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Jebediahscooter

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Location
Raleigh
Hi all,

I've been interested in home brewing for about 6 months (after reading Microbrewed Adventures, I came to the conclusion that I needed to do this and started saving). A friend started brewing a couple of months ago with extract, and I've talked to him a lot recently. I've decided to jump straight into all grain, as he said that he has wanted to do so since like batch #3. So I've been reading a ton on here, read Palmer's book, learned a lot, and am ready to get going. So I have multi-phase plan and wanted to throw it out there to see if anybody had any words of wisdom.

Step 1 (completed): wire my large-ish garden shed with electricity so that I can ferment in a controlled manner out there.

Our house is tiny, and one compromise with the wife was that there would be absolutely no brewing activity inside. So I basically have to start with the end of the process and work backward from there...can't ferment in 90-100* summer temps here in Raleigh without control.

Question: I store my lawn mower and gas cans in the shed, and I'm worried about fumes and sparks from a minifridge compressor. I plan to move gas cans into a plastic bin and keep them outside of the shed from now on. Will the leftover gas in the mower create enough fumes when stored to cause a fire hazard? The shed has two small vents at the top, but it's not very well ventilated.

Step 2 (in progress): Acquire and drill/plumb kegs to make kettle/HLT

I got the kegs yesterday for free from a the owner of my regular beer bar...the area brewpub that owns them hadn't returned his calls for a year, and he had left two messages with them asking if they wanted them after I'd inquired about kegs. They didn't call back after a week, so he didn't feel bad about giving them to me, and I didn't feel bad about taking them. I'm going to cut, drill, and clean them today, and I'm in the process of ordering weldless bulkheads/valves from Bargain Fittings. I'm also considering things like dip tubes, sight glasses, and thermometers. I just need to figure out what I want on each keg, and I'll go from there. I'm thinking sight glass/thermowell combo fitting for each, though.

Question: Does my HLT need a dip tube? For my BK, I'm thinking a dip tube, but I need advice on what to use to strain hops and whatnot when emptying it. False bottom? Hop Rocket or something similar? DIY something?

Step 3 (in progress): Acquire minifridge and plan/build a ferm chamber: I'm going to go the fridge-attached-to-an-insulated-box route here. I have a CL fridge lined up that I'll pick up this afternoon, and I will hit lowes tomorrow for lumber/insulation/hardware. I've been reading about temp controllers, and I think that I am going to go with the Ranco 2 stage, as fall in spring here have big enough temperature swings and the chamber will be in an uninsulated outbuilding. I'm thinking that I will build the chamber two hold two carboys with some extra space for bottle storage. I'll just be starting with ales, so I'm not worrying about hitting lower temps now.

Question: Is wiring a computer fan up so that it comes on when the fridge comes on difficult for an electricity n00b? Is the fan wired to the fridge? Or is it wired to the Ranco?

Step 4 (planning still): build a brewstand: I'm not going fancy, and I have no welding skills and don't know anybody who does. I also have the problem of not having any flat concrete spots in my yard, so I'm worried about stability. I came up with the idea of using sleeves/anchors in the ground (something like this) that will allow me to drop 4x4 posts in to the ground as the supports for a stand. I would then have bed frames or something else (maybe wood platforms with heat shields) attached with lag bolts for the burners/kettles to sit on. My thought is to make it modular so that I can tear it all down and store separate pieces in my shed at the end of a brew day. Any thoughts?

Step 5 (planning still): acquire/build MLT, get all of the various equipment and components. I'm going to use a round cooler MLT and convert it. I'll get burners, a pump if I decide to go single or two-tier, buckets, hydrometer, capper, sanitizing stuff, etc etc. All of the little things. I still haven't decided on what kind of chiller I will use. Initially, I'll do 5 gallon batches and might just go with an immersion chiller, but the ground water isn't very cool in the summer here...

Question: Should I just buy a starter brewing kit and get all of the little bits and pieces together, or would it be cheaper to just order what I need a la carte to so that I'm not getting anything I don't need?

Sorry for the long post, but I just needed to get all of that down to help me organize, and I figured that I would try to get some questions answered in the process. Anything I'm not thinking about that I should consider? Thanks for reading, and thanks for all of the great posts...I've really enjoyed learning tons from just randomly reading threads on this forum. Very cool community going here!
 
My advice would be to pump your brakes. It's great that you have such enthusiasm but you're talking about spending big money before you've ever actually brewed a single batch. Get a kit spend a few months with it, learn the ropes and see if you enjoy it as much as you think you will. The great part about this hobby is that you don't need to invest a ton of cash to make great beer.

If you still like it after several batches go for it.
 
baader-meinhof never fails. A few hours ago the guys on The Session were talking about hobby fanatics who dive, head-first, into the deep end of home brewing - having never brewed before - buying the best of everything, wanting to skip extract brewing, etc. and how that gleam in their eye fades quickly.

I agree with Rusty.
 
Judging solely by your 1st post, I think you're really going to like this hobby...

Either that or you will stroke out during your first batch!

1. I think the mower is going to be OK.
2. I have a silicone 'dip' tube with a fitting that goes to the bottom center of my HLT
3. My ferm chamber is a chest freezer, so no comment.
4. Whirlpool immersion chiller FTW! http://tinyurl.com/5u7ouy. You will save money with a starter kit IMO.

Good luck!

:mug:
 
These guys are saying exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn't have so tactfully. I think I have less than 40 batches under my belt, and I've done SOME of what you've got outlined above. The thing is, you can make this hobby as simple - or as complex - as you want. You can spend as little - or as much - as you want. Much of what you've got listed up there just isn't necessary to make great beer. I know that the paraphernalia is half the pleasure in this hobby, but I'd recommend getting your feet wet, seeing what you love about brewing and what you don't and let that experience be your guide for further purchases / builds / obsession. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about gear, and I have quite a bit of time and money wrapped up in my brewing set-up, but I could go much further. I just don't have a need to at the moment. That said:

1. Sparks and gas fumes are never a good mix, I'd get all the gasoline holding items out of the shed and air it out thoroughly before firing up the ferm chamber, but I'm anal about such things.

2. I use an Igloo cooler and CPVC manifold, so I don't know.

3. I use a full size fridge as my ferm chamber, so I don't know about the box stuff. But I'd think if you hooked the fan into the temp controller, as if it were a second fridge on the same controller, you'd be good.

4. Brew stand? I use a turkey fryer. And I do a lot of lifting of magma hot liquid. This is one upgrade I'm seriously considering.

5. Lost me.

I would recommend starting with a very basic kit and moving up from there. I have found that I don't always know what I need until what I think I need doesn't work.

Welcome to the obsession. I hope all of your stuff works perfectly the first time.
 
baader-meinhof never fails. A few hours ago the guys on The Session were talking about hobby fanatics who dive, head-first, into the deep end of home brewing - having never brewed before - buying the best of everything, wanting to skip extract brewing, etc. and how that gleam in their eye fades quickly.

I agree with Rusty.

Appreciate all the comments, folks...not trying to come in here as an aggressive new guy, but I've carefully thought about doing extract or partial boils vs. AG for going on half a year. I'm a tinkerer, and that's one of things about all grain that appeals to me. I cook because I like learning new recipes and then putting my own spin on them--that, of course, applies as well. The particular circumstances of my situation also make skipping extract logical. I have to ferment outside, so I have to start with a fermentation chamber. I have to brew outside, so I have to get at least one burner to start. I have free kegs and tools to convert them, so At this point, the biggest jump is a mash tun, chiller, an extra burner. I'm resourceful and handy, but I save a lot and don't spend much, so I can make purchases for things i can't DIY (like a temp controller). I don't have deep pockets, and I'm not spending big bucks on fancy electronics and gleaming custom keggles. My ingredients will be cheaper. I've been passionate about craft beer for over a decade, so I know that my interest in the finished product is not going to wane. No offense (and I mean that seriously--it's tough to tell on the internets sometimes), but I'm not really asking to be dissuaded in my efforts; rather, I'm looking for input on questions I have about my plans.
 
I skipped extract brewing... then again, I was taught how to homebrew by a professional brewer.
I'm not saying that it's impossible or even that it's a bad decision. As with lots in life I think it's better to start simple and build from there. Doubly so for a hobby that can become rather complicated and expensive quickly.

Appreciate all the comments, folks...not trying to come in here as an aggressive new guy, but I've carefully thought about doing extract or partial boils vs. AG for going on half a year. I'm a tinkerer, and that's one of things about all grain that appeals to me. I cook because I like learning new recipes and then putting my own spin on them--that, of course, applies as well. The particular circumstances of my situation also make skipping extract logical. I have to ferment outside, so I have to start with a fermentation chamber. I have to brew outside, so I have to get at least one burner to start. I have free kegs and tools to convert them, so At this point, the biggest jump is a mash tun, chiller, an extra burner. I'm resourceful and handy, but I save a lot and don't spend much, so I can make purchases for things i can't DIY (like a temp controller). I don't have deep pockets, and I'm not spending big bucks on fancy electronics and gleaming custom keggles. My ingredients will be cheaper. I've been passionate about craft beer for over a decade, so I know that my interest in the finished product is not going to wane. No offense (and I mean that seriously--it's tough to tell on the internets sometimes), but I'm not really asking to be dissuaded in my efforts; rather, I'm looking for input on questions I have about my plans.
No offense taken and I certainly meant none.

I wouldn't worry about the lawn mower. I've learned from Mythbusters(and trust me, this makes me an expert on the matter) that it's actually pretty hard to ignite a room full of flammable gas. The gas:air ratio has to be just right. Considering that and the fact that your tank probably isn't giving off too much vapor, I'd feel pretty safe. Some would say it's better to be safe than sorry, though.

You can build a DIY temp controller: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

Do not use galvanized metal for your brew stand heat shields. If it gets hot enough the zinc will burn off and you could get metal fume fever.

You may wanna read up on the virtues of using a refractometer vs a hydrometer and then decide which to use. Also, I prefer to use EZ cap bottles.. no caps or bottle capper necessary. As far as sanitizing equipment goes, a vinator(sits atop your bottling tree) is a must-have IMO.

And I'd be surprised if a kit wouldn't save you money versus buying a la carte.

:mug:
 
1) No comment, only you can decide what is safe enough and what isn't for your situation.

2) You don't need a diptube in the HLT, but it would be nice. It doesn't need to be a fancy pre-made unit, just a piece of silicone hose or copper pipe. Another option is bottom draining vessels. I bottom drain in my HLT and MLT and love it. It has pros and cons for the BK and MLT, but I can't honestly think of a single good reason not to bottom drain the HLT. There are lots of options for separating hops from the wort, the simplest being not doing it. I use a combination of a hop spider and whirlpooling myself, but there are tons of tools/methods to choose from. If you do a diptube in the BK, a SS scrubbie stuffed under it will work for light-medium hopped brews.

3) No it's not hard, the easiest option is to just plug the fan into the same outlet you're plugging the fridge into.

4) My vote would be for something less permanent and more portable than posts in the ground. You may want to do a group brew somewhere else, or decide a new location in the yard would work better (closer to water, etc.). Do a search in the DIY forum for "weldless brewstand" to get some ideas. You don't need a particularly flat spot for a brewstand. Mine is on large casters, and I just roll it wherever seems like a nice spot to brew that day.

5) Get a starter kit. I can't think of anything extraneous that came in my ~$100 kit, and they're usually cheaper than buying all the pieces separately. And FYI, most equipment kits don't include a lot of the things that you're going to want, like an autosiphon for example, so budget accordingly.

It sounds like you've made up your mind, but I'll parrot the suggestion to start with an extract kit or two. I'm a jump in with both feet kind of guy myself, but I still did 3 extract kits before moving to all grain, and I'm very glad that I did. My first all grain brew day was long and chaotic enough as it was, and would have been much worse if I hadn't had some hands on experience with part of the process already. Whatever you do, good luck, and welcome to the obsession.:mug:
 
Thanks for the tips, again, folks. Organ, I didn't want to come off preachy, but that's the downside of communicating in forums...I know you and the others saying to slow down mean no offense. Just trying to communicate that i wasn't diving in and blindly blowing a wad of cash but carefully considering things. You know, trying an extract batch or two makes sense, especially since I'm putting all of this together over the course of the summer and could do some trial runs while still working on things like the MLT and getting a second burner and other AG miscellany.

Didn't get a ton finished today besides hitting Lowes and picking up a fridge because it poured this afternoon. I did take the valve off one of the kegs and built a PVC jig for my angle grinder. The other keg is a Heineken, so I got the threaded valve unscrewed and then learned about the joys of trying to remove the safety catch. I ended up breaking the ball on the valve while going to town on it with a screwdriver to ram it down and try to hit the catch. Ended up pulling the spring out, but the catch is still keeping the threaded valve in there. Will try again tomorrow and then cut/drill kegs.
 
baader-meinhof never fails. A few hours ago the guys on The Session were talking about hobby fanatics who dive, head-first, into the deep end of home brewing - having never brewed before - buying the best of everything, wanting to skip extract brewing, etc. and how that gleam in their eye fades quickly.

I agree with Rusty.

The good thing about this is that we often get their gear at a great price on craigslist or garage sales down the line.

The bad news is a disspointed person who if they had taken it slower, brewed a few kit batches and spent more time reading and honing their process than "acquiring" or making all the "best gear" they'd had made great beer from the beginning rather than crappy beer and would still be in the hobby.

I win awards every now and then for my beers and I don't have a third of the stuff the Op mentions...and what I do have I acquired over time, as I learned more and progressed in my process.

It's not the gear that makes great beer it's the brewer. I've tasted some awesome beers that were just mr. beer or cooper's kits done with care, and skilful process, and tasted some crappy AG brews that were made on "top of the line" sabco systems, by folks that thought that AG brewing was the holy grail of instantly great beer- but didn't do basic things like taking grav readings...

Just think of all the beer that he could have been making over the last 6 months, while he "carefully thought about doing extract or partial boils vs. AG." He could have skillfully made a leap from extract through pm to AG in that time and had several batches to show for it, and plenty of experience....And more importantly have a decent pipline going of his own beer to drink.
 
Just think of all the beer that he could have been making over the last 6 months, while he "carefully thought about doing extract or partial boils vs. AG." He could have skillfully made a leap from extract through pm to AG in that time and had several batches to show for it, and plenty of experience....And more importantly have a decent pipline going of his own beer to drink.

That's just the thing. Why jump into something without knowing much about it beyond knowing that I love the finished product? What's wrong with buying a book to learn more history about the craft beer movement and finding myself excited to do what its pioneer homebrewers did? What's wrong with wanting to read, research, learn, plan, save money to buy equipment (shall I brew in my 3.5 quart pot and ferment outside in 95* heat)? Why do something half assed and uninformed if I'm going to do it at all?

What's so appealing to me about brewing is not having your "pipeline" of award winning beers to drink. I have a soid cellar and live in a pretty exciting place for beer culture right now (some folks in NC are doing great things), and I love trying new regional stuff or beers from elsewhere as our distribution gets better all the time. The appeal for me is all about the process of taking four basic ingredients and turning them in to something fantastic. The point that I came to again and again was that, for me (not for everybody), brewing kit beers would diminish the original appeal of the process. So after 6 months of learning, planning, and saving, I am going to now start brewing, learning from mistakes, honing my skills, and feeling extremely satisfied about what I'm doing beyond just the finished product. Might not be how you did it, but how you did it might not be how plenty of other people do it.
 
That's just the thing. Why jump into something without knowing much about it beyond knowing that I love the finished product? What's wrong with buying a book to learn more history about the craft beer movement and finding myself excited to do what its pioneer homebrewers did? What's wrong with wanting to read, research, learn, plan, save money to buy equipment (shall I brew in my 3.5 quart pot and ferment outside in 95* heat)? Why do something half assed and uninformed if I'm going to do it at all?

Because this is not a hobby based only on books, but on the individual and practical application of the info by the brewer. You don't learn to brew great tasting beer by reading about it...but by brewing it, over and over and over. Tasting it at every phase of it's journey from grain to glass, having it in your hands WHILE YOU READ ABOUT THAT FLAVOR in the book.

It's about learning from your mistakes, it's about learning from your successes, it's about tweaking your process with each batch. SOmetimes it's about rebrewing the same recipe changing your process or tweaking your recipe This is how you make great beer. Not by reading about it soley, but by brewing....

It's like the old saying, "how do you get to carnegi hall?"- By practice.

You can read books til you're blue in the face...but until you're pitching yeast, or taking a grav reading...or just waiting for a batch to bottle condition, then you're not brewing you're just thinking about brewer. Like the guy who announces to the world he's going to write the great american novel...so he converts a room into his "writing garret" he buys a new computer and sets it up, he puts in a ton of book shelves and fills it with every "great work" imanginable, so he can stare at them and feel literary.

He reads every book and magazine on writing, and he sits at his desk everyday and visually winning the nobel prize for literature he's going to win, and his name on the best seller list, and his book tours and Oprah appearance....He dreams this every day.

And never writes a word....

Here's my Progression in brewing...maybe you'll see that it's NOT about having all the bells and whistles or about jumping right to AG

Plenty of award winning beers are brewed every day with extract, and often beat out ag beers.....

This is several years old, I posted it when someone asked how to proceed. I started like a ton of folks making a couple Mr Beer Kits, while reading ALL I could.

The next step would to me be using an extract with stteping grains kit/ They are better quality and the steeping grains give the beer bigger depth of flavor than a straight extract beer.

After I did some of those, I started playing around with non kit recipes from this site, and I also started playing around with recipe formulations....I started using free online recipe calculators like this one, Beer Calculus . homebrew recipe calculator which helped me understand how the different ingredients affect each other. FIrst I started typing in these recipes and playinig with them to see what a pound of such and such grain did to the SG of the beer, or how this hop made the beer more or less bitter.

At the same time I started reading more and more about the different ingredients I was using....I found that googling the names helped get me a lot of info on them, plus reading articles and catalogs and books about it.

The BJCP style guide was a big help too, learning the numbers, OG, FG, IBU, SRM's ranges for different styles. BJCP Style Guidelines

Next I formulated a couple of my own recipes and played around with that, making them better or different.

My next step after that was transfering some of my recipes from extract to partial mashes, where I would get the largest amount of my fermentables from mashing my own grains, and then adding some extract.

Around this time I also played with harvest my own yeast, both washing and bottle harvesting.

After that I made a cooler and started doing 2.5 gallon All grain brews, converting those Partial Mashes to All grain, and brewing them on my stove top...

After that I got a turkey fryer and wort chiller so I can do full volume boils and started brewing all grain, brewing some of the recipes on here, and creating my own...

I also still do some extract with grain recipes, Partial Mashes, and 2.5 gallon stove top brewing, depending on my mood.

This winter I tried my hand at brewing lagers instead of ales, since I discovered a few that I like and was able to have some form of temp control....

I also tried my hand at brewing some strong ales, and playing with different yeasts, then my usually clean ones, trying yeast that added their own character to the beers.

A good thing to do is to try brewing Single Malt and Hop Beers where you brew very simple beers to get an idea of how different hops work with them, or different yeasts...it's a really good way to again get an idea how, like cooking, diffeent ingredients play off of each other.

As you can see, I didn't just jump from one technique like extract to all grain, I also tried to learn as much as I could about ingredients and recipe creations as well.....An I also tried to perfect my processes, like bottling, yeast harvesting, things like that...

I still have a long way to go, there's a ton of stuff to learn, different ways to brew to explore, and new styles to try and brew as well...

But I don't learn only by sitting around dreaming of brewing...but by brewing.

It's your hobby, most of us who take the time to answer questions do so because we care...and we have experience. We see folks like you all the time....people who think they're way is the right way...that they have to have all the best tools before they even taste their first batch.

They don't tend to stay around all that long...some don't get past their first batch....They think their first beer is going to be perfect because it was all grain and brewed on their multi thousand dollar stainless system. But they just never gotten around to realizing it's not the tools but the process that makes the beer.

Had you brewed 1 batch a month for those six months your contemplate going to ag...and started with even a mr beer batch, and just used whatever tools you could cobble together, even if it's just a pot on a stove, you would have learned a hellofa lot more about making beer than you do now...You would have gone leaps and bounds in PRACTICAL knowlege in 6 batches.

*shrug*
 
Gee look what just got posted just now...

Im half in the bag at the moment so i want to say thanks HBT!! I went from extract on the stove to a single tier brutus clone with a mini-fridge kegerator in my kitchen in two years... thanks again too every one who posts because i wouldnt have done or couldnt have done it with out all of you or the patience of my swmbo!!! :mug::ban::tank::mug:

He didn't build a "new brewery from the ground up" before he started brewing....He started brewing AND THEN started building his brewery. And he has something a lot more important than you do right now....Maybe not fancy gear..

But what this is all about....

He has his own BEER.
 
What's so appealing to me about brewing is not having your "pipeline" of award winning beers to drink. I have a soid cellar and live in a pretty exciting place for beer culture right now (some folks in NC are doing great things), and I love trying new regional stuff or beers from elsewhere as our distribution gets better all the time. The appeal for me is all about the process of taking four basic ingredients and turning them in to something fantastic. The point that I came to again and again was that, for me (not for everybody), brewing kit beers would diminish the original appeal of the process. So after 6 months of learning, planning, and saving, I am going to now start brewing, learning from mistakes, honing my skills, and feeling extremely satisfied about what I'm doing beyond just the finished product. Might not be how you did it, but how you did it might not be how plenty of other people do it.

100% no disrespect intended, but when I read this paragraph, all I can think about is a 22 year-old, just graduated from Berkeley, talking about how their plan to bring water to a remote African village is going to bring peace to the world. :ban:
 
When it comes to cutting Kegs.... fill them with water... it will deaden the noise. As for the gear, sounds like you already know what you need and want. I would talk your buddy and see if he wants to combine your equipment and build a brewery together? Fermentation temp and sanitation..... those are your two biggest things. Eventually you will want to do yeast starters... then cultures... then a bank. Sounds like you need a new shed! And should I call out the troll now? This guy knows way to much to be a noob/
 
I have been brewing for a few a years. I have a ferm chamber,a rediculously complex brew rig that is not quite complete. A designated shelf for brew literature. A few refrigerators in my shed for serving/ingedient storage and a bunch of jars of yeast. A few brews that are spoken of in hushed and reverent tones, and I have not brewed AG to this day. I swore to my self I would not brew all grain untill I completed my rigg, that was 2 years ago. That being said I think you should go for it. but brew as soon as you can. dont get to caught up in the equipment it isnt all that nesassary, but it sure is fun to build. this is a hobby and it will/can eat up every spare moment you have and maybe a few you dont.

here is a pic of my rigg it has taken a long time to build but has been worth every moment.

P1011192.jpg
 
Hey Man,
Don't let these guys pi$$ on your parade. If you're 30 yrs. old, you should know by now the dangers of over spending on a hobby. If not, it's a good time to learn. Do your own thing. I've won a couple of awards for beer also. I don't know a lot about the pure chemistry of brewing, and frankly don't care to. I brewed extract for several years and PG'd for over a decade. My first couple of batches with a home made AG rig were terrible. I've learned my system and now put out some pretty good ales if I say so myself. As to your questions:

#1 Move the mower etc. out while brewing or put a lean to on your shed.

#2 I put dip tubes on all 3 of my Keggles, false bottom on my MT.

#3 You can wire the fan. I would wire it to the Ranco.

You might want to think about going electric. I've always been a propane fan, but some of the builds on this forum would serve me just as well withouth the hassle of filling bottles. Luck - Dwain
 
My words of wisdom:

You already have the kegs, then definitely go ahead and make your kettle and mashtun but just do the bare minimum so you can get started brewing NOW and really learn what works for you.

Take one keg, put a valve on it, make that your kettle. Take the other keg, put a valve on it, and a CPVC manifold (easy and inexpensive) on the inside, there's your MLT. Done.

I actually use my kettle as my HLT. I just drain from my MLT to a bucket or something during the lauter and sparge and then pour the wort into the kettle when I've collected it all, so you might be able to get by without a HLT, but I'm not so sure how feasible that is with 10 gallons.

Since you have a keggle, you may be brewing 10 gallons at a time. You'll need fermenters, so go buy a couple 6.5 gallon carboys or buckets, and some airlocks. Done.

You'll definitely need temp control, but why fuss with building a chamber. Find an old fridge or chest freezer on Craigslist for $50-$85. You will definitely need a temp controller. You can buy the ranco two stage, or if you want to save some money and don't mind a tiny bit of electrical tinkering, you can do this. I just made one and I'm a total electrical noob.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

You'll need the propane burner, of course. I say, go the turkey fryer stand route. I bought a turkey fry kit at Academy Sports. Inexpensive, plus you get a kit to fry turkeys with come Thanksgiving.

Finally, I think a wort chiller is a necessity for good beer, especially if you end up brewing 10 gallons. That will take forever and a day to cool off without a chiller. You could make one but with the price of copper right now, plus the cost of your personal time, you'd be just as well off buying the 1/2 Inch x 50 Foot Coil Wort Chiller with Garden Hose Fittings from www.nybrewsupply.com for $90. I bought that one and it works great.

Of course there are bunch of other little things (buckets for sanitizing, thermometer, hydrometer, hoses, tubing, etc.) But as far as the big things go, those above are all you need IMO.

You don't need a brew stand to brew. You don't "need" dip tubes and sight glasses to brew. You don't even need thermometers on your kettle or MLT to brew. You can check it with a handheld. Works just as well. Just do the bare minimum to get started making GOOD beer, then figure out how you want to scale up your equipment.
 
I don't know why everyone has to offer their 2 cents about your decision to do what your doing despite coming right out and saying, "I don't want your input on the subject". I've been brewing 3-4 years now and wish I'd went all out from the beginning instead of wasting money on the in between steps that get obsoleted with each next build. Go for it and have fun.
 
I don't know why everyone has to offer their 2 cents about your decision to do what your doing despite coming right out and saying, "I don't want your input on the subject".

Jebediahscooter asked for "words of wisdom" in his original post. If he didn't want everyone's 2 cents, he wouldn't have posted on this forum. That's what it's for.

However, I think it's funny sometimes when people ask for advice. I heard someone say recently that when people ask for advice they don't really want your advice. They just want you to confirm what they're already thinking. If that's the case with the OP, then I don't think he needs Home Brew Talk.

If he does genuinely want input from more experienced brewers, it would be wise to stop and think about all the tips people are giving him.
 
Question: I store my lawn mower and gas cans in the shed, and I'm worried about fumes and sparks from a minifridge compressor. I plan to move gas cans into a plastic bin and keep them outside of the shed from now on. Will the leftover gas in the mower create enough fumes when stored to cause a fire hazard?

If you have access to the underside of the roof, you can install a basic bathroom fan on a switch. When you want to brew, just flip the switch ~20-40 min beforehand (depending on the CFM of the fan) and the gas will blow out, if any accumulates. Same idea as a blower on a boat.

Question: Does my HLT need a dip tube? For my BK, I'm thinking a dip tube, but I need advice on what to use to strain hops and whatnot when emptying it. False bottom? Hop Rocket or something similar? DIY something?

Not sure about the dip tube, as I don't need one (I'm currently running partial mashes to figure out how I can improve my process). For hops straining though, I just use a
product_info.php
. But I'm not a hophead, so I don't feel the need to maximize my hops utilization.

Question: Is wiring a computer fan up so that it comes on when the fridge comes on difficult for an electricity n00b? Is the fan wired to the fridge? Or is it wired to the Ranco?

I definitely recommend the ebay aquarium temp controller like a few others on here. A few wire nuts, and a couple of outlets can allow you to wire up a fan that works with cooling only. A relay is the best way to get it to work with cooling and heating, but that is a little more advanced.

Question: Should I just buy a starter brewing kit and get all of the little bits and pieces together, or would it be cheaper to just order what I need a la carte to so that I'm not getting anything I don't need?

I'd probably go with a starter kit, unless you can borrow your friends stuff while you amass your own collection. I started brewing by borrowing all the equipment for my first 2 batches, then as I brewed each subsequent batch, I bought another "section" of the equipment (i.e. stuff needed to bottle, brew kettle, then fermenters, then IC chiller). By using his stuff, I figured out exactly what I needed. And I don't use a brew stand, just a turkey fryer outside. If you're really worried about uneven ground, convince your wife to build a small patio outside the shed because it'll "look real nice." Good luck with the obsession. :mug:
 
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