What to do with $100?

[ISLAGI]

Ok, so I got a $100 gift card for a beerthday present, and I am looking for some ideas about what to buy with it.

I am a extract/AG brewer. I have a MLT, 40 qt. boil kettle, keggle, burner, 4 fermenting buckets, Better Bottle, carboy, and just got my beginning keg equipment from Kegconnections (10# CO2 with regulator/hoses/picnic tap/corny).

So the card is to the LHBS, and they have keg equipment, grain mills, ingredient kits, etc... At this point, I am not sure if I want to use this to go towards a grain mill or expanding my kegging equipment. I would like to eventually build a collared keezer, but that is a ways off yet.

So what would you buy?

 

[kornkob]

I think that you have what you need for now and you might try buying some ingredients or ingredient kits for styles you might not otherwise try if you had to pay for it.

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

**** that. buy 2 more corny kegs or get a high output propane burner. better yet, take your swmbo out for a night on the town. those brownie pts will go a long way when you buy a $500 blichman brew kettle.

 

[Sawdustguy]

**** that. buy 2 more corny kegs or get a high output propane burner. better yet, take your swmbo out for a night on the town. those brownie pts will go a long way when you buy a $500 blichman brew kettle.

Now thats a man with insite with his eyes to the future!

 

[mnadamn]

I would say put it towards a pump or some bulk grains

 

[TJ-Bill]

STRIPERS!!!

what where we yalking about?

 

[JohnnyO]

I think TJ meant to say "strippers", unless he's an avid fisherman.

I would go with two cornies and two ingredient kits. Hold off on the grain mill for now. Your kegging is more important IMO.

 

[TJ-Bill]

I think TJ meant to say "strippers", unless he's an avid fisherman.

I would go with two cornies and two ingredient kits. Hold off on the grain mill for now. Your kegging is more important IMO.

hahahah,, opps..

Yeah.. fishing!!


I say go with the kegging gear!

 

[thisjrp4]

A grain mill is great because you can buy grain in bulk which saves money down the line...but kegging is the best investment.

 

[paulthenurse]

Take the strippers fishing, that should be a fun day.

PTN

 

[brewtastic]

a large erlenmeyer flask and an 02 stone and regulator. You should hopefully have enough left over for one more corny

 

[MacBruver]

You didn't say whether you had a chiller or not? Granted you can make an immersion chiller for pretty cheap, but some HBS's have them for reasonable prices.

 

[ISLAGI]

OK, based on suggestions, here is what I am thinking...

2 cornies @ $20 = $40
Misc. tubing and ball locks =~ $20


With the $40 left, I will either buy a couple of recipes worth of grains and yeast (got all my hops from HopsDirect) or I'll cover 1/3 of the cost of a mill.

Thanks for the suggestions.

PS. I forgot to mention that I already have the flask and a homemade chiller.

 

[adx]

A grain mill is great because you can buy grain in bulk which saves money down the line...

+++

Went from spending $1.50 - $2.00 per lb of base grain to $.45 - $.75 per lb. The mill paid for itself in no time.

 

[DMBoSox11]

Not sure if this is the proper was to do this, but figured instead of starting an entirely new thread, I would adopt this one.

Christmas time is here! I have $500 for myself! I am currently an extract brewer in cold New England. Certainly will brew all-grain someday, but haven't tackled it yet.

I don't have much equipment. I currently do 5 gallon batches, but only do a 3 gallon boil on the stove. Can you do more on the stove? I basically have the bare minimums. I have a starter kit (hydrometer, auto siphon, capper). I also have 4 glass carboys, a 2L Erlenmeyer flask, and really not much else. No kegging equipment. Oh, and I don't have any idea how to build stuff.

I had two thoughts.

#1 - Go with a kettle, chiller, and single burner? I also don't mind going a little overboard now for the better stuff. Preferred type of chiller? The immersion looks the easiest to me. Also, I love the look of the Bayou Kick A Banjo Burner Plus ($109), but it appears that it may be cast iron and Sabco (trying to sell their own product) says that dragging a stainless steel kettle can leave carbon residue on the bottom and eventually cause rust deposits -> (http://www.brew-magic.com/ketl_acc_burner.html).

#2 Go with kegging equipment and chiller? My homebrew shop is beer-wine.com. The complete homebrew kegging system (with new keg) is almost $400 (http://www.beer-wine.com/product_info.asp?productID=894&sectionID=1). I hear that this would get me to brew even more because bottling s****.



And as if I didn't put enough in there to think about. If price wasn't an option, what is the best brew kettle around? Sabco Brew-Magic? Brichmann?

 

[tomwirsing]

OK, based on suggestions, here is what I am thinking...

2 cornies @ $20 = $40
Misc. tubing and ball locks =~ $20


With the $40 left, I will either buy a couple of recipes worth of grains and yeast (got all my hops from HopsDirect) or I'll cover 1/3 of the cost of a mill.

Thanks for the suggestions.

PS. I forgot to mention that I already have the flask and a homemade chiller.

Where are you getting the cornies for $20? I'm in Ohio, too. You're in Toledo, right?

 

[Lodovico]

I would stock up on bulk base malt and maybe pick up a few pounds of specialty grains to have around.

 

[wildwest450]

I would donate it to my poor mans brew shed. Your name will be prominently displayed on a plaque in said brewery.