So, that’s Xmas completed, new year navigated successfully and time for our first blog post of 2020! With all the new year, new start stuff flying around, I thought it a great time to provide an update on how things are progressing with the brewery expansion.

I started off over a year ago now with a 1/2 BBL Mashtun, a Braumeister (that pretty quickly just became an expensive Kettle) and some SS Brewtech Conical Fermenters, in a small unit that had been converted into a number of offices. I brewed as and when I had the time, around my other job as a self-employed Management Consultant implementing large IT systems for, typically, manufacturing companies and hospital treatment.

A few months ago I began gutting the place in preparation for the new 5BBL kit I had purchased from Hoplex Ltd. This has been the source of much frustration as it’s allowed very little time to brew! I ripped out all of the offices, had a new resin floor and drainage installed, painted much of the interior and just have a few messy areas to tidy up in coming weeks.

Late in December, the new kit was despatched and arrived a couple of days before Xmas.

Cue large scale panic, with me having to run around neighbouring units to see who would lend me a forklift and driver. With the kit safely unloaded, and with the help of family getting the 2.3m tall Unitanks under a 2m high beam, the kit was in the building.

I have spent a few days between Xmas and New Year getting the kit in place, the brew block all plumbed together, the Unitanks all fully assembled and am pretty much now sick of the sight of triclamp fittings!

Today my Dad came along and plumbed in the brew block from the mains water supply and I had a meeting with the electrician, who has now gone away to work out exactly what’s needed to connect up the various heating elements, temperature probes, pump, auger/hydrator and Mashtun agitator to the control panel.

The good news is that I hope to have the electicals sorted some time next week and then I can do a thorough clean and test / commission the new kit in readiness for the first ‘proper’ brewday.

A huge thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far, I am very excited to be soon sharing a lot more beer with a lot more people!

Cheers,

Chris .

4 comments

  1. Hi Chris

    Good stuff! Looking forward to seeing a few more Leviathan beers out there.

    What will be the first brew?

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