Getting started.

[Orfy]

I'm thinking of going all grain!

I don't have the tim, money, facilities or space to build a home brewery like some of you guys use. (Although I'd love to).

So I've been looking at the easiest way to do it. I've been inspired by this

From what I can tell on top of the extract equipment I have I'd also need the following.

A Mash tun,
An effective system for sparging.
A larger boil container and a gas supply beefy enough to do a rapid boil.
A wort chiller.

I've looked and found this system.

CORDON BREW BRUHEAT BOILER, BREWERS MASHING BUCKET (Reference #727)
A versatile device which acts as a mash tun as well as a 5 gallon boiler. This unit comes complete with its simmerstat, heating element and tap. As a mash tun it enables you to set and automatically maintain an accurate mash temperature throughout the mashing period. To prevent the grain accumulating around the element while mashing use a RITCHIE MASHING & SPARGING BAG (FREE when you buy this boiler - no need to order separately). After mashing leave the grain in situ and open the tap to run off the malt liquor and at the same time sparge to rinse the remaining maltose and dextrin sugars from the grain. To assist in the sparging operation use PHIL'S ROTATING SPARGING ARM which is designed to straddle the top of the boiler. After sparging remove the grain (makes good compost!), rinse the boiler and then fit the BRUPAKS HOP STRAINER into the back of the tap. Return the malt liquor to the boiler and add the hops. The BRUHEAT BOILER can now be used to boil the entire 5 gallons of wort. To secure a good "hot break" ( protein coagulation) a vigorous boil is recommended and the BRUHEAT BOILER is ideal for this purpose as all the boiling can be carried out in the open air (in dry weather of course) to save fogging up the house with steam! Add a teaspoon of IRISH MOSS for the last 15 minutes of the boil to coagulate the proteins. Leave the wort to settle for 15 minutes after turning off the heat and then run off the wort through the tap, the hops will now form a natural filter bed around the BRUPAKS HOP STRAINER to ensure you leave the proteins behind. The collected wort can now be force cooled using the BRUPAKS IMMERSION BEER WORT CHILLER which not only cools the wort to yeast pitching temperature in about 10 minutes but also produces a further protein dropout known as the "cold break".

Along with.

PHIL'S ROTATING SPARGING ARM 10" (Reference #1324)
Straddles the top rim of a BRUHEAT or ELECTRIM BOILER to automate the sparging operation. Can be fed from one of our standard 5 gallon BEER FERMENTING BINS fitted with a FERMENTER TAP. Use one metre of 3/8" TUBING to connect the tap to this SPARGING ARM. Fill the bin with water at sparging temperature and open the tap, the flow of water automatically rotates the sparging arm which emits a very fine spray to sparge the grain as it revolves.

I'd like your comments and suggestions please before I commit. Can you see any draw back.

 

[ScottT]

Sounds great! It is however way more than is necessary to go to all grain. Very nice though.

 

[Orfy]

Thanks Scott,

What do you suggest, bearing in mind that I am limited on space for production and storage of any equipment.

I've seen the insulated mash tuns from a cooler. That would cost me around 2/3 the boiler price and I'd still need a bigger boil kettle (More expensive than the boiler)

 

[ScottT]

If that's the case then I'd go with the boiler.

I'm mashing using a cooler and a self fabricated manifold. I boil in my kettle (a self converted 7.75 gallon keg) on an out door propane burner. I already had the burner and the cooler so the only things I had to purchase was the keg $20 and the bits to fabricate the manifold for the mashtun and the drain valve on the keg.

I do my brewing outside and my firmenting inside so this means that I must carry stuff in and out but it works for me.

This is how minimal my equipment is when I brew:

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

try this orfy. it's cheap easy, and makes good beer. thiswas how i started my all-grain. doesn't take up much space either...

http://cruisenews.net/brewing/infusion/

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

How big is that kettle? I'd start looking at 30qts/28l and only go up from there. I have a 30qt and wish it was about a gallon bigger. I'd also go with DeRoux's setup which is the link that got me started on AG...can't get much simpler or cheaper I wouldn't think.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

you want at least a 7-8 gallon STAINLESS kettle. you want to get agood full rolling boil for your wort. remember you'll want to boil about 6.5 gallons so you'll end up with 5.5 in your primary. 10 g kettle would be best.

 

[Orfy]

Okay, so I now have a few bits,

I have 25kg of maris otter crushed grain. £25
I have one of these to convert to my mash tun. (free )

It's got a built in heat sink, hot and cold It may be useful? I plan to use it as a keg cooler after using it as a mash tun. (I hope)

I just need to decide on the boiler/kettle options.

 

[andre the giant]

I use two plastic pails, (one with a false bottom) a 7 gallon Stainless steel kettle, a wort chiller, and a burner from a turkey fryer. I use my stepladder and portable workbench to get the three tiered setup I need. Its probably the most humble brewing system you'll ever see, but it gets the job done, and it takes up very little space. (the pails nest inside one another.)

That's not to say I wouldn't like to have a nice brewing sculpture or something like that.

I took pictures last time I brewed... I'll try to post one in the next couple days.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Andre, I'll have to claim my setup as significantly more humble than your own as mine is a two-tiered setup consisting of a folding camp table and the garage floor! One of these days I'll get around to building something...

 

[Lost]

1. You need a step ladder or a work bench
2. You need a mash/lauter tun. Most use a cooler with a copper tubing manifold built for lautering (very simple and very cheap, palmer's how to has instructions). Your setup looks great as well.. though it's not quite as space efficient... just build a manifold for it and you're good to go.
3. Larger boil kettle.. 30 qts is bare minimum, I'm really considering upgrading to a keg with the top cut off.
4. Turkey fryer for the heat (also a good source for a 30 or 32 qt kettle). $40
5. A Hot Liquor Tank for holding your sparge water. If you have a cooler laying around that would work best.. you just need to put a spigot on it (LBS should have it). I've used the bottling bucket myself.. though you must frequently add boiling water to keep the temp in the right range.

You definately don't need the sparge arm. Just batch sparge or run a tube from the HLT into the mash/lauter tun.. I believe I addressed this in another post.