how cheap can you make great beer

[Jimbodaman]

I have a friend interested in all grain brewing but like me is a poor college student. Our challenge is to have a complete 5 gal all grain system with just one crisp Benjamin Franklin ($100). So far I have advised him to purchase the following:

Amount Description Where from Total Cost
3 5 gal food grade bucket w/ lids local bakery $3

2 4 gal stock pots Wal-Mart $22

1 Airlock LHBS $2

2 Bottling Spigots LHBS $6

1 Large Strainer Wal-Mart $12

1 48qt. Cooler (mash tun) Wal-Mart $22

6 Misc. Cooler conversion parts Menards $23

6ft. Misc. Tubing LHBS $10

Procedure used is as follows....

 

[Jimbodaman]

1) Split mash water into both pots, since it takes a long time on an electric stove.
2) Mash in converted cooler
3) Batch sparge
4) Collect wort in one of the buckets and/or one of the 4 gal brew pots
5) Collect 6.5 gal of wort and put 3.25 gal in each pot (making sure to mix so both pots have same gravity of wort).
6)Boil each pot on stove
7) split hop additions 50/50.
8) Add 4.5 gal boiled wort to 5 gal bucket w/ blowoff tube (so I lied its not a 5 gal setup but 4.5).

 

[GrogNerd]

I would suggest instead of spending the money on 2 4 gallon pots and buy this 30-quart with a burner

advantages: full boils much quicker than even doubling up on an electric stove

disadvantages: $30 extra to spend over your $100 budget and have to brew outside

even if you go your way, you're still short the ingredients for brewing a batch

 

[Jimbodaman]

I should note I meant "how cheap can you make great All Grain beer"

 

[GrogNerd]

ah!

ditch the strainer, the cooler and the cooler conversion to pay for the turkey fryer + pot, buy some BAGS

you can do BIAB and you should have enough $ leftover for ingredients for a batch

*drops mike* BOOM!

 

[Aristotelian]

If you are after a cheap functional system, ditch the cooler and go with a cheap BIAB setup. Go with one five gallon pot and a pack of paint strainer bags aiming for about 3.5 gallons of wort and mash on the stovetop or in the oven and use the same vessel for the boil once you pull out the grain. That is all you need.

Get your food grade buckets from the grocery store for free. Ask for leftover icing buckets.

Some more things you need:

Digital thermometer
Hydrometer (homebrewsupply has a budget one for $4) & hydrometer test tube
Starsan sanitzer ($8)

 

[Iseneye]

BIAB, BIAB, BIAB.

Assuming he's bottling he'll need bottles, capper, and caps.

 

[Aristotelian]

BIAB, BIAB, BIAB.

Assuming he's bottling he'll need bottles, capper, and caps.

Oh yeah, and a racking cane/siphon. $10.

 

[Jimbodaman]

I did leave out a few essential things, I gave him my old auto siphon (3/8 inch) w/ tube. He will have to get a capper and some caps but we get (plenty) of bottles free from friends. My only issue with BIAB is that you need one large pot, although we could just put the bag of grains in the cooler, drain the cooler with the factory drain. rinse and repeat.

 

[Jimbodaman]

Oh and I gave him an old analog thermometer, cheap and effective. Also the strainer is for separating the hops from the wort, while also pouring through it to aerate... unless anyone has a better (cheaper) way.

 

[Jimbodaman]

ah!

ditch the strainer, the cooler and the cooler conversion to pay for the turkey fryer + pot, buy some BAGS

you can do BIAB and you should have enough $ leftover for ingredients for a batch

*drops mike* BOOM!

Good Idea I think we can ditch the strainer (-$12)and just use paint strainer (+$7) bags to put the hops in, also we'll keep the cooler but not convert it(-$23), just BIABIAC brewinabaginacooler, since it's cheaper than a big brew pot and we want to do as close to 5 gal as possible.