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finished1

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Looking to upgrade some of my equipment. I only have a budget of about $150. My current set is BIAB with 10 gallon kettle with basket (stainless steel, generic brand). Bayou classic SP10 propane burner and I keg with two ball lock 5 gallon soda kegs.
I am thinking of going several options. Upgrade my burner to an anvil or possibly a blichman, upgrading my kettle to include temp and spout options, or buying a grain mill to mill my own grain. There is a good deal currently on Austin home brew supply website.
I am open to any suggestions.
 
Suggestions:

Milling one's own grain is hard to beat for controlling your crush, and hence your efficiency, as well as the convenience of being able to stock grains and brew whenever you want.

Upgrading the burner sounds unnecessary. One day you may go electric, or induction, in order to brew indoors.

Installing a ball valve and dip tube in your existing kettle is worthwhile, and should be easy enough - no need to buy a new $$ kettle just for that. I would also not bother installing a thermometer. They often go unused in favor of a handheld unit.

Fermentation is hugely important in brewing as you probably know. How are you doing in that department?
 
Agreed with McKnuckle.
Spend on the grain mill, and install a spout on your current kettle.
If and when you upgrade / crossgrade your heating you can look at a new kettle.
With the grain mill you can get base grains by the sack, usually a big savings than by the pound, and even larger amounts of some specialty ones. As long as they are stored in air- and critter- tight containers, they'll last a good long time uncrushed.
 
A built in thermometer is a total waste and just something to get hit by the basket/bag. A handheld works perfectly fine.

A spout cant hurt

I'd get the Cereal Killer grain mill. Around $100...well worth it

You could look into an induction cooktop for nice quiet indoor brewing....not sure on the cost of those

Those would be my choices...electric heat or mill. You really dont need much of anything else for brewing

If you get the mill that should leave you around $50.....buy a flow control faucet for a $50...that would be an awesome way to spend $150..IMHO
 
Grain mill. Controlling your crush, buying in bulk--can't hardly beat that.

I have to disagree with those above saying a thermometer isn't of value. A thermometer lets me monitor chilling, I can tell when i'm getting close to the boil so i don't miss it and suddenly have a boilover, can help monitor mash temp. Far from being useless, it would be one of my first upgrades. And I say that despite owning a Thermoworks MkIV Thermopen.

But I'd put the grain mill first.
 
Have you addressed fermentation temperature control? If not I would put that first. Then a grain mill. I went with the Cereal Killer after years of using a Corona style mill. It didn't change efficiencies but is easier to use. After that I would get a ball valve for the kettle. You can use a weldless fitting. I recommend the three piece one so it can be taken apart for cleaning.

Far last on the list for me would be the thermometer. You don't need it. And it could get in the way. I, sometimes, use my probe thermometer to see how close I am getting to the boil point. But never worry about the cooling temperature. I can't get it to pitching temperatures here in Florida anyway.....
 
+1 on the Cereal Killer Grain Mill. Then a spout for your kettle. Beyond that you could consider the Clear Beer Draught System. Really nice for dry hopping in the keg.
 
kh54s10 said:
Have you addressed fermentation temperature control? If not I would put that first. .
Click to expand...

i don't think ferm temp control can be had for $150? unless he's got a truck and hits up craigslist or something looking for a used fridge?

(and i'd still go for the mill myself, i don't even know what it would be like having to rely on someone else to do it for me)
 
I didn't mean to imply that a thermometer wasn't useful; I just meant that having a dedicated one in the kettle isn't necessary, and keep in mind this is BIAB - the probe might block the basket. A simple metal thermometer can be clipped to the kettle rim to monitor chilling or boil progress, as high accuracy is not critical for those processes.
 
 
I'd agree with what most say and go with the grain mill. Whether buying grain by the sack, or taking advantage of all grain kit sales. The grain stores much longer whole. Also, you can dial the crush to your system.

mongoose33 said:
I have to disagree with those above saying a thermometer isn't of value. A thermometer lets me monitor chilling, I can tell when i'm getting close to the boil so i don't miss it and suddenly have a boilover, can help monitor mash temp. Far from being useless, it would be one of my first upgrades. And I say that despite owning a Thermoworks MkIV Thermopen.
Click to expand...

I'd say instead of installed thermometer, if OP doesn't have a good thermometer, a probe thermometer is more useful. Thermoworks chefalarm has a high and low alarm. Beeps at me when I'm at strike temps. Then beeps at me when I've cooled to pitching temps. It lets my mind free up to do other tasks. I bought the sous vide water proof probe so I just toss it in to the kettle or mash. Added bonus: great for roasts in the oven or on the grill.
 
I agree with everyone else. If you don't already have good control of your fermentation temps, do that first. I bought a big wine fridge off Craigslist for $75 and put together a temp controller based on a $15 ITC-1000.

Next would be a grain mill. The Cereal Killer is a great value at $100. Buy your base grains in bulk.

You'll never regret putting a drain valve on your kettle. I got my parts from BrewHardware.com, their True Bulkhead is great.

I did not put a thermometer in my kettle, nor do I ever plan to.

If you are going to upgrade your burner, consider a KAB4. Great performance for a reasonable price. It is so much better than the SP10 I started with.

If you're not already re-using your yeast, you should. It works great, and saves a lot if you are currently buying yeast for each brew.
 
lump42 said:
... a probe thermometer is more useful. Thermoworks chefalarm has a high and low alarm... Added bonus: great for roasts in the oven or on the grill.
Click to expand...

I also use a ChefAlarm, and love it. The temperature alarms are great, you can go do other things and it'll beep you when the water is ready. I time my mash and boil with the built in timer.

For thermometers, remote probe is the way to go. If you're insulating your kettle for the mash you can monitor the temp without removing the insulation or opening the kettle. Same is true when using it for cooking, there's no need to open the oven to monitor the temp of the meat.
 
If you don't have fermentation temp control, spend whatever you have to in order to make that happen. The idea of a grain mill would be fine if you already have temp control, but there's no sense in making your batch cost a little lower some time in the future if you have to spend up all the grain making lesser quality beer.
 
McKnuckle said:
Suggestions:

Milling one's own grain is hard to beat for controlling your crush, and hence your efficiency, as well as the convenience of being able to stock grains and brew whenever you want.

Upgrading the burner sounds unnecessary. One day you may go electric, or induction, in order to brew indoors.

Installing a ball valve and dip tube in your existing kettle is worthwhile, and should be easy enough - no need to buy a new $$ kettle just for that. I would also not bother installing a thermometer. They often go unused in favor of a handheld unit.

Fermentation is hugely important in brewing as you probably know. How are you doing in that department?
Click to expand...
I live in the PNW and my office is a consistent 65 degrees in the winter. During the summer I use my kegerator to keep it a set temp. I was thinking of getting another small fridge to set as a permanent fermentation chamber but just don't have anymore room. Thanks for your advice.
 
A big THANKS to everyone who replied and gave their input. My priority has changed now. Grain mill it is along with a spout for my kettle. I will also look for a small refrigerator for temp control on my fermentation if a good deal pops up. My kegerator is big enough to hold two fermentation buckets or carboy if needed. I try to not brew more than one or two at a time, so my kegerator will do for now. I do have a temperature control on the kegerator to help control temps. I never thought about a new thermometer for my brewing. Anyone have any good links for the thermometer suggested on the above-mentioned?
 
finished1 said:
A big THANKS to everyone who replied and gave their input. My priority has changed now. Grain mill it is along with a spout for my kettle. I will also look for a small refrigerator for temp control on my fermentation if a good deal pops up. My kegerator is big enough to hold two fermentation buckets or carboy if needed. I try to not brew more than one or two at a time, so my kegerator will do for now. I do have a temperature control on the kegerator to help control temps. I never thought about a new thermometer for my brewing. Anyone have any good links for the thermometer suggested on the above-mentioned?
Click to expand...

Don't know where you live but keep an eye on Craigslist, especially in the April-May period if you have a local college or university. College students often sell off their dorm-style refrigerators; get a tall one and you can put a bucket in there. You might get lucky, especially if there are several for sale.

Once you have one you can do this:

minifermchamber.jpg
 
mongoose33 said:
Don't know where you live but keep an eye on Craigslist, especially in the April-May period if you have a local college or university. College students often sell off their dorm-style refrigerators; get a tall one and you can put a bucket in there. You might get lucky, especially if there are several for sale.

Once you have one you can do this:

View attachment 615871
Click to expand...
I am very lucky to live in the PNW. I live in WA state and the weather as far as brewing is particularly good. Not to hot or to cold. Thanks for the advice.
 
Bobby_M said:
If you don't have fermentation temp control, spend whatever you have to in order to make that happen. The idea of a grain mill would be fine if you already have temp control, but there's no sense in making your batch cost a little lower some time in the future if you have to spend up all the grain making lesser quality beer.
Click to expand...
Listen to this guy.
 
I agree temp control then mill. When ready, I have a Blichmann burner for sale.
 
I agree on the grain mill.

I recently paired a $20 inkbird with a $25 craigslist freezer. It does open up some options for me, but I am realizing that he temps in my basement (in winter and summer at least) were actually pretty good for ale fermentation.

I recently spent (wait...just added it up...around $300?!?) to support 2.5 gal stove top batches (and also split 5 gal batches). A quality 5 gal kettle, two 3 gal fermenter, and two 2.6 gal kegs. I feel like it was some of the best money I spent on brewing in a while. I am more excited about 1 gal to 2.5 gal experimental/trial brews than full 5 gal batches.
 
I think the temp control being referred to is the heat generated “exothermic” by the ferm itself which causes a 5-10 degree F spike and not the ambient temperature.

I’m going through the same question right now but earlier on the progression.

It seems like the suggested path is to get your brewing setup and ferm vessel figured out, then fermentation temp control and then get into CO2 for purging closed transfers etc. if that’s your thing.

I’m still at stage one which I anticipate will take 5-10 brews to get right.

Is the blichmann listed anywhere?
 
finished1 said:
...I never thought about a new thermometer for my brewing. Anyone have any good links for the thermometer suggested on the above-mentioned?
Click to expand...

Here's a link to the ChefAlarm thermometer, and a link to all of the alarm thermometers from Thermoworks.

For my ChefAlarm I got the optional 12" straight probe, and waterproofed the junction between the probe tip and the wire, as described in this post.

I cut a strip of aluminum flashing and bent/drilled it to make a holder for the probe:
IMG_20180209_165745_619.jpg
 
BedtimeBrewer said:
It seems like the suggested path is to get your brewing setup and ferm vessel figured out, then fermentation temp control and then get into CO2 for purging closed transfers etc. if that’s your thing.
Click to expand...

I am not sure I would put closed transfers in my "Top 50 Important" list (though I do feel like a kegging system is a big improvement in quality as far as being able to tune carbonation and avoid oxidation). I would say that "Recipe Formulation" is one area that does not get as much attention as I think it deserves. I feel like the biggest flaws in my beers lately have been recipe issues, and I struggle to get hop combos that I like.

BedtimeBrewer said:
I’m still at stage one which I anticipate will take 5-10 brews to get right.
Click to expand...

Yeah, 5 to 10...or 350 batches...should be plenty to get this figured out. ;)
 
I just meant getting familiar with existing rig(in my case beginner kit) before changing things out but I get the point.
 
Here's another general opinion... naturally, others will disagree, as per protocol. :)

Homebrewers spend a disproportionate amount of energy and $$ on the hot side of brewing. This may be because the equipment can be shiny and impressive and there's a sense that "upgrading" is the ticket to excellence. We are human, and most of us appreciate cool looking, "serious" gear.

However, it is actually quite easy to make wort. There's a relatively large margin of error, and there are many variations on the equipment you can use. Given at least a modicum of care and attention, there are not that many ways to screw it up to the point of ruining the product.

Beer is actually made after you have wort. And fermentation, conditioning, and serving require much more care than wort-making. You can easily screw it up during this time. And even if you don't truly ruin it, relatively minor variations in process can alter the beer quite a lot.

Overall, as your budget expands, spend less on the wort making, and more on the beer making part of the sequence.
 
McKnuckle said:
Overall, as your budget expands, spend less on the wort making, and more on the beer making part of the sequence.
Click to expand...

I can see that. In a similar note, there is a lot of attention on "brew day time"...gotta get that brew day down to 3 hours! When you add in all the time and effort that goes into fermentation, bottling/kegging, cleaning/sanitizing, maintaining equipment, supply storage, etc. I suspect that the hours on brew day are only about 1/3 of the hours that go into a batch of beer. That does not include all the other time sinks like reading, research, recipe formulation, shopping, etc. Brewing a batch of beer is a lot more than sticking a bag of grain in hot water for 60 minutes.

I could see where money into stuff like shelving, storage containers, a cleaning station, etc. might be worthwhile investments.
 
CascadesBrewer said:
...there is a lot of attention on "brew day time"...gotta get that brew day down to 3 hours!...
Click to expand...

I admit to being someone who is chasing the goal of a 3hr brew day. I'm not quite there, but very close. The reason I'm doing it is so I can enjoy the hobby more. That may sound contradictory at first, but it's not.

If I have my process so efficient and effective that I know I can do a brew in 3hrs, I know I can brew on a weekend morning then go meet a friend for lunch and do something else the rest of the day. I know I can do an after work brew without having to rush or stay up late. It gives me the freedom to brew more.

I always have the option to turn what could be a 3hr brew into a 6hr brew session if that's what I feel like doing.

...I could see where money into stuff like shelving, storage containers, a cleaning station, etc. might be worthwhile investments.
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

I don't think I've ever posted that I was jealous of someone's brew rig, but I have definitely posted some things about being covetous of the big sinks some folks have.
 
It's true about the brew day length and general ease of use.

In fact with all of the cool unboxing and brew day videos on YouTube, I can't recall a single one that shows the clean-up process at the end. Every time I see a room full of massive stainless vessels, several pumps, and yards of tubing, that's what I think about - and no thanks!
 
A lot of people discount temp control by saying their basement is cold enough or whatever. What I really mean is a dedicated fridge running on an Inkbird along with a heat wrap for around the fermenter. I'm talking about absolute control regardless of ambient temp movement, seasons, or fermentation vigor. As mentioned, something like a Barleywine with an adequate yeast pitch can make 12F over ambient temps. Absolute control let's you brew Saisons in the middle of winter. Late ramp your ales and lagers for less Diacetyl and Acetaldehyde problems. Cold crash your IPAs to get them off the dryhops faster.

There are a lot of ways to incrementally improve your beer, but this is the one that I feel you'll appreciate the most and right away. I honestly think a mill is the least useful unless you already have a problem getting your grain milled at the shop you buy from.

After that, since you already have access to CO2, no-oxygen transfers to the keg is a very close second... maybe even a tie but it's hard to quantify. Both will make a noticeable improvement.
 
Bobby_M said:
What I really mean is a dedicated fridge running on an Inkbird along with a heat wrap for around the fermenter.
Click to expand...

I would note that there is a difference between fermentation temp control without a dedicated fermentation chamber vs just sitting your beer out at room temp an letting it rip. There are fairly cheap and simple ways to manipulate the temp of your fermentation chamber by 5F or more. Yeah, it is more work to put your fermenter in a tub of water and add ice water to keep the initial fermentation temps under control vs setting the temp on your chamber. I see the value in a fermentation chamber, but you can brew very good quality ales without one.

My kegging system was probably the single biggest quality jump in all my brewing equipment. The ability to dial in carbonation is massive. I am sure the reduced oxygen exposure impacted it as well, though oxygen gets more attention these days.

Moving to a Propane burner was a massive jump over stovetop and shaved a solid hour off a brewday...not sure if the quality of my beer improved or not. I am trying to think how I brewed before my 10 gal pot...I guess I was using a large enamel canning pot that I could stretch across 2 stove burners for a long time.

My grain mill was right up there toward the top of improvements. Without it my efficiency values were all over the board between which pre-milled brand I got at my local store or which mail order vendor I used. I have a lot more control over which base malts I use and I can ensure they are milled fresh.
 
CascadesBrewer said:
I would note that there is a difference between fermentation temp control without a dedicated fermentation chamber vs just sitting your beer out at room temp an letting it rip. There are fairly cheap and simple ways to manipulate the temp of your fermentation chamber by 5F or more. Yeah, it is more work to put your fermenter in a tub of water and add ice water to keep the initial fermentation temps under control vs setting the temp on your chamber. I see the value in a fermentation chamber, but you can brew very good quality ales without one.
Click to expand...

Agreed, Instead of ice bath, I've been using a Yooper Lagerator (link) Its a custom foam lid for a large square "ice cube" style cooler. I can easily hold beer temps inside at 50F (air temps are 40-45F), with ice swaps two to three times a day. Plus the original lid still fits on so I can use it camping.
 

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