Johnny_Five
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2013
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 4
Hello all, I was hoping you could review the items sitting in my NB cart, so far at $526 total before shipping, that has been slowly been building up. I am also sharing this info with you to simply get it "off my chest" as much as anything, because I am struggling to hold down my impatience for the moment, as I feel that I've been researching non stop. In fact, I still could see pulling the trigger at any moment, as I believe I've done a decent job in doing my due diligence, but maybe I can hold out for a tiny bit longer. Yes, this is for extract brewing for the moment. I would like to eventually graduate to Belgian tripels, but who knows how slowly that may come around (on a side note, I've heard conflicting information about the necessity of corks/cages, which could lead me to upgrade my capper to the Colonna, but I digress). I've read How To Brew, have Papazian's book but haven't touched it yet, and have several more books on the way, two of which are on Belgians, and one on growing hops. Without further ado, the preselected items, each followed by a blurb about my decision making process.
Megapot 10g, ball valve + Brewmometer, both weldless, $220. Too big is better than too small, and it could maybe take on AG duties in the future, who knows.
2x Better Bottle 6g, plain, $55 total. I was tempted by the oxygenless transfer if willing to add so much more money, but reading about slow and/or clogging situations, cheap cracking units, I was finally convinced to simply use an auto siphon, with money in the pocket. (Deciding on the fermenter choice, also with which options to get, took waaay more time than I could have ever anticipated, though wort chillers were a close second.)
Glass carboy w/ bung, $39. For the possibility of long term fermentation, wine, and/or just to have a 3rd fermenter for more beer!
Wort Chiller, a "standard" 25' of 3/8" with hose fittings, and I'm half expecting the fittings to leak out of the box. I spent way too much time reading about whirlpool, counterflow, and plate. I was possibly ready to splurge $200 on a Therminator, then saw $20 for the assembly, then finally realized I even need a (March or other) pump, all that and I may still have cleaning and/or possibly chill haze(?) issues, so I think I got ahead of myself, particularly with the budget. Really, I was ready to pay more in advance with the hopes of saving considerable time, but I'm on this side of the "compromise" for now. I also looked into DIY solutions, watching several YT videos. Assuming I stay at 5 gal batches, I think some of the solutions are more hassle than I need to deal with presently, at least when it's not a baking hot day.
OK, I'm adding a yeast starter kit just because. I don't even know how much it would benefit me, $16.
Miscellaneous:
Star San 32oz, $16.
Auto siphon 1/2" + 6' of 7/16" tubing $17.
2x 3piece airlocks, 1x bubbler airlock. I figure I might need 3, and might as well try both kinds, $4.
3x standard carboy handles (I'm not very sure about the necessity of these particularly with the BBs, especially if I do pick up a furniture dolly), $20.
Hydrometer $5.
Capper $17.
Caps $4.
Bottle Tree $19.
Can anyone point me to a good oxygenation system with diffuser please? The one at NB is out of stock, TYVM.
I have yet to even decide on a first recipe, so I still will need to select yeasts, DME, hops, etc. I may just go local for ingredients, or I may add certain ones to the order I suppose.
I also look forward to trying to grow some hops. I obviously don't know enough about brewing yet to know which rhizomes to order, and have done some research on what people have succeeded with near me, though I deal with relatively lower amounts of sunlight due to the nature of the property.
I am sort of planning on buying a furniture dolly to help move the fermenters into a closet on the same floor as the kitchen, as it's all a hard floor along the whole path. I was torn over getting an outdoor burner, but I can always decide on that later. What's nice about the chosen Megapot is that it seems it can easily straddle two of my gas burners, yet is low enough to clear the microwave (the front half will be totally unobstructed; I'm hoping I'm good in this regard).
I should mention that I have Oxi free and TSP/90 on the way from Amazon. I'm still not sure what is the correct proportion for the best approximation of a poor man's PBW.
Thermometers: I'm not keen on Fermometers, and am wondering how helpful my instant read IR gun would be (I know it's relatively useles on hot liquids from a recent cheesemaking foray, as it starts reading the vapors instead). I was OTOH convinced to add the weldless to the brew pot, as it seems too convenient not too?
Congrats for surviving my endless rambling. Whew! So, do you think I'm good to go? You give me a pass?
Megapot 10g, ball valve + Brewmometer, both weldless, $220. Too big is better than too small, and it could maybe take on AG duties in the future, who knows.
2x Better Bottle 6g, plain, $55 total. I was tempted by the oxygenless transfer if willing to add so much more money, but reading about slow and/or clogging situations, cheap cracking units, I was finally convinced to simply use an auto siphon, with money in the pocket. (Deciding on the fermenter choice, also with which options to get, took waaay more time than I could have ever anticipated, though wort chillers were a close second.)
Glass carboy w/ bung, $39. For the possibility of long term fermentation, wine, and/or just to have a 3rd fermenter for more beer!
Wort Chiller, a "standard" 25' of 3/8" with hose fittings, and I'm half expecting the fittings to leak out of the box. I spent way too much time reading about whirlpool, counterflow, and plate. I was possibly ready to splurge $200 on a Therminator, then saw $20 for the assembly, then finally realized I even need a (March or other) pump, all that and I may still have cleaning and/or possibly chill haze(?) issues, so I think I got ahead of myself, particularly with the budget. Really, I was ready to pay more in advance with the hopes of saving considerable time, but I'm on this side of the "compromise" for now. I also looked into DIY solutions, watching several YT videos. Assuming I stay at 5 gal batches, I think some of the solutions are more hassle than I need to deal with presently, at least when it's not a baking hot day.
OK, I'm adding a yeast starter kit just because. I don't even know how much it would benefit me, $16.
Miscellaneous:
Star San 32oz, $16.
Auto siphon 1/2" + 6' of 7/16" tubing $17.
2x 3piece airlocks, 1x bubbler airlock. I figure I might need 3, and might as well try both kinds, $4.
3x standard carboy handles (I'm not very sure about the necessity of these particularly with the BBs, especially if I do pick up a furniture dolly), $20.
Hydrometer $5.
Capper $17.
Caps $4.
Bottle Tree $19.
Can anyone point me to a good oxygenation system with diffuser please? The one at NB is out of stock, TYVM.
I have yet to even decide on a first recipe, so I still will need to select yeasts, DME, hops, etc. I may just go local for ingredients, or I may add certain ones to the order I suppose.
I also look forward to trying to grow some hops. I obviously don't know enough about brewing yet to know which rhizomes to order, and have done some research on what people have succeeded with near me, though I deal with relatively lower amounts of sunlight due to the nature of the property.
I am sort of planning on buying a furniture dolly to help move the fermenters into a closet on the same floor as the kitchen, as it's all a hard floor along the whole path. I was torn over getting an outdoor burner, but I can always decide on that later. What's nice about the chosen Megapot is that it seems it can easily straddle two of my gas burners, yet is low enough to clear the microwave (the front half will be totally unobstructed; I'm hoping I'm good in this regard).
I should mention that I have Oxi free and TSP/90 on the way from Amazon. I'm still not sure what is the correct proportion for the best approximation of a poor man's PBW.
Thermometers: I'm not keen on Fermometers, and am wondering how helpful my instant read IR gun would be (I know it's relatively useles on hot liquids from a recent cheesemaking foray, as it starts reading the vapors instead). I was OTOH convinced to add the weldless to the brew pot, as it seems too convenient not too?
Congrats for surviving my endless rambling. Whew! So, do you think I'm good to go? You give me a pass?