How's this for an AG setup?

[Tankard]

So I just got back from my local home brew shop and they have a new item for sale.... a whole AG system.

For $249.99, they have the following:

2 10 gallon rubbermaid coolers.

2 "Kewler kit deluxe" kits (all stainless steel)

1 stainless steel false bottom with all the connections

1 sparge arm sprinkler (for fly sparging)

I priced these items and it seems like a decent deal. The 10 gallon rubbermaid coolers run around $40 each, the stainless steel kewler kits are 43.00 each, the false bottom is 43, and the sparge arm is $20.

40+40+43+43+43+20 = $229

I like how everything is stainless and I don't have to worry about brass parts. The only thing that concerns me (other than the price) is that I wouldn't know how to use the second cooler as a hot liquor tank. I was initially planning to convert my keg to a hot liquor tank, but to use this cooler as a HLT I'd have to boil the water in a separate boiler and then dump it in here. To increase temp, I'd have to boil more water and add it in. With a keg I could just put a burner under it.

What do you think?

 

[tgrier]

Dude..go for it..
It sounds like a nice deal.
If you have a good brew pot and a nice burner... do it... if that is what you want...

As to the HLT... I use one pot and heat my water.. transfer to my top cooler... and sparge (fly) with it..It holds the heat awesome.
I got 1 table Costco and the other smaller on top table thing I got at harbor frieght.. for like 12$... easy cheap (low end) 3 tier deal.

Crappy phone pic.. but you get the idea.

 

[Tankard]

The more I think about it, the more I realize that it would be a real PITA to use the second cooler as a hot liquor tank. Even if it could hold the temperature well, my biggest brewpot right now is a 5 gallon stockpot (I will be opening up my 15.5 gallon keg in the near future). I'd have to heat 2 batches of 5 gallon water and transfer it into the HLT.

Seems like it would be easier to just heat up a keg as a HLT. I'm gonna have to study up on how to convert my keg to a keggle.

Nice setup, btw

 

[ScubaSteve]

Don't do it, man! You hit it right on the nose...you only need 1 cooler. FWIW, if you batch sparge you can get a bigger, better, and cheaper cooler. Buy a coleman extreme and put a SS braid in it. Never heard any complaints about that setup. Save your money for a banjo burner, kegging setup, or barley crusher.

 

[jikastew]

Don't do it, man! You hit it right on the nose...you only need 1 cooler. FWIW, if you batch sparge you can get a bigger, better, and cheaper cooler. Buy a coleman extreme and put a SS braid in it. Never heard any complaints about that setup. Save your money for a banjo burner, kegging setup, or barley crusher.

I'll second the Coleman. Just bought a 70Q model and it actually has a trough in the bottom leading to the outlet. It's like they made it for batch sparging with a SS braid.

 

[Yunus]

You can build your own adapters and fittings for about half the cost of a kewler kit.

 

[Tankard]

You can build your own adapters and fittings for about half the cost of a kewler kit.

I've been told that the cost is almost the same if you seek out stainless parts instead of brass.

 

[ScubaSteve]

But....you'll be fine with brass......

 

[springer]

The more I think about it, the more I realize that it would be a real PITA to use the second cooler as a hot liquor tank. Even if it could hold the temperature well, my biggest brewpot right now is a 5 gallon stockpot (I will be opening up my 15.5 gallon keg in the near future). I'd have to heat 2 batches of 5 gallon water and transfer it into the HLT.

Seems like it would be easier to just heat up a keg as a HLT. I'm gonna have to study up on how to convert my keg to a keggle.

Nice setup, btw

why would it be a PITA ?

You will still be heating 10-12 gallons of water to strick temp then you have to heat the water to sparge temp. I heat my strick water and dump it into the MLT. walk away - 45 minutes later I start my sparge water in my keggle dump into the cooler start my sparge (when I do Fly)and walk away again. Unless you insulate the HLT (keggle) then you will have to monitor the temps and adjust the flame so as not to overshot the sparge temp.


here is my set up as of now. I think I am going to just batch sparge in the future so no need for the HLT.

The system you bought sounds good