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Rev2010 · 11-06-2011, 01:49 PM

Outside of the usual things, since I gather the post intention was for upgrades we eventually went to, I would say:

10 gallon Blichmann kettle
Blichmann floor burner with leg extentions
Immersion chiller - important here, no more ice baths and I went from boiling to 68 degree pitching temp yesterday in about 22 minutes! I move the IC around though to speed it up
Bench capper - or most would say kegging system I gather, haven't went there yet
Extra fermenters to have a few going at a time
Mash tun - basically going AG

Rev.

**stellaontap** · 11-06-2011, 01:52 PM

A good thermometer....I keep missing my mash temps by a couple of degrees.

Eric

madman960 · 11-06-2011, 02:12 PM

Wow. Thanks for all the replies. Rev, I am trying to find out what you would purchase to start out knowing what you know now. I do not want to buy stuff I do not need or will never use.

Just got the go ahead from the wife to build a brew shed in the backyard. The less I spend on stuff I do not need, the more elaborate my shed can be.

Bill

Dogphish · 11-06-2011, 02:18 PM

i used to use carboys for primary and secondary. now i use a 7.5 gallon bucket for primary and a 5 gallon bucket for secondary.

getting a quarter pound of hops into and out of a carboy hole is a PAIN! buckets are much easier to work with. i am able to get 5 gallon buckets with a gasket lid for free from the local bagel shop. the shop buys malt extract in these buckets, uses the extract syrup, then throws away the buckets. they throw away a few of these buckets every weeks. they even have 2.5 gallon buckets.

**AnOldUR** · 11-06-2011, 02:27 PM

I’ll be the voice of opposition. Started with Mr Beer and took about a year to go AG. After over 150 batches I'm still having fun upgrading and learning. If I had it to do again wouldn’t want anything different. It’s a hobby and all about the journey. Start at the finish and you miss the scenery.

madman960 · 11-06-2011, 03:20 PM

I am not trying to skip the journey. I just dont want to buy things I will not need or use.

I already have enough stuff I do not need or use.

ReverseApacheMaster · 11-06-2011, 03:56 PM

I would have bought pretty much everything in the order I did, except I probably would have bought a better quality kettle for the stove. Now that I've been banished to the outdoors it's probably less of an issue.

**stratslinger** · 11-06-2011, 04:08 PM

I went the basically-standard route; starter kit from Midwest supplies (with a few minor exceptions, they're all the same), and a turkey fryer with a 7.5 gallon aluminum pot. I also jumped into kegging right away (my wallet may have regretted that move, but none of the rest of me did!).

The only things that I either don't use or use only rarely are my bottling wand (I still plan to bottle the occasional batch, so this doesn't seem a waste to have hanging around) and I bought 1 5 gallon better bottle and inherited 1 5 gallon glass carboy. Since I only rarely secondary now, these are pretty redundant - a couple primaries and a single secondary would've done me just fine.

madman960 · 11-06-2011, 04:18 PM

I have a question about a secondary/bottling bucket.

Could I use a 5 or 10 gallon water cooler as a secondary? Only because it has a spigot and that can fill bottles with it. I would attach a hose to the spigot.

Actually, I think I will just use them as the primary. This way it will make transfers a breeze.

**lowtones84** · 11-06-2011, 04:30 PM

I don't think you want to use the plastic water jugs for fermentation. I don't believe they're made to keep all oxygen out like the food grade buckets or glass carboys we use. If everything was well sanitized I suppose you could use them as part of your bottling process. Good luck!