Gathering Equipment Question for AG

[tgrier]

Hellllloooooooo group. -

I am wanting to step up to AG.
I went to my local HS. and said that .. they know I am a noob -- and they tried to talk me off the ledge and stick with what I am doing.... which is cool... but I am really getting into this... and based on their feedback I want some opinion on the equipment that I am about to invest in...

1. MLT - LHS - did not like the cooler idea. based on what I have read here... I am going to go for it... cheap and seems to work just fine.... issue solved.

2. Hot Liquor tank and wort boil pot? Or Just one boil pot? I watched all of Bobby M videos .. (which rock btw - Which song is that over the top of them ...the one with the HMMMMMMMM singing?) .

I am leaning for going for the one boil pot .. and use an ale pale to move the water and wort to back and forth..
the LHS did not like this idea either....

3. I have a 60 quart boil pot - no drain plug at the bottom or anything - I use it for boiling crawfish in the spring - it is not ideal.. but I have it and a propane that can bring that much to boil. The issue with it is .. how would I get the water out of the pot and into the ale pale?
so I will probably make a keggle or suck it up and buy a polar pot.

Any thoughts? or Advice... what I am trying to do is take this in steps and/or not go down a road that I am going to regret.... If I am going to drop some coin I want to get a bang for the buck...

T

PS. How long does an AG take?
My extract / with steeping grains takes me 4 hours from start to done - including all setup and clean up.

Thanks for the insight...

T

 

[tbulger]

3. You need a wort chiller to cool the beer and then you can siphon the wort out with a regular racking cane.

 

[Bobby_M]

Show Me How to Live by Audioslave.....

You could put a weldless bulkhead drain on your crawfish kettle, no problem.

Notice the LHBS doesn't like any money saving ideas because they can't sell you the fancy parts like false bottoms, etc.

I'm slowly upgrading to dedicated vessels so I don't have to wait until the end of the sparge to start heating my wort. It's really more a convenience and time saving thing. No reason you can't use buckets to transfer liquid between MLT and boil kettle.

 

[jacobyhale]

My first AG was a coupel of weeks ago, and it took me about 4-5hours. My second will be this weekend, and I think that I now have a much better understanding of the process and it should take 3-4.

 

[Chad]

Please don't skip reading John Palmer's How to Brew. The online version is fine; the updated paperback 3rd edition is even better. It'll walk you through every step in the process, answer nearly every question before you answer it and even give you tips on making a Mash/Lauter Tun in a wide variety of configurations.

I realize you are eager and excited. However, don't let your enthusiasm draw you into purchases that might not be entirely appropriate for your style of brewing . . . whatever that might turn out to be. Do a little reading first. It will really pay off.

Chad

 

[tgrier]

Chad... Thanks for the input .. I have read through it.. I need to read it over and over some more... It took about 5 readings of "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" (Papazian) and doing some homebrews before I really understood what he was saying in the book.

Bobby M.

You could put a weldless bulkhead drain on your crawfish kettle, no problem.

How would I go about this? Would I drill like you showed on the video?
I am going to try to google that idea and see what I get.

Thanks again you guys.
T

 

[tgrier]

BTW.. I have a wort chiller. I am thinking about getting a counter flow or a prechiller.

I was thinking more about how to get the HOT water out of the kettle for mash/sparge than getting the cooled wort..

Thanks again.
T

 

[Wables]

Hellllloooooooo group. -



PS. How long does an AG take?
My extract / with steeping grains takes me 4 hours from start to done - including all setup and clean up.

Thanks for the insight...

T

I can get an AG 5 gallon done in about 4:15. My 10 gallon batches are closer to 5:00 thanks to slower heating of the boil and cooling of the wort.

 

[CBBaron]

I use a 20 qt stock pot on the stove to heat my strike and sparge water. Then I use a 7.5gal turkey fryer to boil. I start boiling the first wort before I finish collecting to reduce the boil overs and time to heat the boil.
I prefer an immersion chiller so you don't have to move boiling wort. You can chill in place and then pour the wort into your bucket or siphon using a plastic auto siphon. Ofcourse it is not difficult to install a weldless bulkhead on you pot.
I do transfer my second and third drainings from my kitchen where I mash to the brew kettle with a bucket.
My first AG took me 5-6 hours but now I am usually cleaned up in 4.
Craig

 

[Lil' Sparky]

2. Hot Liquor tank and wort boil pot? Or Just one boil pot? I watched all of Bobby M videos .. (which rock btw - Which song is that over the top of them ...the one with the HMMMMMMMM singing?) .

I am leaning for going for the one boil pot .. and use an ale pale to move the water and wort to back and forth..
the LHS did not like this idea either....

I use 2, but I've got a 3-tier and don't like moving around pots/buckets full of scalding water. If you don't have a stand or at least an extra burner, I'm not sure how an extra pot could benefit you.

3. I have a 60 quart boil pot - no drain plug at the bottom or anything - I use it for boiling crawfish in the spring - it is not ideal.. but I have it and a propane that can bring that much to boil. The issue with it is .. how would I get the water out of the pot and into the ale pale?
so I will probably make a keggle or suck it up and buy a polar pot.

You could build/buy a SS or copper racking cane, but the better solution is just to install a weldless valve/pickup in the kettle, like Bobby_M said.

 

[abracadabra]

I agree with bobby that the LHBS may be more interested in profits if they are advising you against a cooler for a MLT.

But I agree with your LHBS and Sparky that pouring hot liquid from bucket to bucket is a bad idea.

The wieldless spigot would be OK as long as all you do is boil seafood but I would be hesitant to use it if I ever intended to use hot oil. 212*F is one thing on a rubber gaskets 350*F is quite another.

Nobody mentioned it but you'll need thermometer(s). I like the ones built into the kettle and a digital unit for quick measurements plus a calibration thermometer the check the accuracy of the other 2.

I've done business with pedalbiker53 on ebay and was happy, check him out.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZpedalbiker53