Brewery Upgrades- July 2012

All, attached are pics of my most recent equipment projects.

  

I added a sight glass and a whirlpool to my brew kettle. 

  

View inside the kettle. Up top is the thermometer probe, on the right is the whirlpool arm, and in the bottom is a screen for the drain valve. Notice how the whirlpool arm directs the flow tightly against the kettle wall. This increases the efficiency of my copper coil chiller by two fold, and helps to concentrate the trub (sediment/ hops) in the center of the kettle.



Theses are the cam- lock fitting I found to connect all of my hoses to my kettle/ coolers/ pumps.



One of the two March fluid pumps



I mounted them so that the magnetic head is outside of the tool box



First mounted pump head.  Had to get longer SS machine screws do to the added thickness of the toolbox side



Pump mounted through toolbox side



   

I also added a ball valve to control flow on the "out" port of each pump.  I use one to run from my ice water through the 40' copper coil chiller, and the other to circulate the whirlpool. This setup cools 5 gallons of boiling wort to 65F in <12 minutes.





View inside the completed pump box project.  I wired the motors to the junction box and to the orange extension cord to power the unit. Next, I added switches to control them independently. The gray junction box mounted in the front also has 2 GFI outlets to run other equipment if needed.  My only concern is that the box has a water- tight gasket (orange in the picture above) around the lid, and that may cause overheating issues with the pump motors.  I'll run a test for 30 minutes and check to see if they get too hot.



Finally, I added SS ball valves and cam-locks to my mash/ sparge coolers.

Cheers!

Mason 

New goodies in the pipeline!

Here’s what cooking at LeGrue’s Brewing:

LeGrue's Brett Biere-

Texas Farmhouse Ale brewed with a blend of Saison and Brettanomyces B. yeasts.  Amber color, Crisp, Dry, slightly tart and deceptively strong and super complex.  Brewed with barley, wheat, rye and oats and spiced with orange peel and coriander seeds. The Brett yeast add earthy, pleasantly sour flavors that become stronger over time. Bottle conditioned, 9.2% ABV.

LeGrue's Lagniappe Double IPA

Traditional DIPA continuously hopped with a special blend of Pacific NW hops, then dry- hopped for a very intense hop bitterness/ aroma.  Bottle conditioned with Brett C. yeast for "a little supm'n extra".

LeGrue's Wildflower Honey Mead 2012

Traditional dry mead, brewed with local wildflower honey and spiced with lavender, cinnamon, and cloves.  Aging for 6 months on French oak chips like a wine. 13%ABV.

LeGrue's Vanilla Bourbon Imperial Porter

HUGE beer, very rich and complex, with a bourbon nose, toffee/ chocolate flavors and slight vanilla and dried fruit overtones.  Brewed with vanilla beans and aged on bourbon barrel oak chips soaked in whiskey.  Technicolor in beer form. Cask- conditioned, 9.6% ABV.

Cheers!

Mason

IPA Day 8/2/2012

IPA Day Returns on August 2, 2012

IPA Day is back! On Aug. 2, 2012, join beer enthusiasts across the globe in a collective toast to one of craft beer’s most iconic styles: India Pale Ale!
Founded in 2011 by beer evangelists and social media personalities Ashley Routson (@TheBeerWench) and Ryan Ross (@RyanARoss), IPA Day is a universal movement created to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers, and brewers worldwide, using social media as the common arena for connecting the conversation.
IPA Day is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. IPA Day is opportunity for all breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. It is an opportunity for the entire craft beer culture to combine forces and advocate craft beer through increased education and global awareness.

Why Celebrate the IPA?

This illustrious style represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories, and regional flavor variations—making it the perfect style to galvanize craft beer’s social voice.
At the 2012 World Beer Cup®, the most-entered category was the American-Style India Pale Ale with 150 entries. The second most entered was its close cousin, the Imperial India Pale Ale (93 entries). Its popularity and accessibility makes the IPA the most inclusive style for brewers, retailers and consumers to collectively celebrate.--

Cheers,

 

Mason