Tax Refund and help spending it

So my old lady and I decided that we would each spend $200 of the money we get back on whatever we want. You know, to stimulate the economy and what have you. So I decided that a grain mill is in order. That will leave me some money left over. Now the question is what should I buy? I was thinking that a 2000 ml flask would be good since up until now I have been using dry yeast since I did not have the ability to make starters, and I would really like to make some big Belgians. I will also build a DIY stirplate. I can' t temperature control my ferments so I thought some nice estery Belgians would be perfect for the summer since I live in Texas and it will get ridiculously hot. So if anyone else has some suggestions I would love to here them.

Also does anyone use the foam stoppers on there erlenmeyer flask?

Thanks
Hell

Not sure how much you'll have left after you buy the mill, but I'd invest in some way to control fermentation temp (even if it's just a cooler to do the frozen-water-bottle-bath bit) before the erelenmeyer or stir plate.

I already have something set up like that I just don' t have a way to set actual temperature. I manage to keep it consistent, temperature wise. I was looking at the Barley Crusher with the 7 pound hopper. That should leave me at least $40 maybe a little less.

First of all I would spend all of it on a mill because if you have a bunch left over you could have gotten a better mill. But if you somehow get a great deal on a mill and do have a bunch left over I would buy pulleys to motorize said mill.

Mills are great, as is gear for making good starters. However, temperature control is huge in Houston. You might want to take that $100-150 of that money and shop around for a chest freezer. Shop the outlets and scratch & dent spots. There is a good Conn's outlet right on Stella Link, just down the street from DeFalco's (to the South). With a little luck, you can find a great deal, since you don't give a flip what the thing looks like. Then, use the rest of the money on the thermostat. If you have anything left over after that, go nuts.

If you really want that mill, though, go for it. Use your savings on buying bulk grains to get temperature control ASAP.


TL

The barley crusher with 7# hopper is a great mill, don't take that last post the wrong way. I "motorized" it with my makita drill, it runs through big grain bills in a few minutes, no need to complicate it with motors and pulleys.

Spend the rest of the money on an aeration kit (I got the fish tank pump from Northern Brewer at the same time as my barley crusher). It is about $40 and totally worth it

Temp control doesn't have to be expensive...I scored a free fridge from freecycle and painted it orange (check my gallery) and bought an analog temp controler on ebay for like $50. Temp control in Texas is increadibly important IMHO.

Have fun stimulating the economy!

The problem is I live in a apartment and don' t really have room for a chest freezer, and if I were going to have a fridge it would be a kegerator.

TexLaw said:

There is a good Conn's outlet right on Stella Link, just down the street from DeFalco's (to the South).

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Good as in everything in there is crap, lol! Of course, it is a Conn's clearance center.

I agree with TexLaw. It's been a PITA to keep my temps regulated as I'm not in a house yet. So, yeah, +2 on the fermentation chamber.

Hell Brew said:

The problem is I live in a apartment and don' t really have room for a chest freezer, and if I were going to have a fridge it would be a kegerator.

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I think a chamber like this would be ideal for an apartment. I've been looking for a cheap one or some college kid/parent looking to toss out their dorm fridge to build something similar.

Buzz Killington...

Seriously though this is wise advice.

I'd spend the whole $200 on your wife. That way, she won't be quite so upset if she ever finds out you refer to her as an "old lady."

-a.

Fermentation temperature control, in my opinion, is the biggest bang for the buck improvement you can get when it comes to equipment. If you can consistently control ferm temps (a STC-1000 or other temp controler with some sort of chamber where you can regulate temperature) seems to make the single largest impact on beer quality. Well, that and sanitation practices. Yeast starters/pitch rates are next in my opinion, followed closely by grain crush, etc.

I'm with fermentation control Look into the CoolBrewing product. I believe they are a sponsor here and the thing is getting rave reviews over in the sponsor showcase section. The best part is it's basically a bag, so when not in use, it can be folded up and put away.

another vote for fermentation temp control. Second I would get a stir plate for making starters. Both of those would be on my list long before a grain mill.


BTW..what is a tax refund??

beergolf said:

BTW..what is a tax refund??

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Something you get when you finish proving to the government that you grossly overestimated the governments greed and gave them way more than they would even ask for. Of course they will not give it to you unless you prove to them, in triplicate, signed and notorized, including a doctors note, that you definitely do not owe them any more money first.

Save a lot of money and get a corona mill for your grains.

Damn. I hope the OP heeded all of our advice.....six years ago....

Darwin18 said:

Damn. I hope the OP heeded all of our advice.....six years ago....

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Dag nabbit.

Posts older than two weeks should be highlighted in yellow.

People who necro rise 6 year old posts with their own very first ever post should be banned.