Some equipment suggestions??

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HomerT

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OK, so I recieved a gift certificate for Northern Brewer. I decided to try and pick up some additional equiopment to expand things a little. I need some input from the more experienced guys here.

First up, I am thinking of the bottle tree. I am not sure about the rinser/sanitiser atachment. Does anyone here use either one? FOr those that use the tree, is the rinser worth it? Currently, I just sumberge all my bottles in a bucket of idaphor to sanitize inside/out. Does it make more sense to add the rinser and just sanitize the inside? Does this work well? Better than a 2min soak?

I am also looking at their yeast starter kit. I have never done a starter. WOuld you recomend the 1000ml or 2000ml kit? How much DME do you use to make a starter? How do you account for this volume/O.G. with your batch volume? Top up to 5-gallons then pitch the starter?


I am also going to pick up a second glass carboy. Right now I have a plastic primary and a bottling bucket that can double as a primary, but the secondary is my bottle-neck (pardon the pun) in my brewing.

Any input or help would be appreciated.

-Todd :D
 
HomerT said:
I am also looking at their yeast starter kit. I have never done a starter. WOuld you recomend the 1000ml or 2000ml kit? How much DME do you use to make a starter? How do you account for this volume/O.G. with your batch volume? Top up to 5-gallons then pitch the starter?


I am also going to pick up a second glass carboy. Right now I have a plastic primary and a bottling bucket that can double as a primary, but the secondary is my bottle-neck (pardon the pun) in my brewing.

Any input or help would be appreciated.

-Todd :D
Click to expand...

nice score!

i can't add anything on the bottle tree. never used one. but, the starter kit is a good thing to have. i have the 2000 ml one. nice, because you can pour the hot wort right into the pyrex flask and drop it into an ice bath too cool. no worries of shattering a growler w/ sudden temp change. for an average ale, i use 1 cup dme, to 1300 ml of boiling water. i just pour my whole starter into my primary that usually has about 5.5 g of wort. or, you can chill the starter in the fridge after full kraeusen, then when your ready to pitch, decant the liquide off the top, swirl w/ distilled water or cooled wort, then pitch into the main wort. the starter kit comesw/ some directions and options for larger starters.

a second carboy is always good to have. not a "fun" buy, but a good one.
 
If you are going for a bottle tree make sure you get the one that spins.

I have one of each and the one that turns makes it easier to stand in one place and turn the rack as you load it up.

You could also use more primaries for secondaries if you want and they're cheap enough. Don't forget some airlocks (for the buckets) and bungs (for the flask).
 
those erlenmyer flasks they sell are nice but i think there too small and expensive. i use a 1 gallon wine jug instead. the advantages are that you get to drink 1 gallon of ripple, and you can make up to a 2 qt. starter with plenty of head space left over. i also have a stick-on thermometer on it so i can tell the temp. i think they take the 6.5 drilled plug.
i use 1/2 c. d.m.e. for 1.5 qt starter, and 2/3 c. d.m.e. for a 2 qt. starter. as far as the volume, i decant or pour off most of the beer in the starter.
as far as a bottle tree, i dont have one but i think it would be convienient.
i wouldnt get the rinser though, i dont sanitize my bottles, just clean/rinse them really well. (i know people are going to freak out about this but it works for me)
 
HomerT said:
OK, so I recieved a gift certificate for Northern Brewer. I decided to try and pick up some additional equiopment to expand things a little. I need some input from the more experienced guys here.

First up, I am thinking of the bottle tree. I am not sure about the rinser/sanitiser atachment. Does anyone here use either one? FOr those that use the tree, is the rinser worth it? Currently, I just sumberge all my bottles in a bucket of idaphor to sanitize inside/out. Does it make more sense to add the rinser and just sanitize the inside? Does this work well? Better than a 2min soak?

I am also looking at their yeast starter kit. I have never done a starter. WOuld you recomend the 1000ml or 2000ml kit? How much DME do you use to make a starter? How do you account for this volume/O.G. with your batch volume? Top up to 5-gallons then pitch the starter?


I am also going to pick up a second glass carboy. Right now I have a plastic primary and a bottling bucket that can double as a primary, but the secondary is my bottle-neck (pardon the pun) in my brewing.

Any input or help would be appreciated.

-Todd :D
Click to expand...

IMHO

1) Go for the bottle tree (you'll love it), but forget the rinse attachment (you'll hate it).

2) That yeast starter kit is kind of pricey, unless you're gonna go ahead and get a stir plate too. I use a half gallon jug for starters...they're about $3. There are plenty of options/opinions on starters here.
 
Thanks for all of the input. I think i will definately go for the bottling tree, but skip the rinser (for now at least). I am probably going with the larger starter too.

-Todd
 
El Pistolero said:
IMHO

2) That yeast starter kit is kind of pricey, unless you're gonna go ahead and get a stir plate too. I use a half gallon jug for starters...they're about $3. There are plenty of options/opinions on starters here.
Click to expand...

Your right on the price, a 1-gallon jug, stopper, airlock and dme is only about $11. A question though, do you boil it up in a small pot and then pour into the jug? Does the jug handle the hot/cold without cracking? I like the flasks because they can take the direct heat and then be tossed into ice to cool down.

-TOdd
 
i pour right into the flask from the kettle, wrap foil tight around the lid, and set it into an ice bath for 15-20 mins to cool. aerate well, pitch yeast.
 
I don't actually use a flask...I use a 1/2g growler. Also, I don't use an airlock, I just screw the cap on good and then back it off a hair so that gases can vent.

I use 3oz of DME per L (or qt), boil it for 15 minutes with 1 hop pellet in a stock pot, cool it in an ice bath in the sink, and then pour it through a sanitized funnel into my sanitized growler, aerate, and then pour my yeast through the funnel.

Come to think of it, I didn't really buy any of that stuff specifically for starters (other than the DME), so I'd say you could save that money and maybe apply it to an aeration setup.
 
DeRoux's Broux said:
i pour right into the flask from the kettle, wrap foil tight around the lid, and set it into an ice bath for 15-20 mins to cool. aerate well, pitch yeast.
Click to expand...


a flask could take that kind of heat but i dont think a wine jug will. (even, i think if you did temper it by filling with hot water first)what i do is boil the d.m.e. in a 3 qt. s.s. pot w/lid and place the pot in a cold water bath for 15 min. then pour the cooled wort into the jug.this way i dont ruin the stick-on thermometer on my jug by soaking it in water, and/or crack the jug.


how do you guys judge the temp?
 
Do you guys think a 1-gallon jug is too big? NB doesn't sell 1/2 gallon jugs, except by the case.

-Todd
 
cgravier said:
how do you guys judge the temp?
Click to expand...

when it's cool to the touch, or put one of those temperature strips on your starter vessel like i did.

another good thing about the pyrex flask is it's measured. you can use it to measure the water needed for the starter and gauge how much you lose. no biggie, just an extra nice thing about them.:cool:
 
HomerT said:
Do you guys think a 1-gallon jug is too big? NB doesn't sell 1/2 gallon jugs, except by the case.

-Todd
Click to expand...

i have a 3 liter jug which is just big enough for 1.5 qt. or 2 qt. starter. i cant see using a 2 litre (1/2 g.) jug for a 2 litre starter (or even 1.5 litre) you need some head space for krausen.(although you could just make a 1 litre starter) i know with the low gravity of the starter you don't get a big kruesen, but i learned the hard way that some yeast strains (cali ale) do create enough krusen to spill into the airlock, which is not a good thing. so i feel its better to be safe than sorry. another advantage of a 1 gallon jug is that you can go as high as a 3 litre starter if your making a lager, or high gravity ale.
 

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