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A50SNAKE

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hello all, I am a long time wine maker, but now that I have a kegerator, I want to make my own beer now too. I have been looking at the kits on ontariobeerkegs.com but I have some questions.

I would like to keep my expenses as low as possible to start, and slowly build up my equipment, like I did with my wine making.

I already have bottling buckets, glass carboys (3G-6.5G), racking canes, auto-siphone, buon-vino filter...plus I have 5 corny kegs, and my kegerator :) and all the cleaning supplies. I have a propany turkey fryer as well, but I would need a new pot I'm sure (turkey flavored beer??? :drunk:)

I am not sure on the entire home brewing process for beer, I've watched a few videos and read quite a few threads, but what would be my minimalist approach be, to start with, that would still get me a good brew?
 
I would suggest getting a pot much larger then you think, e.g. a 10 gallon pot for a 5 gallon batch.
 
I would say start with extract and look into these kits. Since you have all the other equipment already, all you will need is a new pot.

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Malt_Extract_Beer_Recipe_Kits_Canadian_Homebrew_Supplies_s/101.htm

I would suggest this for a pot, that is a heck of a deal!

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/8_Gallon_Brew_Kettle_p/8-weldless-.htm

o and I guess you will need a chiller as well! this one should work great!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Immersio...112?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6fabef80
 
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Bayou-Classic-8-gallon-Brew-Kettle/7029866/product.html

That's one of the kettles I have. It's worked very well for me.

I bought a second one at the local hardware store. thin bottom, no thermometer, but it did have the spiggot. I added a thermometer later. I use the 2nd one for my HLT.

There may be less expensive kettles, I'm sure there are "better" kettles, but that's what I purchased. 300 bucks and you've got all of the kettles you need. Brew kettle and HLT.

BTW, I brew on an electric stove, in the house, with AC....
 
awesome info all, thanks for all of your help... I REALLY want to get something started, but I want to make sure that I get everything right first.

I just wasn't sure about the process, and how I would cool it down...I don't really want to spend allot on chillers/coolers on top of the kettle...but I know I need a way to heat it, so I know I have to have a keetle, is it possible to cool the wort without the chiller? for a few batches anyways? I just bought all of my kegs and a few other things recently, so I'm trying to space out my purchases.

thanks again everyone.
 
You're in Canada. Wait a couple of weeks, then you can just stick your kettle in a snowbank. :p

Seriously. Fellers do that All. The. Time.

Get a chiller as soon as possible. The next big purchase after that is some form of fermentation temperature control. That's a relatively large expense, but you'll thank your lucky stars you made the leap.

Welcome to the obsession...I mean, hobby! :mug:

Bob
 
If you are only looking to buy a pot then I would suggest buying a small one under 5 gallons and doing extract with specialty grains or partial mash/partial boil. That way you can get some experience with grains and cool the post boil wort with cold top off water. Otherwise, the 8 gallon pot mentioned above is a good deal and you could cool using an ice/snow bath (though it will take a bit longer). If you go that route I would suggest looking into BIAB (brew in a bag).

Honestly, if I were you I would do the later. BIAB allows you to do all grain (which should be your goal eventually) without the extra equipment and imo produces better beer. http://biabrewer.info/
You can also get a chiller for between $60-$100. The 10 plate chiller on OBK is $62, which is a steal. I have the same chiller and it works fine for my 10 gallon batches. Also, Toronto Brewing has good deals comparable to OBK. I occasionally buy from both. You will find any answers you need here. This site has been very helpful to many. If you are looking for extra reading though start here: http://www.howtobrew.com/
 
Keep your eye out for a side by side refrigerator/freezer. They make a great fermenter/Kegerator/w lagering side. Much easier than building ne w/wood/insulation and an old freezer or a mini refridgerator. May not be a problem in Canada though as it is in Hawaii. The fridge side holds 8 cornies and the freezer 2 more... NICE with small foot print (relatively).
High temp hoses was my down fall! Silicone was all discussed as the best solution.... I bought some (very expensive!) and the pumps could suck it down to closed! There is thicker walled and it is terrifically expensive!!! Make design need very little or use braided vinyl available at Home Depot seems to work without flavor and is cheap and available. Others hopefully will chime in on this... The collapse also had nothing to do with stuck mashes, I was just pumping boiling water... waste of boiling time and $$$.
Punching holes in kettles had me worried, too. Wow was it simple and cool. perfect holes using greenlee punches. Beware Conduit sizes are not actual sizes! Can often be purchased on Ebay very cheaply when not in a pretty pouch or green box. I wanted cheap not pretty. Here's one now on ebay... http://www.ebay.com/itm/GREENLEE-7-...958?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item461435dcbe .. will need a cobalt 3/8" drill bit for the pilot hole (also cheap now and then).
Buying parts individually for weldless bulkheads bit of a pain but saves waaaaaay lots when you can get pieces individually. SS Washers hardest to find. silicone washers and grooved nuts pretty easy to find.
B all Valves are unreal variation in price. I found 10 1/2" full port SS for $20. and usually around $8-12 each (full port). They shipped wrong handled ones and reshipped so got 20 for $20! The handles wont work at kettle but can be used in plumbing.
Well that's my experience the tubing is still a bit questionable and I'll wait to see comments here too.
 
I am utterly confused...

LOL....glad I'm not the only one... :drunk:

thanks again everyone, I really do appreciate all the tips and "lessons learned"...please keep them coming.

my burner, for my turkey fryer, isn't really that easy to keep at a steady temp, I don't think...I'll have to experiment with it...to see for sure, but I was wondering, do they do electric burners for home brew? or for something else that us homebrewers can "borrow" for our obsession...er, hobby :D
 
You're in Canada. Wait a couple of weeks, then you can just stick your kettle in a snowbank. :p

Seriously. Fellers do that All. The. Time.

Get a chiller as soon as possible. The next big purchase after that is some form of fermentation temperature control. That's a relatively large expense, but you'll thank your lucky stars you made the leap.

Welcome to the obsession...I mean, hobby! :mug:

Bob

I was actually thinking of a keezer down the road. I have the Danby kegerator now from Costco, so it only has room for 2 cornies...hardly enough, LOL...I have one of cyser and one of SP now, so no room for brew :( the wife thinks, "how much can you drink?"...I said, I just like options... LOL... :cross:

can you use a keezer as a ferm chamber too? or is it too cold in one?
 
I made my first batch with a 3 gallon stock pot, a 5 gallon water jug that i ganked from my office and a balloon. I bottled it in old 2 liter coke bottles and the beer came out great. You can always make due, everything else is just a luxury.
 
I was actually thinking of a keezer down the road. I have the Danby kegerator now from Costco, so it only has room for 2 cornies...hardly enough, LOL...I have one of cyser and one of SP now, so no room for brew :( the wife thinks, "how much can you drink?"...I said, I just like options... LOL... :cross:

can you use a keezer as a ferm chamber too? or is it too cold in one?

Not a keezer, no, as others have noted.

But you can often find perfectly serviceable refrigerators for free or next to nothing on Craigslist. It might not be pretty, but usually it's nothing a can of Krylon can't fix. :D

Add in a good temperature controller like this one and you've got an excellent fermenting chamber.

You can also search HBT for "swamp cooler" for a less-expensive (though less accurate) means of controlling ferment temperature.

I really cannot stress too strongly the need for proper fermentation control. That's the Big Secret to consistently brewing excellent beer.

:mug:

Bob
 
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