$1,000 to spend - what do you buy?

[UWDawg13]

Selling an old '70 Chev K20 that's sitting in the garage and hasn't been touched in a year+. Started brewing this year and have stuck to extracts with basic equipment. Have an IC but that's about the only non essential item (if you call it that) that I have. Want to get into all grain and brewing 10 gallon batches with dreams of brewing on a larger scale.

My question is:

Somebody hands you $1,000 to spend on home brew equipment - what do you buy?

 

[UWDawg13]

Responding to my own post and getting the juices flowing.

Building a fermentation chamber.
Building a keezer and a few cornies.
Propane burner - bilchman?
Stir plate.
Possible brew stand build.

 

[Paps]

If i were in your situation i might do something like this.

1 - igloo cooler and stuff to convert it to a mash tun
2 - bayou classic propane burner ( i am assuming you will be brewing outside)
3 - keg fridge/freezer with temperature control to convert to serving station
4 - corny kegs....several
5 - boil kettle large enough for doing 10 gallon batches

Those items there can tear through 1-k really fast
if you get a fridge/freezer large enough it can do double duty holding your fermenting beer as well as having your taps to serve beer.
Hope this helps you out some.

 

[bad67z]

I would suggest you start out with the BIAB all grain process (15 gallon vessel and a big grain bag). This would would get you into all grain process and save you some cash that you could spend on a propane burner, fermentation chamber, stir plate and some kegging equipment.

 

[northcal]

kegging equipment will blow your mind.

All grain the same.

 

[Brewcycle69]

You could go BIAB and spend more money on fermenting and kegging systems.

In general if I had enough burner and kettle to do 5 gallon batches I'd spend on fermenting and kegging and come back around to 10 gallon batches as an upgrade. This is a cruel hobby of trade-offs.

Cheers!

 

[runningweird]

15 gallon kegs on craigslist - depending on your area ~50 each - 2 of them
weldless fittings for keggle mash tun and boil kettle - 60
false bottom for mash tun - 40
reflectix insulation~26
march pump ~ 120
silicone hoses, camlocks etc ~ 100

at least 2 cornies because bottling is the devil. ~100
co2 tank, regulator, quick disconnects, line, ~100
cheap 2 tap tower ~ 40
craigslist kegerator ~ 100
bayou burner setup ~100

I think that's close to 1000

that would give you a nice 2 vessel all grain system.

 

[Goolsbymd]

Im actually in the same situation. I opted for building a 3 tap keezer with ball lock cornys. Ordered almost everything this week from keg connection with all SS metal, dual taprite body, 10' hoses, perlick 525SS, 3 cornys, o ring lube and a wrench for about 500.00. Gotta buy the chest freezer 190 7cubic foot, Johnson control thermostat, and a used co2 5 or 10# container. After this is built I'll be replacing my burner to a nicer one, then boil pot and work in the order of brewing beer for upgrades.

 

[UWDawg13]

Thank you guys for the quick responses and great suggestions.

Still new at this, but love to learn and love the brewing process as much as I love the finished product.

Hope everybody has a great weekend.

Cheers!

 

[MikePote]

When it came time for me to step up my brew game I only had a few hundred bucks. I started doing BIAB all grain - simple and cheap. $30 for a super fancy brew bag and $80 for a craigslist turkey fryer with 30qt pot (i use it to dunk sparge). I bought a mini fridge and sct-1000 temp controller and used it to turn a cabinet in my laundry room into a ferm chamber - absolute no brainer you should do this.

So far I love BIAB and if I had your money I would not get a mash tun I would continue doing what I have been doing. That is not to say a mash tun is a bad purchase but I was in your shoes with half the money three months ago and couldn't be happier with the choices I made. I would also do kegging setup and kegerator because as the guy above me said bottling is the devil - take it from a guy who bottles.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

If you go the keezer route check out the stc1000 temp controllers. They are super cheap and give you temp control. There was also someone on here ordering a model that would allow you to control fermentations temps with heating AND cooling on the same device. Total for ferm chamber and keezer would be about $45. You can usually get chest freezers for cheap on craigslist and then build a collar so that you don't need a tower. Save some more money. A conversion kit from keg connection would get you co2, regulator, faucets, shanks, tubing and ball lock fittjngs . Probably kegs too. Bvrgelements.com has super cheap "class 2" 5-gal call locks. Brand new with "damage." A friend of mine has one and we couldn't figure out what was wrong!

The biab setup is slick, but I traditional and partial to a regular mash tun. It doesn't have to be fancy. I've brewed on all kinds of setups!

Lastly I would try and fit a pump in there. Beats the he l l out of vorlaufing manually. You can also whirlpool which is fun.

Good luck! Making these decisions can be.impossible.

 

[livingwideopen]

I'm glad to see this thread, I was actually just about to ask the exact same question! I'm in Canada though, so $1000 doesn't go very far, and in my area everybody thinks fridges and freezers are the same price as gold. After I researched last night I felt that most people said a fermentation chamber is best bang for the buck. I'll gladly follow along with this thread and see what everybody says.

 

[UWDawg13]

Thanks again for the helpful responses. The money isn't in my pocket, still have that truck taking up valuable space in my garage. Haven't decided if I'll go BIAB next or dive into a full AG set up with all the equipment. Do appreciate the input though.

 

[Tutsbrew]

Refridgerator or freezer.
Digital temp control for the above.
Either a good SS fermenter OR a Blichmann wort cooler & sub pump.
Man, is a thousand bucks all we can have?

 

[Facinerous]

Screw the equipment. Just start here.

Beer Here!

 

[UWDawg13]

Screw the equipment. Just start here.

Beer Here!

Nice link. Have only heard of the Sam Adams. Wanted to try it before, but now I know it comes in a copper bottle I need it. That would look great on the shelf.

 

[Trox]

72qt Igloo cooler and hardware to convert it to a mash tun
might splurge and get either the Edelmetall or Blichmann burners
Oxygen regulator
stir plate
couple of better bottles or equivalent (up to this line is probably around $300)
and then spend the rest on ingredients (~%700 worth)

Edit: Almost forgot to add a lifetime membership to these forums.

 

[insanim8er]

It's kind of hard to answer with out knowing what you have and what your goal is. Opinions could be unlimited.

I'd decide where you want to be, and build towards that. I personally think a good brew setup is far worth more than an amazing keezer/kegerator. Kegs with picnic taps in an old fridge works just fine.

I have a single teir blichmann setup with two 20 and a 15. They're great, but the things I find to be awesome additions that make it easier to brew:

Pump(s) - can't live with out them now

SS Quick disconnects

Thermapen - totally worth every dime and makes the brew day faster and stress (worry) free.

Plate chiller and inline oxygenation setup - makes life easier and brewing faster

Grain mill - get better efficency and consistency plus you can buy bulk grain.

A fermenter that is SS and not made of plastic or glass - I love fermenting in kegs.

Ability to temp contol

 

[NathPowe]

Kegging and brewing all-grain are fun and I'm sure you'll get that going sooner or later. But, in my opinion, some sort of system for fermentation temperature control is one of the single most important things you can do to improve the quality of your beer. You can probably get that going for around $200 if you bought new (think something like a 5 cu. ft. chest freezer and an stc-1000), or potentially much less if you go the craigslist route.

That leaves you maybe $800 to spend on a mash tun, a new kettle and then maybe some kegs or something. Guess what I'm saying is get your ferm. temps under control first, and then go from there. You won't regret it.

Have fun setting up your system - it's as good a time as the actual brewing.

Cheers.

 

[beergolf]

Things that will help your brews improve.

Good fermentation temp control. A fridge or freezer with temp controller
A stir plate and flask for making proper sized starters. A pitch of the correct amount of healthy yeast makes good beer.
Oxygen aeration. Helps get a good healthy fermentaion.

For going all grain a mash tun and a good accurate thermometer. Spend the money on a Thermapen.

Kegging is nice but the above stuff will improve the quality of your brews. So I would put the kegging at the end of the list.

 

[Bamsdealer]

Kegging equipment and whatever you need to get into all grain brewing. Period.