Brew Stand Build

I have found HBT site has a balizzion threads and pics of setups and builds. Very interesting reading. Not so much here.

I would post a link but I don't want to get banned again.

 

I wrote an article for Zymurgy earlier this year about building a stand out of Uni-strut. It's cheaper than welding everything together and most importantly, you can change and adjust the design pretty easily as you try things out.

If you haven't looked at uni-strut, you should because the stuff is basically a grown up version of tinker toys. All you need is a pair of wrenches and ideally a chop saw (you can rent that fairly easily and cheaply)

For me - I run two pots and a massive cooler for my brew rig, so I made mine two tiers with the HLT up and away and a long separation between the mash space and the burner for the boil kettle.

 

I would like to see a picture of this...when you have time.

 

I have a three tier and can send pictures if you'd like, but as you said above, a single tier is a better choice. I had one specifically made so that I can gravity feed from the sparge tank if needed, and then pump feed from mash tun to kettle (Hybrid gravity/pump). The place I bought mine from is here (Link to single tier): http://www.brewstands.com/single-tier-homebrew-stands.html

Things I'd recommend for a stand are: stainless structure (mine is painted and rusted a bit), 3 burners (one for each kettle); allows you do do multiple batches at once; I BIAB with two kettles while boiling main batch in 3rd), a mount plates for pumps (makes it easy to mount pumps on the stand), cam lock disconnects on everything and a plate chiller attachment on the outside legs (away from burners).

 

That was a rad article. Unistrut is super versatile, and has more options than was covered in that piece. You can build hinged platforms and all sorts of cool stuff. For sure worth checking out for brew stand building.

 

Try this site for ideas.

http://www.brewzilla.nl/brewhalla.htm

 

How is your uni-strut structure holding up? I've used uni-strut for what it's made for and I wouldn't think it's strong enough for a brew stand. Do you have wheels on yours? Or is it fixed in place?

I agree it is easy to work with. I guess if you really over build it to give it the strength it needs it might suffice. Anyone else out there with a uni-strut structure?

 

Really?

 

Uni-strut probably makes my "Near-Term Projects" list when I move into a new home. There's probably a batch or two of cider on that list too. Up until a few months ago, that statement would be a non sequitur; now, not so much.

 

I haven't had success posting my shitty pics on here but will post link. Just in case, here is a description. I have a two-tier wooden stand which has the benefit of only requiring only one pump. I have the two burners on the top tier for HLT & BK and my MLT is on the bottom tier so I can gravity feed my auto-sparger. Two 2x4 joined together create the vertical beams and long bolts hold the structure together. I build the deck flush with the cross supports and simply placed my burners on top of the deck.
https://vtgreens.shutterfly.com/pictures/44

 

Pretty cool, thanks for sharing. Ive been thinking of building a 3 tier wood structure to save some money. Is yours very heavy? How does it do rolling around?

 

she's isn't light, but two people can lift it. I've moved twice since I built it so I know pretty well. Also I bought good casters so it can be rolled outside as well on my hardpacked driveway. I'm planning on pulling some of it apart in the spring to apply a fresh coat of sealant since it's been in use 3 years now. To me it's amazing how new it still looks though after brushing it down. I thought by now it would start showing some age.

 

The one that I built out of 12 gauge unistrut is probably strong enough to put a car on. And yup, I have wheels on it.

It's really nice sturdy and versatile stuff. She'll never be as pretty as a welded stainless tube frame, but I don't go much for the "trailer queen" department of things. I need something as ugly as me!

 

I built a modified version of that stand out of strut after seeing the article. It is more than plenty strong and seems like it will last a long time. However, I'm not sure it was really cheaper than getting one welded. The strut itself isn't cheap and the brackets and spring nuts are obscenely expensive if you buy them at home depot (at least when you add up how many you need). I also found that it was hard to actually find the strut, all the lowes/home depot stores around here carry the nuts and brackets, but only some carry the strut. Plus, they don't have anything to cut it down with, so be prepared with a vehicle that can accommodate 10' lengths of strut. On top of that the strut is a huge bitch to cut unless you have a friend with a bandsaw (cutting it with a grinder sucks and cutting it with a hacksaw is way worse).

What surprised me the most was how much it cost to plumb in the gas. I built a simple, three burner manifold with plumbing that allows me to run all three burners off one propane tank, and it cost more to build than the stand did. I think it ended up being about $200 for the stand (cheaper than it would be for most people since I got the strut and nuts through a contractor friend) and something like $300 for the manifold and burners. Not to mention trips to every hardware store in town looking for parts before I ended up ordering most of it online. Protip: flexible copper pipe and a flaring tool ended up being a better, cheaper option than trying to find short propane hoses to make the final connection to each burner.

Overall I'm happy with the stand, but it I had to build another one I would look hard for a welder who was willing to do the job at a reasonable price. If you aren't doing a stainless stand (which would be insane) then the materials for a welded stand are definitely cheaper than strut, so if you can get someone to do the work for cheap then welded seems like a better way to go.

 

Nick, that's odd. The total cost I had for everything bought at my local HD was under $300. I think it was closer to $250 and that included the strut and all of the nuts and parts.

And yeah, the best way to cut strut is with a chop saw with a metal cutting disk. It makes cutting strut, super super simple.

 

Here is a picture of my boil-kettle stand. It is part of my 2-tier setup. My main goals were to be able to (i) gravity transfer wort to a carboy and (ii) roll the kettle indoors for wort cooling in the dead of winter. Perhaps it will give you some idea of the possibilities.

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shit.
my fellow BAs have some killer gear. I seriously have to upgrade my brewery.
Suz says "thank you all".

 

Don't have pics convenient to me (that's sorta odd..) but here's the sketchup that I did

 

This is the single tier system I'm rockin... Got some upgrades since this was taken, but here is the main rig...