I blame you all!!!!

[Zymurgrafi]

I was perfectly content with staying extract, but no...

Well, alright, I guess I was not completely content. I found this forum trying to expand the specialty grains available to me. I ended up going partial mash.

Now, I am having so much fun with pm, I am itching to go AG. Curses!!!

It will be a long time 'til I can afford the necessary equipment. AAaargH!

What have you done to me!!!!

 

[Orfy]

It will be a long time 'til I can afford the necessary equipment. AAaargH!

What do you need?

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Bah! $40 and you can go AG... one 9 or 10 gal cooler + some copper tubing.

 

[greg75]

I was perfectly content with staying extract, but no...

Well, alright, I guess I was not completely content. I found this forum trying to expand the specialty grains available to me. I ended up going partial mash.

Now, I am having so much fun with pm, I am itching to go AG. Curses!!!

It will be a long time 'til I can afford the necessary equipment. AAaargH!

What have you done to me!!!!

It actually cost me a lot less than I would have guessed. The single biggest expense was an outdoor cooker, which ran me $65. I got my MLT cooler for $24, SS braid for $6, two weldless spigot fittings for $15 each, a weldless thermometer for $45, immersion chiller for $50, brass ball valve fittings for $8 each, a used sanke keg for $15...

Oh, wait a minute. I guess this cost a little more than I thought! But, I bought the things I needed gradually, over the course of the winter. That way, it didn't seem like I was spending that much! Truth be told, I spent about $300 total, which I don't think is that much for a hobby I love.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

What do you need?

A bigger MLT, A bigger brew pot, a burner, then a chiller, uh, hmmm, not sure after that, but I know there will be more...

I have a 20 quart cheapy pot right now and a 2 gallon mlt and no spending cash for the forseeable future (next 7-8 months or more... )

I guess this is what a junkie must feel like, only I am not ready to commit a crime to get more stuff...

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Had I not found this site, I would never have expanded my horizons past hopped extract kits and the occasional extract + specialty grain recipe.

Browse my posts, threads, and signature links...this site is the devil! Or it's awesome. Or both!

 

[ajf]

May the curse be with you.

 

[sudsmonkey]

With a little creativity you can set up for AG pretty cheaply. Bet I didn't have $20 invested in new gear( other than what I already had from extract brewing) when I made my first AG batch. It made beer! You'd be surprised what you already have on hand, or what your neighbor may have in his garage.

 

[mew]

I went all grain doing small 2.5 gallon batches at no additional cost. I bring my mash up to temp. in my 5 gal. pot on the stove, then put it in the oven preheated to about 150, leave for an hour, transfer to my bucket-in-bucket lauter tun, and finally sparge back into the mash tun pot. Buckets were free. The only drawback is the small batch size, but I like that anyway.

 

[Vermicous]

Switching to all-grain solved all my problems with brewing with extract. It created all new problems, but at least my old ones were solved.

 

[knipknup]

Guilty! Now, get busy and get that equipment! What are you waiting for? Good beer is just a few bucks away!

 

[Grimsawyer]

I found a round cooler at wal mart for 15 bucks. I got a small rubber bung($0.75), an el-cheap-o plastic valve that fit in the bung for 2 bucks at my LHBS then went to lowes for 2 feet of 1/4" copper tubing($2.50). Bent it up really good and cut some slots in the bottom inserted it into the backside of the bung and I have a mash tun for $0.25 over 20 bucks. I am sure I could do up to 7% ish in it abv, but I really put it together to do partial mashes with extract. That same bung copper tubing and valve would work on a 10 gal cooler no prob. you'd still be under 50 bucks for a mash tun! Around here at the scrap yards the 15 gal kegs go for 35 bucks. A 20 pack of small cutting disks and a dremmel and 54-5 paitent hours (yeah, that's how long it took me, but i have a VERY NICE round hole...) and you have a nice brew kettle that will do a full boil and contain, mostly, any hotbreak you can throw at it. You could use your existing brew kettle as a hot liquer tun. Just toss it on the stove and heat your water to the right temp. :rockin:

 

[boo boo]

Switching to all-grain solved all my problems with brewing with extract. It created all new problems, but at least my old ones were solved.

I like that. Says it all.

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

I brewed extract for about 2 years, but now have done my first two AG batches this spring. Am I ever hooked on this now! (at least for the next few weeks until I am able to try my first efforts-- hope they turn out well).

Now my biggest problem is waiting until I drink up some of this stuff. I have about 3 1/2 cases in bottles and all three carboys are full now, so I have no room for another batch until I free up some space.

I just thought of something: that's over 20 gallons of beer? Who's going to drink all that beer!? Oh, wait it forgot-- me!

 

[Zymurgrafi]

Now my biggest problem is waiting until I drink up some of this stuff. I have about 3 1/2 cases in bottles and all three carboys are full now, so I have no room for another batch until I free up some space.

and that is a very tough problem to have???

Well, I figure a larger mashtun is not much of a problem. I can take the parts from my 2 gallon and then I just need a bigger cooler. Like I said though... NO cash.

I do not even have funds for ingredients for a while...

I have one batch of oatmeal stout bottled that should be good and a batch of apa going that hopefully turns out. Then I have the two problem batches that I am not very hopeful of ever improving...

I will definately be running out of beer again in the near future let alone going all grain.

One thing I still have not really learned well. Patience!

 

[joebou4860]

Remember, Craigslist is your friend

 

[Zymurgrafi]

craigslist is only my friend if there is someone giving things away or paying me to come and get it.

 

[BierMuncher]

Tis only a matter of time.

I was doing extracts a few months ago.

I'm on my 9th AG since the new year. I've got 6 cornies (not enough)..a Sanyo that dispenses from two kegs (not enough) and my AG setup that brews 5 gallons (not enough) that cost me next to nothing ($18 cooler and some plumbing from Lowes).

Beg, borrow or steal...but get your AG groove on.

 

[hoplobster]

I admit I didn't quite read through this thread, but check out this link: http://cruisenews.net/brewing/infusion/page1.php

I based my MLT out of that guys simple design, which cost about $30 total, the bulk of which was spent of the cooler. Also, check out http://www.ipass.net/mpdixon/ for some good ideas.

AG is awsome, easy and alot cheaper than you may think.