The Wizard of Brewz

Votes: 10
Views: 3306

The Wizard of Brewz is a keg-sized single-vessel beer brewing system that has the capability of handling large grain bills for Stouts or Porters or smaller ones for lagers and ales. The current units on the market are either much larger or smaller than this design and many of them are not within a single vessel nor easy to clean. The Wizard of Brewz is an inverted, continuous-wort-reflow design in a compact packaged-system with fully integrated controls.

The control system allows the user to customize their brew for temperature and pump operation as well as when to add the various ingredients. To assist in the safe operation there is a lifting bail for the lowering and lifting of the mash tun as well as a grain hopper for loading it. Flow through the mash is controlled by automated pump control and an optimally designed flow path configured for efficient heat transfer and saccharide extraction. Digital temperature control and an integrated timer permit simple and accurate command of every aspect of the brewing process.

The system is conventionally manufactured. An improved flow-diverter valve design is an additional advancement in brewing technology, featuring a lack of pipe threads exposed to wetting by the wort flow, making cleaning easier, and helping eliminate contaminant sources that may cause flawed fermentations and off flavors. A boil tun cover is provided for use during the boil. A choice of liquid to air or liquid-to-liquid chiller for rapidly cooling the wort, making it ready for pitching the yeast to begin fermentation is also included.

The integrated control system is simple, efficient and effective. This assures both an extremely short training interval and allowing successful production by relatively inexperienced operators. This is a distinct advantage in small-production brewpubs, and experimental batches for larger producers.

Cleanup is simplified by using Clean-In-Place (CIP) methods upon completion of brewing. CIP utilizes a suitable cleaning solution that is heated and circulated through the entire system via the installed piping before draining. The areas prone to contamination in other systems have been eliminated in this design, thus simplifying and improving the cleaning process.

The target market is home brew makers as well as commercial enterprises that want to make local, limited production of craft beers. The technology utilized is readily scalable, permitting production of units producing small quantities all the way up to significantly larger commercial systems, with economy, efficiency and simplicity. The system will be economically priced to home brew market where smaller, less effective designs that are significantly more complex exist at much higher prices.

According to CEX – Food and Beverage Detail Comparison for 2014B Household Demographics there was $12,673,166,310 spent annually on beer and ale for at-home consumption. This assures us that the market for a simple, effective, efficient, affordable brewing system, capable of producing superior beers in a wide range of batch sizes, with inexperienced operators is large and growing.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    David Fry
  • Type of entry:
    team
    Team members:
    Mark Whitaker & David Fry
  • Profession:
    Business Owner/Manager
  • David is inspired by:
    My team mate, Mark Whitaker, and I want to improve the home brew making experience. Making it more rewarding by providing a quality product where the home brewer customizes the brew to their taste while minimizing the cleaning time and opportunity for contamination.
  • Patent status:
    none