I'll start by saying I only have 1 gallon equipment at the moment and just bottled my first 3 batches this week. I wanted to start off on the cheap with 1 gallon equipment to see if I can make beer I like and to be able to experiment with different styles of beer without spending a fortune on ingredients only to dump it out if I don't like it.
That said, I'm looking into what equipment I want to buy if and when I step up to 5 gallon batches. I only want to buy this stuff 1 time instead of wasting a bunch of money by constantly upgrading.
My next major purchase will be an 8' stainless sink with 2 - 24" tubs and drainboards on each side. Working out of my kitchen sink was a nightmare. I'll have a pre rinse faucet along with a hose bib for my bottle washer and another hose bib for filtered, non softened water.
As far as the brewing setup I want, I'm about 95% sure I'm going to go with the Grainfather system and their sparge heater. I don't want anything to do with a gas burner setup and want to do it all in my basement. For the cost of a Blickmann 10 gallon pot, boil coil and temp controller, I'm already way over the cost of the Grainfather.
Next big item, is a fermenter. I originally planned to go with Fast Ferment Conicals. My brother bought 2 and I was pretty displeased with the fit and finish for the price. Getting the top caps on and seated was a nightmare. Next, the plastic is cloudy enough that it's really hard to tell trub from beer, even with dark beer. By the time you accessorize the Fast Ferment, you're getting up there in price. My next thought was the SS Brewmaster Bucket. The reviews I've seen on them have been hit and miss. My next though is the SS Chronical. I'm about positive I'll end up brewing lagers so I'm turned off by the Chronical height due to limited options of fermentation chambers. I don't want any glycol/air conditioner setups so I will either be buying an upright freezer or refrigerator.
With the SS Chronical, the base version doesn't come with butterfly valves but I don't ever see a need for the chiller in the upgraded version. It looks as though if I want to upgrade to the butterfly valves, 3" opening lid, etc, I can do that in the future.
With all that said, would the SS Chronical be a good choice for a buy once, cry once fermenter? Is there a better value out there that comes with the upgraded butterfly valves? From my research on here, the biggest complaint I've seen is that the thermowell isn't welded in. I believe that's something I can live with.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give some background to the questions.
That said, I'm looking into what equipment I want to buy if and when I step up to 5 gallon batches. I only want to buy this stuff 1 time instead of wasting a bunch of money by constantly upgrading.
My next major purchase will be an 8' stainless sink with 2 - 24" tubs and drainboards on each side. Working out of my kitchen sink was a nightmare. I'll have a pre rinse faucet along with a hose bib for my bottle washer and another hose bib for filtered, non softened water.
As far as the brewing setup I want, I'm about 95% sure I'm going to go with the Grainfather system and their sparge heater. I don't want anything to do with a gas burner setup and want to do it all in my basement. For the cost of a Blickmann 10 gallon pot, boil coil and temp controller, I'm already way over the cost of the Grainfather.
Next big item, is a fermenter. I originally planned to go with Fast Ferment Conicals. My brother bought 2 and I was pretty displeased with the fit and finish for the price. Getting the top caps on and seated was a nightmare. Next, the plastic is cloudy enough that it's really hard to tell trub from beer, even with dark beer. By the time you accessorize the Fast Ferment, you're getting up there in price. My next thought was the SS Brewmaster Bucket. The reviews I've seen on them have been hit and miss. My next though is the SS Chronical. I'm about positive I'll end up brewing lagers so I'm turned off by the Chronical height due to limited options of fermentation chambers. I don't want any glycol/air conditioner setups so I will either be buying an upright freezer or refrigerator.
With the SS Chronical, the base version doesn't come with butterfly valves but I don't ever see a need for the chiller in the upgraded version. It looks as though if I want to upgrade to the butterfly valves, 3" opening lid, etc, I can do that in the future.
With all that said, would the SS Chronical be a good choice for a buy once, cry once fermenter? Is there a better value out there that comes with the upgraded butterfly valves? From my research on here, the biggest complaint I've seen is that the thermowell isn't welded in. I believe that's something I can live with.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give some background to the questions.
