Getting ready to get started....again

[J_browne]

Hello Brewers, this is my first post,Ive been lurking for a few months now and I'm ready to introduce myself. About four years ago i decided to try my hand at brewing, Went to the local homebrew store talked to the owner a bit and left with all the gear i needed to get started extract brewing. I made about 10 batches of beer over the course of 2 years. I made some good beers and some bad ones, and most of all i enjoyed making them, but there was one little problem, I didn't like the high price to make 5 gallons, and when i did make a good batch it was gone in no time. Not to mention i was at moms house and not being able to be set up efficiently, I had a small black and white speckled pot, and not a whole lot of "my space". Eventually Brewing beer and I split up. i had a decent amount of equipment laying around, carboys and everything some one need to get started, so i sold half of it and kept enough that if i ever wanted to brew again i could. Flash Forward 4 years, I have Fiance, a house with ample space and a friend who always say we should brew beer and i always respond with "ehh its kinda a pain in the ass" "not worth the money". Then i decided to start looking into it. and after about 2 weeks of reading this forum. I find this work of art called the BRUTUS 10. "What the hell is this thing.. I need one of these!" I work construction and i enjoy projects and have access to some of these parts so i bought the plans and have been looking into and planning this project. Although i haven't started building yet, Am I crazy for building this system after not brewing for four years? My thoughts are i can wait a little longer and build a system that would allow me to make 10 gal all grain beer in an efficient way at controlled temperatures and allow me to stay as lazy as possible. Is this a good idea or a little over the top? Thanks for reading my novel, i look forward to learning from all of you and maybe one day sharing my knowledge of brewing beer.

Justin Browne

 

[Mr_Pear]

I'm for it! I think for half the people that brew beer designing your system and figuring out a process that works for you is more enjoyable than the actual brewing process. So I say go for it and take some pictures of your build!

 

[revco]

I don't think you're crazy for wanting a brew stand, they're nice and they will make brewing easier. Parts wise, depending on what you have and what you want to do, you'll be into it somewhere around $500-$2K+ for everything, so it's a sizable investment. If you're committed to brewing, a proper stand will make your brew days go quite smooth.

Also, you don't HAVE to go all out and do the stand to make great beer with the all-grain process. You can get by with minimal equipment and a makeshift stand. My personal suggestion is to get the minimal equipment to do AG...but get stuff that can grow with you and be used on a stand. Try the process several times and figure out what works for you and how you want to brew. Once you get a few batches under your belt, you might be surprised to find out you want to get by with less...or have better ideas about how you want your process to ultimately work.

Good luck with the journey!