$100 to spend on ??

So through a ton of hard work at work, I got a pretty good bonus! woo-who

But, after taxes, SWMBO fees, and such, I'm left with roughly $100.

What to do? Upgrade, expand, huge beer??

My set up is extract w/ a partial mash on a turkey fryer. I'm not to interested in going AG right now, so thats not an option. I have a 2 keg kegerator and taps. Been brewing for 4-5 years now and still use the same stuff I started with.

My thoughts (in no particular order):
-get a new/better fryer for quicker boiling
-Upgrade from my 2 old buckets to better bottles
-get an extra corny or two to reduce down time on the taps (fridge can fit it)
-get fermentation temp controlling stuff to make better beer with plans on going into competitions
-make a huge beer (like a 120 clone or a year long barley wine, something crazy) just because I can


Anyone know what a good path to take is? Have any other ideas?

Thanks

I'd say couple carboys for better fermentation. Or more kegs for secondary fermentation.

fridge or chest freezer for fermentation chamber w/ temp controller - def made the biggest impact on making consistently great beer

I would go with a temperature controller. Once you've got the brewday sorted, which it sounds like you have, then the next biggest thing is fermentation control - it's easily the single investment that makes the biggest difference to the final beer.

By removing temperature swings, you can keep esters in check, and with an increased temperature towards the nd, you can improve attenuation and dry out the beer if you choose.

Temp control - nothing will have a bigger impact on you brew quality. Wait for a new kettle when you go AG. Better bottles are only good if you have a need to secondary. Extra kegs are okay too, but I would put them far behind temp control.

If you're going for better bottles labelpeelers.com has the best price I found, 20ish for 6 gallon
If youre going for kegs...kegglebrewing.com 30 dollar ball locks

but if you don't have a ferm freezer, you should

Given what you have and your plans (or lack thereof) for expanding:

Fermentation control or another keg.

gator_brewer said:

SWMBO fees, and such, I'm left with roughly $100.

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So let me guess... you started with a $5,000 bonus, right?

gator_brewer said:

So through a ton of hard work at work . . . I'm left with roughly $100.

What to do?

Click to expand...

Find a new job.

Go to the rub and tug.....twice.

I second the rub and tug.

I can always count on people here to help make my day a bit brighter. I think the rub and tug might raise the SWMBO fees to a bit more than i can handle (I was told I should be happy to get to spend my *entire* bonus on beer).

Looks like the overwhelming opinion is ferm controls, so I'll look into something for that. Thanks

gator_brewer said:

I think the rub and tug might raise the SWMBO fees to a bit more than i can handle (I was told I should be happy to get to spend my *entire* bonus on beer).

Click to expand...

Thats just spousal abuse. Sounds like you could use some time away from her .

Fermentation temp control helped my beers go from mediocre to great. It's a good way to spend that hard earned money your wife is letting you spend.

TEMP CONTROL, TEMP CONTROL, TEMP CONTROL. This is mandatory for great beer. Now there are ways to handle this without a controller/fridge/freezer combo but temp controllers make the fermentation soooo much easier to control.