coinhall09
Well-Known Member
Just starting to get into brewing and was wondering about equipment and maybe some one can hook me up with a equipment list ?
? Equipment for all grain
- Thread starter coinhall09
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So, you want to get started with all grain.
Here are a few items to consider.
First, and most importantly, you will need a pot large enough to do a full volume boil. If you are going to be making five gallon batches, you should probably consider a pot of at least ten gallons. If you think that you might want to make ten gallon batches, you might seriously consider making that pot a 15 gallon pot to give you the added room for a full ten-gallon boil.
Second, you might consider what the pot is made of. You would do well with either aluminum or stainless steel. An aluminum pot needs to be filled with water and boiled for a bit to form an layer of oxidation. This will dull the pot a bit, but in the end, it will be good for the pot. The only downside that I can see with an aluminum pot is that many brewers clean their equipment with OxyClean. I don't believe that you can clean aluminum with OcyClean (but I may be wrong on that). There are threads on the forum (in the stickies section) that detail the differences between Aluminum and Stainless Steel. Both will serve you well; aluminum will be a little cheaper.
Third, you will need a way to mash your grains. Many of the users here have coolers for a mash tun. They use both the chest type picnic cooler and the round beverage cooler. Both work well. Other people on the forum use a stainless pot or a keg for a mash tun. The coolers work well for infusion type mashes, while the kettles work well for a flame controlled mash. Another option would be to buy a large bag (or you can make one) and do BIAB (Brew In A Bag). This is where you put your mashing grains into a voile bag (I bought the material from Wal Mart in their drapery section and made one), and put the mashing bag in your strike water in your boil kettle. The advantage to this is that it allows you to start out with a little less cost -- the lower cost of the bag versus the higher cost of a mash tun. I have not tried this method, but I have the equipment because I do want to give it a go. If you go this method, you might consider going with a larger boil kettle (say the 15 gallon kettle for the 5 gallon brew) because your kettle may have to hold the grains and the entire volume of water (particluarly if you do no sparge). Again, check out the stickies section for some ideas on BIAB; there is an excellent one with BIAB with Picutres.
Finally, you will need a way to heat your mash and boil your wort. Many of the people here use Propane Heaters. Bayou Classics have several that are good. I have the Blichmann -- I thought that I might want to buy the Blichmann Top Tier brewing stand. What you will want is a burner that will put out around 60,000 BTUs. Others use electric boil kettles -- which have the advantage of allowing you to brew in your basement, for instance.
Also, it is important to hit some temperatures within a limited range. What I am getting at, is that for mashing, you will want to have a pretty good thermometer. Bobby M sells the CDN Thermometer that is pretty good for about $20. There are others who use the Termapen (but the cost is closer to $90 -- or $80 if you get the Thermapen Open Box).
Also, if you can, you should consider buying some brewing software. Check out the Software Section of HBT. I use BeerSmith. I like it because, once you have your equipment profile setup, it helps me find the strike water temperature on brewing day. I use it for other things, too, but I find it invaluable for doing my mash calculations. You can find other programs on the market too. Some can be used on your computer, others on your Android or iPhone device.
These are a few suggestions that you can use to get you started. Where you want to start will largely depend on your preferences and your budget.
I hope that you find these to be helpful suggestions. Best of luck to you. Mark
Here are a few items to consider.
First, and most importantly, you will need a pot large enough to do a full volume boil. If you are going to be making five gallon batches, you should probably consider a pot of at least ten gallons. If you think that you might want to make ten gallon batches, you might seriously consider making that pot a 15 gallon pot to give you the added room for a full ten-gallon boil.
Second, you might consider what the pot is made of. You would do well with either aluminum or stainless steel. An aluminum pot needs to be filled with water and boiled for a bit to form an layer of oxidation. This will dull the pot a bit, but in the end, it will be good for the pot. The only downside that I can see with an aluminum pot is that many brewers clean their equipment with OxyClean. I don't believe that you can clean aluminum with OcyClean (but I may be wrong on that). There are threads on the forum (in the stickies section) that detail the differences between Aluminum and Stainless Steel. Both will serve you well; aluminum will be a little cheaper.
Third, you will need a way to mash your grains. Many of the users here have coolers for a mash tun. They use both the chest type picnic cooler and the round beverage cooler. Both work well. Other people on the forum use a stainless pot or a keg for a mash tun. The coolers work well for infusion type mashes, while the kettles work well for a flame controlled mash. Another option would be to buy a large bag (or you can make one) and do BIAB (Brew In A Bag). This is where you put your mashing grains into a voile bag (I bought the material from Wal Mart in their drapery section and made one), and put the mashing bag in your strike water in your boil kettle. The advantage to this is that it allows you to start out with a little less cost -- the lower cost of the bag versus the higher cost of a mash tun. I have not tried this method, but I have the equipment because I do want to give it a go. If you go this method, you might consider going with a larger boil kettle (say the 15 gallon kettle for the 5 gallon brew) because your kettle may have to hold the grains and the entire volume of water (particluarly if you do no sparge). Again, check out the stickies section for some ideas on BIAB; there is an excellent one with BIAB with Picutres.
Finally, you will need a way to heat your mash and boil your wort. Many of the people here use Propane Heaters. Bayou Classics have several that are good. I have the Blichmann -- I thought that I might want to buy the Blichmann Top Tier brewing stand. What you will want is a burner that will put out around 60,000 BTUs. Others use electric boil kettles -- which have the advantage of allowing you to brew in your basement, for instance.
Also, it is important to hit some temperatures within a limited range. What I am getting at, is that for mashing, you will want to have a pretty good thermometer. Bobby M sells the CDN Thermometer that is pretty good for about $20. There are others who use the Termapen (but the cost is closer to $90 -- or $80 if you get the Thermapen Open Box).
Also, if you can, you should consider buying some brewing software. Check out the Software Section of HBT. I use BeerSmith. I like it because, once you have your equipment profile setup, it helps me find the strike water temperature on brewing day. I use it for other things, too, but I find it invaluable for doing my mash calculations. You can find other programs on the market too. Some can be used on your computer, others on your Android or iPhone device.
These are a few suggestions that you can use to get you started. Where you want to start will largely depend on your preferences and your budget.
I hope that you find these to be helpful suggestions. Best of luck to you. Mark
I see that your title mentioned doing all grain brewing, but you are also just starting out brewing. If you are doing Extract Brewing, you will not have the need to buy all of the equipment at first. You will still need a good kettle. You might consider buying a kettle that will be large enough to move up into all grain, so that you don't have to buy a new kettle when you do make the move to all grain. Depending on the size of the kettle, you might also want to buy a burner of some kind. Many people here started out with turkey fryers. Mark
OP
OP
coinhall09
Well-Known Member
Yeah I figured I didnt want to go with a mr beer kit seems so easy and I would want to be able to learn the ole natural way with all grain .
So ur saying if I want to do 5gl batches I need a 15 gl pot ?
Thanks man , I got a book ( extreme brewing ) ( from the owner of dog dish head ) and I get the basics like the right size Carboy and
Sanitation , but the thing that got me twisted was should I go for the steel pot for the mash tun or the cooler , I'm just starting on getting the parts I need for later this year or by the start on next year , also , what about the better bottle , I've herd you shouldn't age in them ?
Thanks a lot man
So ur saying if I want to do 5gl batches I need a 15 gl pot ?
Thanks man , I got a book ( extreme brewing ) ( from the owner of dog dish head ) and I get the basics like the right size Carboy and
Sanitation , but the thing that got me twisted was should I go for the steel pot for the mash tun or the cooler , I'm just starting on getting the parts I need for later this year or by the start on next year , also , what about the better bottle , I've herd you shouldn't age in them ?
Thanks a lot man
kzimmer0817
Well-Known Member
He said that if you want to do 10 gallon batches, you will need a 15 gallon pot. I'm doing 5 gallon batches in a 7.5 gallon pot just fine. I'm new to beer drinking, so I'd rather brew smaller batches so that I can have a variety of beers around to enjoy. Also, I don't drink a lot of beer, so 5 gallon batches can last me a while.
In the next posting I'll tell you what equipment I finally ordered after agonizing over it for a few weeks.
I'll apologize ahead of time for the length of my next posting.
Good luck,
Keith
kzimmer0817
Well-Known Member
Im chiming in here as a very slowly progressing noobie. I started brewing a year ago and have only found the time to brew and drink 4 brews myself. My next brew will be all-grain. My son, whos brewed several beers with his friends, accuses me of studying too much and not actually doing anything. Sorry, that's the doctor in me.
In the posting you made in the "introduction" thread, you stated:
The question of which makes better beer, extract brewing or all-grain brewing, is still being hotly debated. Search the forums, and youll probably find that your assumption is incorrect.
I wanted to start low and go slow entering the hobby without spending an incredible amount of money - just in case I didnt stick with it. I figured that I would brew a few batches using extract kits. Two of these kits included grains to be steeped prior to beginning the boil.
Im sure others will have different advice for you, but heres mine:
1. Try brewing a few extract kits with or without steeping grains so that you can concentrate first on the several processes that need to be learned. Most will apply no matter what kind of brewing you do (extract, all grain, or all grain using BIAB).
- great beer can be made from extracts.
- the overall process of making the wort
- the process of sanitizing everything and keeping it sanitized
- managing the boil, adding hops without boiling over, and cooling the wort prior to fermentation
- the fermentation process
- bottling or kegging.
2. Meanwhile, certainly search the forums for as much info as you can about all-grain. BTW, my 7.5gal kettle is just fine for 5gal batches. My son uses it for his own all-grain batches (he has a converted cooler for the mashtun).
3. Once youre comfortable with making beer and getting it successfully fermented, then move into all-grain. Another thing on which some will disagree is my suggestion to give serious consideration to doing BIAB. Youll find a lot of debate about this as well. Fortunately, theres a good bit of info on HBT Forum regarding it if you look.
Read thru the following thread to see if this technique doesnt appeal to you:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/biab-brewing-pics-233289/
There are several youtube videos illustrating BIAB.
Anyway, heres the list of what I ordered in September, 2011 for my own startup:
From www.learntobrew.com:
7.5 gallon economy kettle (free shipping) 59.99
25 immersion chiller 39.99
Shipping and handling 7.99
From www.morebeer.com
BE400 Camp Chef Propane Burner 89.90
BE401 Camp Chef Ignitor (broke) 12.95
MT360 Glass Thermometer 4.95
FE382 Aeration System w/o pump* 20.99
BE383 Whisper Aeration Pump* 12.75
*probably not needed
From my local Homebrew Store (LHBS)
KB3 True Brew Homebrewing Kit 89.00
Plus 4 ingredient kits. I priced several beginner kits and, for reasons that I cannot remember, preferred the True Brew kit. After considering shipping and handling for the kit, it was less than $10 more to purchase it from my LHBS. He threw in some caps, bottling sugar, and a couple other little items. I felt that it would be worth $10 to build a relationship with my LHBS.
I have since purchased a couple 6 gallon ported Better Bottles. I guess I like to watch the bubbles.
Im not saying that I purchased the best stuff. Other propane burners were highly recommended on the forums, so I made a choice.
I have just cut a keg to make a keggle (14 gallons), and installed a ball valve and sight glass. You can see it here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/keiths-cut-keggle-353760/
Good luck with your new hobby.
Keith
In the posting you made in the "introduction" thread, you stated:
The question of which makes better beer, extract brewing or all-grain brewing, is still being hotly debated. Search the forums, and youll probably find that your assumption is incorrect.
I wanted to start low and go slow entering the hobby without spending an incredible amount of money - just in case I didnt stick with it. I figured that I would brew a few batches using extract kits. Two of these kits included grains to be steeped prior to beginning the boil.
Im sure others will have different advice for you, but heres mine:
1. Try brewing a few extract kits with or without steeping grains so that you can concentrate first on the several processes that need to be learned. Most will apply no matter what kind of brewing you do (extract, all grain, or all grain using BIAB).
- great beer can be made from extracts.
- the overall process of making the wort
- the process of sanitizing everything and keeping it sanitized
- managing the boil, adding hops without boiling over, and cooling the wort prior to fermentation
- the fermentation process
- bottling or kegging.
2. Meanwhile, certainly search the forums for as much info as you can about all-grain. BTW, my 7.5gal kettle is just fine for 5gal batches. My son uses it for his own all-grain batches (he has a converted cooler for the mashtun).
3. Once youre comfortable with making beer and getting it successfully fermented, then move into all-grain. Another thing on which some will disagree is my suggestion to give serious consideration to doing BIAB. Youll find a lot of debate about this as well. Fortunately, theres a good bit of info on HBT Forum regarding it if you look.
Read thru the following thread to see if this technique doesnt appeal to you:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/biab-brewing-pics-233289/
There are several youtube videos illustrating BIAB.
Anyway, heres the list of what I ordered in September, 2011 for my own startup:
From www.learntobrew.com:
7.5 gallon economy kettle (free shipping) 59.99
25 immersion chiller 39.99
Shipping and handling 7.99
From www.morebeer.com
BE400 Camp Chef Propane Burner 89.90
BE401 Camp Chef Ignitor (broke) 12.95
MT360 Glass Thermometer 4.95
FE382 Aeration System w/o pump* 20.99
BE383 Whisper Aeration Pump* 12.75
*probably not needed
From my local Homebrew Store (LHBS)
KB3 True Brew Homebrewing Kit 89.00
Plus 4 ingredient kits. I priced several beginner kits and, for reasons that I cannot remember, preferred the True Brew kit. After considering shipping and handling for the kit, it was less than $10 more to purchase it from my LHBS. He threw in some caps, bottling sugar, and a couple other little items. I felt that it would be worth $10 to build a relationship with my LHBS.
I have since purchased a couple 6 gallon ported Better Bottles. I guess I like to watch the bubbles.
Im not saying that I purchased the best stuff. Other propane burners were highly recommended on the forums, so I made a choice.
I have just cut a keg to make a keggle (14 gallons), and installed a ball valve and sight glass. You can see it here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/keiths-cut-keggle-353760/
Good luck with your new hobby.
Keith
I "slowly" worked my way up!
I started with a Mr Beer, just because it was given to me as a gift.
I eventually moved up to extract brewing, then now I am getting the rest of the equipment together to go all grain!
I would say that I have a total of less than 10 batches under my belt total, so I didn't wait too long!
John Palmer has a great book on brewing that you can access online....that's right...it's available for free.
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
I has all the information that you are looking for.
It will probably cause you to have more questions than answers at first.
But eventually it will answer all your questions.
I only mention this because building an AG system is pretty personal depending on what methods or system works best for your brewing needs.
At least that's the way it was for me.
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
I has all the information that you are looking for.
It will probably cause you to have more questions than answers at first.
But eventually it will answer all your questions.
I only mention this because building an AG system is pretty personal depending on what methods or system works best for your brewing needs.
At least that's the way it was for me.
I started off thinking I was going to do all grain straight out of the gate, studied up on what I would need, where to get it, what I could build, built my plan so to speak. Patience collapsed and I did an extract batch, turned out great, but even from doing that first batch I changed my mind on a lot of ideas for gear, now with quite a few extract batches under my belt I think I've changed damn near my whole plan, and put it off for longer as I decided to do a keg setup now instead of bottling and it is not a cheap venture to do it nicely, so get a couple of bottling sessions under your belt before you decide you don't like the hobby. I don't mind bottling, I find it sort of relaxing at times but time wise with family and work kegs make it a lot easier.
Anyways thought Id share my experience of freshly starting out as I'm glad I didn't dump a bunch of money into a system that I now know I would change a lot of.
Happy brewing, nothing beats that first beer that you made yourself.
Anyways thought Id share my experience of freshly starting out as I'm glad I didn't dump a bunch of money into a system that I now know I would change a lot of.
Happy brewing, nothing beats that first beer that you made yourself.
My two cents after going all-grain about a year ago...
Get at least a 10 gallon stainless kettle for boils, and go 15 gallon if you're willing to spend on it. I have a ~8 gallon pot and it works (barely) and it can be a bit of a pain.
Go with a round cooler w/ false bottom for your mash - I have a rectangular one and have struggles with efficiency and stuck mash from time to time. I have made a load of improvements and can address most shortcomings with it so you can make it work - but its much easier with a round one.
Another tip: be patient for your first few brews. They may not turn out how you expect but as you brew more you'll learn to adjust your recipes/process to match with your equipments performance.
Good luck and enjoy!
Get at least a 10 gallon stainless kettle for boils, and go 15 gallon if you're willing to spend on it. I have a ~8 gallon pot and it works (barely) and it can be a bit of a pain.
Go with a round cooler w/ false bottom for your mash - I have a rectangular one and have struggles with efficiency and stuck mash from time to time. I have made a load of improvements and can address most shortcomings with it so you can make it work - but its much easier with a round one.
Another tip: be patient for your first few brews. They may not turn out how you expect but as you brew more you'll learn to adjust your recipes/process to match with your equipments performance.
Good luck and enjoy!
Don't forget the time to brew. Extract batches took me three hours. All grain takes me 6! I could shorten those times by changing my gear to something I don't have to assemble every time but I don't see much gain in it. Minimum it takes time to heat the water, and hour for mash, an hour for sparge, and an hour for boil. That's three hours right there if you don't even consider time to heat the water set up gear and chill it.
Temperature control during fermentation is much more important than all grain vs extract. I would invest in a way to set fermenting temperatures before going all grain.
Temperature control during fermentation is much more important than all grain vs extract. I would invest in a way to set fermenting temperatures before going all grain.
