The "Cheap is Good" 40-Litre 3-Tier SuperBrewery

Ok, it may not be the cheapest, but it was dirt cheap compared to a pre-made SABCO RIMS unit. It was cheap because:

I got the kegs cheap. Stainless and aluminum pots cost a lot.
I didn't build a 3 tier frame, but rely on stuff just sitting around in the garage.
This is key - the challenge of a 3-tier system is having the 3rd tier high enough so that wort can be gravity grained into the fermenters (so it's in fact 4-tier). In my system there are no pumps - we lift the boiler (after the wort is chilled!) onto a table to drain the wort into fermentors. The sucker is heavy (well over 110 lbs), two people are needed.
Nothing is fancy.

That being said, if you stick to 19 litre batches, a zap-pap lautertun, and two cheap pots on the stove, you can build a system for even less. I like larger batches 'cause I can split them with a friend, and a gravity fed system means that during the mash and sparge you can go and do other stuff.

Here's a quick tour.

The HLT is a converted keg. My kegs are legal! They're from a local metal scrap yard (Federal Metals in Calgary). Find one that specializes in steel, and you should be in luck.

I had 1/2" SS couplings welded in. I used Dura Welding - they specialize in stainless "sanitary" (food grade) TIG welding. TIG is important! If you're going to convert kegs, read the Keg Conversion FAQ at the brewery.

The keg is sitting on an Italian-made 66K BTU burner from Canadian Tire (check the canning section in season).

Here's a closer look at the HLT. It's sitting on an old work bench in the garage. This is the third tier. Pretty cheap, eh?

The burner takes about 30 minutes to raise the water to mash-in temps.

Here's the mash & mash stirrer. I'm using a GOTT cooler with Phil's Phalse Bottom. The stirrer is a huge wooden paddle from the local Chinese Restaurant supply place - only $6!

Decoction time. Here's a couple of litres of mash in my 18 qt SS pot. This sucker was only $20. It's sitting on my second burner.

When I first started all-grain, I used two of these pots on the stove top for a split boil. I used a Zapap lautertun. That was even cheaper.

	The HLT is a converted keg. My kegs are legal! They're from a local metal scrap yard (Federal Metals in Calgary). Find one that specializes in steel, and you should be in luck. I had 1/2" SS couplings welded in. I used Dura Welding - they specialize in stainless "sanitary" (food grade) TIG welding. TIG is important! If you're going to convert kegs, read the Keg Conversion FAQ at the brewery. The keg is sitting on an Italian-made 66K BTU burner from Canadian Tire (check the canning section in season).
Here's a closer look at the HLT. It's sitting on an old work bench in the garage. This is the third tier. Pretty cheap, eh? The burner takes about 30 minutes to raise the water to mash-in temps.
	Here's the mash & mash stirrer. I'm using a GOTT cooler with Phil's Phalse Bottom. The stirrer is a huge wooden paddle from the local Chinese Restaurant supply place - only $6!
Decoction time. Here's a couple of litres of mash in my 18 qt SS pot. This sucker was only $20. It's sitting on my second burner. When I first started all-grain, I used two of these pots on the stove top for a split boil. I used a Zapap lautertun. That was even cheaper.