Building Homebrew Equipment Read Free

garden hose and the wort is pumped, or siphoned, so that it runs in a direction opposite to the water flow.
    Before we delve into a description of making a chiller from scratch, we need to mention that the tube fittings can be bought already made. These fittings are produced by Listermann Manufacturing and are sold under the name Phil’s Phittings. This fitting kit sells for about $15 and really makes building a chiller easy work.

    A hose counterflow chiller coiled up and ready for action
    MATERIALS FOR A HOSE COUNTERFLOW CHILLER
    50’ of ⅝ ″ I.O. (inside diameter) garden hose
    50’ of ⅜ ″ O.D. (outside diameter) soft copper tubing
    6 1½″-long pieces of ½” copper pipe
    2 ½” copper tees
    2 ½” copper end-caps
    6 hose clamps
    Plastic zip ties or wire
    Directions
    1. Cut off 8” from each end of the hose and save for Step 9.
    2. Insert a ½″-long copper pipe into each end of the copper tees and solder them in place.
    3. Drill a ⅜ ″-diameter hole in the end of each copper end-cap. (
Hint:
Start with a ⅛ ″ drill and work up to a ⅜ ″ drill.)
    4. Place an end-cap on one end of the long leg of the tees and solder into place.
    5. Uncoil the copper tubing and feed it through the garden hose.
    6. Place a hose clamp on both ends of the hose.
    7. Feed the end of the copper tubing through the tee assembly and onto the hose, then tighten clamp. Repeat for other end.
    8. Solder the ⅜ ″ tubing to the end-caps to seal.
    9. Attach the hose ends to the short legs of the tees with hose clamps.
    10. Wind the hose and tubing assembly into a coil around a large cylinder, such as your brewpot.
    11. Secure the coils together with wire or zip ties.
    12. To sanitize the chiller before using it for the first time, run a very hot solution of 75 percent water and 25 percent vinegar through the copper tubing.
    Plumbing Setup

    In a hose counterflow chiller, a copper tube is inserted in a garden hose. Water flows through the hose (and over the tube) in one direction, while hot wort is pumped through the tube in the opposite direction.

Mash Tuns
    Making a mash tun means you are now going to make all-grain beers. Making all-grain beers does take more time, but we think it is well worth the control you gain when you produce your own malt sugars (instead of purchasing them in the form of liquid or powder extract). Three different mash tuns are presented here, and all three can be adapted for lautering and sparging as well.
    The most important consideration when designing and building a mash and lauter tun is the ability of the vessel to hold hot (up to 180?F) liquid. A mash tun must be large enough and sturdy enough to hold at least 6 gallons of liquid. It should also be insulated; if it is not insulated, it should be made of an appropriate material that will allow you to apply direct heat to maintain the right mash temperature. The mash tuns described here can also be used as lauter tuns with the addition of a sparge water sprayer and a false bottom. See page 16 for false bottom tips, see page 19 for sprayer tips.
Mashing in a Picnic Cooler
    Large, chest-style picnic coolers make ideal mash tuns because they are well insulated and inexpensive. For a 5-gallon setup, look for a 34-quart cooler (about $10 to $15). The next size up is usually the 48-quart cooler, which will handle 10- or 15-gallon batches without a problem. Although 48-quart coolers are larger than you’d really want when doing 5-gallon batches (they may give you a shallow grain bed), quite a few homebrewers use that size without a problem. For very large batches, 60- or 80-quart coolers are reasonable. One consideration when choosing a cooler is its resistance to heat. If you can find a brand that claims to withstand 170?F temperatures, you’re ahead of the game. If not, you’re still okay. Most of them don’t warp too badly, and even if they do, they’ll still hold heat well enough to mash — and besides, they’re cheap. Building a new one every