Equipment selection

[itchygomey]

I just finished my first brew (an extract kit) and realized during the process that what I really want to do is all grain. I have a budget of around a thousand dollars. I would like to be able to do 10 gallon batches. I'm currently looking at http://www.midwestsupplies.com/15-gallon-all-grain-commercial-quality-kettle-kit-bundle.html

I would very much like any input on equipment selection. Please keep in mind that my budget needs to include a burner and shipping as I have no LHBS.

 

[itchygomey]

I forgot to mention That I am currently set up to run 5 gallon extract batches (6.5 gal primary and 5 gal secondaries) and that 5 gal batches Would be the norm for me with an occasional 10 gallon batch

 

[kh54s10]

I think that if you shopped around, did some DIY, you could get something similar for half the price.

 

[hophop]

I've got a 10 gallon ss kettle and 10 gallon converted cooler. I've got a grand total of $150.00 in mine and it works great. I would recommend shopping around and building your own mash tun.

 

[SpentGrains]

DIY would get you a lot farther for your dollar if you are so inclined. I would go to a 15 gallon kettle (keg) though, if you are already heading all grain double batches won't be far.

 

[mikescooling]

IMHO, I'd buy a 15 gallon pot or keggel and do BIAB to start. IF you want to make 10 gallons of beer you need to finish the boil with 11 gallons of wort. To get 11 gallons of wart you need to boil down 13 gallons pre-boil, to 11 gallons post-boil. And if you boil 13 gallons or wart you want little room to not boil over. So you really need a 15 gallon pot. IMHO I'd look at buying from Morebeer, they have good stuff.

 

[Cyclman]

+1 this seems pretty expensive and doesn't look to be of particularly high quality for that price.

 

[avm221]

I would get 15gal kettels( keg) you can get them for around 200 each and maybe less, check craigslist there is a lot of good used stuff out there.

I have:
8gal ss pot with ball valve (HLT)
70qt cooler mashton with ball valve
15.5. Kettle (keg) false bottom, ball valve, thermometer

With this I have around $300 invested and it works good as an all grain set up. I have found a lot of stuff on craigslist.

 

[bethebrew]

OP those are the kettles I have, and they work GREAT. Very heavy duty, spread the heat amazingly well, are efficient for propane use.

However, two suggestions IMO. Ditch the false bottom! Go instead with one of those stainless steel braided strainers for your mash tun. In my experience false bottoms seem to clog a lot. I have had great luck with the strainers, and they are cheaper by far than the false bottom
For the brew kettle I use a bazooka strainer with a stainless steel braid shoved inside for additional straining.

Otherwise sure you can buy cheaper kettles, but they don't work as well. I would also recommend not going with a keggle what an inefficient way to boil wort! Stainless by itself is not a great heat transfer means. Those kettles you are looking at have a thick aluminum plate sandwiched between the stainless bottom.

You can also check the same kettles out at hombrewstuff.com

 

[tnlandsailor]

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts for experience or research. I remember I made a similar decision to go all grain pretty early on in my brewing. I gave the project a ton of thought and a ton of research and it really paid off. It took about a year before I was brewing all-grain but it was time well spent and I'm still brewing on the same equipment today 12 years later.

What I would recommend is watching at least one, preferably more than one, all grain batch brew. Find a local homebrew club and they will be more than willing to help. There is quite a bit of information on the web about all-grain systems, types, how they work, space considerations, etc. Wear out the web, that's what it's there for. Stay away from retailers for now, you aren't in the buying business yet. Also, decide on the type of brewing that you like to do and how often. This will help calibrate you on the type of equipment you want and how much to spend.

In short, plan before you spend. Plan a LOT before you spend. Your patience will be rewarded.

 

[Bobby_M]

I make a living from selling shiny brewing gadgets so it would be really convenient to talk you into a system like the one you linked. My opinion is that the best way to get into all grain is either BIAB in a big pot or convert a square or rectangle cooler to a simple batch sparging rig with a bazooka screen or water heater braid. It's a minimal investment and you'll learn a lot over the course of a year. When you're ready to move up to a bigger system, pass it on to someone else on their way up.

 

[itchygomey]

Thank you all for the replies. After considerable thought, I have decided to focus on honing my skills and nailing the basics with extract a while longer and let my hobby grow a bit slower. Instead of making a jump, I'm going to focus on and learn from things like late addition of extract, temp control, hitting target gravities, getting away from extract kits/making recipes, and things like that. I'm hoping that will make my move to all grain more seamless and yield better results. Living where I do, taking part in an all grain brew with somebody else may not be possible, but time will tell. Thank you again for the replies!