Buying my gear - Am I missing anything?

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
HomebrewCraig

HomebrewCraig

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2013
Messages
238
Reaction score
45
Location
McHenry
I am about to buy the things to make small batches of beer. It's been a good long time (a decade!) since I last brewed, and it's time to gear back up. I'll post what I plan to buy.. Can you all take a look and let me know if I am missing anything? Or perhaps there's a better option for something on my list... Or maybe there's something that I could put a little more money at, and the upgrade would pay off.

So here's the plan: No extract, no partial mash.. I am going all-grain from the get-go, BIAB at first. I've chosen the pot size so I can brew anything from 1 to 4 gallons at a time.

Measuring
AC-100 gram scale (Amazon, $10.48)
I already have a kitchen scale for things that are weighed in ounces/pounds

Crushing
Cereal Killer grain mill (homebrewing.org, $99)


Mashing
5 gallon Home Depot water cooler ($20, Home Depot)
all the fittings for a proper spigot (~$20, Home Depot)

Boiling
35 qt tri-clad stainless steel pot, 1mm thick induction ready (ebay, $71.99)
Brewcraft thermometer (Amazon, $14.97)
21" stainless steel spoon (Amazon, $4.32)
Triple-scale hydrometer (Amazon, $7)

Aeration
Pure O2 oxygenation system (LHBS, $47.99)

Fermenting
6 2-gallon plastic fermenting buckets ($7.98 each, LHBS)
3-piece airlocks ($1.05, LHBS)
gallon glass jugs (got em already)
Mini Auto-Siphon ($7.99, Amazon)

Bottling
16 oz Grolsch bottles. My LHBS sells them for $28.79 per 12-pack. Or, I can buy 12 bottles full of Grolsch for $30.60, meaning the beer inside the Grolsch bottles costs me about fifteen cents each. WIN!
Spring-Loaded Bottle Filler (LHBS, $3)
Vinator ($20, LHBS)
5 Gallon Bottling Bucket ($15, LHBS)

Other stuff
PH papers, StarSan, brew chemicals, hose, clamps, paint strainer bags


Am I missing anything? Are there any things I should look at changing out? Critiquing and suggestions welcomed!
 
First up:
Looks pretty complete. I was going to mention a braid to use as a filter for your mashtun, then looked back and saw you were going to BIAB.
You didn't list a heat source- kitchen stove or propane burner?
So otherwise, pick up an extra hydrometer. They're cheap and break waaay too easily.
And if you are going to get 'brew chemicals' then get a water report and download Brunwater, so you'll know how to add those chemicals.
I have the colorfast PH strips, but frankly have found they are a waste of time. For my mashes, they always read the same, and always below 5. I don't trust them, plan out my mash pH with Brunwater and trust that is correct.
Ok, that's it for me in a first runthrough......
 
Hi Jim,

My heat source right now will be stove top. I do have a propane burner from my last go-around, but it has been sitting for quite some time, and if it turns out to still be working, I may use it, though the ultimate goal will be to use an induction plate and brew down in the mancave. Once I do go full-on all-grain, I'lll get the false bottom which fits into my mash tun.

I also have a 12 quart stainless steel stock pot that I plan on using at the HLT.

I'll look into Bru'nwater ASAP! Monday I will speak to our Water Dept to see if they can provide a water report. Thanks for the tips!


**EDIT**

I should add that fermentation temps will be controlled via swamp cooler until I build a temp controller with an Arduino and output to RaspberryPi.
 
List looks pretty good to me, though if you're BIAB'ing you don't need the cooler. You can mash in your pot doing either full volume mash, or if you want to sparge you can put the bag in a strainer and pour water over it or dunk sparge in your smaller pot if it's big enough. What are you doing for fermentation temp control?
 
Hi chickypad,

I actually edited my above reply at the same time you were asking about fermentation temps. We were thinking the same thing/same time!

Also, I'lll be slanting my yeast.. I have the plate and spin bars, and hundreds of baby food jars for storing sterile wort. For this, I still need to buy the slants and some beakers.. Before the end of the year.
 
+1^^^, you don't need a cooler, but if it were me, I would make a Zapap tun. Basically a 5 G bucket with many holes in it inside of another 5 G bucket. I brew AG and I don't have a fancy mash tun, I have a Zapap tun. In your case, you might try a partial volume mash,and then sparge in the bag. I had a bad experience using a SS strainer, so I went for the Zapap idea. Two 5 Gallon buckets, and a spigot cost less than $10.00.
Just for the heck of it, spend the $10.00 and see if your efficiency improves.
 
Hoo boy. Want a list of ways to save money now so you have more to buy ingredients? You might decide to spend more later on but time will tell.

Milling: Although the cereal crusher might be nice if you decide to quit doing BIAB (you might not once you see how easy that is and how efficient your extraction is too) you can do better with a Corona style mill for BIAB since the finer you mill the grain the faster the conversion and the higher the efficiency. About $30

Mashing: BIAB doesn't need a cooler since you will mash right in the pot you will boil in.

Boiling: Since you do plan to go to the induction plate, your pot is probably a decent buy but it might be a little small. I can brew a 5 gallon batch in a 30 qt turkey fryer but I have to watch close for boil over. Do you ever plan to make a 10 gallon batch or big beers? A bigger pot might be nice.
Since mashing is all about accurate temperatures, spend a little more on a better thermometer. I learned that a good wire whisk beats a long spoon to stir in the grains. Don't buy the triple scale hydrometer, buy 2. If you only have one you will break it for sure and at the worst possible time.

Pure O2 would be nice for big beers but usually isn't needed for any others. Pitch the right amount of yeast and just aerate by shaking or stirring and you'll be good. That can be added at any time if you think your beers aren't coming out the way you like.

Walmart has 5 gallon white HDPE plastic buckets that work really well for 2 1/2 gallon batches and probably will work for smaller batches too. Less expensive than your 2 gallon buckets but you have to buy the lids and drill them for airlocks.

People have reported that the pH strips are worthless. I haven't tried them myself. Some brands may be better than others. You can get a decent pH meter on Ebay pretty cheap.
 
Hi RM-MN:

In regards to choosing the Cereal Killer... I have seen so many really bad reviews of the Victoria that outnumber the good ones I see here on HBT. And to make it worse, there are knockoffs which make it difficult for me to know which one to try out to see if I like it. I know it's a third the cost, but some of the bad reviews speak to the cheapness of the Victoria, and when you need to replace it, you're already close to the cost of a mil with much better reviews. That one I might reconsider if I could find a source for a non-knockoff. Do you know a trusted source for a Victoria?

As for the pot, I was honestly thinking that 35 quart was going to be a little too big, but the price differential between a 24 quart and the one I like was $15. I can't ever see myself brewing a ten gallon batch, and going to even a five gallon batch would only happen when I brew something on a smaller scale that makes me say "OMG! I need alot more of that!"

Even though the oxygenation system is a fair chunk of change, I am going to get it.. I do plan on brewing big beers.. I do enjoy a good RIS, DIPA, Baltic Porter and barleywine. Plus, I have read that shaking the cooled wort will only introduce about 2-4 ppm oxygen, perhaps 6 or 7 ppm at the very top end, and beer needs at least 8 ppm and in big beers, even more than that. Plus, I am a big fan of introducing stability into the process. A 22 second blast of pure O2 per gallon of wort injected would guarantee an optimum level of oxygenation every time. I would hate to think that a sore shoulder on brew day could lead to an under-performing beer a few months later.

I will check into Walmart for the buckets! And I really like your whisk idea. What size do you find works best?

Believe me I am all about saving the pennies.. I think maybe that's the reason for some of the choices.. Spend a bit more now to remove some of the variables from the brewing process which will lead to better beer for the long term.
 
Do you plan on using dry yeast or liquid? If liquid, do you have or plan to have a stir plate? With a large amount of yeast being added to the wort the need for O2 is diminished. Without a stir plate, the O2 system will get you the results you want.

I'm not sure what size my whisk is. It's less than 24" for sure, maybe half that. It really works well to get the doughballs broken up.

The reviews on the Corona or Victoria are probably misleading. My mill is junk but for what I do with it there isn't a better mill. I want to mill my grains really fine and by setting the mill as tight as I can, that's what I get. I wouldn't make promises on how well it would work for a conventional mash tun because as I have mine set it tears up the husks pretty bag but for BIAB it works really well.

I do very few 5 gallon batches. My bad back aches when I handle that pot of boiling wort and wrestle it off the stove but to compensate I have found that I can make a 2 1/2 gallon batch in probably less than half the time most people spend on a 5 gallon batchs so I just brew more often to fill up the pipeline. Many brewers are reporting that it takes them between 5 and 8 hours to brew a batch. I'll have mine in the fermenter in 2 1/2 but I will have to wait for it to cool to pitch (no chill).
 
I plan on using dry yeast at the beginning until I build up the yeast library, and then switching over to liquid yeast. I already have the spin plate and spin bars, all I need to buy are some nicely sized beakers and the slants to store the specimens in.

I will look again and see if I can find a non-knockoff Victoria. Reducing my equipment outlay by $60 is sizable.

I have not factored in an immersion chiller at all, but I imagine that when I brew batches at the bigger end of my potential spectrum, it would be advisable to have one on hand. I have seen 25' ICs for pretty cheap, and considering the depth of my wort, I don't think I'd be able to submerge a 50' for most batches.
 
Ph papers are useless. Get a Wards Laboratory water report instead.

Skip the aeration kit (you don't need it for dry yeast).

You mash tun is small at 5 gallons. Your doing BIAB? why not just skip the mash tun and get a 10g kettle and mash in that? I would get the medium sized auto-siphon.

Also with such small batches you might consider using a refractometer instead of a hydrometer. Not so good for measuring FG, but you can pretty much tell when beer is done fermenting anyways.
 
This is who I got my grain mill from. http://www.discounttommy.com/p-189-...er-for-wheat-grains-or-use-as-a-nut-mill.aspx

I wasn't sure that I wanted to do all grain until I saw BIAB and since the closest LHBS with a mill was 150 miles away, I decided on this cheap mill to try all grain. That was 4 years ago, the mill still looks like junk and keeps right on milling my grain. Others have used a heavy duty drill to turn the mill but I'm a hand cranker.
 
Did I read correctly that you intend to start with dry yeast? If so, you don't need the o2 system for oxygenating your wort. Dry yeasts are formulated with all the stuff they need to thrive without extra o2. Get yourself a good 1L flask to hydrate your yeast (and use it later for washing yeast) and you're good to go.

+1 to the recommendations for a good sized brew kettle. 32 qt. or greater is perfect for brewing. You can do 5 gal batches (6.5 gal boil) with some room to prevent boilovers and you have a kettle you can use for years to come (even if you aren't still brewing).

I'd put my money into a good brew kettle and a good burner. Bags for BIAB and fermenters are pretty cheap.

If you want to grind your grain look at the Schmidling Malt Mill. http://schmidling.com/maltmill.htm
It works well and a bunch of LHBS' use them. Inexpensive and a whole bunch better mill than a Corona.

Don't waste money or time on pH test strips. When you are ready to get serious about water get a pH meter. Until then, use RO water or good tasting well water. Municipal water can be a real crap-shoot.


Cheers! :mug:
 
I'd say the 35 qt pot your planning is plenty big, maybe even a little oversized for the batches you want to do (but better too big than too small!). I do 3 gal BIAB batches in an old 5 gal pot, and the 25ft coil that I use for the HERMS on my big system works great as an immersion chiller on those smaller batches. I use it because I have it though, for small batches an ice bath is still reasonable. I'd also second the idea of saving up for a refractometer on small batches. I've found Sean Terrill's refractometer calculator to be quite accurate for calculating FG's, at least for my purposes.
 
Having read through the replies so far, you've received some good suggestions.
One minor disagreement - while you don't NEED a cooler with a BIAB technique, it does help you maintain your temperature in the range you want. Otherwise you have to figure out a way to insulate your pot while mashing, or add more heat midway which is sometimes risky. Having a cooler also allows you to move to a regular mash, should you ever want to.
My standard setup is a 5G cooler with a braid, up to about 11 lbs of grain. Beyond there it gets tough to get the mash thickness I like. And forget multistep mashes which I sometimes like to do. So, with my big batches I use 2 BIAB bags in a rectangular cooler. Holds the heat well, and the bags act as the filter. Works for me.
Also, for the smallish batches that you're planning on, an icewater bath should work well to chill. Of course, if you want to get an IC for future use, by all means get one.
Sounds like you have a plan. Plans are a GOOD thing!
 
Hi grathan,

Thank you for the refractometer recommendation. I totally forgot to add that one on. I wish they were cheaper.. Do they break? Or have accuracy issues?
 
Hi RM MN:

I think I will try out the mill from Discount Tommy. I had seen another thread on HBT about what kind of modifications need to be done to it to make the crush more even and removing the cotter pin, etc. I need to find that thread again. Thank you for finding the link!
 
Hi Puddlethumper:

Yep, you read it correctly, though I do not plan on being on dry yeast long. I believe less than a dozen batches or so, while I work on slanting some of the more common liquid strains I will be using. Now that I think about it, I may just go liquid right off the bat and use a third to a half for current batch and the rest for slanting and propagation.

That Schmidling malt mill looks nice! And it's made in the same county I live in. Which PH meter do you recommend?
 
HomebrewCraig said:
Hi RM MN:

I think I will try out the mill from Discount Tommy. I had seen another thread on HBT about what kind of modifications need to be done to it to make the crush more even and removing the cotter pin, etc. I need to find that thread again. Thank you for finding the link!
Click to expand...

Give this mill a try before you do any modification. Things I have modified are grinding the mount so it was closer to flat and putting a washer under each wingnut so they don't jam as easily. Adjust it until the plates are rubbing together when empty, the grain will force them apart just right for BIAB then.

Start with a 2 1/2 gallon batch as a compromise between the gallon size you were talking of doing and the "standard" 5 gallon batch. The larger the size of batch the easier it is to determine the efficiency. Also start with a recipe for 5 gallons and cut it in half. Don't be surprised if your OG is a bit high, you can adjust the recipe for that if you can get that efficiency consistently.
 

Similar threads

L
Should I be Concerned that my Brew Kettle is 201 Stainless Steel?
Replies
16
Views
3K
Slim M
S
G
Kentucky Electric Brewery For Sale 240V/50Amp
Replies
0
Views
509
gtc352
G
Zenmeister
I give up! I need to get trace amounts of O2 out of my beer
Replies
17
Views
1K
wepeeler
wepeeler
CallMeKiupid
Kiupid's Mead Guide for Beginners (like me)
Replies
3
Views
1K
Barzahl
B
Clint Yeastwood
Fermenting Fridge Choices?
Replies
37
Views
3K
OakIslandBrewery
OakIslandBrewery
BrewSwag 300

Latest posts

Back
Top