psymn

Recipes 

I'm going to buy some equipment soon and I'm interested in opinions about which piece of equipment I should buy.

I'm thinking about a conical fermenter (plastic), or a nice SS brew kettle. Eventually I plan to get both but right now I only have the funds for one. So, if it were your choice, which one would you pick?


Matt

Beer Snob

Recipes 

What do you have right now? You need a brew kettle... can't brew much without it..... you need something to ferment in... not necessarily a conical fermenter (they appear expensive)... but you need something..... plastic bucket or carboy.....

__________________
Michael

"Don't worry, have a homebrew." ,"The "Bible"

Cherries in the wheat
Michael's Wheat

Spyk'd

Recipes 

I'd do the SS kettle first, provided that it's an upgrade to what you have on hand right now(i.e. larger capacity, valve fitting, etc.).

I used a bucket for a primary for a long time and they work just fine. If you want to go conical, I'd save my pennies for a SS one and only if I went into yeast harvesting.

That's what I'd do, yeah...

__________________
Primary:
Bleach
Secondary:
American Red
Keg Conditioning:
Gruit
On Tap:
ESB
Bottled:
Nada...
On Deck:
Porter, Belgian Abbey Ale

Ivan Lendl

Recipes 

get this for 80 bucks.their in GA as well so youll get it fast!
http://www.instawares.com/RII-ROYSSRSPT40.RII-ROYSSRSPT40.0.7.htm?sessionID=13219591137A18402B60 0120

wort chiller NOT included...

__________________
Primary: empty
Secondary: empty
Bottled: Barbarian IPA
Up next: Configuration 9

Cap'n Jewbeard

Recipes 

Does it need to be a 40-qt? At my local flea-market I just picked up a 32-qt stainless for $25. I know the vendors, true, but the regular price was only $36.

I recommend looking at flea markets, especially permanent, indoor ones. A lot of vendors sell new, China-made stainless pots. Otherwise, give me a holler and I can pick up one for you and ship it down. I know I saw a 40 qt for about $40.

psymn

Recipes 

I have a lot of basic stuff right now

2 fermenting buckets
3 carboys
7 kegs and related equipment
20 quart ss pot
lots of small stuff

I'd like to move up to all-grain brewing, and I know i'll need a bigger pot when I go there, but a I could get by with the buckets I have now for fermentation. Itcould be a little while, however, since I cannot get the full setup until I move (wife says we need to save up for the new house), and it's hard to find a house with basement suitable for brewing in my area.

If I did go for one a kettle, it would be one of the converted kegs. Anyone had experience (good/bad) with these?

Ivan Lendl

Recipes 

This place has em cheap...http://www.rackers.org/sanke_kegs.pdf

__________________
Primary: empty
Secondary: empty
Bottled: Barbarian IPA
Up next: Configuration 9

Cap'n Jewbeard

Recipes 

Whoah, nice. Would that fit on a stove?

Beer Snob

Recipes 

Well...... I think your idea of a basic setup is a bit off. Really, you sound like you have an intense setup. With the Kegs and all your certainly more intense then many. Sounds like your like me in wanting to use your stove. It is very confusing to hear all the opinons of whether or not a stove can be used with a pot too much larger then our 20 quart. Usually people have the opinion that lager then this needs a propane burner and you have to do this outside. I do not think that the previously mentioned Sanke converter keg will work on a stove. I've seen them and there are pretty big. I have not tried to boil a full 5 gals on my electric stove yet, although I did do an AG with two pots. My second attampt at this will happen as soon as my shoulder heals (recent operation).

Since you mentioned you want to do AG, have you thought of making a mash/turn and doing partial mashes (or if your like me and insist on doing AG any way you can). I also did not see a wort chiller mentioned. You could use this rigth now and you will DEFINATLY need it for when you do AG.

__________________
Michael

"Don't worry, have a homebrew." ,"The "Bible"

Cherries in the wheat
Michael's Wheat

EvilTOJ

Recipes 

If you've ever seen a Sanke keg, you'd know it's a bad idea to put on on a stove, especially an electric stove. They're 15 gal, and it would take literally hours to get the water up to boiling temps. I have one right now that's still in keg form that I need to cut the top off of (and buy a burner for too, not enough $$$ to do so right now) and it'll be awhile until I can use it on a burner.