What should I buy with $400?

I've got $400 wife-approved to blow on homebrew stuff. :rockin:

I'm slowly making the switch to all-grain - here's my current inventory:

Couple fermentors
5 gal MLT with false bottom
22 qt boil pot
mini fridge, but no temp control
Bottling equipment

Part of me wants to get a turkey fryer, big kettle, and a temp controller for the fridge.

Part of me wants to get a kegging set up.

Your thoughts?

IMO I'd go for the turkey fryer/big kettle/ temp controller. I'd go for a 10 gallon brew kettle if I were you... When I went all grain I got an 8 gallon kettle and I definitely regret not going with something bigger.

Yes to the big kettle - 10 gallons is great for 5 gallon batches. Instead of the turkey fryer, you might consider a Bayou SQ-14, a great burner.

Did you mention an immersion chiller? If not, you'll need one. Cheers!

I would spend it on a quality 40qt pot, a propane burner and a nice big chiller.

Well your current boil kettle is definitely undersized for full batches where you would typically be bringing 6-7 gallons up to boil. I think that would be a worthwhile upgrade to do full boils.

As to the temp controller it depends what you want to use the mini fridge for. If you are thinking lagering or fermentation chamber then that will be something you will need eventually.

I'd highly recommend a kegging setup. It just makes everything so much easier, but you know your priorities better than I do.

Whatever you decide, the money never quite stretches as far as you'd like.

Enjoy your upgrades.

One $400 hooker-bot? Or four hundred $1 hooker-bots?

You should be able to go all-grain for well under $400. Turkey fryer's what, $50 or so? You'll need a wort chiller, figure a basic immersion chiller for $50 - $60. Build a cooler mashtun, probably about that same amount again between the cooler, a SS braid for filtering, a weldless bulkhead and a ball value. Figure you've got the main gear to do all-grain full boils for $200.

The remaining $200 will go a long ways towards a kegging setup. Couple kegs and a Co2 tank ought to cost you $100, regulator, depending on whether you buy new or used is $30 - $40. If the mini fridge is large enough to hold the kegs, you could start just using picnic taps.

But, I you ought to be able to do a simple full-boil AG setup and have enough left over for a simple kegging setup, given that you already have the fridge. You can always add external taps or a tower later on.

EDIT: I missed that you already had a mash tun. Spend those dollars on a big pot, or try and get your hands on a (legal) keg to convert into a keggle.

Put $100 of it towards a good pot. 40 Qt Minimum, 60 qt is better if you ever decide to go bigger!! (Changing from a 5 gal mash tun to a larger one shouldnt be a huge expense if you ever want to do 10 gallon batches, depending on what your MLT setup is.)

Put the other $300 towards kegging. I started kegging before I went all grain, best decision of my brewing career.

or......

You can go on a full out ASSAULT on Craigslist. Stalking every town nearby, until you find a motherload score for $400.

Spyd3r said:

or......

You can go on a full out ASSAULT on Craigslist. Stalking every town nearby, until you find a motherload score for $400.

Click to expand...

Yeah...those are generally a result of the subsequent divorce that he would then endure...

Spyd3r said:

or......

You can go on a full out ASSAULT on Craigslist. Stalking every town nearby, until you find a motherload score for $400.

Click to expand...

+1 on this if you are not in a hurry to spend.

I stumbled on my complete B3 3 tier structure for $350! I agree kegging is also a decent idea (after a good sized brew pot, burner, and chiller). Depending on your patience and bargain finding, a grain mill would also be a consideration.

I'd say get at least a 50qt pot. I have one, and doing 10 gallon batches will be tight, but (if I had a better burner and the desire) I could do it. I found mine (SS) on ebay for about $100 shipped, though I think there are better deals now. And I think guys in my club have said to call scrap yards and ask about kegs to be used for keggles.

If you have the money, I'd get a better burner than a turkey fryer. I don't know if mine can handle 10 gallon batches. I also just put a sight glass/ball valve on my pot and expect that to be 10 kinds of awesome come Sunday's brewing.

I've been doing this since January and I've been steadily acquiring equipment. I definitely think you should upgrade to full boils so a burner of some sort and a kettle big enough to handle 7-8 gallons for 5 gallon batches is important. Following that controlling fermentation temps is KEY. I noticed a huge improvement in the quality of my beer when I started controlling temps. A wort chiller is a big help when cooling full boils too.

I am kegging now too so it really depends on what you want to focus on, making the process easier (kegging) or making better beer (full boils and temp control).

In any case craigslist is the first place I would look to stretch them bucks.

$35 keg already cutout.
Some fittings, dual 120 elements. No pids or anything (yet), just full on or unplugged. Think future expansion. And there should be money left over for your kegerator conversion.

-OCD

I would plan out my entire AG system exactly how I wanted it to be, then buy the $400 worth of most important pieces. Different strokes for different folks. Many people like the super cheap brewing way, others, like me, want a nice system all layed out. It all depends what you want.

I have several systems designed in my blog and in my sig if you want to take a look. I also have a rather useful excel workbook with many builds and details parts lists. PM me your email addy if you are interested.

I'd go all grain and get good fermentation temp control first. The kegging system will eventually come almost of its own volition. Keep bottling... you'll eventually get so sick of it, you'll become a part-time gigolo to just get the money for a kegging system.

Bling Bling

the full boil/all grain/temp control setup will improve your beer and give you more control over the process. if the impetus is improving your beers and you're already able to crash cool (sounds like you are) then this'll have the most impact.

the kegging setup will save you a ton of time and grunt work associated with bottling. if time is your biggest constraint, then a kegging setup will allow you to brew more and clean less.

with $400, patience, a willingness to make stuff and some thorough deal-hunting i bet you could do all of the above.

So if you already have a fridge, get the temp controller, and a 10g or 15g pot and burner. ... but man if it were me, I would get a keg setup. LOL

$50 for a decent burner.
$50 for a bigger brew pot (like a 60 qt aluminum).
$50 for a cooler conversion MLT.
$250 for kegging starter kit and CL fridge.
Perfect.