Just as I was beginning to think it might never happen, the final missing piece of the brewery has arrived and we are, at last, ready to brew. We need to tell you all about our first brew day but before we do I know some of you will be interested in the kit. I know I’ve learned a huge amount from others by reading this sort of post and have spent many a happy hour marvelling at the Blinkenlights. But if you’re not into stainless steel and wire, there’s always Flo’s Favourite Botanical over on the other channel.
The whole brewery fits neatly inside a small garage, so as you can imagine it’s not the largest. Our limit is how much we can ferment, for which we have two SS Brewtech Chronical Brewmaster FVs at 155 litres, temperature controlled by their own FTSS system.
But let’s start at the beginning. The whole process starts in the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) which holds 200 litres of water. Heater by a 5KW element, the hot side is all managed by a controller based on Craft Beer Pi. Once the water is ready we pump it into the Mash Tun where the malt is added and left to soak for an hour. Yes, *that* mash tun which has kept us waiting for so long. Then it’s into the Kettle, which is basically the same as the HLT, for an hour’s boil, a few hops (and then a few more) and then, once cooled, into the fermentor.
At least that’s the theory. You’ll be able to see and taste how it worked out in a couple of weeks.