My Professional Basement Brewery

About a year ago, I set out to construct a professional “German” brewhouse in my basement. While its not completely finished as of yet, it’s getting close. I still have the room left to finish, grain storage and delivery, and hop automation left.

I partnered with stout tanks and kettles to come out with a Low Oxygen Brewing specific kettle line, so others could buy these if interested. I designed theses kettles specifically to be optimized for my brewing. So this really is a from scratch build, all the way from designing the kettles, to them being custom built to my specs, etc.

The Vessel specs:

26 gallon HERMS HLT
50ft SS herms coil
Tangential  whirlpool inlet
100% tri clover, sanitary welded and mirror polished inside and out
Bottom Drain
On legs and wheels.
Gasketed and clamped lid
Sample Port

20 gallon mash tun
100% tri clover, sanitary welded and mirror polished inside and out.
Custom Lautering pipe
Custom hangers inside for a BIAB bag
Bottom drain
On legs and wheels.
Gasketed and clamped lid
Sample Port

20 Gallon Boil kettle
100% tri clover, sanitary welded and mirror polished inside and out.
Domed bottom, with trub dam
Tangential whirlpool inlet
On legs and wheels.
Gasketed and clamped lid
Sample Port

To control the system, I built a control panel from scratch using a 24" touch screen monitor. I 3d modeled the system from scratch as well, and use that as my background.

Assembled system

The Setup:
The system features roughly 24 electric ball valves
15 solenoid valves
5 proportional valves
4 pumps
8 flow meters
9 temperature sensors
2 Mirco motion mass flow meters, for realtime gravity in the mash tun and boil kettle
Each vessel has its own DO and pH probes.
Each vessel has its own volume sensors
Each vessel has it own Pressure sensors (for monitoring pressure in the vessels)
4 CFC chillers
Each vessel has a dedicated oxygen sensor for o2% in the headspace
Built in acid dosing, and auto ph logic
CIP
RO TDS and replacement automation

I have built the automation scripts from scratch, and as of right now it is nearly 100% automated ( minus grain delivery and hop additions, but thats in progress)

The brewing interface looks like this :

On brewday, I have a separate page that I upload all the variables to that day of brewing

Once I click “Recipe Input”, it then goes about its way on brewing.

Which makes it very easy to start brew sessions early in the morning, or even from work, and time it to be home just for hop additions.

Stress free remote brewing:

When brewing is done, the fermentation automation takes over with a few stout conicals, and some SS brew buckets.

Again I 3d modeled everything and built the scripts to control it

Once fermentation is nearing completion and since I brew according to the RHG, the system will transfer the beer over to the serving kegs where its using some more custom scripting to “Auto Spund” the kegs based on their temperature and carbonation level desired. It’s all dynamic, and no human interaction is needed.

I built this brewery because the Continental macro brewers and their technology fascinate me. I have the strictest of standards when it comes to beer, and this system allows me to always reproduce the beer I set out to brew. Automation is one of my favorite things to do, and it allows me to have stress free, and always consistent product.

Well that’s incredible.  Nice job.

Be VERY careful.  I’ve seen this before.

Seriously though, admirable pursuit (understatement of the year) and much appreciated contributions. 
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Also, when does this hit the shelves?!  [emoji482]

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It did!

It’s very nice looking and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. But it’s not something I’d be interested in.

That’s one of the cool things about the hobby, so much diversity in people and what draws them in.  Bryan is obviously deeply into this engineering aspect of brewing, while I am attracted to the somewhat romantic, hands-on,  craftsman-like thing.  Heck, Denny, I never would have touched that Pico thingy you’ve got!  And then there are people into hyper-local wild yeast, foraged ingredients, wood, and such…  I surely admire anybody who pursues their passion to this level!  Congratulations,  Bryan.  (Now turn off that soccer match and put some sheetrock up.  :wink: )

Pretty amazing. Also, a lot of work to save yourself some effort! I’m guessing the black box is your glycol chiller?

I don’t have the energy for a build like that. Nice job.

Heck, I wouldn’t even have the time or energy to keep it shiny.

Dont mind me, just stopping back in to look at the pictures for the third time today.  Bottom line: this brewery is awesome.  It may not be for everyone, but damn if it isn’t cool when you see someone just pour their heart into a goal.  Well done man, well done!

This is a very beautiful system. I appreciate the passion, expertise, and motivation that went into making it. Even though it’s not for me, and I have no desire to have a system like this, I’m envious and amazed! Prost!

Thanks all!!!

What role do the BIAB hooks have for you?

I mash with a BIAB bag. I like the way it works so I get zero particulate coming though the pipes. I custom made my bag to have a finer mesh so I get some filtering as well. It also makes cleaning a breeze. Lift out bag and CIP takes over. No dumping, scooping, etc.

As someone who gets to be a “fly on the wall” to many of Bryan’s plans for things like this, the planning and execution here was nothing short of staggering.

Definitely not for the faint of heart but the results are amazing.

I was going to ask that as well.
Can you show a clearer picture of the domed bottom and trub shield?  It’s so dang shiny I can’t see what it looks like.

Holy krausen. I think that may have cost more than our 7 bbl system… :o

Sure, This may be easier.
http://www.lowoxygenbrewing.com/stout-tanks-and-kettles-llc/

Oh Denny.  :-\

Good thing you’re not sponsored by a company that offers multiple automated brewing systems. That would be a shame.  :stuck_out_tongue: