Met a local welder/homebrewer. Sweet!

[frailn]

Here I am, trying out this homebrewing hobby for the first time this year. Have tried a few extract kits and moved to all-grain using just my little turkey fryer. But, lately, I have decided I'm tired of 1. dealing with the smaller kettle and 2. having to spend 12 bucks on ice every brew day to chill my wort.

So, I start checking craigslist, amazon, ebay, online vendors, etc...looking for the best value/efficient option for an immersion chiller and bigger kettle. I finally decided to get a sanke keg, convert it, bla bla.. I'm making plans, budget on getting an angle grinder and thinking about weldless vs weld ports on a keggle...

This week, I find a nice stainless steel IC for sale on craigslist just the right size for 5-10 gallon batches for $40! I call the guy and head over to his house to check it out and here is what I find in his garage.

And he's firing these keggles with some natural gas burners he salvaged from old boilers! Sweet!

Turns out the guy is a welder for a living! He quotes me some very good prices on welding ports in a keggle when I get one. Like $20 - $25 bucks per port.

So, I bought a sweet IC and made a welder/homebrewer friend. This guy is just kind of under the radar doing his thing. Doesn't get online here, doesn't go to local club meetings. I'm stoked - can't wait to get my keg converted.

 

[runningweird]

That looks like a great rig. maybe you can convince him to let you ride shotgun on a few all grain brewdays. Having someone show you the ropes once or twice eliminates some of those annoying beginner problems that you eventually learn to let go of.

Also, I really want to know how that beast sounds when it runs.

Good find.

 

[the_bird]

Sounds like a good guy to become buddies with.

 

[Yooper]

Sounds like a good guy to become buddies with.

I met a buddy here on HBT. He was interested in brewing and so I invited him over for a brewday.

I really liked him immediately, and he and his wife have become good friends of ours. We've gotten to know their kids and even their parents a bit, and Bob and I think very highly of them.

The fact that he is an electrical engineer who owns an electrical construction business and we met at precisely the time I was working on acquiring an all electric HERMS was just serendipity!

 

[frailn]

That looks like a great rig. maybe you can convince him to let you ride shotgun on a few all grain brewdays. Having someone show you the ropes once or twice eliminates some of those annoying beginner problems that you eventually learn to let go of.

Also, I really want to know how that beast sounds when it runs.

Good find.

He plans on running his first brew through that rig in two weeks. I am going to see if I can hang out and watch how it goes. If I do, I will see if I can capture a short video of that baby running and post it.

He also build a sweet bar in his basement and is planning on installing a kegerator and taps. Yep, glad I met this guy.

serendipity!

That was the word I was looking for!