2.5 gal isn't nearly enough for me.

[Dev110]

I have still been using my 2.5 gal MrB kit, and have been cutting the brew kits in half to make them work. Everything has been working out okay so far, even though the guys at the homebrew store told me I was wasting my time. (I think they just want to sell me bunches of stuff, and get me out of there. The guy doesn't really answer any of my questions- he just grabs what I need and starts walking to the checkout counter.) Anyway, cutting in half seems to work out fine, except that it's really slow going.

I have been buying my equipment piece by piece, since I don't have the money to go big, and get the whole set-up at once. I think I will go get a plastic bucket fermenter this weekend so I can do the whole 5 gal. (hooray for me in another month or so) and I still don't have a huge kettle.

My questions are these: If I don't have a large enough kettle to boil the entire kit at once, should I use two smaller pots on 2 burners at the same time, or can I do half of a batch in the same pot I have been using, and then do the other half immediately after while my water/wort mixture is cooling in the plastic bucket in the sink? (sorry, I looked, but haven't found this addressed anywhere.)

Would there be any difference in racking to 2 smaller containers to mix the sugar rather than a single large one which I don't have?

Also, If I keep it in a rope-handle tub in the garage where it's very warm, the fermenting bucket contents should be within 5 degrees or so of the iced water? Is this reasonable to expect? I have been keeping the small keg in an old-fashioned soda/ice cream cooler thing, and it works okay.

I apologize in advance for this barrage of questions, but the store guys give up nothing.

 

[weavka32]

Brew all your ingredients in one pot 2 to 3 gallons then mix it with cool water in the fermentation bucket. The tube of ice water would create a home made swamp cooler, as long as it kept the temps consistant it should work fine.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I too started with the Mr Beer and made the jump up to 5 gallon (all grain) batches after only 4 batches due to the same issues as you. It was consumed faster than I could make it. I bought a 6.5 gallon bucket fermentor for $15, I managed to get an 8 gallon aluminum tamale pot for $20, and I made a bottling bucket for like $6 with a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot and a spigot from the LHBS. For extract batches, you can start out doing a partial boil and topping off with clean water if you can't find a deal on a large pot. I would not recommend using 2 seperate boil pots, but I have heard many people do with success. As far as your swamp cooler goes, the temp of the beer is usually within one degree of the water in the swamp cooler, try to keep the water level towards the top of the beer level for the best results.

 

[Dev110]

Thanks everyone- The most recent recipe I had called for 2 gallons of water boiled with the ingredients to make the wort. I obviously had to cut this in half and boiled 1 gallon of water and used half of everything else. The brew pot I used will hold about 2 gallons at best, leaving me absolutely no room for boil-over, not to mention steeping the bags. I don't think I have a choice but to boil twice this weekend- getting a big kettle is pointless if I don't have anywhere to put it.

Because I am getting the whole kit little by little, I will have to get the big fermenting bucket first, giving me up to 3 weeks or so to worry about my swamp cooler. Hopefully by that time I will have a decent priming bucket and a cheap kettle. Slow going, I tell ya... Slow going. But so far, I have bottles, a capper, auto-siphon, hydrometer, racking tube, and 2.5 gallons of an Irish Sweet Stout ready to be bottled.

I really don't like those guys at the store.

 

[Mike37]

Just do a late extract addition to your boil and top off to five gallons. You don't have to waste time doing two boils.

I don't like the guys at my LBS either. They don't return calls or emails if you're just asking for advice. Unprofessional in my opinion.

 

[Dev110]

Just do a late extract addition to your boil and top off to five gallons. You don't have to waste time doing two boils.

Not following ya.

 

[Mike37]

Fill your fermenter with 2 gallons of cold water
Fill your pot with about 1 gal to 1.5 gal of water
Steep your grains (if you have them)
Add about a pound of extract
Boil with hop additions per recipe
Turn stove off and stir in the remaining extract
Stir some more
Cool the pot in the sink
Dump the wort in your fermentor
Top off to 5 gallons with cold water
Pitch yeast and ferment

 

[Dev110]

That is absolutely brilliant. ( Lawyer voice: "Mmm hmm, yes... I like what you did there...")

All the DME has to do is mix so the sugars can breakdown? Will this affect the expected fermentation times or anything else that I am not thinking of?

 

[cincydave]

Fill your fermenter with 2 gallons of cold water
Fill your pot with about 1 gal to 1.5 gal of water
Steep your grains (if you have them)
Add about a pound of extract
Boil with hop additions per recipe
Turn stove off and stir in the remaining extract
Stir some more
Cool the pot in the sink
Dump the wort in your fermentor
Top off to 5 gallons with cold water
Pitch yeast and ferment

This sounds like a decent plan based on limited equipment. Check the bakery depts of local grocery stores. I've gotten several free 5 gallon icing buckets this way. Can be used as bottling bucket.

Also if you have any interest in going all grain, keep an eye out for a used turkey fryer (garage sales, Craigslist etc). I started with extracts and then went to BIAB. My all grain batches have been about half the cost of my extract brews. you will soon recoup the equipment costs on the ingredient savings.

 

[Mike37]

That is absolutely brilliant. ( Lawyer voice: "Mmm hmm, yes... I like what you did there...")

All the DME has to do is mix so the sugars can breakdown? Will this affect the expected fermentation times or anything else that I am not thinking of?

Well, I don't know about sugars breaking down, but you want to add your extract when you turn off the stove so it doesn't burn. But you also want to add it while the wort's hot so it pasteurizes.

It seems to work well. You may end up with a slightly different gravity but you could always fill/check/fill until you hit your target right on if that's something that'll keep you up at night.

 

[ludomonster]

DME doesn't scorch as easily as LME. I usually add DME about a cup at a time, allowing it to dissolve and return to a boil. I do partial mashes, using an 18 qt and a 6 qt pot. I add the extract with about 15 minutes left so that I can get it all in without having to chop up a giant DME rock and to avoid any carmelization.

Starting kits cost under $100 and contain all of the things you would need to comfortably make a lot of beer. It doesn't include pots, but you should be able to get a large pot for under $20 and you probably have a big enough pot for heating sparge water, if you decide to start partial mashing. You can go a little cheaper by getting fermentation chambers yourself and using plastic.

 

[KISS Brew]

You may end up with a slightly different gravity but you could always fill/check/fill until you hit your target right on if that's something that'll keep you up at night.

If you're topping off an extract batch, it will be very hard to get an accurate gravity reading. Even when it seems perfectly mixed, it probably isn't.
I've read that the OG calculations from brewing software will actually be more accurate than a reading in this case.

 

[Dev110]

So, if I add the rest of the entire amount of DME to only 1.5 gallons of water or so after the boil and stir like a maniac till its dissolved, I am sure the readings are gonna be off a little. Theoretically, it should work fine as long as its dissolved thoroughly.

And, btw, thanks Dave- the bakery bucket idea is a good one.

 

[Grecko]

If you're having trouble with your pot size, I might suggest something I found at target.

I bought a 32quart aluminum tamale pot from for around $20. It's called IMUSA Tamale/Seafood Steamer. They had smaller sizes (20qt and 12qt) that would probably fit your immediate need for less cost, but the 32 has been great for full boils. And since I had a gift card from my work for the store, I basically got it for free

I use the 30quart that came with my turkey fryer for heating sparge water and the 32 quart for my 6.5 gallon boil volume. Seems to be a good combo.

 

[KISS Brew]

So, if I add the rest of the entire amount of DME to only 1.5 gallons of water or so after the boil and stir like a maniac till its dissolved, I am sure the readings are gonna be off a little. Theoretically, it should work fine as long as its dissolved thoroughly.

I agree with this. You should be good to go.

 

[Dev110]

Okay, I am gonna give this a shot this weekend. I would really like to have a 32qt kettle, a plastic fermenting bucket, a glass carboy, and 2 more of each. My main issue is that I can't afford to get the whole ensemble at once, so I am picking up the essential items one by one, in the order that I need them most.

Next purchase will be the fermenting bucket so I can go big. (It doesn't matter how much I can boil at once if I have nowhere to put it). Next week or so it will be a kettle, maybe another fermenter after that, etc etc.

I should be up to my armpits in mediocre beer in no time !!

 

[BrewinHooligan]

If you sanitize, pitch the right amount of yeast, aerate after boiling, and keep your fermenting temps in the mid 60's for ales your beer will be better than mediocre! Welcome to the hobsession!!! It is so easy for the brewing bug to take over your free time and money...

 

[Dev110]

Check the bakery depts of local grocery stores. I've gotten several free 5 gallon icing buckets this way. Can be used as bottling bucket.

Thanks again - Just got home from the local grocery store with a 5 gallon bucket !! It also came with about 3 pounds of butter cream icing spread around the bottom and sides - mmmm... butter...

I assume (and I know I could find this if I trolled around long enough but I'm so friggin excited right now, I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl) that I can hit the local brewstore, get a fermenter airlock and a stopper and just cut a whole in the top to fit the stopper?

Also, the bottom says 5 gallons, so am I going to blow the top off this thing tomorrow?

While I wait for a reply, I'm going to wash my hands- I smell like a drunken birthday party.

 

[Mike37]

Honestly you don't need an airlock. Cover the top with saran wrap and put a rubber band on it. Or put a piece of plexiglas on it with something to weigh it down.

I don't know about your bucket, but mine says "5 gal to third lip" or something like that on the side, so I would check for that on yours. Most 5 gal buckets allow for some head space.

 

[Dev110]

Cover the top with saran wrap and put a rubber band on it. Or put a piece of plexiglas on it with something to weigh it down.QUOTE]

Lets the air (under higher pressure) out, but not in....

I like what you're saying. I see the science behind it, but since I just got the fermenting bucket for free, I will invest this week's extra cash into an airlock thingy. In all fairness, if the local homebrew store guy pisses me off, I will be doing exactly that.

Also bought a rope handled bucket for about 6 bucks at Walmart. That will be in the garage tomorrow afternoon with a few frozen bottles of water.

This will be my first 5 gallon excursion - as long as I can keep the temperature reasonable, happy be me ...

Who am I kidding? I'm gonna drink it anyway.

 

[Dev110]

Did this twice. I've had enough.

 

[billf2112]

I am also doing this on a tight budget. I have to save for everything I want. Just get your list of what you want together, and but one piece at a time. May take a year, but who cares, you can still make beer while you put tigether your kit. Even the mash tun can be bought over time get the list from this site, and each time you have a couple extra bucks stop in at home depot and buy a piece. Soon you got the whole thing. You will enjoy it more once you got it all together.

Do not let those guys at your local store get you down. You are the purest of brewers, you don't need tons of stuff to make great beer, just heart.