Just starting all grain. Need equipment suggestions.

[phuff7129]

I have been brewing extract about a year and I have done a couple of partial mashes. I want to make the jump to all grain and need some advice on equipment as I have a limited budget.

I have a SS 4 gallon brew pot now. I have a rubbermaid round 5 gallon mash tun with a SS braid.

I want to get a 10 gallon SS kettle. How important is it to have the ball valve and thermometer? I only have a $300 budget. I have to fit a burner in on this budget and all of the other equipment as well. Is it even possible?

Also can I make a 5 gallon mash tun work? I know if I decide to do big brews it won't work. Then should I look at BIAB or a false bottom and use my 10 gallon kettle to mash?

Do I need a chiller?
Do I need a fly sparge arm?

What is my best bet with a limited budget? What are the must haves vs the like to haves?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[JohnnyO]

You're correct. Your 5 gallon mashtun is going to be small. You should try to find a 10 gallon or more vessel for mashing.

You do not need a fly sparge arm. I imagine you will be batch sparging like most of us do.

You should pick up a chiller, especially if you are going to be doing full boils. Pick up a 50' copper immersin chiller. It's easy to use, and works great.

Also, while you don't need a ball valave and thermometer to get started, they are very helpful. The ball valave moreso than the installed thermometer for moving liquid.

 

[JohnnyO]

Oh, and you may want to change the name of your brewery if you want anyone to actually drink your beer.

lol

 

[jaynik]

I got a kettle, burner and chiller for under $200.
burners are <$50 on amazon. An IC can be had for <$50 on amazon or home made. You can get a kettle for $100 or less. Spike has one with a ball valve for about $130 to your door.

 

[JakeFegely]

I would think it's pretty difficult to make a 5 gallon MLT work. I'd spend $40-50 on a 10 gallon cooler. Hopefully you can use the stainless braid you have.

When I first went to all grain I bought a turkey fryer with 7 gallon kettle. I got by, but I struggled with boil-overs and less than 5 gallon after the boil. I ended up with 50L keg (13.2 gallons) which is much better. Managed to pick that up from a beer distributor for $30. As to fittings, they certainly make things easier, but I suppose you could siphon from the kettle.

I think some type of chiller is very important because you need to cool larger volumes than with extract. For $40-50 you should be able to buy some copper tubing and bend it into a coil. I did that for a while then moved to a plate chiller. The chiller is faster but you'll need a pump , fittings, tubing, etc. You can get by with the coil.

I don't fly sparge, I batch sparge - no extra cost there.

To stay within $300, I think the key how much you spend on the kettle. If you can get a used keg and convert it then I think it's possible.

 

[RM-MN]

I bought a cheap grain mill (grinder, Corona style), a turkey fryer with pot, and a pair of paint strainer bags and started brewing all grain. Total cost under $100. The other $200 in your budget would buy a lot of grains and hops. Search out BIAB on this forum.

 

[bduane]

I got my SS Keg for $30, used an angle grinder to cut a 12" opening in the top, you can buy weldless fitting kits with a thermometer and all for like $50 i believe.

Many party stores will sell you an empty keg for $30. The legality/ethics of this are questionable though, but you can get a nice finished Keggle for about $100.

You can build a 10 gallon rubbermaid mashtun for under $100 as well, or go with the cheaper BIAB method mentioned by others, seems to be a very popular option.

And a $50 propane burner is all you need, i got the Bayou SQ14, has no problem getting 8 gallons of water/wort boiling, im sure it will also have little problems with a full 14-15 either.

I don't have a grain-mill yet, it's not required right away unless you are ready to start buying grain in bulk and keeping a bunch of grain "in stock". I buy my incredient at my LHBS and from brewmasterswarehouse.com, both of which will crush the grains for you.

 

[WeirdPete]

Don't bother with a 5 gal mash tun. It's probably possible to make it work but it'll be a lot of hassle. I only used my 5 gal tun once before I upgraded. I got a 36 qt cooler for $40 that works great.

My other advice is to get an aluminum brew kettle. I got a 8 gal SS kettle, thinking it would be enough, but after dealing with boilovers and working with the little amount of headspace, I upgraded to a 10 gal aluminum kettle that works great (and cost less than half the price of the 8gal SS)

A chiller is useful but not a necessity. Mine cost $30 and took about 20 min to put together. Incredibly easy.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Here's how I did my setup:

Brew keggle:
15.5 gallon half-barrel keg: $30
Thermometer / sight glass combo: $50
Weldless valve / dip tube / connectors: $35

MLT:
12 gallon cooler: $0 (had one)
CPVC manifold: $10
Weldless valve / connectors: $25
Wire probe thermometer (can also be used to monitor chiller exit temps): $20
Sleeping bag to help hold temps: $0 (had one)

HLT:
3 plastic 6-gallon buckets that hold hot water that I heat up in the keggle: $6

Chiller:
counterflow chiller made with 50' of flexible copper tubing, a garden hose and some fittings: $55

Other:
High-temp silicon hose: $50
Propane burner: $45
Propane tank: $0 (had one)
Corona grain mill mounted in a plastic bucket: $55

Total: 381 bucks.

If you're really strapped for cash, look into the Brew In A Bag (BIAB) method. All you need is one pot or keggle and a big voile (mesh) bag and a way to heat the pot / keggle.

I personally would not skimp on the mill. I think being able to mill your own grains is just as important as being able to mash your own wort. I am sure others will disagree with me.

 

[phuff7129]

Thank you all for your input. I think I will definitely get a 10 gallon ss kettle with a ball valve. It looks like I can get one for about $136.00.

I can get a 10 gallon round igloo cooler from walmart for $40 and I can just use by valve and manifold from my 5 gallon.

I found a chiller on craigslist for $45.00

So that leaves me about $80.00 for the rest. I have heard alot about a corona grain mill that is pretty inexpensive. Is it a wast of money? Should I bust the budget and get a better one? I do plan to buy my grain in bulk. The whole reason for doing all grain is better and cheaper beer. My Hope is I can pay for the setup with the savings I will get on ingredients.

Do most of use guys use a scale to weigh your grain or is there a way to guestimate?

Is there anything that I must have to do all grain? Thanks again, you guys are awesome!

 

[CidahMastah]

I would personally shoot for a 15G BK, MT and HLT. This allows you to grow into double batches if you ever want to do a 10G AG batch (I am sure that you will). However that is all going to be dictated by your end goals and brewing personality.

IMO, anything under 10G is too small for all grain (unless you already own it and are going with what you have on hand). It cuts you off at the knees if you go 7.5g, etc. if you ever want to do an imperial, barley wine, etc. You have to watch it like a hawk for boil overs too.

My system is (25G BK: 15G MT: 15G HLT). The only thing I wish I had gotten bigger is The MT, would like a 20G.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I like my Corona grain mill. Sure, a roller mill would be better, but I don't think that the extra cost is worth it if you're just starting out.

Pre-crushed grains only last a couple of weeks and I ended up tossing a lot of grain that went unused, so that's what inspired me to get my own mill.

I use a kitchen scale to measure out the grains in 10-pound increments (or less).

One really good way to save on grains and hops is to buy in bulk via group buys. If you find a local brew club, they often do group buys.

 

[CidahMastah]

I have heard alot about a corona grain mill that is pretty inexpensive. Is it a wast of money?

Absolutely not. I have used one for a long time and so have many others with great success. THe $$ mills are nice, but you can get by with the cheaper mill. I do 11G batches routinely and have given my hell for several years and it is still a rock star. Check this thread out

Do most of use guys use a scale to weigh your grain or is there a way to guestimate?

IMO a scale is absolutely necessary, especially if you want to repeat your brews with any consistency.