Kit buying advice?

[ericfine50]

Good Evening,

Looking at buying everything to start my first BIAB session (if all goes well). Trying to figure out the best way to do it. Here is what I am thinking:

1. Pot - MegaPot 1.2 10 Gallon w. Temp Gauge and Ball Valve
2. Fermentor -Speidel Plastic Fermenter - 30L (7.9 gal)
3. Basic Starter Kit from Northern Brew.
4. Banjo Burner
5. Brass wort chiller

Thoughts?

 

[Thejbj13]

Get a hydrometer. They're like 8 bucks at your LHBS (local home brew store). It'll help you track the progress of your beer, let you know when it's time to bottle and the ABV

 

[mrgrimm101]

Are you new to homebrewing, or are you just upgrading to BIAB?

If this is the first kit you've purchased, I would recommend that you make sure it has a hydrometer, thermometer, autosiphon, hoses/tubing, and bottle wand. Also some sanitizer AND cleanser..I would say don't get the 1 step 2in1 cleanser/sanitizer.

 

[ericfine50]

Brand new to Homebrewing.

 

[mrgrimm101]

Gotcha. Well from what I read, BIAB is a very good way to go.

You may not need another thermometer if your kettle has one on it, but it's not a bad idea to get an extra. Good call on getting that awesome kettle and not starting with an economy kettle..it should make your setup pretty easy.

My advice, for what it's worth, would be to get into good cleaning and sanitizing habits.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

[aryoung1980]

You'll need a nylon bag to hold your grain in since you're doing BIAB. I do not believe the NB starter kits come with one.

 

[Gavin C]

Order 2 extra pounds of your base malt. NB will only do a single crush at their standard setting. They crush huge quantities and don't change gap settings for BIABers which is fair enough.

For a first batch at a regular crush you may come up short on your SG. I certainly did.

A digital thermometer is very useful

The Megapot is great. I love using mine. Never have to think about a boil-over again.

Best of luck with the brew. Hope it goes well

Edit: BIAB bag. ( I got two from NB and use both at once). Sorry I didn't get one from Wilserbrew, his bag setups have rave reviews). I have no problems with mine however.

From a neat point of view, a box of latex gloves. Clean hands during the bag squeeze (if you do one) is nice. Far from essential though

 

[ericfine50]

I would need to get one from my homebrew store. They have a few.

 

[mrgrimm101]

You'll need a nylon bag to hold your grain in since you're doing BIAB. I do not believe the NB starter kits come with one.

Yes you will need the bag. I have seen BIAB upgrade kits at my LHBS and they are available at different sources online. I'm pretty sure there is an actual brewinabag.com that has good bags too.

 

[Gavin C]

One more thought.

Price the MegaPot without the valve and thermometer and get one with just the holes added. You can get the same valve setup or something better via bargainfittings.com perhaps saving a few $$. Either way you need to assemble it yourself. I was sorry I didn't do this as I rigged up a simple diptube. Works really well

I love NB stuff and love Bargainfittings.com. Highly recommend both

 

[BrewerBrad82]

Good call on the MegaPot 1.2. I have a few of the 30 gallon ones and I absolutely love them. For a BIAB bag, I have had great luck with these:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewmaster-filter-bag-214-214.html

They are roughly 2ft x 2ft. I would recommend getting at least two of them, I once got one of mine caught on the thermometer probe when I was pulling the bag out and it ripped. Could have been that the bag had been used dozens of times though.

Welcome to the best hobby on planet Earth!

 

[k1ngl1ves]

This was my first kit. I still use some of the stuff in it. All around a great value for beginners:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BU7CVM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


I'd recommend buying a cheap aluminum pot, just in case you don't really enjoy the hobby. Maybe start with an 8g turkey fryer pot/burner kit (+/- &50). That's what I did, and I still use it on occasion. I have a soft spot for nostalgia. Just be gentle when cleaning it. There's plenty you can read on this site about conditioning the aluminum for use.


Search craigslist and the "for sale" section on this site too for some great deals! Try not to spend too much money at first, or you'll end up buying things you'll never use or isn't practical for your setup. (I'm looking at you chugger pump and plate chiller)



I went cheaper and spent countless hours searching cl and here for deals to upgrade my equipment. Actually, I'm still always searching. I bought stuff here today! Lol!

Being frugal in finding equipment helped me get into kegging quickly, which probably saved my hobby (I hate bottling). Kegging is where the money really starts to disappear. Luckily, there's deals everywhere as long as you're constantly looking.


Also, get a hydrometer. Actually, get two. You're gonna break one... guaranteed! An auto-siphon is a great, cheap investment as well. Instead of a wine thief, just buy a long turkey baster. They're cheap, easy to clean, and don't break like glass.


That's it! Tons of info that doesn't even really apply to your question!!!


Oh... and Northern Brewer is pretty much a ripoff on most of their stuff. Try www.homebrewing.org and www.ritebrew.com and definitely use www.bargainfittings.com for odds and ends.

 

[ericfine50]

Thanks guys.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

This guy has great priced biab items and is a hbt member:

http://biabbags.webs.com/apps/webstore/

 

[Gavin C]

I would not classify NB as a rip off and I will say that their customer service is outstanding. True some of their bigger ticket items are priced lower elsewhere but I find most of their stuff to be very competitively priced.

I shop around much more now than I did initially. Got quite a bit of stuff from NB and it has all been top notch with the exception of the pointless plastic 3 piece wine thief. No big deal. I use a SS turkey baster now.

I have a chugger pump from AIH. Love it
I have a Dudadiesel plate chiller. Works great.

Neither of these are essential to starting out. Just items I wanted later on when refining my setup. Same goes for my O2 wand.

Save the cash on the extra doodads and get a chest freezer with STC1000 if you can afford it and have the space.

 

[youngdh]

Order 2 extra pounds of your base malt. NB will only do a single crush at their standard setting. They crush huge quantities and don't change gap settings for BIABers which is fair enough.

For a first batch at a regular crush you may come up short on your SG. I certainly did.

A digital thermometer is very useful

The Megapot is great. I love using mine. Never have to think about a boil-over again.

Best of luck with the brew. Hope it goes well

Edit: BIAB bag. ( I got two from NB and use both at once). Sorry I didn't get one from Wilserbrew, his bag setups have rave reviews). I have no problems with mine however.

From a neat point of view, a box of latex gloves. Clean hands during the bag squeeze (if you do one) is nice. Far from essential though

I do BIAB and have used NB crushes and I've double crushed myself at my LHBS (just opened this year) and haven't seen very much difference in efficiency (hitting target SG) between the two all other parameters remaining constant. The biggest increase I got in my mash efficiency was managing my pH. You can also increase your mash time from 60 to 90 min. Squeezing your bag helps eek out an extra point or two in efficiency.

 

[ericfine50]

Thank you everyone for all of your help and advice. Went with a Big Mouth Bubble Kit and my buddy (Co-Brewer) is making a Keggle and has the burner. BIAB items are coming from the Local Home Brew Store and I just ordered (and already shipped) a BIAB Bag from a forum sponsor!

Thank you all!

 

[Gavin C]

Great stuff Eric. Hope brew day goes smoothly for you. Keep us posted on the results. Cheers

 

[ericfine50]

Will keep you all in the loop. Keggle search continues ...

 

[wilserbrewer]

Will keep you all in the loop. Keggle search continues ...

JMO, I would suggest a 15-20 gallon kettle over a keggle. Sure it is a few dollars more, I just feel it will serve you better over the long haul. Many who choose a keggle, eventually end up replacing with a kettle for several reasons....
JMO, no disrespect to keggle lovers.

 

[ericfine50]

Thanks for the advice. Will let you know how it turns out.