Thinking of an all grain setup

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newbrewr4fun

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I am going to try and talk my brother in law into taking the all grain route of brewing. That way I have someone to split the cost with. Right now I have a few extract batches completed and the equipment to do 3 gallon boils.

I am going to see if maybe we could set something better up in his garage, and be able to do full 5 gallon batch boils all grain. I think between the two of us we would want to keep the costs pretty cheap say around 400 dollars for equipment. Any ideas? Are keggles out of the question here?
 
For 5 gal batches and the cheapeest route, you could just get an 8+gal kettle and a 10gal cooler from home depot. $40 for the cooler, ~$30 for the kettle.
 
If I was sharing equipment with someone with the plan of always brewing together, I would go 10 gallons minimum. That way, you can brew at his place, each fill a carboy, then ferment at u
your own places.
 
Personaly, as a kettle i dont think you can beat a keg with the lid cut out of it.

When i have a buddy come over, If he pays for half of the cost of grain hops etc... He gets half of the brew. Problem for them is, Even if they get 5 gal of it. They dont have the c02 tank....That is the major drawback at the moment.
But i am sure one will pop up on craigslist soon :)

If you have time, and not in a hurry. Watch craigslist in your area. I have scored ALOT! of good deals.. Got a cooler for free. c02 tank, fridge, sanky tap, faucet $50.00

Lot of diy projects to that can cut down your costs.
I would consider keging if possible. Bottleing is a pain in the @ss.

Just my thoughts on it.
 
newbrewr4fun - I was in your shoes about 7 months ago and I was able to get set up for allgrain for about $325.

Here is what I purchased:
10 gallon igloo cooler + parts to convert to Mash/Lauter Tun (MLT) = $80
10 gallon aluminum pot with lid = $70
5 gallon igloo cooler as a Hot Liquor Tun (HLT) = $30
Propane burner/turkey fryer = $50
Propane tank (new) = $50
Materials for homemade 50' immersion chiller with Quick Disconnects = $45

So that all was about $325. I've done 10 all-grain batches using this system and it works really well. I am still getting to know my equipment and getting a hang of sparging and hitting mash temps etc., but the equipment is holding up.

I would highly recommend the MLT conversion per Flyguy's instructions found on this website. The 10 gallon pot is nice because I can boil 7 gallons of wort down to 5.5 gallons with room to spare.
 
Yes you can bottle AG and extract.
But bottling is a complete pain in the @ss.
Kegging is 100 times easier.
That is why i said c02. Set up a draft system.

The only downside to draft is the c02 tank needed.
But if you search around a lot of the times u can find a good deal on craigslist on co2 tanks, faucets and fridges.
 
I would love to be able to get a keg setup as well as an all grain setup. I live with my parents though and space is an issue at the time. All of my stuff is in the garage, and the garage is a complete mess. Not really an option to put a kegerator in. Plus I would rather jump into all grain and then possibly try out kegging in the near future when I have some time to accumulate some more funds after spending them all on an all grain setup.

newbrewr4fun - I was in your shoes about 7 months ago and I was able to get set up for allgrain for about $325.

Here is what I purchased:
10 gallon igloo cooler + parts to convert to Mash/Lauter Tun (MLT) = $80
10 gallon aluminum pot with lid = $70
5 gallon igloo cooler as a Hot Liquor Tun (HLT) = $30
Propane burner/turkey fryer = $50
Propane tank (new) = $50
Materials for homemade 50' immersion chiller with Quick Disconnects = $45

So that all was about $325. I've done 10 all-grain batches using this system and it works really well. I am still getting to know my equipment and getting a hang of sparging and hitting mash temps etc., but the equipment is holding up.

I would highly recommend the MLT conversion per Flyguy's instructions found on this website. The 10 gallon pot is nice because I can boil 7 gallons of wort down to 5.5 gallons with room to spare

That sounds like the perfect setup for me. although I would have ot get larger coolers and kettles for 10 gallon batches. I really think the keg as a kettle idea is what I would want if I could afford it but that starts to add up in cost pretty quickly. One that is setup and ready to brew at Sabco costs 340 dollars. I am not sure what I would have to do with a sanky keg, I am not real mechanical. I heard that the sanky kegs were best used to ferment anyhow. But if I can talk my brother in law into going ag with me and we brew 10 gallon batches at his house, just have a table setup with a half assed three tier system(wood blocks or crates or somethihg. Than that would be great.

I don't think we could talk the his wife in letting us turn the garage into a brewstation as well as a kegging station. That might take some work but you never know. Whats kegging costing these days and do you need to know alot of material related to kegging?
 
Yes you can bottle AG and extract.
But bottling is a complete pain in the @ss.
Kegging is 100 times easier.
That is why i said c02. Set up a draft system.

The only downside to draft is the c02 tank needed.
But if you search around a lot of the times u can find a good deal on craigslist on co2 tanks, faucets and fridges.

I agree bottling sucks and I too keg, but I don't think think it should be listed in a What do I need to buy for AG brewing" thread. I know my CO2 wasn't the ost expensive part of my keezer build. It was the fridge and outfitting it with 3 Perlicks.
 
I agree bottling sucks and I too keg, but I don't think think it should be listed in a What do I need to buy for AG brewing" thread. I know my CO2 wasn't the ost expensive part of my keezer build. It was the fridge and outfitting it with 3 Perlicks.

I doesnt matter if its all grain or extract. When you are first starting up, that was a question that i was asked. Do you plan to bottle or keg.


If you plan to bottle, Eaither you have been thinking about brewing for awhile and have a stash of old bottles, OR you go buy a ton of bottles and wait longer before you can drink your beer.

For Kegging, You need a $25.00 5gal corny keg. Ball " most popular" or pin lock quick disconnects for in and out line. $2.50 - $4.00 a piece. 1/4 inch hose 10 cent a ft. C02 tank w/ regulator $160 brand new. Can find cheaper on craigslist if you have a little time usally someone is selling there old kegerator. So next you need a fridge to hold the corny keg. Price depends on how new or old the fridge is. So anywhere from free to brand new price. Last but not least, The faucet. You can go super cheap and get a cobra tap " plastic hand held faucet " or go all out and get a chrome faucet and shank. I have gotten them as cheap as $20.00 to $45.00

As for a kegging station, It takes 5 minutes to take from carboy to keg, Put some c02 into tank and shake back in forth a few times and done. If you aren't in a hurry you can let it sit for a day or so to make sure its fully carbonated.

Hope this helps ya out.
Brewing is fun, But i want to drink my beer as soon as possible with little time involved in cleaning. :mug:
 
You can definitely get into AG brewing for under $400. I got everything I needed for under $225 via craigslist stalking (which takes a bit of time) and building stuff.

54 QT Coleman Cooler ($15)
Parts to convert to MLT ($25)
Empty Keg ($15)
Parts to convert to Kettle ($20)
Tools to convert to Kettle - Angle Grinder, Cutting/Grinding Disks, Unibit ($50)
Turkey Frier with Propane Tank and 30 qt pot ($50)
50' Copper Tubing ($30)
Parts to convert to Immersion Chiller ($10)
 
IMO if you're going to co-op your brewery with the brother-in-law, you need to go straight to 10 gallons. You don't want to waste your time and money on a 5 gal setup and have to brew every other day.
You need:

1. a keggle with a spigot, and a burner
2. at least 15 gal cooler- Mash Tun for continuous sparging or at least 30 gal cooler if you decide to go with batch sparging instead.
3. a 25 inch long counter-flow chiller or a 50 inch long immersion chiller.


I think you could keep the price to under $400.
 
Just for clarification:
3. a 25 foot long counter-flow chiller or a 50 foot long immersion chiller.[/B]

I think you could keep the price to under $400.

As far as kegging goes, it can be pretty expensive. If you have $400 and your choices are to go all-grain or start kegging you should probably choose all-grain. I know there are some people out there who make good beer using extract, but seriously - would you rather put crappy beer in a keg or great beers into bottles. Plus, with someone helping you bottling is a breeze. Just start saving those 12oz bottles up, and go out of your way for 22oz bottles.
 
I think you can do kegging AND a 5 gallon AG setup for around $400.

Single Corny Kegging System - $150 + s/h

Brew Logic Single Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies
Just add a cheap fridge (full size if you can find a cheap one), and you're in business. Add more kegs, taps, lines, etc. when you get the money (don't worry you'll find a way! :D).

5 Gallon AG System: < $160 + s/h
Turkey Fryer setup - 8g Aluminum Kettle + Burner + propane tank: $100
Amazon.com: Bayou Classic 3016 30-Quart Outdoor Turkey Fryer with Basket and Fry Pot: Home & Garden

Cheap 60qt Ice Chest - $25
Walmart.com: Igloo 60 Qt. Ice Cube Roller Cooler: Camping

Ball valve, braid, other stuff - $30
Bargain Fittings

That's IT! Seriously, you don't need another kettle just use your bottling bucket to hold your first runnings. The 8g aluminum kettle serves as both your hot liquor tank and the boil kettle.

DSCF0113.JPG
 
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The idea of kegging and all grain is great one in my opinion. I guess I would need to buy some tubing to transfer the runnings back to the mash tun as well right?

The only other problem now is only being able to have 1 keg, and only have it at one place. Right down the road from me though. The kegerator would be at his place so is bottling beer from a keg easy? Then maybe I can save up and get my own.
 
IMO if you're going to co-op your brewery with the brother-in-law, you need to go straight to 10 gallons. You don't want to waste your time and money on a 5 gal setup and have to brew every other day.
You need:

1. a keggle with a spigot, and a burner
2. at least 15 gal cooler- Mash Tun for continuous sparging or at least 30 gal cooler if you decide to go with batch sparging instead.
3. a 25 inch long counter-flow chiller or a 50 inch long immersion chiller.


I think you could keep the price to under $400.

Where can you find keggles that are already convereted? I would like two one for a mash tun, and one for a boil pot.
 
The only downside to draft is the c02 tank needed. .

Untrue. Another downside to draft, that I just realized when I started kegging, is that you can only drink as many beers as you have taps.


If I'm bottling, I can drink any one of the previous brews I've done. If I'm kegging, I can only drink the 3 kegs that will fit in my kegerator.



As to going all grain, its not expensive. about $80 for a 10G mash tun, $40 for a 10g pot, and $50 for a burner. Thats about all you need.
 
I think you can do kegging AND a 5 gallon AG setup for around $400.

Single Corny Kegging System - $150 + s/h

Brew Logic Single Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies
Just add a cheap fridge (full size if you can find a cheap one), and you're in business. Add more kegs, taps, lines, etc. when you get the money (don't worry you'll find a way! :D).

5 Gallon AG System: < $160 + s/h
Turkey Fryer setup - 8g Aluminum Kettle + Burner + propane tank: $100
Amazon.com: Bayou Classic 3016 30-Quart Outdoor Turkey Fryer with Basket and Fry Pot: Home & Garden

Cheap 60qt Ice Chest - $25
Walmart.com: Igloo 60 Qt. Ice Cube Roller Cooler: Camping

Ball valve, braid, other stuff - $30
Bargain Fittings

That's IT! Seriously, you don't need another kettle just use your bottling bucket to hold your first runnings. The 8g aluminum kettle serves as both your hot liquor tank and the boil kettle.

DSCF0113.JPG

That looks like a good plan. But if I am going to do 10 gallon batches I will need a 10 gallon keg and a bigger kettle.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That looks like a good plan. But if I am going to do 10 gallon batches I will need a 10 gallon keg and a bigger kettle.

True, didn't catch that part about 10g batches. In that case, I'd still get the Bayou classic kit. I still use that burner for my boil kettle, and that aluminum pot will work fine as an HLT. A keg from the scrapyard or decomissioned from a brewery will be <$40. Add another $40 for at least a ball valve and necessary hardware for making a boil kettle. You might be pushing the budget a little bit, but 10g is worth it!
 
True, didn't catch that part about 10g batches. In that case, I'd still get the Bayou classic kit. I still use that burner for my boil kettle, and that aluminum pot will work fine as an HLT. A keg from the scrapyard or decomissioned from a brewery will be <$40. Add another $40 for at least a ball valve and necessary hardware for making a boil kettle. You might be pushing the budget a little bit, but 10g is worth it!

Will that burner accomodate a Keggle? Also, can you mash 5 gallon batches in a 15.5 gallon Sanke?
 
Will that burner accomodate a Keggle? Also, can you mash 5 gallon batches in a 15.5 gallon Sanke?

Yes and yes. The bayou classic needs a little modification in order to keep the keggle far enough away from the flame. I use a small BBQ grill I picked up at Lowe's for $12. It's not pretty, but it works great.
 
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