equipment upgrades you wish you had from the start

[ancientmariner52]

That will work too. However you do it, indoor or out, rig a big-a$$ sink at a comfortable working height. Your back and beer will be better for it.

 

[mongoose33]

I'm subscribed to this thread because I posted in it, and it keeps showing up--and it keeps bothering me.

Why? Because every upgrade I've made I wish I'd had from the beginning. That's why I upgraded in every case--it was better than what I started with.

Upgrades since the beginning:

Spike 10-gallon kettle for 8-gallon Megapot
Thermapen Mark IV for a cheap electronic thermometer.
Jaded Hydra chiller for a Silver Serpent chiller
Refractometer for a hydrometer
Hellfire Burner for a King Kooker burner
Ferm Chamber for a swamp cooler
Second Mini-Fridge Ferm Chamber...because.
Upgraded utility sink in garage so I could clean out there
pH meter from Milwaukee (MW102)
RO system instead of tap water or buying RO water
Keg system instead of bottling
Keezer instead of using Picnic Taps to serve
Secondary regulators in keezer instead of a manifold
O2 Tank and regulator instead of shaking fermenter
Stir Plate and Flask for starters instead of using dry yeast
BIAB for mash tun (still have the mash tun)

And the newest one is on the way, a Monster Mill 3-roller mill to replace my Barley Crusher.

In fact, about the only thing I haven't upgraded is my long-handled spoon.

 

[Griffin495]

I'd say the equipment upgrades I wish I had from the start are:

fermentation chamber (I use a small dorm fridge and an inkbird to control it)
Wilser BIAB bag

 

[Morrey]

The upgrade issue, as I see it, is that very few of us really know where we will end up with our brewing style which means we don't know what our equipment should look like from the start.

Take DCPCooks for example. He and I exchange from time to time, and he just moved into a new home giving him a wide open basement (blank canvas) to build into a brewery. He is adding high amp electrical service, vented hoods, water lines and cutting drains into the concrete floor. Can he imagine he would be doing this some years ago when he was boiling 3G of water on his kitchen stove for an extract kit?

Many novices go to a LHBS and get sold on a kit that has most of the starter sized items....say a small boil kettle for extract, perhaps. With some experience, that brewer may now do AG and that small extract sized kettle is sitting there. But unless he/she is clairvoyant, their brewing future is generally a huge question mark at the beginning.

Any number of folks have mentioned to me they want to try home brewing. I always suggest they come over to join me for a brew day or to find a local brew club to join. Most of the guesswork or unknown is removed by observation and that person can avoid purchasing items that have little value in a brew or two down the road.

 

[cubalz]

Fermentation Chamber.

 

[MaxStout]

A hose bib on the back wall of my attached garage. In autumn, I shut off the two outside hose bibs, because, well, it's Minnesota. And those bibs weren't very close to the garage, anyway. So, no outside running water between October and April. Since my utility room is just behind the garage back wall, it was a cinch to run 1/2" copper to a freezeless hose bib through the wall.

And in summer, I have a closer water source for washing cars in the driveway.

 

[zebradeltaone]

a cooler and and an aquarium pump to chill my wort. Just used it for the first time this past weekend and man it dramatically reduced my cooling time (by 2/3s!) and I used a fraction of the water I normally used with my wort chiller.

 

[ancientmariner52]

The upgrade issue, as I see it, is that very few of us really know where we will end up with our brewing style which means we don't know what our equipment should look like from the start.

Take DCPCooks for example. He and I exchange from time to time, and he just moved into a new home giving him a wide open basement (blank canvas) to build into a brewery. He is adding high amp electrical service, vented hoods, water lines and cutting drains into the concrete floor. Can he imagine he would be doing this some years ago when he was boiling 3G of water on his kitchen stove for an extract kit?

Many novices go to a LHBS and get sold on a kit that has most of the starter sized items....say a small boil kettle for extract, perhaps. With some experience, that brewer may now do AG and that small extract sized kettle is sitting there. But unless he/she is clairvoyant, their brewing future is generally a huge question mark at the beginning.

Any number of folks have mentioned to me they want to try home brewing. I always suggest they come over to join me for a brew day or to find a local brew club to join. Most of the guesswork or unknown is removed by observation and that person can avoid purchasing items that have little value in a brew or two down the road.

This. Until you are aware of a lack, or need for improvement, how/why would you upgrade?

 

[JDXX1971]

the only thing I haven't upgraded is my long-handled spoon.

Lame old spoon.

 

[mongoose33]

the only thing I haven't upgraded is my long-handled spoon.

Lame old spoon.

Yeah, it's bothering me. There must be a better version, perhaps one with a hinge in the middle for easier storage, or some sort of automatic stirring function....

....wait a sec....automatic stirring function....isn't that what upgrading to a whirlpooling setup would accomplish?

Anybody want to buy a spoon?

 

[JDXX1971]

Yeah, it's bothering me. There must be a better version, perhaps one with a hinge in the middle for easier storage, or some sort of automatic stirring function....

....wait a sec...

.automatic stirring function....isn't that what upgrading to a whirlpooling setup would accomplish?

Nah, you need an automated drone droid for that.

Anybody want to buy a spoon?

I will start the bidding at $.25, well as long as it includes free shipping.

 

[ancientmariner52]

I don't know if this counts as an upgrade, since I can't imagine keeping house without one. An air compressor.

Get ALL the grain dust out of your mill. Dry the insides of your chiller. Blow the last hull bits off your mash tun manifold. Push a piece of yarn through five feet of beer tube to really scrub the inside.

I've spent my life in machine shops and engine rooms, and not having compressed air is like not having electricity or indoor plumbing. But it might not be so obvious if you don't come from a mechanical background.

 

[JDXX1971]

I don't know if this counts as an upgrade, since I can't imagine keeping house without one. An air compressor.

Get ALL the grain dust out of your mill.

Dry the insides of your chiller. Blow the last hull bits off your mash tun manifold. Push a piece of yarn through five feet of beer tube to really scrub the inside.

I've spent my life in machine shops and engine rooms, and not having compressed air is like not having electricity or indoor plumbing. But it might not be so obvious if you don't come from a mechanical background.

I was lazy and used my leaf blower to clean out my mill. Worked great, definitely an upgrade I wished I had from the start.

 

[Horseflesh]

Here are a few things that have really paid off.

Ss brew bucket. The bottom valve and rotating arm on the inside make kegging really easy. I regret every batch made with a bucket and siphon.

Flip top bottles over capped bottles, but kegging over bottles. Keg and don't look back!

Precision hydrometer set. So easy to read.

Going electric with a PID. I really enjoy punching in a temperature and it just happens.

As everyone said, a good kettle is a winner. Later I upgraded to an e-BIAB system and that was even better. Fancy gear does not make good beer, but it hopefully makes making good beer easier and more fun.

A pressure canner, so I can make shelf-stable quart jars of wort for starters. Big time saver.

As was mentioned earlier, a giant utility sink is FANTASTIC.

Fermentation temperature control is not on my upgrade list because I decided to implement it on day 1.

I have yet to buy a Jaded chiller but I know I will love it when I do!

 

[ESBrewer]

Now that I've made my first batch I would say refractometer. My hydrometer is quite big and I'm brewing micro (5-10 liters) batches so I lose quite a bit of worth when doing the measurements.

The other thing is a decent malt mill. For my first batch I used pre-milled base malts (milled in a local store a week ago) and just crushed the small amount of special malts by hand.

The good thing is that my self-made equipment (mash/lauter tun and fermentation temp ctrl water bath) worked fine. The second batch will be much easier when I know how the equipment exactly behaves (amount of worth lost/water evaporated during the boil/amount of cooling needed).

 

[basementbrewer35]

I only read a few of the comments but I definitely agree with a proper kettle. Whether you build it by drilling holes into a large size kettle and adding your own accessories or buy a brew specific kettle. I have both, I bought a brew specific kettle initially and I built my second one, they are both interchangeable with the same hardware and approximately the same size so they can act as the HLT or the brew kettle. Also make sure they have volume indicators on the pot, makes it so much easier, one of my pots doesn't have this and it gets frustrating sometimes. I also recommend thermometer on the kettles.

I also think a good fermenter like a fast ferment conical, it saves so much time and makes the brewing process much simpler. It also isn't a crazy expense like a stainless steel conical. I disliked all the transferring when I was using the bucket/carboy system.

Also I agree with some others saying that this is easy to say in hindsight but who knows at the beginning if this is a hobby that one would want to invest in or do on a regular basis. As much as I say having the good stuff at the beginning is something that makes life easier, if someone decides not to continue with brewing then you spent a lot of money on stuff that takes up a fair amount of space.

 

[jalc6927]

If you go workout a conical fermentation system get one with a spigot to eliminate the siphoning

 

[Kharnynb]

While my favourite upgrade is my bulldog brewer(electric all in one kettle), the one thing I wished I had right from the start would have been the auto-siphon and bottling wand...such a mess at first bottling...

 

[parrothead64]

I think the biggest thing is temperature controlled Fermentation. Your basement may be 68 but the fermentation is going to happen in the high 70’s and you can taste the difference

 

[Jako]

Most people seem to want to go to larger systems but I wish I would’ve planned small batches from the start. I have lots of stuff for 5 gallons batches but it takes me a long time to drink that much beer. I want more variety. A couple weeks ago I did my first BIAB - a small 1.5 gallon batch (no sparge) and it was a very enjoyable process. I think I will continue down that route, probably increasing to 2-ish gallon batches now that I have a 3 gallon carboy. I still have a couple of extract kits that I will cut to half batches and then move on to BIAB, probably going electric eventually.

hmm i think i might want to try something like this. 5 gallons is a lot of beer for me so if i want something hoppy or very fresh by the end it changes a lot. plus i would love to have lots of different beer at all times.

i really like this thread everyone can learn from this. for me a bigger pot i have a 8 gallon and i am stuck to around 7% beers in a BIAB set up. my wife bought me a burner for Christmas and a natural gas converter so i can run off the house gas so that is checked off my list.

1. bigger pot.
2. mash tun ( just because i want to learn)
3. key system. i don't mind bottling i would like more control over my carbonation.
4. items to help with low oxygen brewing i don't know much but plan to learn i feel like this would in the long term of my beer.

5. BOOKS!!!!! recipe books and just over all information books on brewing. i have the how to brew book but my mind thirst for more.

 

[PADave]

5. BOOKS!!!!! recipe books and just over all information books on brewing. i have the how to brew book but my mind thirst for more.

Agree with that one. Here's my brewing shelf, but have a couple more that I'm currently reading. Many more on the want list.

 

[Jako]

This a great topic! Many have said that they wish they purchased the best they could afford from day one...
This seems like a good spot for this newb question-

What should I purchase? (& more importantly why)
Hellfire burner $150 (& stand)
Amcyl 15 gallon brew kettle w/ weldless thermometer & ball valve $190 (or other kettle?)
Total $340
Or
Bayou classic burner ~$60
10 gallon ss pot ~$60
Total $120
I’m new to home brewing & want to move to all grain.
Ultimately I will want the ability to produce 10 gallon batches but have no need to do that today.
The cheap solution will be my next step but the better option will probably be my final kettle & burner..?
Worst case if I never get the hang of brewing all grain & only brew a few batches I should be able to sell the good stuff for $250? Right?
Where the cheap stuff will probably get $20 maybe $40? So the loss of $’s will be comparable...?
Any advise & guidance for this newb would much appreciated. Thanks!

all grain is the best! i would say buy the cheaper gear and if you like it use the burner and cheaper kettle for a hot liquor tank. then upgrade once you want to take it to the next level!

 

[Smellyglove]

Id have to say my entire rig.. That's not just one piece of equipment, but I wouldn't just get one piece of equipment to shine as it does when it's put into a thought-through system like I'm running now. From mash-tun to co2-infrastructure post fermentation.

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

I did a bit of searching but didn't find a topic specific to my question. What upgrades to your equipment have you done, that you wish you had done from day 1 which would have saved money, headaches, and provided a much better beer? This is a very open ended question and am wondering if you wish you had gone BIAB/all grain or maybe electric from the start. Maybe getting a fermentation chamber made a huge change in the quality of your beer. Maybe it's as simple as getting a better quality burner, pot, or thermometer. Just curious to hear what you think would have been beneficial from day 1.

With that question out of the way, a little background as to why I ask. In my younger days I was into working on cars. Spent money on a supercharged car. converted it to turbo with a kit. started upgrading pieces. swapped out motors. and eventually wound up with a fully custom setup with programmable ecu. by the end, you realize you could have saved more than a few dollars having jumped right in, but maybe needed the experience of the smaller setups to get there. However along the way you realize that if you had the right tools for the jobs sooner, life would have been so much easier.

Skip the brew kits and go directly to at least a 10 gal boil kettle and do all-grain. Keggles seem to be super cheap. I got the kegs for free and made them myself. You can usually buy a complete all-grain setup from someone quitting the hobby (obsession). for pennies on the dollar.

 

[Jako]

A hose bib on the back wall of my attached garage. In autumn, I shut off the two outside hose bibs, because, well, it's Minnesota. And those bibs weren't very close to the garage, anyway. So, no outside running water between October and April. Since my utility room is just behind the garage back wall, it was a cinch to run 1/2" copper to a freezeless hose bib through the wall.

And in summer, I have a closer water source for washing cars in the driveway.

i tried to do this when i built my house. builder said no. might do it and add a cut off in the basement and drain the line....

 

[MaxStout]

i tried to do this when i built my house. builder said no. might do it and add a cut off in the basement and drain the line....

That's how I did it. Ran 1/2" copper with a shutoff valve on the inside. Connected to a freezeless bib through the back wall of the garage. Took about an hour to install.

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

I did a bit of searching but didn't find a topic specific to my question. What upgrades to your equipment have you done, that you wish you had done from day 1 which would have saved money, headaches, and provided a much better beer? This is a very open ended question and am wondering if you wish you had gone BIAB/all grain or maybe electric from the start. Maybe getting a fermentation chamber made a huge change in the quality of your beer. Maybe it's as simple as getting a better quality burner, pot, or thermometer. Just curious to hear what you think would have been beneficial from day 1.

With that question out of the way, a little background as to why I ask. In my younger days I was into working on cars. Spent money on a supercharged car. converted it to turbo with a kit. started upgrading pieces. swapped out motors. and eventually wound up with a fully custom setup with programmable ecu. by the end, you realize you could have saved more than a few dollars having jumped right in, but maybe needed the experience of the smaller setups to get there. However along the way you realize that if you had the right tools for the jobs sooner, life would have been so much easier.

Glass carboys are a pain in the butt to clean, terrible to dryhop, are prone to breakage and dangerous. The older plastic ones let Oxygen into the beer and plastic could leach into the beer. The new plastic fermenters with a wide mouth are easy to clean, dryhop and safe. They also have a valve so no siphon is needed. I have a Speidel and a Fermonster now.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

A grain mill. I procrastinated way too many years paying twice as much as I could have for base malts.

 

[Jako]

That's how I did it. Ran 1/2" copper with a shutoff valve on the inside. Connected to a freezeless bib through the back wall of the garage. Took about an hour to install.

My whole house is ran with that plastic pipe nonsense with only 1/4 lines to 90% of the house might be 1/2 and 3/4 to the tubs that's it. Either way I would love to have a garage sink and a bib on that side of the house.

 

[Jako]

A grain mill. I procrastinated way too many years paying twice as much as I could have for base malts.

My LHBS has a program so you can buy a full bag then mark off how much you use at the store. So you can pay whole grain cost and always have all fresh grains.