Lurker Getting Started

[NitsujNella]

Hey All! I'm a lurker (i've done tons of reading and still am clueless as to where to begin) that's looking to finally pull the trigger on making my own beer. My first steps have been taken as i've decided to go BIAB :rockin: My question is, since i have absolutely no gear whatsoever, should i start with propane or jump right in to electric? I've got a feeling going propane is cheaper but want your opinions as to what you think the best route for a super beginner is.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Brewing!

 

[TheCADJockey]

I love my new set up using a propane burner and 16 gal. kettle. It really opened up my options, and it got me off the kitchen stove. Working in the kitchen was such a pain being in a small apartment and the stove took over an hour to bring 5 gallons to a boil. If you have the means to get what you want, find out how big the batches are you want to make ideally and buy the right equipment the first time.

 

[cswalker]

It do pens on how deep you wanna dive right in. Imo start off propane as you probably have a grill with propane. Start cheap and build up.

A gentleman came to one of my clubs group brews and was setting up an all electric 3 kettle system. Last I heard he didn't get past the first batch.

 

[Biscuits]

It is all a matter of preference. I use a propane burner because I like to brew out doors and I already have a propane tank for my grill. My question to you:

Are you doing 5 gallon batches? If not, what volume? If doing 2.5 gallon batches, or smaller batches in general, I would just use the stove, which is the easiest option for a beginner.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Agreed, I wouldn't start huge and put a ton of money into until you know its what you love... but I also wouldn't start too small. A decent size pot and propane burner is a small investment to make a good amount of beer, conveniently, outdoors.

 

[jekeane]

propane would be cheaper to get started but eventually the cost of propane refills would pay for the electric setup. How long (in years) that would take depends on how often you brew. You can get a good burner like the Bayou Classic SQ14 or SP10 for less than $50 shipped. That is where I would start assuming you are doing 5g batches. If you are doing 2.5-3g batches id just use the stove.

 

[NitsujNella]

It is all a matter of preference. I use a propane burner because I like to brew out doors and I already have a propane tank for my grill. My question to you:

Are you doing 5 gallon batches? If not, what volume? If doing 2.5 gallon batches, or smaller batches in general, I would just use the stove, which is the easiest option for a beginner.

My plan is to do 5 gallon or less. I know i'm going to keg and not bottle so i've got to see what the best route for that is as well. Do you recommend mashing in a cooler or keep it in the pot and just lid it and insulate it?

Agreed, I wouldn't start huge and put a ton of money into until you know its what you love... but I also wouldn't start too small. A decent size pot and propane burner is a small investment to make a good amount of beer, conveniently, outdoors.

If my max size is going to be 5gal with some being in the 2.5gal range, what would be the best sized pot?

 

[Biscuits]

My plan is to do 5 gallon or less. I know i'm going to keg and not bottle so i've got to see what the best route for that is as well. Do you recommend mashing in a cooler or keep it in the pot and just lid it and insulate it?

If cheap is what you're going for, I'd say do it in the pot. Although, you will have to be constantly checking and stirring with this method. This is the method I do because I just scaled down to small 2 gallon batches from 5 and my mashtun is much too large for the smaller batch.

If it will fit in your budget, I'd opt for the cooler. It will make your brew day easier in a few ways. #1 it will hold temperature much better, #2 you won't have to constantly check it and turn the burner on to bring it back up to temp, and #3 it will have a spout which will make transfer to the fermentation bucket much easier.

Just my $0.02

 

[wolves63]

agree with pretty much everyone here. Propane is cheaper to startup, significantly so, electric is more expensive in the beginning, but cheaper over the long haul.

That being said, go propane first because it allows you to see if you are interested in this as a hobby, and personally before upgrade to electric brew several batches, not just 1.

Also, make sure that you do more than 1 batch when determining if you like the hobby or not. It took me a year to decide I really liked it and now I brew anytime I have a spare moment.

 

[TheCADJockey]

If my max size is going to be 5gal with some being in the 2.5gal range, what would be the best sized pot?

Just get something bigger than five gallons. The bigger the better in my opinion, if you are going propane. That will always leave you room to grow and you can get a decent pot to start out with for a price that won't break the bank. You don't need anything fancy. Keep an eye on Amazon, every now and then something will go on sale.

 

[TechyDork]

My plan is to do 5 gallon or less. I know i'm going to keg and not bottle so i've got to see what the best route for that is as well. Do you recommend mashing in a cooler or keep it in the pot and just lid it and insulate it?



If my max size is going to be 5gal with some being in the 2.5gal range, what would be the best sized pot?

I say keep is simple to start. if you are going to do BIAB get a 8-10g pot and a propane burner. I started with an 8g pot and was able to do full boils, being very careful to avoid boil overs, for my 5g batches. a 10g pot may be a little big for your 2.5g batches, but gives you room to grow.

If you want to invest in a cooler with a valve you could put your bag in that and mash. I found that my cooler would hold temps better, but you can also insulate the kettle, or even use very low heat on the burner to maintain temps.

 

[NitsujNella]

Thanks for all the help guys! So kettle with valve, cooler with valve, fermentation contianer and propane burner and I should be good to go!

If i'm thinking correctly, the process would be to heat strike water in kettle, then drain to cooler and dough in and mash for appropriate time. Then drain that back into the kettle to boil. Once boil is done, drain to fermentation container. Hope i'm thinking this through correctly LOL

 

[dkennedy]

Pretty much. I'd add measurement tools (hydrometer, trustworthy thermometer), chilling method, fermentation temperature control, and a notebook to your list. This wonderful hobby can be as spendy as you let it, but you can improve on the basics without breaking the bank (ex. get a tub and make a swamp cooler if you need to keep fermentation temps down). Record keeping and taking the time to learn from my experiments has been huge to dialing in truly great recipes.

Quick plug for Wilser's bags as well- easily the best BIAB bags that I've used, well worth the modest expense to avoid ripping/burning/otherwise destroying the cheaper options.

 

[NitsujNella]

Thanks @dkennedy! Yeah, i plan on getting one of Wilser's bags as they seem to be top notch! I've got a spare chest freezer so i'm looking at getting an STC-1000 to convert it to my fermentation chamber. Have a thermapen as my thermometer so just need to get a hydrometer or refract!

 

[Biscuits]

Also, don't forget sanitizer!

 

[NitsujNella]

Thanks @Biscuits!! Can't forget the star-san!

 

[TexasWine]

I will disagree with the guidance provided by several folks here. Don't get a cooler for mashing. In my opinion it's a waste of money. Instead insulate the kettle and mash in it.

After you dough in, stir a few more times then check the temp 5-10 minutes later. There's no need to be constantly opening the lid, stirring, checking temps, stirring, checking temp, on and on. Every time you lift that lid you're letting out heat, so it's no wonder some folks have a hard time maintaining temps when using a kettle for mashing.

It's way easier to just dough in and let it sit.

If I were getting started over again from scratch, I'd buy the 10 gallon aluminum pot from staples.com for $30, a wilserbrewer bag, and just do stove top brewing. If I had some extra coin I'd buy a couple of hot rod heat sticks from brewhardware.com to go all electric.

Simple, easy and effective. You'll make great beer with simply a pot and a bag.

 

[doug293cz]

I will disagree with the guidance provided by several folks here. Don't get a cooler for mashing. In my opinion it's a waste of money. Instead insulate the kettle and mash in it.

After you dough in, stir a few more times then check the temp 5-10 minutes later. There's no need to be constantly opening the lid, stirring, checking temps, stirring, checking temp, on and on. Every time you lift that lid you're letting out heat, so it's no wonder some folks have a hard time maintaining temps when using a kettle for mashing.

It's way easier to just dough in and let it sit.

If I were getting started over again from scratch, I'd buy the 10 gallon aluminum pot from staples.com for $30, a wilserbrewer bag, and just do stove top brewing. If I had some extra coin I'd buy a couple of hot rod heat sticks from brewhardware.com to go all electric.

Simple, easy and effective. You'll make great beer with simply a pot and a bag.

I agree, skip the cooler. I throw a couple of old bath towels and a winter jacket over my pot w/bag and only lose about 2°F per hour. After dough in, I don't stir again until the end of the mash. And, I don't have to transfer any hot liquids. You can always add a cooler MLT later if you want to, but you certainly don't need it to get started.

If you are sure you don't want more than 5 gal batches, then a 10 gal pot is sufficient.

I'd recommend the Bayou Classic KAB4 burner over either the SQ14 or SP10, although both will work. SQ14 (my first burner) really needs a wind screen, and the SP10 is noisy and a bit of a propane hog. KAB4 costs about $35 more, has a windscreen, and distributes heat over a wider area, so you have to decide if it's worth it to you.

Brew on

 

[NitsujNella]

I will disagree with the guidance provided by several folks here. Don't get a cooler for mashing. In my opinion it's a waste of money. Instead insulate the kettle and mash in it.

After you dough in, stir a few more times then check the temp 5-10 minutes later. There's no need to be constantly opening the lid, stirring, checking temps, stirring, checking temp, on and on. Every time you lift that lid you're letting out heat, so it's no wonder some folks have a hard time maintaining temps when using a kettle for mashing.

It's way easier to just dough in and let it sit.

If I were getting started over again from scratch, I'd buy the 10 gallon aluminum pot from staples.com for $30, a wilserbrewer bag, and just do stove top brewing. If I had some extra coin I'd buy a couple of hot rod heat sticks from brewhardware.com to go all electric.

Simple, easy and effective. You'll make great beer with simply a pot and a bag.

I agree, skip the cooler. I throw a couple of old bath towels and a winter jacket over my pot w/bag and only lose about 2°F per hour. After dough in, I don't stir again until the end of the mash. And, I don't have to transfer any hot liquids. You can always add a cooler MLT later if you want to, but you certainly don't need it to get started.

If you are sure you don't want more than 5 gal batches, then a 10 gal pot is sufficient.

I'd recommend the Bayou Classic KAB4 burner over either the SQ14 or SP10, although both will work. SQ14 (my first burner) really needs a wind screen, and the SP10 is noisy and a bit of a propane hog. KAB4 costs about $35 more, has a windscreen, and distributes heat over a wider area, so you have to decide if it's worth it to you.

Brew on

Thanks for the info guys!! Great stuff!