Decision Time - need some help

I'm going to buy some equipment soon and I'm interested in opinions about which piece of equipment I should buy.

I'm thinking about a conical fermenter (plastic), or a nice SS brew kettle. Eventually I plan to get both but right now I only have the funds for one. So, if it were your choice, which one would you pick?


Matt

psymn said:

I'm going to buy some equipment soon and I'm interested in opinions about which piece of equipment I should buy.

I'm thinking about a conical fermenter (plastic), or a nice SS brew kettle. Eventually I plan to get both but right now I only have the funds for one. So, if it were your choice, which one would you pick?


Matt

Click to expand...

What do you have right now? You need a brew kettle... can't brew much without it..... you need something to ferment in... not necessarily a conical fermenter (they appear expensive)... but you need something..... plastic bucket or carboy.....

I'd do the SS kettle first, provided that it's an upgrade to what you have on hand right now(i.e. larger capacity, valve fitting, etc.).

I used a bucket for a primary for a long time and they work just fine. If you want to go conical, I'd save my pennies for a SS one and only if I went into yeast harvesting.

That's what I'd do, yeah...

get this for 80 bucks.their in GA as well so youll get it fast!
http://www.instawares.com/RII-ROYSSRSPT40.RII-ROYSSRSPT40.0.7.htm?sessionID=13219591137A18402B600120

wort chiller NOT included...

Does it need to be a 40-qt? At my local flea-market I just picked up a 32-qt stainless for $25. I know the vendors, true, but the regular price was only $36.

I recommend looking at flea markets, especially permanent, indoor ones. A lot of vendors sell new, China-made stainless pots. Otherwise, give me a holler and I can pick up one for you and ship it down. I know I saw a 40 qt for about $40.

Beer Snob said:

What do you have right now? You need a brew kettle... can't brew much without it..... you need something to ferment in... not necessarily a conical fermenter (they appear expensive)... but you need something..... plastic bucket or carboy.....

Click to expand...

I have a lot of basic stuff right now

2 fermenting buckets
3 carboys
7 kegs and related equipment
20 quart ss pot
lots of small stuff

I'd like to move up to all-grain brewing, and I know i'll need a bigger pot when I go there, but a I could get by with the buckets I have now for fermentation. Itcould be a little while, however, since I cannot get the full setup until I move (wife says we need to save up for the new house), and it's hard to find a house with basement suitable for brewing in my area.

If I did go for one a kettle, it would be one of the converted kegs. Anyone had experience (good/bad) with these?

psymn said:

If I did go for one a kettle, it would be one of the converted kegs. Anyone had experience (good/bad) with these?

Click to expand...

This place has em cheap...http://www.rackers.org/sanke_kegs.pdf

Whoah, nice. Would that fit on a stove?

Well...... I think your idea of a basic setup is a bit off. Really, you sound like you have an intense setup. With the Kegs and all your certainly more intense then many. Sounds like your like me in wanting to use your stove. It is very confusing to hear all the opinons of whether or not a stove can be used with a pot too much larger then our 20 quart. Usually people have the opinion that lager then this needs a propane burner and you have to do this outside. I do not think that the previously mentioned Sanke converter keg will work on a stove. I've seen them and there are pretty big. I have not tried to boil a full 5 gals on my electric stove yet, although I did do an AG with two pots. My second attampt at this will happen as soon as my shoulder heals (recent operation).

Since you mentioned you want to do AG, have you thought of making a mash/turn and doing partial mashes (or if your like me and insist on doing AG any way you can). I also did not see a wort chiller mentioned. You could use this rigth now and you will DEFINATLY need it for when you do AG.

If you've ever seen a Sanke keg, you'd know it's a bad idea to put on on a stove, especially an electric stove. They're 15 gal, and it would take literally hours to get the water up to boiling temps. I have one right now that's still in keg form that I need to cut the top off of (and buy a burner for too, not enough $$$ to do so right now) and it'll be awhile until I can use it on a burner.

Unless you are moving soon, I'd get a 35-40 quart pot, a big grain bag and plan on doing mini-mashes. No stove will put out enough heat to boil a keg and I would be suspect about their ability to handle the weight. I've had such good results with mini-mashes and they are so much less work, that I rarely do AG any more.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I have a huge propane burner setup too. It's something I inherited when my neighbor moved. It could be for a turkey fryer, I just don't know.

I've been doing the mini-mash recipes from "beer captured" for a few months now, and I think I have the hang of it, BUT I know AG is more involved. I do the mashing in a 20qt pot and use a warm oven to keep it at the proper temperature. I also have a 7-gallon igloo water cooler that I planned to use as a mash tun.

Here's another issue I just thought of with the conical fermenter, it might take up more room in my lagering chest than i'd like. I have a 22 cubic foot upright freezer that can hold 5 kegs on the bottom and 3 carboys on top. The conical fermenter + stand might force me to remove the center shelf, leaving room for only one carboy/keg or I could just use the conical fermenter for ales and such.

BTW, besides not having to rack into secondary (better sanitation), what are the other benefits of a conical fermenter?

Matt