chs9
Well-Known Member
I've been surfing these forums and doing some heavy research for a couple weeks now trying to figure out what exactly I want in my all grain set up. I've made some decisions, but still am unclear on a few points. Any suggestions or anything are totally welcome. I live in a small town and don't know anybody who all grain brews to witness in operation before I build so I'd really appreciate a few pointers. Just to be clear - I've never all grain brewed, not even BIAB.
The Goal -
I want to do 5 gallon all grain batches, but am planning on building a system capable of doing 10. By the end of the summer (maybe more realistically by December) I want to have a steel brew tree welded together, but until then I'm going to be using my stoop and the ground to get some gravity flow. I'm starting with keggle HLT and BK and intending on using a cooler MLT.
The Equipment -
So, I've got 2 unconverted SS coors kegs, the kind where the walls aren't quite vertical but bowed out a little. I'm planning on using one as the HLT and one as the BK. For the MLT, I have Igloo 10 gal coolers (the yellow round coolers with the red lid) available at my local hardware store, as well as the full walmart assortment of rectangular coolers available in town. I can always go up to Albuquerque, but I'd prefer not to. I don't have equipment capable of welding SS available to me, so all fittings will be weldless from bargainfittings.com.
The Questions -
1. Is it necessary to install a ball valve in the BK? If so, why?
2. Since this will eventually be a brewtree, where do you think sightglasses and thermometers are absolutely needed, a convenience, or unnecessary? Where will I want the thermometers, height-wise?
3. Are there any problems using a 10 gal igloo cylinder cooler for a MLT? Would you suggest something different? Does anyone have experience applying the bargainfitting.com cooler conversion kit (or their own conversion) to one of these? It probably won't be large enough for 10 gal batches, but the impression I get is that cylinder is the way to go for a cooler MLT for 5 gal batches. I'm willing to build a larger one for 10 gal batches when it's time to move up.
4. I intend on batch sparging, but I'd like to keep my equipment capable of handling any hardware additions required for other techniques. Is there anything I should look out for here, IE anything I should NOT do to my MLT or HLT that would prohibit another sparging technique in the future?
5. Anything I should watch out for, add or omit for the bargainfittings.com SS fitting kits for the keggles or cooler? I get enough arsenic in my drinking water that I don't want to bother with Pb from brass (pickled or no). I'm ok with the increased cost.
6. Would you suggest buying fittings from another distributor?
Alright, that's all for now. I've done a lot of reading and surfing to try to figure this stuff out, but these are things I haven't been able to solve and it's getting near keg conversion time. Feel free to comment on any component of my plan, not just my questions.
Thanks for reading (and replies!) of course
The Goal -
I want to do 5 gallon all grain batches, but am planning on building a system capable of doing 10. By the end of the summer (maybe more realistically by December) I want to have a steel brew tree welded together, but until then I'm going to be using my stoop and the ground to get some gravity flow. I'm starting with keggle HLT and BK and intending on using a cooler MLT.
The Equipment -
So, I've got 2 unconverted SS coors kegs, the kind where the walls aren't quite vertical but bowed out a little. I'm planning on using one as the HLT and one as the BK. For the MLT, I have Igloo 10 gal coolers (the yellow round coolers with the red lid) available at my local hardware store, as well as the full walmart assortment of rectangular coolers available in town. I can always go up to Albuquerque, but I'd prefer not to. I don't have equipment capable of welding SS available to me, so all fittings will be weldless from bargainfittings.com.
The Questions -
1. Is it necessary to install a ball valve in the BK? If so, why?
2. Since this will eventually be a brewtree, where do you think sightglasses and thermometers are absolutely needed, a convenience, or unnecessary? Where will I want the thermometers, height-wise?
3. Are there any problems using a 10 gal igloo cylinder cooler for a MLT? Would you suggest something different? Does anyone have experience applying the bargainfitting.com cooler conversion kit (or their own conversion) to one of these? It probably won't be large enough for 10 gal batches, but the impression I get is that cylinder is the way to go for a cooler MLT for 5 gal batches. I'm willing to build a larger one for 10 gal batches when it's time to move up.
4. I intend on batch sparging, but I'd like to keep my equipment capable of handling any hardware additions required for other techniques. Is there anything I should look out for here, IE anything I should NOT do to my MLT or HLT that would prohibit another sparging technique in the future?
5. Anything I should watch out for, add or omit for the bargainfittings.com SS fitting kits for the keggles or cooler? I get enough arsenic in my drinking water that I don't want to bother with Pb from brass (pickled or no). I'm ok with the increased cost.
6. Would you suggest buying fittings from another distributor?
Alright, that's all for now. I've done a lot of reading and surfing to try to figure this stuff out, but these are things I haven't been able to solve and it's getting near keg conversion time. Feel free to comment on any component of my plan, not just my questions.
Thanks for reading (and replies!) of course