Equipment needs?

I am in need of some advice and info on the equipment needed for AG brewing. I have been brewing Extract for awhile now but want to take it to the next level. The items I have been using are as follows:

Glass carboy
SS pot
Bottle bucket

and the usual hoses,hydro,therm, imm chiller ect...

I take it I need more pots and a mash tun? What about a grain mill? thanks for helping!

Tom

What are you goals? How serious do you want to get?

What is your budget?

One suggestion (if you can find someone and I would be shocked if you couldn't on this site) is to go to someone's house or where ever they are brewing an AG batch and REALLY get a solid handle on what equip does what and how. It's one thing to read things on this site... and this site is fantastic... but its another thing to see it all in person.

I think if you sat in on a brew session, what you need and how you might want to tackle AG brewing would become really clear, really quick.

It all depends on how far you want to take it.

Deathbrewer created a very easy to follow "Stove-Top All Grain" method, and DRoyLenz adapted it a bit for extract brewing equipment.

I would suggest checking those out, so you get a feel for the process, and then you can start building your equipment around that (this is the stage I am at right now).

That being said, there are tons of equipment and fun gadgets you can get. . .MLT, manifolds, false bottom, tubing, burners, grain mill, grain bag, mash paddle, electric heater, RIMS/HERMS. . . the list is endless, Im sure a much more experience All Grainer will be able to point you in a better direction. Good luck!

Well I guess I am a hobby brew kinda guy....only made 5 gal batches so far but I want to step it up to 10 gal at a time. So the equimpent I want to get together will need to be able to handle the 10 gal brew. As far as budget goes.....welll.......lol....I would not be opposed to spend a cpl hundred to get my gear. Of course the cheaper the better. Thanks againg for the help!

Tomy2 I would check surplus stores, or Dermo military sales for used military pots, they are aluminum!!! They are really Cheap, it comes in a 15 gallon and a 10 gallon that fits inside of the other one. Some times you can find a new set, that is what I have, works great for me!! Watch target for a close out cooler to turn into your mash tun, got my colman extreme 52qt for $25. Keep an eye on craiglist also. You can sometimes find some great deals there. Also check with you LHBS (if they are cool like mine) they might know someone who is upgrading or just getting out of brewing. Best of luck to you!

tomy2 said:

Well I guess I am a hobby brew kinda guy....only made 5 gal batches so far but I want to step it up to 10 gal at a time. So the equimpent I want to get together will need to be able to handle the 10 gal brew. As far as budget goes.....welll.......lol....I would not be opposed to spend a cpl hundred to get my gear. Of course the cheaper the better. Thanks againg for the help!

Click to expand...

You can easily spend that couple hundred just on an AG rig for 5 gallons, let alone ten. You'll want a pot big enough to boil 11 or 12 gallons in, a burner that will get 11 or 12 gallons boiling, a big ol' cooler with a manifold in it or some other variety of lauter tun and a fermenter big enough to hold your ten gallons. The brew kettle and the fermenter would likely be your biggest expense. Also plan on spending a lot more time to get things brewed. You have to mash your grains for a good hour or more, then drain all the water out before you even start to boil it. I think 3-6 hours to do a batch is the normal range. Some of that is just spent sitting and waiting, so you can do some other stuff if you don't want to stare at a cooler for an hour.

I do five gallon AG, but have yet to upgrade to a kettle big enough to do a full boil. I split my wort and boil some in a smaller pot for a couple of minutes and add the hops to the bigger pot over the hour boil. I went with a cooler with stainless braid for my mash tun, since I had a cooler that would work for it already and bought a hot water tank line to get the braid. I would have loved to spend the money to do it right (that whole full boil thing and all...) but I couldn't convince SWMBO to let me spend the money on it, so I'm stuck with my ghetto rig. It still makes drinkable beer, though...

You could spend a couple hundred just on the brew pot you'll need to end up with 10 gallons of wort. AG isn't topped off. If you want a 10 gallon batch, you'll need to start with at least 12 gallons of wort in the boil, and 15gallon brew pot or keggle is gonna fit that bill.

have you done a partial mash yet? if not, go for it. it'll give you an idea whether you like AG brew process or whether its 'too much work'.

Thanks again guys.....maybe I should start off with a 5gal AG rig and then down the road upgrade? Might that be a better choice.....seeing some of your responses got me thinking how much I am really going to be brewing...I think gal at a time is plenty for my needs......that being said I guess that changes my inventory needs now. Any further suggestions on that? What kind of pots will accomodate me now?
I have the SS brew kettle that I use for my 5gal extract now. And my glass carboy and bottle/ferm bucket.