Spike Brewing's Tank Trio Homebrewing System Tour

[@tonylamartina6729]

Love the new set up Ryan. I just bought the 20 gallon tank solo due to not having enough space for a three vessel system. I am very happy with my purchase and cant wait to watch more of your brew days with the Spike system. Happy Brewing

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

That’s awesome! The solo is one of the best on the market. So many other companies are putting pumps and hidden tubing into their all-in-one systems that overcomplicate the system.. and even worse, make drying/mold prevention nearly impossible. Spike is one of the few to do it right

[@Homebrew58]

Awesome system. Can't wait to see more.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! I love it. I have more videos coming soon! Let me know if there’s ever anything specific you’d like to see covered in future videos 🍻

[@normodegard183]

Beautiful! Can't wait for the cleaning video. And then some brewing videos.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! Next brew day I’ll be recording that cleaning process. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to see covered. Cheers!

[@normodegard183]

Is there CIP lids? And I want to see how you reroute all the hoses for cleaning.. and where all the waste water gets collected. Thanks!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@normodegard183 Spike sells one but I don’t use it. I insert a spray ball into the whirlpool port and do it that way instead.

[@anncarter8149]

Great instructional video! You’ve come a long way from backyard brewing!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! I don’t miss those days one bit 😂

[@HopRodGarage]

One badass and tidy setup, Ryan! As mentioned before I really envy those Spike vessels. Cheers from Norway!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you my friend! It’s a fun system. I’m really loving all the features Spike designed into it. I think it’s just a matter of time before their equipment is available internationally. Cheers! 🍻🍻🍻

[@HopRodGarage]

@@ryanmichaelcarter that would have been awesome! Crossing my fingers that it will be available over the "pond" :D

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@HopRodGarage 🍻🍻🍻

[@aronpanikian1371]

So awesome. Please post more grain to glass videos.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Definitely will have more brewing videos coming soon! Let me know if there's any specific beers youre interested in. Cheers!

[@zwalpole10]

You’re a stud Ryan. Hope we can get some brews in together this year. Hope everything is good my friend.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Man I was just thinking about you the other day! We were hoping to make the Cali Vibes fest next week but couldn't fit it in. Definitely down to get some brews in with you man! I have a ton of beers planned this year.

[@OreBankBrewing]

Awesome system

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! It’s been a fun system so far 🙌

[@duffycop]

I absolutely love it! I want that brewhouse! But have no space in my house 🤣

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

It's an awesome system! So happy I upgraded to Spike.

[@kickstart73]

Thx for the explanation. Great info and video.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks so much! Cheers 🍻

[@mpIaing]

Is there a written schematic for how you hooked up all those hoses and pipes together, this is something I would love to do with my three vessel set up some day without having to disconnect hoses all the time. - Thanks

[@frankferber3225]

Awesome setup. Thanks for the video. Looking at doing the same. Any chance you could give a parts list?

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Looks sweet!!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! Cheers 🍻

[@EricBourlet]

Would you share a detailed photo / diagram of your manifold. I'm setting up a 30 gal spike

[@jpc6774]

Just epic!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! 🍻🍻🍻

[@AlbeeSoaring]

Wow. Just wow. This is such an amazing system, series coin invested for sure. I wouldn't expect to see this type of system for home brewing, it looks like a professional brewery setup, or something you'd see for a nano brewery. Do you ever offer for people to come over and brew with you to see a system like this in action? If so Id be down to do that for sure.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

One of these days I hope to do something like that. I’d be awesome to have a big brew day at the house with anyone that wants to come

[@newfyguy2000]

If you could drop a schematic/parts list. I think several of us would appreciate it. Where did you source all your triclamp parts?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Hey man 🍻 I have pretty much all the TC parts and tubing here www.amazon.com/shop/ryanmichaelcarter/list/Q081LNI0MZOW?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_aipsflist_VSH0QKZ8E3MF8VS1BBHR&language=en_US

[@Ridenour64]

Looking forward to the cleaning video 😂

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Yesss! Coming soon 🍻🍻

[@Heerendra61]

Very very very nice video !!! 👍👍👍 This Spike Trio Tank full system is my DREAM !!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Hope in a 208v or 220v or 230v 60Hz European Monophase / Single Phase. Just liked your video👍 and subscribed of course ❤️

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! 🍻🍻 I love the Trio system. It’s been an awesome brewhouse so far 🔥

[@Dano67]

Love this system and great setup. Question I have is how are you heating the HLT for your sparge? Is the RIMS powerful enough to heat the sparge water to 170 in one pass or do you have another element in the HLT?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! There is a separate heating element in the HLT

[@danc1662]

Nice layout of the piping! Tempted to do this with my Spike system (have the NPT Trio) and it was before they went to TC. Debating whether or not the extra cost is worth it to go TC and hard piping when I move and set up the brew system at my next house!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

You can always just throw some TC to NPT fittings on your current system. You can find em pretty cheap on Amazon.

[@kickstart73]

Info on the stainless steel table pls. TIA

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

These are Brew Cubes from Ss Brewtech. Also checkout Spike Brewings tables

[@EMS_Brewing]

What fitting do you use going in to the mash tun after the ball valve??

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

It is a TC to 1/2-inch NPT. It is what spike includes for their HERMs coil

[@brewido]

What kind of tri clamp to npt bulkhead did you get for the return port on the mash tun?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

This one comes with the Spike HERMS coil

[@msullivan86]

Sorry bringing up and old video, but im curious on the RIMS, when i look up the trio on spikes site it has a herms system, did you kind of custom add in the RIMS?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Yea! I built the RIMS with parts from Amazon. They are all linked in the video description if you’re interested 🤙

[@msullivan86]

What a genius idea, i dont mind the herms, but this looks much simpler and cleaner

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@msullivan86 thanks! It’s awesome. A little more efficient than the HERMS but same idea

[@aaronscottmusic1]

Love your setup! So clean and shiny. Do you have any additional information on the filter you use ahead of the plate chiller? Or maybe a link to where I can buy one? Would be interested in adding one to my (future) system. Thanks!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! Yea here is the filter link: amzn.to/3Jd5KSI

[@aaronscottmusic1]

@@ryanmichaelcarter Nice! That's not as expensive as I expected it would be. Thanks for the link!

[@ryanamuso]

Hey Ryan, excellent videos and the beer looks great. I am thinking of upgrading to the Tank Trio myself. I see you are not using Herms coil in the HLT or the Spike control panel. Any reason for that? Lastly, I am currently brewing on the Solo and add all my water treatments in the one vessel. When using a 3 vessel, I am confused on how to adjust the water salts since you have a portion of the water in the mash and a portion on the HLT. Plus you have to keep the water line in the HLT above the Herms coil, so essentially you would have to treat much more water than you use. Am I thinking of that correctly? Cheers my friend, keep the great videos coming!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Hey man! 🍻 thank you 🙏 A RIMS is a more efficient way to control temp and a simpler setup. You can quickly step your temps in a very small volume, unlike a HERMS where you have to heat a large amount of water. For salt additions, you only need to adjust your mash water. So you add all of your additions to the strike water before adding in grains. The Sparge water just needs to be chlorine-free.

[@ryanamuso]

Thank you so much for the reply, I really appreciate it! Cheers!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Anytime! Cheers @@ryanamuso

[@erwindijkstra5077]

Cool system you got. How is the temperature control in your mash tun? Is there a big difference with the insulated version you had of ss brewtech? And how do you set your temperature in the mash tun? Reheat the wort throught the rims system a few degrees above the mash temp?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! I use a RIMs system to maintain the temp. I love the Spike mash tun much more than my old insulated one.. that one held temp ok, but such a pain to deal with and clean. My RIMs system monitors the wort temp passing through the heater.

[@erwindijkstra5077]

@@ryanmichaelcarter I ordered my Spike 30 gallon set. It is on its way to Europe. I was looking at your water chemistry on the juicy IPA. There is an ion imbalance of 1.08 mEq/L if it plug it in to brewfather. How did you calculate your bewing chemistry?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@erwindijkstra5077 that's awsome man! I think you'll love the system. I use BeerSmith brewing software. What ion is imbalanced? I typically round up, but the difference is imperceptible. Water chemistry, in general, will only make minor adjustments to the final beer so don't worry too much about little differences.

[@gocubbies83]

What controller are you using?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

I’m using my old Ss eController. I don’t recommend it but it’s the only way I could make my new setup work. I’ll be upgrading that soon 🍻

[@wickedbeernut]

@@ryanmichaelcarter Can you give us a hint as to which controllers you're considering? Or maybe you've already settled on one?

[@kurtkriter6144]

Ryan, I am curious if the whirlpool works well enough at collecting trub to go directly into the plate chiller or do you have a filter between Whirlpool and plate chiller?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

The whirlpool is usually sufficient, unless doing a big whirlpool addition. It’s better to use a hop spider for those if using a plate chiller because they’re so easy to clog. These days I use a counterflow chiller instead of the plate chiller

[@yiaher638]

Hey there, I love your videos. Didn’t know you also cook. Anyway, I’m in the market for a brewing system. Do you have any videos or suggestions on comparing the SS brewtech 3v system vs the Spike Trio system. I’m curious since I’ve seen you used both system. I’d like to hear about quality, ease of use, price and other functions that you might have insights on since you’re a user. Thx

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Hey! Thanks so much! 🙌 I don’t have a comparison video but the Spike Tank Trio is significantly better. Much better design, and the grain-out door plus the bottom drains make this system so much more convenient. I love everything except their controller and HERMS system. I built a RIMs system for it (everything linked in my Amazon store). Price wise, I think they’re pretty close, maybe a little more for Spike but it’s worth it.

[@deathkid411]

That's pretty cool. Beats my SV system from anvil.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! I brewed a ton of single vessel batches, and still do occasionally, but a 3V is so much more fun

[@hlebasko5095]

What is the minimum liquid volume you need for the boil kettle? (I sometimes do half batches and am considering the 15 gallon bottom drain solo kettle, but am having trouble finding real-world numbers/experienve from brewers.) Thanks!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

I do 5-6 gal batches in this all the time.. usually about 9-10 gal pre-boil. You’ll need at least 3 gal to submerge the heating element in the 15 gal system

[@bombbrew4119]

Clean! Good shit dude!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks bro! 🍻🍻🍻

[@MrChepezuko]

excelente setup veo que agregaste nuevos elementos y otros eliminaste como el filtro o lo utilizas en otro proceso?? ahora sigue el video cocinando nueva receta!! 😍😍 saludos!!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

¡gracias! sí, quité el filtro porque no encajaba bien con el nuevo tubo. es un gran filtro, pero ya no lo uso

[@NickMcPhersonOU]

Hey Ryan! Just started building my 2v RIMS with Spike Tank kettles. 2 questions... what valves did you end up with? I didn't see them in the product links you posted. Also, can you do 10 gallon batches in the 15 gallon kettles? I went with 20 gallon kettles on spike's recommendation but I've been told 5 gallon batches in a 20 gallon kettle is not great. Any advice?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Hey Nick, I use butterfly valves mostly, but I have a few ball valves as well. Yea you can squeeze about 12 gal batches into 15 gal. amzn.to/3vWKL3r

[@andrevangijsel957]

Setup looks pretty neat. To bad Spike does not export products to the EU. What do you use for a control system?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

It’s awesome! I bet they will be international soon. They are number one here in the U.S. now. I’m working on a new control system idea, hopefully will have that put together soon.

[@christopherdeen5896]

Hi Mate, awesome system looks real tidy! Did you purchase the all the hard piping and table separately? That setup is exactly what I want, but I can’t find anything like that in Australia

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Yea all of the tubing is separate. I purchased it from Amazon and most it is made by a brand named “Dernord”

[@aaronscottmusic1]

Hey Ryan, do you have your system setup to recirculate boiling wort through the plate chiller prior to knockout to sanitize it? Also, how do you like the Dudadiesel chiller? Thanks.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Hey Aaron, I sanitize the chiller and tubing with Saniclean when setting up the brewhouse.. so it’s all ready to go before I start brewing. The dudadiesel is awesome! This is the B3-36A 20 plate chiller which works super well for 5-10 gal batches

[@aaronscottmusic1]

@@ryanmichaelcarter Ok cool, I figured that would have to be the case. Seems like doing it that way avoids having to add additional valves and such. Also, good to now on the plate chiller. Thanks again for the info.

[@darrellevans1391]

Hi Ryan, great video, weird question for you but I notice your Brewcube rig has 4 casters, 1 in each corner, I’m about to purchase the same Brewcube set up for my 20 gallon 3 vessel system. Do you feel that 4 is enough to hold and distribute the weight? Or does it sag in the middle. I was wondering if I needed any casters in the middle Brewcube to help? Your thoughts?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you! The Brew Cube will sag a little. Ss recommends 6-8 casters

[@darrellevans1391]

@@ryanmichaelcarter great, thanks Ryan. Happy Brewing 😊

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@darrellevans1391 anytime! Cheers 🙌🍻

[@austinreid3580]

How did you mount your plate chiller to the BrewCube? I just got a Brewcube and am in the process of mounting my pump, controller etc. to it.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

I had to make a custom bracket for that. It’s a folded stainless steel bracket that has holes cut for the Brew Cube on one side and plate chiller holes on the other

[@austinreid3580]

@@ryanmichaelcarter thank you! Beautiful set up by the way!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@austinreid3580 thanks so much! Best equipment I’ve ever used

[@anemlachhomebrewing3690]

Slick looking setup, and top notch video quality.... that’s a massive RIMS element, do you have some sort of PID/voltage controller for it? Very interested to watch the cleaning video...

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! I’m loving it so far 🙌🍻 That RIMs rips! I used a smaller one previously but love the extra power with the this one. And yea the whole system is PID controlled

[@wickedbeernut]

If Spike and Ss Brewtech had a baby. Spike on the top. Ss Brewtech on the bottom. Spewtech? The flow appears to be identical to your Ss Brewtech system. Looks like you retired the inline strainer. I assume you found it wasn't needed. Did you stick with the Ss Brewtech eController 3V or switch to the Spike controller? Can you discuss your motivation for switching from the Ss Brewtech vessels to the Spike vessels? Clearly, the Spike bottom drains and mash tun door are nice features. Any other pros and cons?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Yea the flow paths are pretty similar, with the expectation of my new RIMs loop and the removal of my inline filter. The filter isn't really needed unless you do big hopped beers, but I'm going to use my hop spider for those type of beers just so I don't clog my chiller. The inline filter is awesome and works great, but it overcomplicated my new routing setup. The main motivation for upgrading to Spike was the flexibility of the system and the quality. Spike is the only brand I know of that does all their welding in the U.S., plus their customer service is second to none. Also, the temp probes failed on just about every piece of equipment on my old brewhouse, including the RIMs. With Spike, I can easily replace them if that's ever needed.

[@ta2md3vi1]

Sweet setup Ryan. I just brewed my first batch on my Spike bottom drain trio, and your rig has given me ideas for how to improve my setup. Quick question: Where did you get the tube support that's bolted to the front of the table and supporting the main manifold?

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thank you my friend! That’s just a basic pipe hanger for 1-inch tubing. This specific one is from Ss Brewtech (not the best quality) but you can find it on Amazon too

[@renestrgar]

Epic👌🏻🍺

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! 🍻🍻🍻

[@HooDooGOODER]

What advantages or disadvatages does the spike have compared to the ss brew tech? Both of your systems are awesome looking! I was just curious as one day I want to convert from my single vessel to a 3 vessel system. Looking forward to the cleaning video as the silicone tubes always look so clean and new.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

The major advantages of Spikes system are the bottom-drain features and the grain-out door. These two things allow you to never need to lift your kettles for cleaning/draining. Spike also does all their welding here in the US and their quality is superior to any brand I’ve used in the past. Most companies on the market import 100% of their products from China. Also Spikes customer service is second to none.

[@GUN5nake]

One huge thing to look at is electrical requirements for anything regarding double-batch. Spike runs their double batch system off 1 240v hook up. SsBrewtech requires multiple 240 lines for double-batch setups if I am not mistaken. There are also smaller but equally important design differences between the two, ie RIMS vs HERMS (for Mash temp control).

[@SteveBenson]

Curious why you would opt for a RIMS setup? Do you plan to upgrade to a HERMS down the road? Seems like a shame to make this massive upgrade from the SS gear but stick with a RIMS.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

RIMs is actually the better reciculation system. HERMs is much slower and doesn't step mash well. Plus you have to fill your HLT full of water just to use it. RIMs works by heating small volumes of fluid which is the most efficient way from a thermodynamics standpoint

[@SteveBenson]

@@ryanmichaelcarter RIMS will always be a bit faster since you're directly heating the wort vs heat transfer, but RIMS leaves you vulnerable to scorching your wort, whereas that's impossible to do in a HERMS system. Gotta say you're the first person I've ever heard opt for a RIMS over a HERMS - to each their own.

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

@@SteveBensonyea I can see that being a problem if someone custom-builds their RIMs system. My current setup, as in my last, has a temp sensor directly in the heating area which is PID controlled. Even if I forgot to turn off the power when I’m not recirculating, overheating/scorching wouldn’t happen unless my sensor randomly broke.

[@gregorywinters4697]

I love it! I’ve been wanting a walk through for a while now! What control system are you using? Is it Spike, DIY, at one point didn’t you run the SS rims? I have the mess I make with my trio. Lastly, if you had to choose one bottom drain would you go boil kettle or mash tun? Thanks, keep up the awesome work!

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks! I'd say get the mash tun bottom-drain if you had to choose only one (only if you get the grain-out door which comes on 15-gallon and above). Yea I was running RIMs on my last system too, but the temp probes failed on pretty much all my Ss equipment after 2-3 years of brewing. Now I use a replaceable heating element that only cost me about $50 on amazon. I'm still using a PID controller like on my last system.

[@starfishprime6330]

I'd love to see this video done again without all the zooming in and out of your system. Kind of get lost in understanding your system. You obviously do a lot of production work on your videos, but something a tad more educational would be to keep a far view of your system while you go through each step. Keep up the good work

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Thanks for the feedback! 🍻🍻

[@ВадимВадим-т2ц]

Homebrew from Ukraine

[@ryanmichaelcarter]

Cheers from the USA! 🍻