Finally got some Equipment

[DrNecropolis]

I'm still short a few pieces that are necessary (brew pot for one, Sam's was out of their professional grade 24qt ones).. other than that, I think I'm ready..

Got this stuff today:



Not to bad for $100 I don't guess..

Still looking to pick up a few more carboys or BB's..
And of course a BK..

 

[freisste]

You'll need more than two bottles to eventually fill...

 

[Doliss]

The vinator that you have on top of the bottle tree is by far the best thing there. I love mine

 

[DrNecropolis]

You'll need more than two bottles to eventually fill...

You can thank my daughter for that.. lol..

I have about 70 more under my sink..


I was really excited to see that little guy too, will make sanitizing bottles a lot easier from what I understand..

 

[RM-MN]

You might consider a larger pot if you don't have one to start with. I brewed for a while with a 20 qt and it was fine for doing extract partial boils with top up but eventually I wanted to do full boils and it wouldn't hold it all. I use a 30 qt turkey fryer pot and it is just barely big enough for full boils.

 

[beerclone]

All that for $100? That's a steal in my opinion. I have spent well over that on my equipment. Nice pull.

 

[Pratzie]

Yeah great deal with everything you got.

 

[IslandLizard]

You might consider a larger pot if you don't have one to start with. I brewed for a while with a 20 qt and it was fine for doing extract partial boils with top up but eventually I wanted to do full boils and it wouldn't hold it all. I use a 30 qt turkey fryer pot and it is just barely big enough for full boils.

Yeah, nice score!

Agree on the larger pot. I have an 8 gallon (32 quart) MegaPot, and it is barely large enough for full 5 gallon boils, considering boil off, trub loss, and a comfortable head space.

If you're contemplating using your kitchen stove for boiling, it becomes increasingly more difficult to obtain a good rolling boil with the lid off the more wort you put in it. Forget turning the fan on. Once I go over 5 gallons in that pot it becomes harder to retain a good boil. I have mine surrounded in bubblewrap/reflectix to reduce heat loss and it helps a little bit, and it is just doable.

Modern electric stoves (glass tops) have internal sensors which control the maximum heat output. So they cycle on/off on their own, thus limiting how much volume you can boil. Most of the older open coils don't have that limiter, but may not have large enough wattage. So you should check that.

 

[DrNecropolis]

Yeah, I'm planning on going a lot bigger down the road.. just now getting started and will be doing some partial boils until I have it down to a rhythm and know a little more about exactly how things SHOULD (emphasis on the should) go..

 

[dozer5454]

Under most circumstances I would agree with the method of buying smaller parts and upgrading later. Not so much with our hobby. A little extra now for a pot and a burner will end up being a money saver in the future. If there is an auction type place where you live you may find that you can score a pot and burner big enough to suit not only your needs now but in the future. In northern Ca. we have a large Asian population that uses high pressure burners and large pots for family cooking. A lot of them have taken to selling them at a central location (Think huge yard sale). Scoring a high pressure burner with a 10psi regulator (don't bother with the 5psi) was less than $40. You have a nice wort chiller. Put it to some real use in a full batch. Just some additional thoughts.

 

[DrNecropolis]

Under most circumstances I would agree with the method of buying smaller parts and upgrading later. Not so much with our hobby. A little extra now for a pot and a burner will end up being a money saver in the future. If there is an auction type place where you live you may find that you can score a pot and burner big enough to suit not only your needs now but in the future. In northern Ca. we have a large Asian population that uses high pressure burners and large pots for family cooking. A lot of them have taken to selling them at a central location (Think huge yard sale). Scoring a high pressure burner with a 10psi regulator (don't bother with the 5psi) was less than $40. You have a nice wort chiller. Put it to some real use in a full batch. Just some additional thoughts.

Its not really a matter of the need for equipment, more of the need for a place to use the equipment..

I know all to well of the pitfalls of buying twice.. I was in the Saltwater Reef hobby for 15 years.. seen everyone buy a light fixture "to get them by until later down the road", so they spend a couple hundred bucks then have to drop another several hundred.. buy it right the first time and save the money is the way.. but right now, I just don't have the facilities to do so..

That and SWMBO put her foot down.. lol

 

[DrNecropolis]

Picked up a 24qt pot this morning..

Tossed 4 gallons in to boil some water to set up the layer and so I could test how fast I can cool it with the IC.. damn, that was fast, dropped from a boil to 100 in about 10 minutes, from there its taking its sweet ass time though.. but the tap is around 73, so I didn't expect much.

So there we go.. now to decide on what kind of kit I want for my first brew..

SWMBO is happy I'm excited, but not happy that I have plans for a 3 tap keezer and measuring stuff for an AG setup..

Oh well, she will get over it..