Is brewing as simple as it seems?

[billye1982]

I bought a beer brewing kit about a month ago. Basic beginner stuff, plastic barrel, glass carboy (although I am not sure I will use a secondary now), extract kit, the whole nine yards. I already see before I even brew with extracts that I want to go to all grain brewing. I plan on using what I have a few times to get my feet wet then I want to upgrade my equipment. Everything seems SO complicated though. And expensive, a simple 10 gallon gravity flow kit is $1,800 and I think that is the cheapest price I have seen. I can build a frame, plumb for gas lines, add a water line to the top kettle, so I wonder can a VERY SIMPLE all gravity system be built for a low price? Other than cooling it down at the end of the process, it looks like a person can build a three tier frame, with three burners, cool it at the end them put it in the fermenter. That is like $200 x 3 pots ($600), three burners at $85 each ($255), regulators, frame, gas and water line. Less than $1000 a person would be good to go right or am I missing something? I know you could probably go even cheaper with plastic coolers but I think I would want to use SS pots.

 

[celticdevildog]

For what it's worth I'll answer your post title. Mind you, I'm still in the process of bottling my first EVER brew. My thoughts are: YES! brewing is a simple as it seems AND NO! brewing can be as complicated as you would like it to be (have you stepped foot into the brew science thread yet *shudder*).

For using the Deluxe starter kit that I bought from Northern Brewer plus the cost of bottles (since I didn't want to try and find a bunch) I have a beer that is bottle conditioning right now and will be ready to drink in about 5 weeks from when I brewed it. I understand what I did, why I did most of it and that I will have beer (although the taste is yet to be determined) when I am done.

So, for me brewing was a simple as following a very easy set of directions.

Now, I'm sure that as I get more and more brews under my belt and they start tasting better and better that I, too, will get into AG but I'm not ready to rush into something and plop down a ton of money on something that I'm just getting started on. And then I think I will upgrade a little at a time so that my pocketbook isn't hit so hard. After all, I'm doing this because I want to, not to go into business with it.

 

[webby45wr]

Yes, it can be done cheap in much the manner you are describing. There are a lot of good postings in the DIY section that talk about folks building/modifying their own equipment. Here's a link: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/

I all grain in a cooler my dad gave me (free) as a MT, my extract BK (stainless steel $60 on amazon) and batch sparge using some aluminum pots my in-laws gave me (free). I've got an old dorm fridge for a ferm chamber from a buddy (free) and built a keezer from a cheapo chest freezer I got on craigslist. So, yeah, everything can be done cheaper, or you can buy stuff all set-up and ready to go - but that costs more.

Welcome to brewing!

 

[JRapp]

I call it easy to learn, hard to master.

 

[firerat]

Dude this is a hobby. It can be as simple or complex as you want it.

But be warned, once you start to upgrade, you'll never stop!! NEVER!! Buhahahahahaha

 

[funnycreature]

With regards to burners, I used a fairly inexpensive two-tier system from amazon.

The burners are crazy! I paid $160 shipped (on Prime) but apparently it's $176 now. and is well worth the money. I still have my Bayou Classic SQ14 that I might employ if necessary.

Brewing can be as expensive or cheap, as easy or as difficult, and as much fun or stress as you make it!

 

[2005STi]

cheapest way to do things right all grain -

aluminum pot
cheap turkey burner
DIY cooler mash tun gravity fed (batch sparging)
DIY immersion chiller
submerge carboy halfway up in water and use frozen water bottles to control ferm temp

 

[NickTheGreat]

To quote Rev Lovejoy, "ooooh short answer yes with an if, long answer no with a but...""

 

[JoppaFarms]

I have a $99 11 gallon pot with a steamer basket, a $15 grain bag, an old sleeping bag for insulation and a $55 burner from Lowes. That's my all grain kit. Of course I have fermentors and racking equipment which could be as little as $50. So for less than $300 you can have an all grain kit. To answer your question, YES it is that simple and NO it doesn't have to break the bank.

And YES I make some pretty darn good beer.

 

[shawnstr71]

I bought a deluxe starter kit, like u. I. Borrowed a mash ton, bigger 10 gal. Boiling pot and wort chiller from a buddy. So far so good. It seems kinda overwhelming to me too but like charlie papazian says..."don't worry, have a homebrew, relax" which I havnt been doin too well. Lol. I figure I will have a good 5 gal. All grain system for about $300. Then as tiime gos on I will by parts for 10, one piece at a time. Its a lot of fun! And with all the info out there, its also educational

 

[jtratcliff]

Stovetop BIAB with no-chill. All Grain for the cost of a pot (10 gal aluminum for under $30) and a voile curtain ($4.50 for 2 large panels at Ikea). Free 7 gal buckets from a local soap making shop (contained food grade oils for soap). Can be cheap and simple.

Ohhhh, you want a SS blichman, a BRUTUS HERMS/RIMS, a glycol wrapped conical, etc. .... Yeah, expensive and complicated

 

[amandabab]

all kinds of "cheap" systems
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/ghetto-brew-setups-253999/

you don't need this to make good beer:

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNQa5HCUYCQ[/ame]

 

[b-boy]

Brewing is simple.... Making good beer is complicated.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

its as simple as you want it to be, I started extract and steeping grains with a 5 gallon pot and now have a mash tun cooler, but will be finishing my keggle and doing biab. I dont have the room for a nice brew sculpture with a extensive car restoration going on. Plus i dont want to over complicate it to the point where it isnt fun for me anymore

 

[mysteryshrimp]

It is as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. My first batch was just that easy. I now obsess about practically everything.

If you start to obsess, looking at more equipment, do yourself a favor. Control temperature of the fermentation first. Most people overlook this at first. Making the yeast happy is the easiest way to improve quickly. It's not difficult to make a ferm chamber or convert a craigslist fridge.

 

[dracus]

Ok, since you've already decided to go all grain. Might I suggest a couple things.

1. Think big....Making a 10g batch and a 5g batch are equally as hard.
2. Go ahead and get some of the important things while you're doing extract.

a. a good burner is essential for either style or size of batch. I've been using an sp10 $40 works fine. I don't care what you hear. Extract on the stove sucks sucks sucks.
b. get a 15-20 gallon pot now you'll need it for all grain, it allows for full boils with extract. If you want to save now, I've been very happy with my 9 gallon bayou classic pot it was $70 on amazon. I still use it to heat up mash/sparge water and if I decide to do a 5 gallon batch it can be used for the boil.
c. Get a 50ft pre made wort chiller. Real beers one is awesome and I couldn't buy the copper cheaper than the entire things was already. (you can add whirlpool options later)

All you need to "move" into all grain brewing then is a mash tun. All the above stuff is still useful and a tun can be made for less than $75. I just put together a 72qt coleman for that. Took about 5 minutes to put it together with the cooler kit from bargain fittings This is big enough for huge 5 gallon beers and pretty much anything short of an 10 gallon imperial barely wine.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

Or a bag, if he has a large enough kettle, biab is very cheap to get into all grain

 

[unionrdr]

I think the most important part is being missed here by & large. He did his 1st extract kit & mentioned it was complicated. AG is more involved & has more ways to screw up a brew. Looking back,I'd say it's better to get a good process down 1st. Including yeast pitch rates & controlling ferment temps.
Get comfortable with getting your process down to produce good beers,then look at upgrading your brewing style. Don't be in too much of a hurry to join the "cool" crowd that brews AG & kegs their beer. Learn to do it well first,then move on. That's what I did & I do partial boil,partial mash biab beers now. The only things I needed to add were a 5G paint strainer bag,a 2nd thermometer & use my heavily insulated winter hunting coat to wrap the BK/MT in for the 1 hour mash off the stove. I sparge with a SS collander on top of the BK/MT. Cheaper & does a good job.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

I think the most important part is being missed here by & large. He did his 1st extract kit & mentioned it was complicated. AG is more involved & has more ways to screw up a brew. Looking back,I'd say it's better to get a good process down 1st. Including yeast pitch rates & controlling ferment temps.
Get comfortable with getting your process down to produce good beers,then look at upgrading your brewing style. Don't be in too much of a hurry to join the "cool" crowd that brews AG & kegs their beer. Learn to do it well first,then move on. That's what I did & I do partial boil,partial mash biab beers now. The only things I needed to add were a 5G paint strainer bag,a 2nd thermometer & use my heavily insulated winter hunting coat to wrap the BK/MT in for the 1 hour mash off the stove. I sparge with a SS collander on top of the BK/MT. Cheaper & does a good job.

I don't think he meant extract was complicated, mostly the different ways to make ag beer seemed complicated.

 

[billye1982]

I don't think he meant extract was complicated, mostly the different ways to make ag beer seemed complicated.

Correct, the extract kit seems simple although I have not had a chance to brew yet, hopefully next week I will have a few free hours one evening to make my first brew! I was referring to all of the different options to brew with grain as opposed to what seems to be a simple extract kit. Even though the principal of brewing with grains seems simple enough itself, it is all of the different ways to get a finished product is where I seem to get overwhelmed. I do plan on making a few extract kits before I do take the plunge though.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,bottom line,if itseems too complicated,you're not ready yet. study more,ask more questions. & get comfortable with your process first. Going AG isn't magically going to make better beer. A good process makes better beer.

 

[KepowOb]

As others have said, it's as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. You could go and drop a few thousand dollars right off the bat and have a beautiful set up... but there really is no need. I spend about $500 to start, and even then, I sorta went overboard. Two of my friends started with under $100 set up costs and make good beer.

Keep it simple to start. Once you're comfortable with your process, slowly look at upgrading over time.

 

[fmr_army]

If I were in your shoes (which I was about 8 months ago), I would be overwhelmed too.

There is a bewildering array of brewing gadgets, trinkets and blueprints available. Heck - just look at the different possibilities for simply chilling your wort!

I started out with a big pot (see previous comments) so as to be able to do a full boil and possibly move to 10 gal and/or all-grain batches. I also got a turkey fryer so that my wife wouldn't kill me when (not if) I boiled over in the kitchen. That basic kit (mine was from William's) served me well for about ten batches. Then the hobby bug bit me, and I built a prechiller for my immersion chiller (which didn't produce desired results); two counterflow chillers (first was too short, so built another); stir plate; keezer; mash tun; and bought various gadgets (like a grain mill, another pot, another cooler, kegs) and started working on my wish list. Oh, and I planted two hops bines in the yard.

I still have a lot of extract, which I intend to use when I don't have the time or energy to devote to an all-grain brewday. I also don't intend to go crazy OCD about water profiles, pH, and so forth.

As I tell my friends, homebrewing is pretty much the perfect hobby because it's incredibly scalable, it's relaxing (to me), and at the end I get beer - of the type that I want. Plus it's enjoyable for people to look at my beer in amazement and say things like "this is really good - did you seriously make this??"

I suggest that you do the first couple of batches with what you have and don't worry about getting fancy. Once you have a few out of the way, you'll have an idea of what you want to do in order to improve/complicate/simplify your process.

Welcome to the homebrew clan.

 

[BigFloyd]

Correct, the extract kit seems simple although I have not had a chance to brew yet, hopefully next week I will have a few free hours one evening to make my first brew! I was referring to all of the different options to brew with grain as opposed to what seems to be a simple extract kit. Even though the principal of brewing with grains seems simple enough itself, it is all of the different ways to get a finished product is where I seem to get overwhelmed. I do plan on making a few extract kits before I do take the plunge though.

Before you even consider launching off into all-grain, 3-tier systems and the like, get the basics down, bottle a few batches and become comfortable with the whole process.

Want to produce really good beer? Prior to getting into any of that cool-sounding advanced stuff, you ought to be able to at least:

1) quickly chill a full-volume boil down to appropriate pitching temp (low 60's for ales, mid 40's for lagers).

2) determine how many billions of yeast cells you need for a particular batch and make a starter, if needed, to get you there

3) precisely control and manipulate your fermentation temperatures.