Brewstand
Design Parameters
The main feature of a gravity fed brew system is to have the hot liquids (water and wort) flow from container to container, without using pumps or raising the hot liquids manually. This gives us a system that is both safe to use , as we aren't handling large vessels of near-boiling liquid, and is economical to build, as we don't need to purchase a pump.
The main design parameters for my system were:
- The brew kettle should be high enough off the ground to fill my fermenter.
- The bottom of the inside of the mash tun should be higher than the liquid level of the brew kettle when full. Since I will be brewing ~25l brews, I need to allow for the brew kettle to be filled to around 1/2-2/3 full pre-boil.
- I need to be able to bend over the mash tun to add ingredients, stir and conduct the sparge.
- The bottom of the hot liquor tank should be higher than the highest liquid level of the mash tun.
Choice of Materials
I wanted a cheap, sturdy solution for the brewstand. I have zero welding skills, so a custom steel one was out of the question.
I settled on purchasing two sets of hammer-lock shelves from my local Bunnings. They had them on for $50 each at the time I bought them. These are the ones:
They are a 4 shelf modular unit made from galvanised steel with MDF shelves. Each shelf supposedly holds 150kg - more than enough for a brew kettle full of wort.
These units are pretty simple to assemble - simply hammer the shelf supports into the uprights then lay the MDF on top. I assembled the shelves according to the design parameters I required.
The Brewstand
And here are some pics of the (almost) finished product:
I assembled the two sections at right-angles to each other, connecting them with the supplied bolts. This was to provide better stability on the long axis.
