What should I buy?

[JohnIA]

Hi all! I have a great problem - I'm getting an unforeseen bonus in a couple of weeks and the wife has authorized me to buy a new piece of gear for brewing. I currently have a blichmann pump, a 10g SS Brewtech kettle with whirlpool attachment, an old cooler mashtun, a Hydra immersion chiller, a barley crusher mill, and a trubtrap - I think that's the main stuff. I ferment in a bucket with no temp control that I stick in the basement shower that's typically about ~68 degrees. Not a lot of temp fluctuation but maybe in summer it may get up to ~72.

I've been drooling over the ss brewtech chronical 7g with heat/cooling as my big purchase as I think that will make the most difference in the quality of my beer. Thoughts? Given the above do you think it would be overkill / isn't necessary / won't make a discernible difference? Is there something else you would buy first?

Thank you for your input! I appreciate it!

 

[Kharnynb]

fermentation temp control should indeed be your nr1 choice.

if this is overkill or not, is your own choice.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

+1 on the Ferm control. Are you monitoring the temp of the basement and the internal temp of your beer? There may be a very large difference between the two

 

[DownstairsBrewing]

Temperature control can have a huge effect on quality, and also opens up different types of beers that are not feasible most of the year without it.

So...lucky you

 

[Rob2010SS]

Not to be redundant, but temp control is where it's at. I'd go that route.

 

[El Nino]

+2000 to temp control. I've never had a bad batch of beer (knock on wood), and probably the main reason for that is the temp control. My first big purchase on homebrewing equipment was a 5.1 cubic foot chest freezer and inkbird controller. Everything I've read before getting into the hobby was the #1 most important thing was keeping constant fermentation temps. Every brewer I've talked to also said the same thing.

 

[Jtk78]

Temperature control echoing from here as well.

That said, if you have the space, I would consider a chest freezer, upright freezer, or fridge to do the controlling. Those options should be able to handle multiple batches if ever needed. And there ways to maintain seperate temperatures in one chamber. It does require a second temp controller, and two heat pads or wraps (I had heat wraps made from reptilebasics.com) but I've held 7F difference between two vessels. Haven't tried a bigger delta yet

 

[BudgetBrewer]

Temp controlled chronical! Your beer temp can easily be 2, 3 or more degrees higher than ambient room temps. If your room can get to 72.... not the best. Get that outa the way, then carry on knowing youll be makin great beers! Cheers!

 

[bleme]

The chronical is nice, but I could get 2 used fridges and a 2-tap basic kegging set-up for the same price...

 

[Chris Walker]

While I couldn't agree more with the need for temp' control, I would not spend a bonus on it....here is my reasoning:

Temperature control is one of the easiest things to do with a limited budget and even a relatively simple setup will yield the majority of the gain, lets say 95% improvement. You could spend a lot of money chasing the last 5% (brewPi for example) but the gains become less noticeable.
Now, with a windfall chunk of cash I would say it is better to buy something that would otherwise be out of budget or at least take some saving for. To that end, I'm also a big fan of SS brew tech equipment, but I would lean towards the Spike Conical. For a similar price it has quite a few benefits, not least of which the higher pressure rating allowing for fermenting under pressure (which in itself is supposed to reduce esters from higher ferment temperatures.)

So in short, yes temp control is more important but can be done without blowing a rare opportunity for a luxury purchase.

 

[kh54s10]

Temperature control. But you can do it for a lot less than a conical fermenter and have money to spend elsewhere. Get a chest freezer and an Inkbird controller. For about $250 you can get something big enough to ferment two 5 gallon batches at a time. You can also start a new one and remove an almost finished one. If you have only one conical you have to wait until it is finished to start another batch.

 

[mongoose33]

If you get the 5-gallon model, I'm sure you can find a used- or free-refrigerator to use for temp control. Just stick it in there and you're good to go. I use a couple different fridges for that, one a larger one, one a dorm-style refrigerator.

Get the Chronical; but also get a refrigerator to put it in so you can control temp. Get an Inkbird to control the fridge and either a reptile heat mat or a fermwrap to provide heat.. Then you have DONE IT!

You're going to make a leap forward with your beer when you can control temp.