So, my partner and I have brewed 4 beers now. The last 3 have been partial mash and we've really enjoyed it and want to keep it up. In fact, we plan on doing that for at least another year or so before attempting all-grain. It's still challenging, so we figure we'll stick with it until it gets too easy....
In the mean time, we've had to take a few months off brewing after returning a few borrowed things we were using to brew our batches. The big one being our brewpot.
We've got the money together to invest in something nice, something that will last us a while, but the more I research I do, the less I feel confident in what we're going to buy. We've been doing 6 gallon batches, but we're planning on moving to 10 gallon batches next year (moving in with some folks who are into homebrew). I think we want to go with aluminum, since it's a little cheaper and lighter and we don't know how long we'll use that until we grow again. A 10 gallon pot seems great for now, but if we go to 10 gallon batches, that won't really be enough, will it?
One of our brewing friends told us if we're going with a pot that big, we'll need to start using a propane burner. Alright...buy that separate then? What about these turkey fryers people seem to be finding good deals on? They come with an aluminum pot, right?
Okay, and if all that wasn't enough to consider, we're also hoping to move away from our bucket-in-a-bucket (wrapped in insulation) MLT to something a little more reliable, like a modified cooler. So, if I understand correctly, a 5 gallon cooler would be enough for a 5 gallon AG batch...does that mean it would be okay for a 10 gallon PM batch? Or should we look into a 10 gallon cooler since we might be brewing a lot more next year?
And then, false bottom or manifold?
Sheesh. I just want to brew my Koelsch.
In the mean time, we've had to take a few months off brewing after returning a few borrowed things we were using to brew our batches. The big one being our brewpot.
We've got the money together to invest in something nice, something that will last us a while, but the more I research I do, the less I feel confident in what we're going to buy. We've been doing 6 gallon batches, but we're planning on moving to 10 gallon batches next year (moving in with some folks who are into homebrew). I think we want to go with aluminum, since it's a little cheaper and lighter and we don't know how long we'll use that until we grow again. A 10 gallon pot seems great for now, but if we go to 10 gallon batches, that won't really be enough, will it?
One of our brewing friends told us if we're going with a pot that big, we'll need to start using a propane burner. Alright...buy that separate then? What about these turkey fryers people seem to be finding good deals on? They come with an aluminum pot, right?
Okay, and if all that wasn't enough to consider, we're also hoping to move away from our bucket-in-a-bucket (wrapped in insulation) MLT to something a little more reliable, like a modified cooler. So, if I understand correctly, a 5 gallon cooler would be enough for a 5 gallon AG batch...does that mean it would be okay for a 10 gallon PM batch? Or should we look into a 10 gallon cooler since we might be brewing a lot more next year?
And then, false bottom or manifold?
Sheesh. I just want to brew my Koelsch.