on the worktop and the still on the floor of the brew-house. As you can't leave the still for any length of time....it'll be a folding camping chair, the laptop, and maybe a sniffer (or 2) of something..

"O happy days" sang in a deep voice....

You might want to count up your maximum amperes for that one. perhaps a separate ring main? One in the cooker point?

That's exactly what I've done in the past...run a spare cable from the kitchen just to be on the safe side.

I've an idea

I think I'm gonna have a go at building one of these, I have a couple of boilers, a couple of mash tuns, various fitting, valves, false bottoms, temp controllers etc

And a counterflow plate chiller, all this stuff is just collecting dust scince my spirit making took over from my beer making, I'm going to take stock of what I have, and order a decent magnetically coupled pump.

The tricky bit is the controller.

Heres a place I've been looking at parts from for ages

https://www.brewbuilder.co.uk

Just needed an excuse / Project to order some more stainless bits, I've had my eye on their magnetic pumps for a while, they also have a DIY RIMS kit at a reasonable price.

I'm not too fussed about the controller, I've built kegerators, HLT's, fermenting fridge's etc

All temp controlled using various controllers, I also have a Omron PID waiting for a project, this could be it.

Go for it mate....I've done loads of reading and saved a load of info on a single brew-pot.
You may know of this guy who has built one over the last couple of years (4)...I've been following him, but to be honest I'm finding it hard to do what I have to do as it is now with the time I have free.

The guys an Italian but all his post are in English and he's got loads of drawings and the odd video....Link it maybe of help to you

Cheers Icefever, that 38lt thermopot the Italian guys used is the same as I have for my current mash tun, I also have the 50lt version that I've never used, maybe I've found a use for it

@Icefever

I've been looking at buying a Speidel Braumeister malt pipe plus two filter plates to keep the grain inside, I think this could be the most cost effective way to build one, by adding an official malt pipe to one of my own modified vessels, I see you can buy a shortened version to allow 20lt brews in the 50lt system, I don't suppose you know where I could find the dimensions of this short section do you?

Also if there's any chance you could measure your standard 20lt malt pipe, that would be very helpfull in choosing which one to use and what outer vessel to turn into the boiler.

Will sort out the size later on today as I'm just about to leave for work...will post this evening mate.

Just thought BrewUK that's were I got my BM from do spares...the short malt pipe is £70.

Ok....20 L malt pipe as a dia of 290mm x 360mm high hope that helps.

A home build with a PID is still going to be manual though. The programmer manages all the temp set points. If you could get one of those as a spare part ..........