Is there anything else I should get? Equipment list.

My family has been getting beer kegs since 2004, beer keeps going up a little at a time.. Like in 2010 yingling was around $55 a keg, and it has been inching up for years, this year it went from $69 at the start of the year to $90 per keg as of November with word being it is going to $100 in january. I've finally crossed the line of either I need to stop drinking or make my own. I like beer, so I'm leaning toward making my own.

So my family does wine from our grape vines which we keep expanding, and just got started on cider and beer.. There are seven of us splitting the gear as we are all local to each other, and odds are I'll have some friends want to make their own so I figured it best to go big right from the start.

I have the following:

Keg fridge for half barrel kegs with CO2 setup and single faucet with a commercial keg. A spare CO2 bottle because they always go empty on sunday when none of the shops are open.

A keezer being built, will hold 6-7 5 gallon kegs should be done in a couple days.. Just repainted the outside as it had a little rust on the top, retired the freezer just the other day, it was still holding sub-zero and not an energy hog. Ordered an Inkbird ITC-308 for controlling the temperature of the keezer, popped it open and the relays are 15 amp rated so I think I'm good to go running directly off that unit. (as for the timeline, I could have it done tomorrow, I own a machine/munitions manufacturing shop so building a keezer is like tying my shoes, only reason it is not done is the parts have not come in yet).

Got a CO2 regulator for the new keezer, along with a seven port manifold, so I can gas six kegs and use the shut off valves and use the seventh for force co2ing a new keg.

1 5 gallon ball lock torpedo keg, I ran across a local seller of pin lock kegs and got another 6 of the pin lock 5 gallon kegs. Got the connectors for the kegs. And I'll hit up my local beer shop for the bulk beer line local shop seems to be about the same price as Ebay. So might as well support them.. I could probably use Vinyl line from the shop, it looks like beer line, but I'd rather not cut corners.

12 4 gallon PET water bottles, I use most of them for getting filtered water from the local grocery store, I have a large RO water unit but I have found it takes everything out of the water which can be a problem.

2 7 gallon carboys, and about two dozen airchecks

15 gallon pot with drain and thermometer.

2 10 gallon mash tuns, one false bottom.

I have a stainless steel wort chiller.. After the first batch it is clear I need a pump to move ice water to finish the job, my 72F Florida tap water can't cool the wort much below 95F.

So what else is nice to have? I was thinking a 15 or 30 gallon cone bottom inductor tank, I was thinking if I find a beer I like it would make sense..

 

Get a good mash paddle in case someone needs a paddlin'.

It sounds like you already have a lot of stuff. Read some brewing books like Palmer's How to Brew and just pick up equipment that adds convenience or is needed for meeting whatever quality standards you have for whatever beer styles you want to make.

RO water is great because you can add the exact minerals you need to get the right flavor and mash pH. You need a pH meter (plus calibration and storage solutions) to accurately control your mash pH.

Consider using a counterflow or plate chiller (with or without a pump). Your immersion chiller can pre-chill the water in an ice bucket.

Any of a hundred other suggestions depending on your process. Vacuum sealer? Silicone tubing? Auto-siphon? Grain mill? Stir plate and flasks? Fermcap? PBW? Carbsquatch?

 

testing equipment....hydrometers ( they make a few that have different ranges) or a refractometer, thermometer, hydrometer test tube

thats all i can think of right at the moment, just got done work, mind is going off in all directions right now

 

While not required, SS conical fermenters are certainly a "nice to have".

 

50 liter kegmenter...you can ferment , pressure fermentation, pressure transfer, serve

 

2 vessel ebiab 15 gallon

 

Looks like I forgot a few things I have.
Have a large stainless steel mash paddle, figured it would not mold like wood has a tendency to do in Florida. The RO water is something I'll probably do, I think my filter is able to make 50+ gallons a day so that would be easier than hauling jugs to the store..
The plate chiller is something I looked at, I opted out because of the warnings about cleaning. If I stay in this for a while I'll probably get one..
I have an auto-siphon and flask, don't have a stir plate yet but it's on my list.
Fermcap looks to be anti-foaming agent? seems like something I should have next time, first brew is already crapping up the airchecks.
PBW, I think I have that, its a granulated cleaner right??
I hate to say it but I actually made a grain mill 10 years ago as a project to learn a new lathe. I think I gave it away. My local homebrew shop will let me use their grain mill if I buy their grain. So until I get into malting (if I do) I can get by without one.

I have a Hydrometer, I think it has three scales on it and the test tube, also have a refractometer it is in brix for calculating machinery coolant, but I found a conversion chart for SG. Have both infrared temp gun and a digital thermometer with a probe.

Is there a major advantage of stainless over food grade poly? Easier to clean or less flavor issues?

I'll have to build my way into a setup like that. It looks really nice.

 

Absolutely! Nothing wrong with food grade plastics but SS doesn't scratch anywhere near as easy and its easier to clean as a result. Plastic is also Oxygen permeable as compared to SS and it simply lasts longer. Its a great investment if you can pony up the extra cash for it.

I've been fermenting in a half barrel SS conical for a couple of years now and I absolutely LOVE it! I'm also wanting to start brewing some smaller 5G batches for testing recipes but I really would prefer to ferment in SS instead of my plastic carboys. So, I'm probably gonna pull the trigger on on something like the SSBrewTech Brew bucket or the Anvil SS Bucket soon.

 

I'll second the stainless steel. I love my SS Brew Bucket and the thermowell is a great added feature.
A lot of people are very happy with their plastic fermenters. I am personally against them. I don't like the idea of plastic leeching into my beer. Whether it's food grade or not, plastic degrades over time. Of course oxygen permeability, which means you can't age beers for long periods of time, and it's susceptibility to scratches makes (exposes surfaces to possible infection even after sanitizing) makes it an no go for me.
Glass is a fine choice, but I've heard too many horror stories of people dropping them and being seriously injured so I'm trying to convert all my glass to SS.
Overall it comes down to what you are comfortable with and what fit's within your budget. Just be aware of the benefits and pitfalls with each material;
Stainless Steel- Will last you a lifetime, offers some unique features you can't find in plastic and glass fermenters, but is the most expensive option.
Glass- Fairly scratch resistant, is not too expensive, not a lot of unique features, can be difficult to clean if you don't purchase a big mouth bubbler (if you do purchase a big mouth bubbler the lid is a pain in the ass to keep secured), and is easy to break.
Plastic - It is the cheapest and lightest, some unique features, but is not going to hold up over time, and you risk oxygenation and infection.

 

I think plastic carboys for new brewers are perfect. I don't like buckets much, you can't see what's going on, and they are notorious for not sealing.

I now do most of my fermenting in a SS conical, but I can know what's happening as a result of about 45 fermentations in Bigmouth Bubblers. I also usually have a line coming off the fermenter terminating in an airlock jar so I can monitor the bubbling, plus I use a TILT to monitor gravity.

For OP: If you think you're going to be into this for the long haul, think carefully about whether you'll want to upgrade. My biggest regrets in brewing was buying equipment that later I wished I'd upgraded. Then when I did and sold the original equipment, I didn't get what I paid for it (you never do), so it was a sunk cost.

It's hard to do that, but if you're going to use an immersion chiller then consider the Jaded Hydra. Yeah, expensive. Also tremendous. My old chiller took about 15 minutes or more to bring a batch from boiling down to pitch temps. The Hydra? Four minutes when groundwater was cold, 5 during the summer.

Same with my propane burner. I had a 54000-BTU burner, and it worked fine. But it wasn't very fast. I upgraded to a Blichmann Hellfire (140,000 BTUs), and the speed increase was amazing.

And my kettle. I started with an 8-gallon kettle from Northern Brewer, then when I wanted to try BIAB, I realized I should have a 10-gallon kettle. Sold the NB kettle, upgraded to a 10-gallon SPIKE kettle.

Anyway, those are some things to consider. It was hard to make that choice because in the beginning, I wasn't sure I'd stay w/ brewing, and didn't want to commit hundreds extra to something I'd quit. But I didn't realize that resale of those more expensive items would have resulted in a "loss" about what I had with the cheaper stuff, i.e., good stuff has better resale value.

And FWIW: I have an RO system, also 50 gallons per day. I run the output line into an aquatainer. On brew day I use that to fill the kettle, then start it to refilling.

 

Id avoid buying any expensive equipment until you do a few batches and get a feel for what you like and don't like. Otherwise you might end up re buying alot of stuff. Even a few all grain biab on the stove top. Cheers