I just did my first batch of all grain, and it went well enough that I see myself doing a lot of it. Now I feel like I'm lacking some equipment, but I'm on a budget, so I have to prioritize what I need.
What I have:
7.5 gal SS pot
Electric stove (in my kitchen)
10 gal cooler with SS braid for mash tun
Buckets, fermenters, siphons, funnels, etc
Big sink for ice bath
Currently (but slowly) building a stir plate
What I want:
Bigger pot (something like the bayou classic 44qt for $85)
Propane burner (ie BC SQ14)
Wort chiller
I feel like I'm forgetting 1 more thing...
My stove was able to get 6.5 gal up to a boil, but it moves at about 1 degF per minute, so it takes a while. My pot felt too full, for sure. It took forever to get 5 gallons of wort down to 70 degrees with the ice bath. I also had to drain the mash into a bucket while I heated my sparge water in the pot. It was all doable, but I felt like the process would be easier with more things.
If I were to get just 1 of those things right now, which would you recommend? Is there something I'm overlooking? I don't plan on doing anything bigger than 5 gal batches, so I'm not overly concerned with buying big to account for 10 gal batches.
What I have:
7.5 gal SS pot
Electric stove (in my kitchen)
10 gal cooler with SS braid for mash tun
Buckets, fermenters, siphons, funnels, etc
Big sink for ice bath
Currently (but slowly) building a stir plate
What I want:
Bigger pot (something like the bayou classic 44qt for $85)
Propane burner (ie BC SQ14)
Wort chiller
I feel like I'm forgetting 1 more thing...
My stove was able to get 6.5 gal up to a boil, but it moves at about 1 degF per minute, so it takes a while. My pot felt too full, for sure. It took forever to get 5 gallons of wort down to 70 degrees with the ice bath. I also had to drain the mash into a bucket while I heated my sparge water in the pot. It was all doable, but I felt like the process would be easier with more things.
If I were to get just 1 of those things right now, which would you recommend? Is there something I'm overlooking? I don't plan on doing anything bigger than 5 gal batches, so I'm not overly concerned with buying big to account for 10 gal batches.