Darwin18
Well-Known Member
A little about my home brewery:
I brew five-gallon all-grain batches using a 10 gallon cooler, a 10 gallon mega pot, a banjo burner, and a couple 5-gallon buckets here and there to collect/hold first runnings/sparge water. It isn't pretty but it works very well. I chill my batches with a 25 foot stainless steel immersion chiller, that I am honestly not happy with. It uses way too much and doesn't cool very efficiently, especially in the hot North Carolina summers.
I am on a limited budget but I would like to upgrade my brewery with some upcoming potential Christmas presents from family. I am considering purchasing a grain mill or a pump and plate chiller.
Mill - My efficiency doesn't seem to be very consistent, likely due to the crush I'm receiving from the LHBS. I also like the idea of ordering a couple sacks of grain and storing in air tight containers in my garage.
Pump/Chiller - Instead of transferring very hot water and scalding myself, I could transfer from the kettle/HLT to the mashtun. I could also purchase a plate chiller to chill more efficiently. I suspect this option would be more expensive because I would need to purchase a pump, plate chiller, and all the fittings and silicone tubing to make it all work.
What are your thoughts?
I brew five-gallon all-grain batches using a 10 gallon cooler, a 10 gallon mega pot, a banjo burner, and a couple 5-gallon buckets here and there to collect/hold first runnings/sparge water. It isn't pretty but it works very well. I chill my batches with a 25 foot stainless steel immersion chiller, that I am honestly not happy with. It uses way too much and doesn't cool very efficiently, especially in the hot North Carolina summers.
I am on a limited budget but I would like to upgrade my brewery with some upcoming potential Christmas presents from family. I am considering purchasing a grain mill or a pump and plate chiller.
Mill - My efficiency doesn't seem to be very consistent, likely due to the crush I'm receiving from the LHBS. I also like the idea of ordering a couple sacks of grain and storing in air tight containers in my garage.
Pump/Chiller - Instead of transferring very hot water and scalding myself, I could transfer from the kettle/HLT to the mashtun. I could also purchase a plate chiller to chill more efficiently. I suspect this option would be more expensive because I would need to purchase a pump, plate chiller, and all the fittings and silicone tubing to make it all work.
What are your thoughts?