Getting started with AG brewing

[NoisufnoC]

I've done some extract brewing, and I want to start looking into what it would take to move up to AG brewing. My equipment list is as follows.

1 1/2 Barrel Keggle
1 8 Gallon Stock Pot
2 Propane turkey fryer bases w/ tanks
2 6 gallon glass carboys
3 5 gallon glass carboys
1 Bottling bucket with lid
and one moderate sized fermentation chamber (in the works)

I'm planning on installing bulkhead fittings into the keggle. I assume I need a third kettle or a converted cooler to do this effectively. Some sort of chiller would be necessary too, yeah? What else am I missing? What are the must read threads/sites/info for new AG brewers?

Thanks in advance.

 

[NoisufnoC]

I did just find the following information from a link on here... http://www.suebob.com/brew/allgrain.htm

 

[weirdboy]

Do you have a Mash/Lauter tun? Or, are you planning on mashing in the keggle? If so that seems like a really big mash vessel for a 5 gallon batch.


EDIT: nevermind, my eyes kept glazing over the last bit of your post.

 

[NoisufnoC]

Do you have a Mash/Lauter tun? Or, are you planning on mashing in the keggle? If so that seems like a really big mash vessel for a 5 gallon batch.


EDIT: nevermind, my eyes kept glazing over the last bit of your post.

would a 10 gallon beverage cooler be better suited?

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

would a 10 gallon beverage cooler be better suited?

I started out with a 10 gallon cooler, and it works great for 5 gallon batches. However, if you ever move to 10 gallon batches you'll want to upgrade that MLT to 15-20 gallons. I love my keggle with the SS false bottom, but a more economical option is to grab a Coleman Extreme cooler for cheap and get a ball valve setup from BargainFittings.com. For a chiller, nothing beats making it yourself, whether you prefer a counter-flow chiller or an immersion chiller. Bobby_M has some great guides on how to make both.

 

[NoisufnoC]

I started out with a 10 gallon cooler, and it works great for 5 gallon batches. However, if you ever move to 10 gallon batches you'll want to upgrade that MLT to 15-20 gallons. I love my keggle with the SS false bottom, but a more economical option is to grab a Coleman Extreme cooler for cheap and get a ball valve setup from BargainFittings.com. For a chiller, nothing beats making it yourself, whether you prefer a counter-flow chiller or an immersion chiller. Bobby_M has some great guides on how to make both.

whats the deal with the big round orange coolers? are those 10 gallon? or larger?

edit: I think i saw your 10 gallon cooler in your signature gallery. which is the same as what i'm speaking about above.

so the coleman extreme ones are the big square ones, yeah?

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Yes and yes. The big orange ones are 10 gallons, and cost anywhere from $25-40 depending on the store and time of year. The Colemans which are the rectangular coolers, cost about the same but have almost twice the capacity. If I were to do it again and didn't care to have all vessels match , I'd have bought a larger Coleman.

 

[NoisufnoC]

Yes and yes. The big orange ones are 10 gallons, and cost anywhere from $25-40 depending on the store and time of year. The Colemans which are the rectangular coolers, cost about the same but have almost twice the capacity. If I were to do it again and didn't care to have all vessels match , I'd have bought a larger Coleman.

very cool. i'll look into it. can i still brew 5 gallon batches if i buy the larger coleman cooler?

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

very cool. i'll look into it. can i still brew 5 gallon batches if i buy the larger coleman cooler?

Yes, that will be fine. There are lots of people on here that use the bigger coolers for 5 gallon batches.

 

[mookie1010]

Yes, that will be fine. There are lots of people on here that use the bigger coolers for 5 gallon batches.

Count me as one of them. The only thing that I would recommend with them is to pay very close attention to your mash temps. Originally, I was preheating the cooler with 170*F water, and I was shooting for about 12-15*F above my mash temp with the strike water, but it seems like I need to be at least 18-20*F above my desired mash temp to get it right. I think the round coolers might be a little better about keeping that initial heat because the grist and water are more compact, but that's nothing more than a guess.

Other than that, it holds temp really nicely on 5 gal batches. Be sure to make the same adjustment (should this turn out to be true for you as well) to your sparge water temps. I struggled in the beginning to get the bed up to 168-170 when I'm mashing in the low 150's*.

The nice thing is that practice is fun.

 

[NoisufnoC]

bumping an old thread.

I bought another two kegs for converting into kettles, and a 50qt Coleman extreme that i will use as a mlt for the time being. i'm going to pick up an AG kit from Northern or MoreBeer and give it a shot.

 

[NoisufnoC]

Ordered the AG kit from Northern Brewer today. We shall see how it goes!

 

[Kirbster]

Good Luck!!! I am happy with my rectangular MLT. Although it is not a coleman extreme, it holds the temp very well.