Almost Ready

Need just a couple more pieces in order to hook the last burner back up and install the pilot light system. Looks like I'll be brewing again relatively soon!

It's Alive (and so am I)!

The BCS-460 control panel is all wired up and working as planned! Now I just need to finish up the changes I am making to the gas lines.

Here is a list of part #'s for the components I have acquired so far:

1 x BCS-460
6 x Crydom D2425 SSR's from Brinker Controls
3 x 8-position Barrier Strip + jumper bar for the hot, neutral, and ground
1 x Rocker Switch (main power switch for panel)

For a basic description:

The BCS-460 is attached to constant power. For the panel, I wired the hot (black) from the main power line to the rocker switch. This gives me complete power over the panel (i.e., ensuring it is off). From the rocker switch, the hot runs to the hot barrier strip. This in turn feeds terminal one on each Crydom D2425 SSR. Terminal two on each SSR feeds the black (brass screw terminal) on a standard 110V receptacle with the middle tab removed to isolate each outlet. I chose a receptacle for a couple of reasons: 1) nothing is hard wired to the panel, and 2) most of the equipment I am controlling had a standard male power connector on it. The neutral (white) of each receptacle (silver screw terminal) feeds back up to a barrier strip which in turn is connected to the neutral of the main power line. All lines are connected to a barrier strip connected to the ground (green).

Port 3 (red wire) of the SSR is connected to the output (control port) on the BCS-460, and port 4 (green wire) are all wired together (the blue wire caps in the picture) and then connected to the ground on the BCS-460. In hindsight I would have added one more barrier strip and setup a BCS-460 ground bar.

I used salvaged PC power cords for wiring up the receptacles. The control wires (red and green) for the SSR's are a 20 AWG hookup wire I had laying around. Everything is mounted in a salvaged alarm panel box painted black with a $.99 can of spray paint. Not trying to be a complete tightwad, but it's just the way it turned out.

I am not an electrician, so please do your homework if you follow the steps I've written. If you are more experienced than I and I have missed something, please let me know! I did quite a bit of trial and error figuring it out before hooking it all up, so maybe it will help someone else out.

Edit: at the advice of a friend, I relocated the incoming power line to come in on the left side of the box to avoid any possible electrical interference with the temperature probes. Also missing from the picture is the hookup of two additional temperature probes and a couple of float switches that will be installed at a later date.

Test Wiring Completed

Things are moving forward with the BCS-460. I have the initial programming done and did some test wiring to make sure I had the electrical basics for controlling the relays down. All worked as it should so I can pick up the rest of all the little electrical parts I need. I'm also moving the gas line to the back of the frame so the gas control valves will be behind the heat shielding. All of this will take a little bit to get done, but so far so good. This controller is awesome. I am amazed at all that is packed into it. I can't wait to put it to use!

Automated Controller

After going back and forth, I ended up deciding on an option I have not mentioned on the blog yet: the BCS-460. It arrived today and looks great. The functionality of the controller is very impressive. Should someday I ever end up brewing commercially on this system, it will be of great value when it comes to sequential batches. In the meantime, it will make my brewday all the easier while increasing overall control and repeatability. More information and pictures to arrive as I get it setup and configured.

Before I can use it, I need to make a few changes to the system. Mainly:

• add a burner to the mash tun (for heating strike water and yes, recirculating and maintaining temps during the mash)
  
• install gas line control valves to the boil kettle, mash tun, and hot liquor tank burners
• come up with some sort of pilot light system for the burners
  

I'll also need to round up some temp sensors and relays for the pumps and gas valves.

Anyway, onward and upward!

Old Ale Update

I racked off 38 gallons of the old ale this afternoon. Final gravity was 1.014, for 8% ABV. 14 gallons went into a Sanke keg to which I added three packs of Wyeast 3763-PC Roeselare Ale Blend. The Sanke keg is now my "sour tank". This won't be touched for at least a year. The other 24 gallons or so went into regular corny kegs and I have a couple different types of oak cubes to add to two of them.

Yeast Dump

Primary fermentation of the old ale is almost done. Tonight I dumped what yeast has settled out and this is the result of 12 dry-pitched (expired) packets of Safale S-04 into 45 gallons of 1.074 wort.I was just shy of four gallons of a thick, creamy, yeast slurry. Fermentation temp was 68* F.

This fermentation went crazy. I actually lost quite a bit due to the blow-off. Between the blow-off and the yeast dumps, it looks like I'll end up with around 35 gallons when all is said and done. 15 gallons will be soured with the Wyeast 3763-PC Roeselare Ale blend and set aside for a year or so. The rest will be kegged with some oak cubes added to a keg or two.

Old Ale Brewday

Well, over a year later, I fired up the system today and gave it a good run using the natural gas burners. I hosted a brewday for my homebrew club (http://www.brewcommune.com) and we brewed up a 1.5 BBL batch of an old ale. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the brewing session. For the most part they probably wouldn't be much different than what is already posted. Other than a problem with a pump during the sparge (and thankfully I had a spare around), everything went as expected. I think it's safe to say that 140 lbs of grain is the maximum amount I can cram into the mash tun.

Not sure what (or when) is up for brewing next. Hopefully it won't be another year.