Long time Extract Brewer thinking about getting into AG

Hi all,

I'm looking to get into AG. I'm looking at two 10 gallon Rubbermaid round drink coolers as a mash/lauter tun and a hot liquor tank with a 20 gallon brew kettle to do up to ten gallon batches for most beers or five gallon batches for big beers.

Does this equipment sound reasonable for my expectations? I'm planning pn starting my purchases in January with some Christmas hints as to potential gear I could use, so any advice would e greatly appreciated.

I would not .use cooler for mash tun. Your much limited with the mash process temp range and adjustments. U would thank yourself later if u got a real good metal mash tun.

germanmade84 said:

I would not .use cooler for mash tun. Your much limited with the mash process temp range and adjustments. U would thank yourself later if u got a real good metal mash tun.

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Perhaps. I've been brewing in a single cooler MLT using single infusion mashes and batch sparges for 1.5 yrs with great results and have no immediate plans to change my process significantly. Will I at
some point? Probably. Are there improvements to make? Always.

I've been in the same boat and just pulled the trigger on a proper all-grain setup. My biggest suggestion is that you consider the commitment you have to the hobby and make your purchases appropriately. Just like extract brewing was for me, I don't anticipate my first foray into all grain to be the be-all-end-all of my brewing experience. Eventually, I'll want more...and you probably will to.

Personally, my intention is to grow into a proper, semi-automated single tier stand. Thus, my goal was to minimize any expenses related to repurchasing equipment down the road. That said, I went with a keggle based HLT/BK and a 10G tried-and-true cooler based MLT. (A delicate 10G setup that could be supplemented with a larger cooler for big beers.) After long considering a cooler based HLT for cost reasons, the benefit of direct fire, weighed against my longer term goals, made total sense. This setup allows me to consider RIMS, HERMS or a direct fired MLT at some point down the road, whichever I choose to go. Stainless MLT's have consequences that need to be carefully considered, particularly a means of maintaining temps since they don't insulate as well as a cooler setup.

This is what I did: I designed my "dream system" that had every single thing that I wanted. It cost far more than what I wanted to spend right now, understandably so...it's a dream. I then redesigned the system, with concern for my current budget, while trying at every step to not purchase anything that didn't fit that dream system. In all, I was able to get down to about $150 in "waste" by doing it in multiple phases...and that "waste" could probably be recouped with a bit of creativity.

Anyhow, I don't know about you...but I learned a lot with extract brewing. Most importantly, buy want you want for later on...not what will do right now...because you might have to purchase two or three times to get where you want. I've determined well enough that I'm committed to the hobby and am done with throwing money away on stuff I won't need. So, I went big...and that's my 2 cents with no regrets...and I'm well past a grand into my all-grain setup.

Hope that helps!

Personally I don't like cooler HLTs. You need to heat the water then move it for storage. Unless it's pumped. I suggest putting an element in the cooler HLT

wilserbrewer said:

Personally I don't like cooler HLTs. You need to heat the water then move it for storage. Unless it's pumped. I suggest putting an element in the cooler HLT

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I figured I'd be buying a Chugger pump in this setup. The advantage I see to this would be to allow gravity to move the liquid from the HLT to the MLT and from the MLT to the boil kettle. I'd use the boil kettle to heat all water up. I'd also have the ability to pre-heat the HLT and MLT, then make sure I have the right strike water temperature before moving that to the MLT.

At the end of the brew day, I'd use the chugger to chill the wort and then move it to carboys.