If you had $ what would you buy next?

[dcrog]

http://lexington.craigslist.org/app/4892558959.html

There's a start, or a finish.

 

[Psylocide]

If I had money, I'll tell you what I'd do.

Go downtown and buy a Mercury or two.

Lord, I'm crazy bout a Mercury.

 

[RandallFlag]

Thanks @dcrog. I might have to text them and see if they can wait until snowmagedon is over.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I am in the ferm temp control camp. I think it is pretty important. That being said, I frequently just match my yeast/style to my basement temp. For instance, in the winters I use pacman ale yeast pretty exclusively, as it does really well at 60-62 degs.

I also don't chill, and have no problem with cold break. I use a conical, so I just dump boiling wort in there, along with a whirlfloc tablet. Next day I dump the cold break. Aside from my first no-chill attempt (forgot whirlfloc) I have no clarity problems.

Stir plates are super handy. You can make one for dirt cheap. Get a speed controlled cooling fan on amazon for 12 bucks, a pack of strong neodymium magnets for another few, and make a little box to put it all in. Good yeast pitching rates has as big an impact as temp. Having a stir plate means less time spent stepping up starters. If you want to do some stronger lagers, that is helpful, as they require a crap ton of yeast.

Some aeration capability is also great. I use pure 02, using a welding tank. All said and done that was about 150 for the tank, regulator, wand/stone, and the 02 refill. A stone with aeration pump also works reasonably well. Both i believe are an improvement over shaking the fermenter.

You could spend the $ to get a water report from ward labs, and the $ on the chemicals needed to treat your water. That is a part of the hobby I'm still looking into, but I'm starting to think its important.

If you are thinking of going AG soon, a mill is really nice. IMHO, the crush at most LHBS's sort of sucks. I have a lot of trouble with consistency, and I'm hoping my new mill will help. Crankandstein 2D comes this weekend I think, super excited.

I have enough capacity to do 10g or even lighter 15g batches, but mostly I just do 5g unless I have a brew buddy who will take home some wort. I like to brew, and mostly its just my wife and I drinking the beer. 5g once a month is enough unless there's something coming up I'm taking a lot of beer to.

 

[btbnl]

As others have pointed out, the answer obviously depends on your circumstances (especially ambient temperature and finances) and the direction you want to go in (wider variety, bigger volume, improved quality).

With a stable 65F basement and a raging thirst, the order of my improvements from the initial kit was:
- full boil (8G kettle, propane burner, immersion chiller): coupled with late addition this dramatically improved my extract batches.
- BIAB (bag): the easiest transition to all grain, and another big improvement in the beer.
- kegging (freezer & stc controller, kegs & fittings): bottling is a pain and a keezer in the basement is just so cool.
- 10G batches (keggle with ball-valve, thermomenter and sight-tube): should have seem this coming and not wasted money on the 8G kettle.
- crude fermentation temperature control (swamp cooler & fermenwrap): basic temperature control for the hottest days and coldest nights.
- multiple batches (3 more carboys, 2 more keggles, 1 more stove, brew-stand build of strut): now I can brew 3 batches and 20 gallons in a brew day that only takes an hour or so longer than a single batch.
- yeast starters (stir plate, erlenmeyer flask): saving money on yeast while ensuring a big enough pitch, can also make an excessive starter and harvest from that rather than post-fermentation.
- no-chill (4 x 6 gallon hpde carboys): in response to the drought, works very well except for the hoppiest beers.
- exact fermentation temperature control (2nd freezer, dual stage stc controller): because even a stable basement isn't at the right temperature all the time.
- oxygenation (oxygen tank & wand/diffusion stone): mostly because I had acquired a helium tank that I could swap for oxygen, though it is nice not to be shaking carboys (especially for BIG beers).
- serving on nitrogen (nitrogen tank & fittings, stout tap): ditto on the second helium tank and gift.

By the end, I'm getting into indulgences rather than necessities but once you get going it's hard to stop thinking about the next bit of kit!

 

[dcrog]

Don't wait too long I might have to drive up there and get it for a spare. LOL

It's bigger than mine and looks nicer too.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Priority list if you want to make better beer:
1) Fermentation temp control (fermentation chamber, dual stage temp controller, heating source, cooling source)
2) Proper water chemistry (Ward Labs report on your water, understanding of water chemistry, a good pH meter, RO or distilled water, mineral/acid additions to water)
3) Proper amount of yeast (stir plate, stir bar, flasks)
4) Good recipes (recipe database here on HBT)
5) Control over carbonation (kegging system)
6) Quality ingredients (ingredients stored properly)

Other stuff, like a bigger BK or brew pumps or a fully automated electric brewery will make brewing easier and more enjoyable, but it won't make better beer.

 

[Psylocide]

Priority list if you want to make better beer:
1) Fermentation temp control (fermentation chamber, dual stage temp controller, heating source, cooling source)
2) Proper water chemistry (Ward Labs report on your water, understanding of water chemistry, a good pH meter, RO or distilled water, mineral/acid additions to water)
3) Proper amount of yeast (stir plate, stir bar, flasks)
4) Good recipes (recipe database here on HBT)
5) Control over carbonation (kegging system)
6) Quality ingredients (ingredients stored properly)

Other stuff, like a bigger BK or brew pumps or a fully automated electric brewery will make brewing easier and more enjoyable, but it won't make better beer.

A bigger BK will make a lot more better beer. I wouldn't limit myself to a 5 gal kettle, which is the reason most people are suggesting that.

I get what you're saying, but it would be silly to hamstring yourself for future batches by going with a 5 gal kettle.

Just IMHO of course, but a larger (2x at least) BK would still be at the top of my list.

 

[LandoLincoln]

It a matter of priorities. Which is more important at this point - better beer or more beer?

 

[Subdivisions]

I'd say the 5 gallon kettle is your big bottleneck at this point. You'll only be able to do small batches or partial boil extracts with it.

Go on wayfair.com and get a 44 quart Stainless pot for $85. You can then go into BIAB if you want and you can use your 5 gallon pot to heat sparge water.

I agree with the others about fermentation temperature. I have a cold basement like you and have to actually heat my fermenters in the winter. Other times of the year I just use a swamp cooler and keep it in the mid 60s (beer temp) pretty easily.

 

[Mirilis]

+1 for fermentation control... remember you don't make beer... the yeast do.

It is your job to keep them happy.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

How about a fun hat to wear while brewing?

 

[1977Brewer]

How about a fun hat to wear while brewing?

A skull hoodie.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/best-homebrew-video-ever-516551/

 

[Mirilis]

i wear a necklace made from my dog tags i wore during my deployment, and an assortment of celebrator goat charms. ... it wards off infection.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

A skull hoodie.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/best-homebrew-video-ever-516551/

holy crap, that made my day.

 

[bbohanon]

Already have my brew shed with e-brewery(Kal-Clone) setup, Duda plate chiller, ventilation hood, grain mill and fermentation freezer as well as a 2 tap kegerator.

If I had the extra cash, I would buy plastic tubs along with bulk grains, and this: http://www.brewershardware.com/FILTER1.html

Other than that, I really dont have too much I want to buy as my system is pretty complete at this point.

 

[RandallFlag]

Sounds like the clear winners are:

• Fermentation Control
• Bigger Brew Kettle
• The Skull Jacket and saying "BOOM" when you add hops

 

[grevengrevs]

A freezer to make a keezer

 

[aprichman]

So much equipment I could still use. Shhh - don't tell my wife!

* Spike Brewing Kettle w/ 2 couplers for a thermometer and 3 piece ball valve - $250
* Bayou Classic SP10 burner - $50
* Jaded Brewing Wasp Immersion Chiller -$55
* A few plastic buckets for fermenting larger batches - $
* Chest Freezer & Temperature Control (fermentation) - $$$$$
* Chest Freezer & Temperature Control & Tap Hardware (kegerator) - $$$$$$$
* Kegs/CO2 tank/Regulator - $$$$$$$$

 

[grrickar]

15 gallon SS conical fermenters

 

[RandallFlag]

15 gallon SS conical fermenters

I wish. Aren't these like outrageously priced? /drool

 

[aprichman]

I wish. Aren't these like outrageously priced? /drool

Stout Tanks out of Portland, OR has some pretty awesome prices for SS conicals.

http://conical-fermenter.com/

http://conical-fermenter.com/12.5-Gallon-Conical-Fermenter-CLONE.html

 

[RandallFlag]

Stout Tanks out of Portland, OR has some pretty awesome prices for SS conicals.

http://conical-fermenter.com/

http://conical-fermenter.com/12.5-Gallon-Conical-Fermenter-CLONE.html

That's actually "reasonable" given some of the SS prices I have seen. Thx for the link.

 

[C-Rider]

If I had the money I'd tare down this 50 year old termite eaten house and build a new one w/a man cave where I could brew all day long. LOL But since I don't have that much I just bought a 6 gallon SS brew pot from COSTCO for $50. It's made in China so I hope it's good steel. Home Depot had Brickman SS pots also 6 gallons for $99. There are made in China too.

 

[xcghgh]

Get a fermentation fridge. Then you can decide if you want to keg or get further into all grain equipment.

 

[gezzanet]

+1 fermentation fridge and brewpi controller.