My poor man's setup

Pics from my Friday night brew session. AHS Scottish Export/ 80 Schilling kit. Trying out the new picture phone, so pardon the poor quality! Here is my BYO-inspired coutertop mash setup:

Mashed a little over 4 lbs of grain in my 2.5 gallon cooler. 153 for 45 minutes.

And then the boil- 26qt stainless cheap pot from Austin Homebrew supply, on my 30$ turkey fryer


And finally, in the fermenter, next to the apfelwein and beerswap brew I have yet to sample. First time I have ever hit my OG perfectly. Changed up my mash procedure a bit. I need to figure out efficiency formulas one day!

Nice...here is my ghetto three tier lack-of-sculpture:

I aspire to one day have such a cool setup! Maybe this summer I'll part with the cash and build a big MLT so I can go all grain. Just scared of big boil pot prices!

quickerNu said:

I aspire to one day have such a cool setup! Maybe this summer I'll part with the cash and build a big BLT so I can go all grain. Just scared of big boil pot prices!

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Did you just buy the burner by itself and not as a part of a turkey fryer kit? I paid around $40 for the burner and an alum. 30 qt pot (I'd like to get a bigger pot at some point). Sure it would be nice to have a much larger SS pot, but for the time being my setup works for me!

By the way, what use would a big sandwich be for going all grain???

I don't know if you have the space, however, just to let you know... I built a two-tier (you have to lift the hot water into the MLT manually with a pitcher, but can then gravity-feed into the brew-pot, and into the CFC into the carboy). It was less than $100 and could have been less than $50 if I didn't choose to do a built-in water system.

2x4's or 2x6's cost about $3 a piece. Cheap!

You just need the space....

might want to consider water-proofing that temp probe:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=26905

By the way, what use would a big sandwich be for going all grain???

Looks like spellcheck got me! I meant MLT! I have plenty of room, just not much money. Every dime is going to a new house, but all-grain is cheaper in the long run, mini mash kits are getting expensive. I need a scale or 2 (grain and hops), a cooler, hardware, steel braid, and a big pot, not to mention a chiller. I have started doing full boils in my 26qt pot, but it is cutting it close. If it isn't really cold outside, I can't get the wort cool fast enough.
I bought the turkey fryer kit a long time ago, before I was into homebrewing. HEB charged me for the smaller kit, I even pointed it out, but the cashier said don't worry about it.
I have been very careful about not getting the wire wet, but I need to waterproof it before I screw up. Got the thermometer for 6 bucks on ebay-with shipping.

I use a turkey frying kit with a 40 quart stock pot (I have a keggle also) with lid. You can find them cheap for around 40 to 45 buck if you search right.

Here is one on ebay from a discount commercial equipment seller.

http://stores.ebay.com/Discount-Restaurant-Equipment_W0QQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247


Save the money and buy a commercial stockpot and then modify it to add a ball valve and sight glass set up.


ww.cookware.com has some also.

Just a though

Bill

you aint to poor, I see a digital thermometer, I less off than that and I feel fine about it. a poor man sure can make good brew though

Looks strangely familiar:

Cool. I scored the digital therm for less than 6 bucks with shipping on e-bay, and I just stepped up and bought a wort chiller today. Cheaper than I could even buy the copper to do it myself. Texas summer is coming. Finding an inexpensive big pot is all that is keeping me from AG!

whoop for the poor man's setup. too much money going towards an education.

153 eh?


Your pic definitely shows the mash at 154!!!!!

Guess I need to update my pics and show off the AG poor man's setup- featuring a whopping 52% efficiency on brews 1 & 2. Forgot to waterproof the probe- thermometer crapped out on me.

quickerNu said:

Cool. I scored the digital therm for less than 6 bucks with shipping on e-bay, and I just stepped up and bought a wort chiller today. Cheaper than I could even buy the copper to do it myself. Texas summer is coming. Finding an inexpensive big pot is all that is keeping me from AG!

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From this thread:

A 60 qt stock pot from Sam's club for $45.88.

daholl01 said:

Did you just buy the burner by itself and not as a part of a turkey fryer kit? I paid around $40 for the burner and an alum. 30 qt pot (I'd like to get a bigger pot at some point). Sure it would be nice to have a much larger SS pot, but for the time being my setup works for me!

By the way, what use would a big sandwich be for going all grain???

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i'm getting ready to go all grain after doing about a dozen extract batches. Need to get a big pot myself. I had always heard that Aluminum stock pots would leave a metallic taste in your beer... :cross:

TBLbrewer said:

...I had always heard that Aluminum stock pots would leave a metallic taste in your beer... :cross:

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You heard wrong.

It's of no concern now. I just scored a retired stainless steel keg. Now all I need is a plasma cutter...

A $15 angle grinder will do it.

Call me, I'll lend you my gear...

Wow! that's.... Uh... err... pretty???

TBLbrewer said:

I had always heard that Aluminum stock pots would leave a metallic taste in your beer... :cross:

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Metallic tastes aren't from aluminum pots, but from ceramic coated steel pots being damaged. Among other reasons.
" Nicks and cracks in ceramic coated steel pots are a common cause" under MEtallic off flavors in HOW TO BREW. -p258- I did this to my pot and can taste it in my nut brown. The last batch i did in that pot.

TBLbrewer said:

Wow! that's.... Uh... err... pretty???

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That's uh.err... PURE BM STYLE

IrregularPulse said:

That's uh.err... PURE BM STYLE

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I'm pretty knew to the forum, but I've been pretty much addicted every since I found it. Needless to say, I'm pretty clear on BM style already . but hey sometimes ugly works. I can think of a few girls from highschool.....

you have to get the ladders just right..

I need to get pictures loaded from my brew day two weekends ago. My first attempt at setting up a teir system. GHETTO!!! haha

*to be edited with pics*

I have been brewing 5 gallon extract and partial grain batches for about 8-10 years now on the stove. I decided 2 months ago to go to 10 gallon all grain so I needed to move the operation out into the garage/driveway and switch to propane. I figured that if I weld up a frame myself it would be dirt cheap seeing that I get steel tubing for free as I work in the tubing industry. Wrong! Cost me about $375-400 for the burners, heat shields, plumbing, casters, weld wire, paint, refilled tank. I still have to get 3 new 15 gallon kettles to get the new setup up and brewing!

Although it will be sweet once it is all put together, I really didn't know what I got myself into in the beginning.

I already posted this pic on another thread...

How Dare you post that in the Poor Man's setup thread. We come here with our setup's to get away from the fancy setups we cannot afford/build.

Nice setup though!