Question on making beer with wine equipment

I have a chance to get a really good deal on this kit: Vintners Best

I'm really just interested in making beer and maybe Apfelwein, but wanted to get some peoples opinion on if I could use most of the items in the kit for those purposes. For example are wine hydrometer the same? Would I need a extra bottling bucket or could I just use the bucket included for that?

From my noob perspective it seems like everything I need is in this kit except a pot, some bottles, caps, and a capper, but just want to make sure I'm not wasting my money.

Thanks, and I really enjoy reading this site.

Most wine hydrometers are calibrated in Brix, but conversion to points is easy. Otherwise, not much difference.

A bottling bucket is always a good idea.

You do realice that your bottling apparatus will be worthless unless you put all your beer in wine bottles. The corker and a beer capper are entirely different animals.

Revvy said:

The corker and a beer capper are entirely different animals.

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Actually, some floor corkers can also be used for beer bottles using an optional crown cap adapter.

flowerysong said:

Actually, some floor corkers can also be used for beer bottles using an optional crown cap adapter.

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*raises eyebrow*

Really? That's cool to know....I'm going to need a wine corker down the line when my apfelwein and the mead I'm making this weekend get ready to be bottled.

flowerysong said:

Actually, some floor corkers can also be used for beer bottles using an optional crown cap adapter.

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I figured I would just throw it on ebay if it wouldn't work, but thats good to know.

Thanks

david_42 said:

Most wine hydrometers are calibrated in Brix, but conversion to points is easy. Otherwise, not much difference.

A bottling bucket is always a good idea.

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So the extra bucket then have included wouldn't work? Figured I could just use the carboy as my primary and the bucket for bottling?

You can get hydrometers with all three brewer's scales on it (brix, SG, and plato).

you don't want to brew beer and wine in teh same bucket...the flavors and aromas can mix.
different styles of beers can all be done int eh same bucket, because its all beer. wine has no malt or hops.

keep plastic fermenters to specific brewing purposes. Glass carboys, however, can be rotated to different tasks.

How much is this wine kit gonna cost you? If it's 60-70 bucks, then you can get the same thing in beer form, with a capper and a 3 way hydrometer. If it's dirt cheap then get the kit.

You can get a food grade plastic bucket at any big box hardware store for 5 bucks. Look for one that has a mark a couple inches below the lip labeled "5 Gallons." (Not 5 gallons to the top of the bucket.)

Then get a spigot at a homebrew shop for 3 bucks, and drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket...Viola a cheap bottling bucket.

(Lowes has almost clear buckets with one gallon markings up the side of it for about 4 bucks...)

Revvy said:

How much is this wine kit gonna cost you? If it's 60-70 bucks, then You can get a food grade plastic bucket at any big box hardware store for 5 bucks. Look for one that has a mark a couple inches below the lip labeled "5 Gallons." (Not 5 gallons to the top of the bucket.)

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Are these buckets actualy marked "Food Grade"? I have been told that the buckets from hardware stores are not food grade. Food grade buckets are marked HDPE 2, but not all buckets marked HDPE 2 are necessarily food grade. Just my 2 cents.

cronxitawney said:

Are these buckets actualy marked "Food Grade"? I have been told that the buckets from hardware stores are not food grade. Food grade buckets are marked HDPE 2, but not all buckets marked HDPE 2 are necessarily food grade. Just my 2 cents.

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Theres some discussion about it...but after extensive research I found a thread on another forum where someone actually called Home depot corporate about their buckets and yes they indeed are foodgrade. (I wouldn't use the orange ones though.) Plus that's what the owner of my LHBS told me when I was buying my kit and he was out of Bottling buckets. He's had a shop for 30 years so I figure he knows what he's talking about.



Plus for bottling it's only going to touch the beer for a couple of hours depending on how fast you are...It's not like you're fermenting in it for a week.

Just remember: Alchohol is a powerful solvent. If can leach a variety of nasty compounds from your storage countainer if its not designed to hold such a thing.

If they are food-grade, then they are good. Though the cost of the bucket from the LHBS is tiny compared to the cost of everything else.

My first kit was actually a wine-making kit. they were out of beer kits, so I got a wine kit instead. I ran into the same problems, and had to get a bottling bucket with spigot, and the capper.

nick

I started out making wine with a wine kit and have progressed to beers. Yum

I've never bothered with a bottling bucket but instead use my primary bucket for my bottling purposes after the beer has conditioned in the secondary. My secondary is a 5 gal carboy which was purchased specifically for beer. I don't use a spigot for bottling but a bottle filler attachment for the siphon tube. Works great this way.

And a question for the experts out there: I was thinking about using my 6 gal carboys for the beers as I'm starting to make more beer than wine. If the oversized carboy is filled with carbon dioxide previous to filling with the beer, should this not stop any chances of oxidation with a large head space? Now that I've moved into the keg world, I have the CO2 tank to do this.

Revvy said:

How much is this wine kit gonna cost you? If it's 60-70 bucks, then you can get the same thing in beer form, with a capper and a 3 way hydrometer. If it's dirt cheap then get the kit.

You can get a food grade plastic bucket at any big box hardware store for 5 bucks. Look for one that has a mark a couple inches below the lip labeled "5 Gallons." (Not 5 gallons to the top of the bucket.)

Then get a spigot at a homebrew shop for 3 bucks, and drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket...Viola a cheap bottling bucket.

(Lowes has almost clear buckets with one gallon markings up the side of it for about 4 bucks...)

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$25, used but in good shape

Thanks for all the replies

tmoney1224 said:

$25, used but in good shape

Thanks for all the replies

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Damn...go for it...you can always add to it as you get more proficient.

Also take a look at this post I wrote on someone else's thread about cost efficient add ons...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=549986&postcount=2

HP_Lovecraft said:

Just remember: Alchohol is a powerful solvent. If can leach a variety of nasty compounds from your storage countainer if its not designed to hold such a thing.

If they are food-grade, then they are good. Though the cost of the bucket from the LHBS is tiny compared to the cost of everything else.

My first kit was actually a wine-making kit. they were out of beer kits, so I got a wine kit instead. I ran into the same problems, and had to get a bottling bucket with spigot, and the capper.

nick

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Again, I wouldn't ferment in a hardware store bucket either...but for bottling for an hour in a white or clear <2> 5 dollar bucket with a 2 dollar lhbs spigot, you're safe. Like I said, when I bought my kit they were out of the bottling buckets and sent me over to the hardware store next door to get mine...And they've been brewing for a long time.

Revvy said:

Again, I wouldn't ferment in a hardware store bucket either...but for bottling for an hour in a white or clear <2> 5 dollar bucket with a 2 dollar lhbs spigot, you're safe. Like I said, when I bought my kit they were out of the bottling buckets and sent me over to the hardware store next door to get mine...And they've been brewing for a long time.

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Thanks Revvy, appreciate the help

tmoney1224 said:

Thanks Revvy, appreciate the help

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No problemo!