All grain on a budget?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

subliminalurge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
475
Reaction score
11
Location
Moline
Anyone ever used this?

I just priced out the parts at Lowes and I think I could put the same thing together for about half that price (albeit using stainless mesh instead of a false bottom). Significantly less than what I can put a cooler kit together for.

I know it's far from ideal, but if I used my bottling bucket as a HLT and wrapped both buckets in old blankets, is there any particular reason I couldn't get good results for 5 gallon batches?

I would definitely still be looking to upgrade in the future, but I'm thinking I could reuse almost everything one way or another. My only "throwaway" item would be a $7.00 bucket, and I could probably still find a use for that....

Any reason why this wouldn't be a good way to start learning the AG process while I'm waiting for the funds to come together for a better setup?
 
There is a description for that in the Joy of Homebrewing so I am sure it is fine. Do you have a spare cooler lying around? You can mash in the cooler with no modifications and then use the bucket for a lauter tun.
 
I switched from extract to all grain with "brew in a bag". Only new expense was a bag to hold grains. If you already have a large enough kettle, you'd only need a bag to try out all grain.

I mash and boil in the same kettle and wrap the kettle with an old sleeping bag for the mash.
 
Third it... Modified BAIB with Cooler as MLT(keeps temp better than my brew kettle...) works like a charm.
 
I'm not necessarily opposed to BIAB, but I also don't know a darn thing about it.

My main purpose for looking at that is so that I can start getting my process down while I piece together a better setup, which I'm planning to be the fairly common 3 keggle system.

Would doing BIAB help me learn that process?
 
Yes I think so... I'm on a budget but want to start experimenting with the "process" as it were and I've got tremendous flexibility now. I love it. The sticky in the All grain section is great and you can modify it after you start to read more and understand the process...ie How to Brew (Palmer) and/or Joy of Brewing (Papazian)....
 
Heck you could do Papazian's Zapap system on your own for much cheaper!

Here's a link that I found via google (I don't know this person, but the idea is exactly right!): http://www.mainebrews.com/news/2009/11/zapap-lauter-tun/

The only failed brew I ever had was my first AG. A 2-bucket Zapap kludge. I would highly recommend against it. That brew ended up in the back 40 and almost prematurely ended my brewing career.
 
If you don't already have a cooler, get one. Maybe $30 more than the bucket. But, after you get your keggle system hooked up, you can cenvert the cooler back to regular use and haul you beer in it to parties.
 
The only failed brew I ever had was my first AG. A 2-bucket Zapap kludge. I would highly recommend against it. That brew ended up in the back 40 and almost prematurely ended my brewing career.

What happened? I have heard a few stories of zapaps going wrong from filling up the 2nd bucket to high (can only go as high as the first bucket) and overflowing wort!
I built my mash tun from a plastic bucket, valve/fittings I had lieing around and a "check valve strainer" that was a few $. Used it once so far and no big issues, justed need a decent length of tube (1'+) to get a syphon going to draw the wort through. Check out the link in my sig ;)
 
Stuck sparge, hefe. I tried to get unstuck, throwing sanitation to the wind, to no avail. However, I did capture the awful moment for posterity. This February photo can't possibly capture the bleakness, the hopelessness of that fateful night, but perhaps you'll see something in it that will give you hesitation before you use a Zapap dbl-bucket torture device.

Note the zapap in the background, re-use of the original boilpot in an attempt to unstick the sucker, another pot, everything seriously contaminated. Take my word for it, it was a FAIL.

BTW, in case you did't know, zapap backwards is Papaz. Grandpa papazian.

P2020003.JPG
 
find a 10gal water cooler on CL for cheap i found one for 20 then a few parts abotu another 15 to 20 and you got a awesome mash tun i used mine for the first time this weekend and worked awesome.. another coolt hing was i could get all my mash and sparge water to the correct temps on my crappy stove so that saves me allot on the propane
 
+1 to BIAB. I use the process shown in Deathbrewer's sticky "Stovetop All Grain with pictures ". This isn't classical BIAB, because of the sparge, but it fit the equipment I had and kept me brewing in the kitchen (which I wanted).

Frankly, any all grain process will help you learn.

BIAB - whatever incarnation used - is highly cost effective and effective at brewing good beer.

Cheers
 
I spent 40 on a cooler, 40 on the braid/valve combo and that was it. Probably not the cheapest I could have done either. But not too bad.
 
I used the Listerman double bucket system I believe it was called. One bucket for hlt, basically a bottling bucket, another with a false bottom and a sparge arm to rinse the grains. Worked great and was only $20 at the time (mid 90's).
 
go BIAB. No need for that fancy stuffs in the bottom of your cooler. I mash in the cooler and w/the bag there is nothing to clog anything. Paint strainer bag from HD is something like 2 for $3. Pour from cooler to kettle and heat the bugger til it boils.

Nuttin' to it!
 
jma99 said:
Kmart has coleman coolers on sale at 35% off, or something.

BIAB is great. Instead of separating the wort from the grain you take the grain out of the wort!

It has been a great entry level place for me into all grain. Let's you learn about crush, conversion, etc without the fuss over stuck sparge. Plus if you have a 36+ qt pot you are good to go. And if you don't then you'll have to buy one before going AG anyway.
 
I converted a crappy cooler I'd had for a long time, for about $15 worth of SS braid.. 1.5years later, I still use the same cooler ~ although I'm asking for a new one for Christmas :)
 
Just purchased a 10 gallon gatorade style water cooler at Home Depot yesterday to start putting together my AG system. Basically the same cooler that Northern Brewer sells in their AG kit.

42.00

If you're a veteran, remember to ask for your discount. 10% off of that.... cheaper still.
 
Just purchased a 10 gallon gatorade style water cooler at Home Depot yesterday to start putting together my AG system. Basically the same cooler that Northern Brewer sells in their AG kit.

42.00

If you're a veteran, remember to ask for your discount. 10% off of that.... cheaper still.

Lowe's gives 10% vet discount too. My local HD stopped doing it. You can guess where I go now.
 
I'd just go for the 10 gallon Gatorade cooler. Your just gonna burn money on a bucket that provides little insulation and you'll eventually replace anyways. Although eventually you'll replace the cooler its much more justified in my eyes.

You can get fittings from bargainfittings.com (keg kit $11+ball valve and mesh thingy for $15.) so like $74 for a tun you dont ever really NEED* to upgrade to produce consistent quality batch sparged beer.(though youll have to get a false bottom for flysparging)
 
my advice is to buy a rectangular cooler I bought a 48 qt for 35 dollars and just use a valve and a braid. easiest and best bang for your buck for a mash tun. you can get a ss braid for 6 dollars and a valve for 6 or 7 bucks. rectangular coolers are larger and the bigger lid makes stirring easier. just my 2 cents.
 
I mash in my boil pot with a sleeping bag wrapped around it. Never lose temperature. I then empty the mashed grain into my bottling bucket that I have outfitted with a plastic false bottom and plastic valve. Never had a problem. I wouldn't try the bucket in bucket setup though. I think a domed false bottom is key. Never had a stuck sparge as long as I put an inch or two of water in the bucket before dumping the mash into it. My limit is only about 17 lbs of grain with this setup so I do plan to upgrade.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top