Non-HBS sources for gear?

cweston · 03-03-2006, 12:46 PM

I'm cheap and enjoy the "hunt" of trying to find and/or adapt brewing gear. I also have no LHBS within an hour's drive.

In some cases, it's obvious where items might be found. Any ideas on where the following things might be found outside the HBS?

Carboys
Corona Mill
Iodophor or One-step type sanitizer

I checked a farm supply type place (we have those in Kansas) thinking they might have grain mills and/or iodophor, but not luck.

cowain · 03-03-2006, 01:34 PM

Maybe medical supply places for the sanitizer? Bottled water supply places for carboys.

**Baron von BeeGee** · 03-03-2006, 01:48 PM

You can probably find the Corona if you have a Northern Tool (where several of us bought ours last year) or at a food store that sells wheat. Lots of people (well, not lots, but many health/hippy types) buy whole wheat and use Corona type mills to crack it, so those types of stores frequently carry them.

Brewiz · 03-03-2006, 04:01 PM

Check a pottery barn type store for the carboy's and a farm supply for the Iodophor (it's also used in dairy industry).

Boston · 03-03-2006, 09:34 PM

If you're into "do-it-yourself" homebrew projects why don't you visit some local dairies and see if they have any old stainless steel dairy equipment laying about that they'd be willing to sell cheap (or maybe give you free). There's lots of overlap in dairy/brewery equipment, like tanks, kettles, whirlpools, etc. You could easily adapt this stuff into one kick-a$$ home brewery. Of course you'd have to brew 100 gallon batches.

Jeff

Boston · 03-03-2006, 09:41 PM

Just thought of another NON-LHBS source for stuff. See if you have any restaurant supply stores in your vicinity. They definitely have SS pots, big wooden paddles and such. May even have used equipment real cheap.
Jeff