BVilleggiante

Recipes 

If you were going to make the jump into commercial brewing and were going to get either a 1, 2, or 3 bbl system, which would you purchase? Just curious. I like looking at these sized systems and am wondering what else is out there and why people would pick it. I really like the 2bbl Speidel.

Alchemy

Recipes 

Almost 2 barrells, it makes 200liters of beer which is 50 gallons

That is the system i would go with as well, i love my 5 gallon speidel. It makes brewing so much fun!

I can brew and have beer in the fermenter and everything clean in 6 hours and i can do other things while mashing/boiling...i have even taken a bike ride while mashing before.


Only a few things holding me back from buying a 200l system. Money: it costs 15 grand plus shipping and you need a few thousand more for a glycol chiller, a few thousand more for fermenters and a few thousand more for bright tanks....


actually now that i think of it, money is the only thing holding me back from doing it. If i had 30 to 50 grand right now i would dive in head first with one of those systems. It is just so damn easy to use and repeatable.

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Future Brews Graff! - is it beer? is it cider?! is it GOOD?! we will see.
Primary Cherry Apple Wine, White Grape Peach Mango Mead (the mead baby)
Secondary Bog Monster Cranberry Grape Melomel the 2nd
Bottled Bog Monster Cranberry Grape Melomel, Grape Burn and Pillage Pyment
Kegged A Dark Ale w/No Name, Tosh's Cinnamon Challenge Cider, Carabou Slobber

mkling

Recipes 

Bigger is absolutely better if you're planning on going commercial. If you get 7 or 10 bbl fermenters, you only want to have to brew 3 or 3 times to fill em, not 3 to 5 times. No doubt in my mind -- 3 bbl.

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Currently On Draft: Bamberger Rauch Dunkel, Belgian Blond, Pilsener Urquell clone, Smoked Porter
Bottled: Concord Pyment, Mi'Apa Sparkling Mead, Chimay Blue, Old Simcoe American Barleywine, Old Cantankerous
Fermenting and Conditioning: Pseudo-Decoction Munich Dunkel, Left Hook Bitter
Recently Kicked Kegs: Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Citra Rye IPA
On Deck: Old Rasputin, Northstar IPA, Ur-bock Dunkel

Alchemy

Recipes 

Why not just get fermenters slightly larger than what you are brewing?

80 gallon fermenter for the speidel 200l is what i would do.

I totally agree that bigger is better when going commercial as you can make a larger amount of beer for the same ammount of work and a small cost in upsizing to make more profit but...i would rather start nano, 1 or 2 barrels at max and brew more often.

I brew on a 5 gallon system right now and it gives me the opportunity to brew more often which widens my selection of beer and gives me experience.

Don't get me wrong, if speidel made a bigger system and i could afford it i would totally go for it

Why cant i just have 50 grand lying around?

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Future Brews Graff! - is it beer? is it cider?! is it GOOD?! we will see.
Primary Cherry Apple Wine, White Grape Peach Mango Mead (the mead baby)
Secondary Bog Monster Cranberry Grape Melomel the 2nd
Bottled Bog Monster Cranberry Grape Melomel, Grape Burn and Pillage Pyment
Kegged A Dark Ale w/No Name, Tosh's Cinnamon Challenge Cider, Carabou Slobber

Mashinations

Recipes 

If going commercial - and plan on the need to be able to expand - it makes the most sense to buy fermenters twice the size of the batches you are currently able to make. If you have a 10 barrel brewhouse, buy 20 barrel fermenters and bright tanks. You brew 2 batches in a day to fill them up. As the brewery grows and you need to increase production you don't need to swap out 100% of the gear - just the brewing equipment.

Obviously if it were just for a personal system it doesn't make sense to do that.

tally350z

Recipes 

Not sure if you have been there, but check out probrewer.com. You will find some helpful info.

Go with the 3bbl if funds allow..

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Drunken Tortoise Brewery
Primary - Indian Brittish Ale, Belgian Pale, American BarleyWine, Partigyle from BarleyWine.

Secondary - Hibiscus Mead.

Kegged- Slightly Smoked APA,
Dry Irish stout.
Bottled - Rum Oaked Porter.