Looking to add to current equipment

[Abbas]

I just brewed my 3rd batch of beer with my friend on Saturday. Now I'm looking to add to the equipment he already has.
Below I'm listing the equipment I'm looking to purchase and questions about it:

1. 15 gallon SS Brew Tech Kettle.
My friend and I are looking to do ten gallon batches since we are currently splitting our 5 gallon batches.
https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products...MIj9fG-tWZ2wIVikoNCh3IQgc1EAQYASABEgISJvD_BwE
This kettle comes with a port for a thermometer, and I'm guessing it is this one that I need to buy https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products/copy-of-whirlpool-for-kettle-with-bulkhead
Just want to make sure before I pull the trigger
2. Auto-Siphon
My friend broke his when we brewed over the weekend and I'm not sure what size we were using.
Should I go with a 3/8 or 1/2 inch in diameter? AND what does the inner-diameter of the tubing need to be to fit these siphons?
3. 3 Gallon Glass Carboy
I'm looking to do some small batches in between big brew days. Currently I am using 5 and 6.5 gallon large mouth glass carboys.
For the 3 gallon carboys what size stopper will I need or does this vary from carboy to carboy?
I'm guessing all I will need in addition to the carboy is a stopper, airlock and funnel. Is that all?
4. This will probably be a couple brews out but I'm trying to talk my friend into kegging. I was thinking if we each bought a 3 gallon keg, we could keg 6 gallons from our batch and bottle the rest.
Can anybody recommend what keg to get. Should I get new or are used kegs ok too?

Last question: I've never shopped online for brew equipment. What websites would you recommend?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

2.5g and 3g kegs are rare, and pricey. The most reasonable deal I have found is new Torpedo kegs at ~$80 each (MoreBeer is a source). Used corny kegs are usually pretty reliable - buy a new set of o-rings, take them apart and clean them really, really well, and you're set. Be prepared for some stanky old beer though. Used kegs will run ~$50 (at least in the Chicago area).

I prefer carboy caps over stoppers. My 3g, 5g, and 6g carboys are all the same size. I believe all the stoppers are generally the same size or similar enough that it doesn't matter.

 

[Sailingeric]

I would ditch the glass carboys and either go plastic or buckets. If you are doing all grain or plan too, get a grain mill. As for kegging, you can check craiglist for used corney kegs. They come in 5 gallons but you can always put less them if doing a smaller batch.

 

[El Nino]

I use 2 3 gallon carboys, and you can either use the #6.5 or #7 stoppers, both work. The 6.5 though you can be able to push them all the way through and into the carboy if you're not careful. The #7 will stop about halfway through. I do prefer the #7 though as the 6.5 stoppers can pop out and I had to duct tape it to the carboy to keep a seal

 

[Abbas]

2.5g and 3g kegs are rare, and pricey. The most reasonable deal I have found is new Torpedo kegs at ~$80 each (MoreBeer is a source). Used corny kegs are usually pretty reliable - buy a new set of o-rings, take them apart and clean them really, really well, and you're set. Be prepared for some stanky old beer though. Used kegs will run ~$50 (at least in the Chicago area).

I prefer carboy caps over stoppers. My 3g, 5g, and 6g carboys are all the same size. I believe all the stoppers are generally the same size or similar enough that it doesn't matter.

After looking into it, you are right! I'd rather not spend 80 bucks on a keg when there are other options available.

I would ditch the glass carboys and either go plastic or buckets. If you are doing all grain or plan too, get a grain mill. As for kegging, you can check craiglist for used corney kegs. They come in 5 gallons but you can always put less them if doing a smaller batch.

I am doing all grain and eventually will want a grain mill, however I have 2 brew stores within 20 minutes of me so I usually pick up my grain and mill on the same day.
As for the plastic I am very weary of using plastic. I just have a deep dislike for it.

I use 2 3 gallon carboys, and you can either use the #6.5 or #7 stoppers, both work. The 6.5 though you can be able to push them all the way through and into the carboy if you're not careful. The #7 will stop about halfway through. I do prefer the #7 though as the 6.5 stoppers can pop out and I had to duct tape it to the carboy to keep a seal

THank you for the stopper advice!

 

[Abbas]

Last question... If I am looking to brew 10 gallon batches, will that 15 gallon brew kettle be enough?

 

[kh54s10]

If you are only boiling in the kettle you don't even need a thermometer.
Get the larger autosiphon. I don't know what size the tubing needs to be.
If you read my responses about glass carboys.... IMO more dangerous than any benefits over plastic.
Look into temperature control for your fermentation before kegging.
Small kegs are expensive.
The 15 gallon kettle will be close. I have a 10 for my 5 gallon batches. But my burner/pot creates 2 gallons per hour of boil off. I need over 7 gallons preboil in my 10 gallon pot to get 5.25 in the fermenter.

 

[Abbas]

If you are only boiling in the kettle you don't even need a thermometer.
Get the larger autosiphon. I don't know what size the tubing needs to be.
If you read my responses about glass carboys.... IMO more dangerous than any benefits over plastic.
Look into temperature control for your fermentation before kegging.
Small kegs are expensive.
The 15 gallon kettle will be close. I have a 10 for my 5 gallon batches. But my burner/pot creates 2 gallons per hour of boil off. I need over 7 gallons preboil in my 10 gallon pot to get 5.25 in the fermenter.

You mean carboys dropping them and them shattering?

I'm thinking maybe I would need the 20 gallon now to prevent boil over. I'm using a ten gallon one for 5 gallon batches and we are usually up to 8 gallons pre-boil. This hobby is becoming costly really quick

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Last question... If I am looking to brew 10 gallon batches, will that 15 gallon brew kettle be enough?

Yes, if you are careful. It also depends on what you mean by "10 gallons". A pair of 5g kegs is really 10.5 - 11g net volume, which means ~12g to fermentor, which means 13-14g initial boil volume, depending on how aggressive you boil.

Fermcap-S helps, but is not necessary. If I am doing a long boil, I will usually top up the kettle after the first hour with my third runnings from the sparge. I also tend to push volumes - my primary fermentors are 6.5g fermonsters, and I like getting them to ~6g, and I cut the gas tubes on my kegs short, so the proverbial 6# of stuff in a 5# bag. If you are less particular, and depending where you measure, 10g batches in a 15g pot is more than enough. My kettle leaves about a quart behind, so the rest is hop loss and trub loss.

One other thing: when I do double batches, they are always split (lambic with Gigayeast Sour Cherry Funk or Wyeast Lambic Blend, brett and non-brett Saisons). 10g of the same beer gets old fast.

 

[kh54s10]

You mean carboys dropping them and them shattering?

I'm thinking maybe I would need the 20 gallon now to prevent boil over. I'm using a ten gallon one for 5 gallon batches and we are usually up to 8 gallons pre-boil. This hobby is becoming costly really quick

When I started almost 7 years ago I went with Better Bottles due to weight more than breakage. But The danger is there and you don't need to drop a carboy for it to break.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium.376523/

There can come a time where the expenditure slows. Get a grain mill, buy your ingredients in bulk, avoid the next BLING item if you can.

The only major purchase I have made for equipment in the last 2 years is a bench capper and another chest freezer for a fermentation chamber. And that is only because I moved and the other one is in storage.

I do plan on spending $5 - $6 thousand to go with a herms electric system in the future so that will destroy my per bottle price for quite a while.

Currently I am spending less than $1.75 a bottle for my beers including the equipment. Maybe even less than that. So I can brew my beer at the same or less than going out and buying beer. I had a spreadsheet that divided all my expenditures and it went below $2 a bottle about 4 1/2 years ago. I haven't kept it up since then.

 

[Abbas]

When I started almost 7 years ago I went with Better Bottles due to weight more than breakage. But The danger is there and you don't need to drop a carboy for it to break.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium.376523/

There can come a time where the expenditure slows. Get a grain mill, buy your ingredients in bulk, avoid the next BLING item if you can.

The only major purchase I have made for equipment in the last 2 years is a bench capper and another chest freezer for a fermentation chamber. And that is only because I moved and the other one is in storage.

I do plan on spending $5 - $6 thousand to go with a herms electric system in the future so that will destroy my per bottle price for quite a while.

Currently I am spending less than $1.75 a bottle for my beers including the equipment. Maybe even less than that. So I can brew my beer at the same or less than going out and buying beer. I had a spreadsheet that divided all my expenditures and it went below $2 a bottle about 4 1/2 years ago. I haven't kept it up since then.

I have a deep dislike for plastic goods in general, but that thread is giving me anxiety. I will likely splurge eventually and go stainless steel...

 

[kh54s10]

I have a deep dislike for plastic goods in general, but that thread is giving me anxiety. I will likely splurge eventually and go stainless steel...

I have no fears of plastic. Look around, everything is in plastic.

Stainless steel is probably the best, I'd love to have SS fermenters, but that is way out of my budget. Especially when I have a lot going. I have had as many as 4 beers and 3 wines all fermenting at the same time. That would be about $1700 for SS and they are larger making temperature control an additional expense.

 

[khannon]

You could also consider fermenting in a keg.. I use a 15gallon sanke as my primary, and it works great. 2" tri clamp lid with a hole for the airlocks/ blowoff. Recently I picked up the "ultimate keg fermenters" and it lets me transfer using co2 easily, no more siphon/autosiphon.. I still use glass on occasion as I have a plastic aversion as well. As long as you are careful, and avoid temp shocks you should be good, another idea is put the glass carboy in a plastic milk crate. Helps with moving and protects it a bit.

Happy brewing,
Kevin

 

[TGFV]

Plastic is fine as long as you don't use too rough of a cleaning pad/brush to clean inside.

Most gunk comes off with hot water if cleaned right away, only needing a very quick brush with soap followed by a sanitize.

Plus plastic is cheap, you can pick up a bucket for 5$, or wait for a ubrew to close/move and buy up their carboys for dirt cheap. If you ever do need to toss one, there is no regret.

Edit: also 5 gal kegs may be having a small price drop in the near future, Pepsi Canada and a huge portion of Pepsi US just quit using them so they may flood the market if they don't decide to sell them for scrap at a lower profit (though it is sadly the more likely scenario)

 

[kh54s10]

Edit: also 5 gal kegs may be having a small price drop in the near future, Pepsi Canada and a huge portion of Pepsi US just quit using them so they may flood the market if they don't decide to sell them for scrap at a lower profit (though it is sadly the more likely scenario)

I thought Pepsi and Coke stopped using kegs something like 20-30 years ago......

 

[Sparkncode]

I got over the fact that a brand new 2.5g keg is about the same as a brand new 5g keg for the fact that it allows me to have a bigger variety of beers on tap without getting a bigger kegerator or keezer.

In nz old coke/pepsi kegs are $100, new 5g are about $150 and a similar price for the 2.5g ones maybe $10 cheaper. 1nzd is 0.7usd.

Sometimes the use outweighs the cost.

 

[TGFV]

Nope, many regions still have them in NA they are just more rural in the US and being phased out in Canada. I think the last orders were done a year ago back and now they are just collecting them all.

Still trying to see if I can get some