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Yakima 728
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You are correct in that you can get a better kettle cheaper near your house. Actually, I usually recommend going to home depot (or a similar store) and buying a turkey frier. Now that the holidays are over, they're usually on sale - you can get a good burner and 30 Qt (7.5 gallon) aluminum kettle for around $40. Just make sure to boil water in the kettle PRIOR to brewing for about an hour, to get a good oxidation layer, and NEVER use the kettle for anything other than brewing beer.

I don't disagree that everything else is pretty similar, so if it saves you $$, it's a good deal.
 
masterfool101 said:
You are correct in that you can get a better kettle cheaper near your house. Actually, I usually recommend going to home depot (or a similar store) and buying a turkey frier. Now that the holidays are over, they're usually on sale - you can get a good burner and 30 Qt (7.5 gallon) aluminum kettle for around $40. Just make sure to boil water in the kettle PRIOR to brewing for about an hour, to get a good oxidation layer, and NEVER use the kettle for anything other than brewing beer.

I don't disagree that everything else is pretty similar, so if it saves you $$, it's a good deal.
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Do you mean just the first time, or everytime I brew a batch. I was under the impression that you have to boil the water to get it to temperature before adding the ingredients to make the wort. I am a newb so I am truly wondering.
 
unionrdr said:
Only the first time,& 30 minutes is fine. And don't clean the oxide layer off,or you'll have to boil it on again.
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So I don't sanitize my brew pot before every batch?

Also, I still have to get the water to like 168 before I add ingredients correct?

Sorry if these questions are dumb, there is just so much info that I am trying to keep it all straight.
 
Just keep the BK clean & the boil will sanitize it for you. Pasteurization happens about 162F,so even 168F for sparge water temp would do it. Steeping between 150-165F is a good,normal range. Otherwise, getting the steeped wort past the hot break on the way up to boiling before adding anything will help a lil.
 
unionrdr said:
I was concidering adding this to my FV's; http://www.midwestsupplies.com/stopper-thermowell.html
Just cut a hole in the plastic FV's lid for the stopper. Radio Shack has a cheap digital probe thermometer I've seen the BBQ Pit Boys use IN the bbq with no ill effects for cheap. Well,the probe & wire part anyway. But it can be kept handy to drop the probe down into the thermowell in each FV for a temp reading. Seems like a better idea to me anyway. What say you??:mug:
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I though of just drilling my FV lid and use a rubber grommet, sanitize my my dial thermometer and stick it through the grommet. I use a swamp cooler to keep temps down.
 
grem135 said:
I though of just drilling my FV lid and use a rubber grommet, sanitize my my dial thermometer and stick it through the grommet. I use a swamp cooler to keep temps down.
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The thermowell comes with the bung needed to install it. Just drill a hole the right size in the center of the lid for the bung the thermowell comes with. I'm thinking a grommet wouldn't be needed for it. But a temp probe dial type has that lil plastic tip on it that'd have to fit through the grommet. Since it's bigger in diameter than the probe wand itself,that kind would leak.
 
My personal recommendation would be to start with this starter kit from Northern Brewer along with their Brewery Essentials Gravity Testing Kit. Their starter kit gives you a better capper. That combo gives you everything you need for about $120ish depending on shipping.($94+ shipping) That gives you about $80 to spend on something like a decent sized pot(or turkey fryer with pot) and possibly a wort chiller.
 
and I wouldn't buy empty bottles. Just force yourself to drink a couple of cases of beer with pry off tops. Not all at once of course and not when you have to drive.
 
BrewKid said:
Ball lock kegs $39.99 (limit two) for today only!!!!
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Wow, thanks for this tip! I just happened to be in the market for kegs. Fate brought me to your post and I picked up two...nice deal! :ban:
 
Just saw that the Bell's site also has 5% off your order through the end of the year. I think that has me sold on it. Gives me a few extra dollars to buy the brew pot and the carboy brush that it is missing. Will also probably pick up some star-san for good measure.
 
Def get the starsan,it's the best! I bought an 8oz bottle of it 2 years ago,& only used about a 1/2" out of it so far. That stuff lasts forever made with distilled water. I also use a jug,funnel,& coffee filters to filter mine after a session. Less cloudy that way.
 
unionrdr said:
Def get the starsan,it's the best! I bought an 8oz bottle of it 2 years ago,& only used about a 1/2" out of it so far. That stuff lasts forever made with distilled water. I also use a jug,funnel,& coffee filters to filter mine after a session. Less cloudy that way.
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How long do you keep a batch of star san?
 
I use a batch for 2 months,occasionally 3. As long as the PH is 3 or lower,it's still good. Cloudiness has nothing to do with the PH. Craigtube did a video on it. A member on here did too.
 
masterfool101 said:
To me, the midwest deal is better bang for your buck . . . but I still think you can do better at a LHBS after shipping costs are added in.
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That's what I thought. The sad thing is that even considering shipping cost, the Midwest kit that I got was $40 cheaper. The LHBS's comparable kit doesn't have a brew kettle, bottles, an ingredient kit...But hey, you get a free ($20 value) how to brew class that you have to drive for an hour and 20 minutes both ways to take. It also has 50% off ($15-20 value) your first ingredient kit and their kits don't come with yeast. Take a look. When I did the math, i ended up saving by paying for shipping.

http://www.greatfermentations.com/Deluxe-Brewing-Kit/productinfo/GF020/
 
doubletapbrewing said:
Do you mean just the first time, or everytime I brew a batch. I was under the impression that you have to boil the water to get it to temperature before adding the ingredients to make the wort. I am a newb so I am truly wondering.
Click to expand...


In case Union didn't make it clear, IF you use an ALUMINUM kettle, you need to boil water in it for a bit (I use 60 mins, he uses 30, which I'm sure is fine) to get an oxide layer PRIOR to brewing your first batch. THIS IS NOT WATER FOR BREWING. You can do this well before brew day. I did it the day I got my kettle, and didn't brew for a week after (damn work! kept me from brewing!!).

Once you do this, you shouldn't ever have to do it again, so long as you clean your pot right after you use it with some PBW (or similar, I never use regular soap on a brew kettle), and make sure (as union noted) to NOT scrub off the oxide layer (you'll be able to tell if you did it . . . there shouldn't be any shiny parts, it should be a dull gray). I just use hot water, PBW, and a terry cloth kitchen towel to clean my kettle. If you do it right after you brew, it's very quick and easy.

You won't have to sanitize your pot again.

Once you brew, THAT Is when you get your water up to 150 - 165 to steep your grains (or whatever you like - I know a couple of brewers who drop the grains in at about 100 degrees, and just take them out when the temp hits 170, which takes their stovetop about 30 mins to reach).
 
vogtenstein222 said:
Would this be worthwhile?
I don't have propane running in my house but if I were to go get a propane tank like for a grill....would that last me a while?
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Brinkmann-30-qt-Turkey-Fryer/202038907
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This is the exact product I use for my brewing. Works like a charm!

I also use a 5lb propane tank (like one that would attach to a grill). You can buy them empty cheap at Costco, then just get them filled, or you can buy a full one from many retailers.
 
masterfool101 said:
This is the exact product I use for my brewing. Works like a charm!

I also use a 5lb propane tank (like one that would attach to a grill). You can buy them empty cheap at Costco, then just get them filled, or you can buy a full one from many retailers.
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I always enjoy it when I read "this is what I use" from experienced brewers!
 
LOL. Don't call me experienced yet . . . I've only been doing this about a year, and I've only got about a dozen brews under my belt . . . so I'm not too far from being a noob myself. I just read a lot, and talk to the owners of my LHBS a lot. I FEEL like I know more than I probably do :)
 
masterfool101 said:
LOL. Don't call me experienced yet . . . I've only been doing this about a year, and I've only got about a dozen brews under my belt . . . so I'm not too far from being a noob myself. I just read a lot, and talk to the owners of my LHBS a lot. I FEEL like I know more than I probably do :)
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I'm still a week or so away from even buying my first setup soooo you're far more experience than I am.
 
masterfool101 said:
This is the exact product I use for my brewing. Works like a charm!

I also use a 5lb propane tank (like one that would attach to a grill). You can buy them empty cheap at Costco, then just get them filled, or you can buy a full one from many retailers.
Click to expand...

Im going to go ahead and piggyback on this thread.

For Homebrewing purposes is there any difference because a turkey fryer setup, and just buying a SS pot and propane burner?

At what point is an electric (coil) stove not going to cut it for homebrewing?

I just got the Midwest supplies starter kit for Christmas. So obviously I need a pot to brew with, and was just trying to sort out which way to go.
(pot and stove vs turkey fryer vs pot and burner)

Thanks!!
 
I've done full boils on the stove and I prefer the propane burner much better. Just get the turkey fryer setup, it will have the burner and a good aluminum pot.

Stove top just doesn't quite throw enough heat out for my likings. Plus the propane burner is MUCH faster.
 
What is the general recommendation between oxygen barrier or standard caps? Is one truly better than the other? If so, why?
 
I've used both but the reason why I quit using the 02 barrier caps were because you still have to sanitize them, and when you dunk e'm in the sanitizer they lose a lot of effectiveness.
 
The biggest difference you will note will be the time.

When I was boiling only 3 gallons in a 4 gallon pot on my stovetop, it was taking me about 45 minutes to achieve boil (I have a gas stove, with an 18,000 BTU burner).

When I borrowed a 5.5 gallon pot from a friend, and tried to do 4.5 gallons on my stovetop, it was almost 70 minutes to get to a boil, and I never felt like I had a "good" boil . . . it seemed weak.

So when I wanted to upgrade my own pot, I spoke to my LHBS, and they recommended a turkey frier, because it's (a) cheap (b) has a 7.5 gallon kettle, and (c) 45,000 BTU's. I can bring the 5.5 gallons I use for brewing to a boil in under 30 minutes (obviously, I take longer due to steeping grains, etc.)

I see nothing wrong with buying a good SS pot and propane burner . .. in some respects, as long as you've got the BTUs you need to boil quickly, it might be a better option. SS is certainly more forgiving than aluminum, and easier to clean. However, it will probably cost you more than the turkey frier. I was concerned about cost, and was able to pick up the turkey frier for only $40 at Home Depot. A decent SS pot alone would have cost me more than that . . .
 
vogtenstein222 said:
What is the general recommendation between oxygen barrier or standard caps? Is one truly better than the other? If so, why?
Click to expand...

I have heard, but can not confirm, that the only time you truly need an oxygen barrier cap is when you're doing LONG bottle conditioning (meaning over 6 months). This is generally only done with a few brew styles (such as Belgian Tripple).
 
Okay so I keep seeing never use it for anything but beer after you use it for that once, but what if say, my wife's folks had one they used this year at thanksgiving for turkey and are willing to GIVE me free, would I be okay to do that if I boil the hell out of it, or should I just spend the money on brand spankin new?
 
masterfool101 said:
I have heard, but can not confirm, that the only time you truly need an oxygen barrier cap is when you're doing LONG bottle conditioning (meaning over 6 months). This is generally only done with a few brew styles (such as Belgian Tripple).
Click to expand...

Thanks I'm generally seein the o2 barriers aren't truly worth the extra 4 a bag or so.
 
vogtenstein222 said:
Okay so I keep seeing never use it for anything but beer after you use it for that once, but what if say, my wife's folks had one they used this year at thanksgiving for turkey and are willing to GIVE me free, would I be okay to do that if I boil the hell out of it, or should I just spend the money on brand spankin new?
Click to expand...

When you set up the aluminum pot for brewing you boil water in it to make a thicker oxide layer to avoid a metallic flavor to your beer so if you wanted to use it for something else you would scour that layer off and when you wanted to make beer again you would have to boil water to reestablish the oxide layer. That's the main reason not to go from beer to something else.

If you are given a turkey fryer pot you need to clean it well to get all the oil off (oil will kill the head on your beer) and then boil water in it before using it for beer. No problem, just takes some cleaning.
 
vogtenstein222 said:
Okay so I keep seeing never use it for anything but beer after you use it for that once, but what if say, my wife's folks had one they used this year at thanksgiving for turkey and are willing to GIVE me free, would I be okay to do that if I boil the hell out of it, or should I just spend the money on brand spankin new?
Click to expand...

Buy it new. My understanding of aluminum pots is thus: If it's been used for frying a turkey, it's not good for beer anymore. This is because aluminum is more porous than SS, so it's basically impossible to get the oil out of the pot once it's used to fry something. I guess you could try long term boiling with some PBW, but why risk it when it's so cheap to get a new one.

That being said, maybe you can just buy the pot, if they have the burner and propane tank . . . you could probably invest in a good 30 quart stainless pot (make sure it fits the frier!) for the same cost as the complete setup!
 
RM-MN said:
If you are given a turkey fryer pot you need to clean it well to get all the oil off (oil will kill the head on your beer) and then boil water in it before using it for beer. No problem, just takes some cleaning.
Click to expand...

This might be viable . . . what would you use for cleaning? . . . it would have to be high temperature, or very heavy duty . . . A long term soak with many cleansers is likely to cause pitting in aluminum . . .
 
masterfool101 said:
This might be viable . . . what would you use for cleaning? . . . it would have to be high temperature, or very heavy duty . . . A long term soak with many cleansers is likely to cause pitting in aluminum . . .
Click to expand...

At that rate would I fare well to do a longer term clean on SS? They have a 7.5 gallon SS pot with a stand with 45,000 BTUs that they've only used once and cleaned thoroughly right after use. It's just hard to pass that up if it's doable, but I'm still not against just buying a new pot and taking the burner off their hands, money saved though yknow?
 
masterfool101 said:
This might be viable . . . what would you use for cleaning? . . . it would have to be high temperature, or very heavy duty . . . A long term soak with many cleansers is likely to cause pitting in aluminum . . .
Click to expand...

I did a long term soak of water and Star San in my aluminum pot and had no pitting..
 

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