Brass VS. Stainless Steel

[bradb]

Hey all, I am working on kettle/ mash tun fabrication and can't find any info on brass vs. stainless spigots. Are there any off flavors etc. associated with brass in contact with wort. Putting together a brass assembly is much easier to find parts and seems to be much cheaper. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Dwayne_Delaney]

Lots of folks have been using brass in brewing for years with no reported ill effects.

It has been recommended to passivate any brass fittings that touch the beer first to remove any surface lead.

How to:
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html

[bradb]

thanks dwayne, I figured no big deal but didn't know about the initial cleaning that link is pretty sweet never been there before. Did you say before that you got your fittings and gasket material at Lowe's? i was looking at some stuff the other day but was having trouble finding some nuts big enough 1/2" nip for the inside of the cooler.

[john mills]

I've used brass hardware for years. I can't tell any difference yet to my health, but I built my equipment more than a decade ago and probably didn't get my hands on the Chineese brass. Whatever you choose, just don't spend any time polishing it up after use. Quick rinses with clean water, and a feel with your hand to ensure the sliminess is gone is usually all it takes. Let the brass and copper (immersion chiller) develop a nice brown patina.
A lot of homebrew equipment is rigged from Lowes or Home Depot supplies because they're cheap and/or we're already there picking up other things. Evansville Nut and Bolt is the stainless hardware place to go if you're looking for stainless fittings. Another good place in Evansville for hardware is the plumbing supply stores like Ferguson.

[Dwayne_Delaney]

Did you say before that you got your fittings and gasket material at Lowe's? i was looking at some stuff the other day but was having trouble finding some nuts big enough 1/2" nip for the inside of the cooler.

Brad, here is the material list of the stuff that I got from Lowes.

½” to 3/8” quarter-turn angle supply valve (Lowes# 97488 $5.52)
Rubber packing sheet for gasket (Lowes# 31446 $.98)
½” Brass Hex Nipple (Lowes#24841 $3.06)
½” Brass T (Lowes#35047 $4.94)
2 ea. ½” Barb to ½” MI angle Adapter (Lowes# ? $1.42)
2” Fender Washer (drilled to fit nipple)

I used the brass T on the inside of the cooler connected to the nipple so I didn't need a nut.

Mash tun interior.jpg

I traced the outline of the fender washer on to the rubber gasket material and cut it.

Mash tun exterior.jpg

[Michael Erwin]

I got my mash/lauter tun together today. The final piece to locate was a brass washer for inside the tun, which I found at Evansville Nut & Bolt, for no charge. Nice guys. While I was there, they gave another guy a bag of screws and nuts, and gave another guy four nuts to use in building a bench. No charge for any of us. Highly recommended.

I posted some pics and a parts list here: http://anidiotstale.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... r-tun.html. I gave props to this group at the bottom of the post.

Next up, the wort chiller. I've gotta get moving. The grain came in from Midwest yesterday!

[BM1]

Yeah,that's a nice place to buy hardware,or just get it free.The guy told me that the invoice usually cost more than what they profit on tiny orders so it's cheaper,in a way,to just give it to you.I've picked up several things there over the years just for free.

Oh yeah,good luck on the brewing equipment project.I'm on my way to Menard's now to get propane burner and pot so I can brew 5 gallon batches.

[john mills]

Great news Michael. Welcome to the dark side...er I mean all grain side.

If using brass is of a concern to anybody you can also use CPVC. It's cheaper than brass or stainless, is used in many homes as the water supply lines, so it is safe. Just the plastic is not very good on a mash tun you intend to use direct fire to heat, but there are no threads from pipe to worry about gunk building up in.

[Michael Erwin]

I was looking for stainless, but they didn't have any, but expecting more in next week. I figured, the whole rest of the thing is brass, so a little more can't hurt (much).