My Craigslist Starter Kit

[popester]

Just scored this guy tonight:

-2x 6 gallon carboys
-2x 5 gallon carboys
-Bottling Bucket
-15 gallon boiling keg
-Stand capper
-3x boxes of 22oz bottles
-10x boxes of 12oz bottles (2.5 of which have beer in them from like 2 years ago...)
-A ton of misc stuff: thermometers, hydrometers, blow offs, caps, etc.

All for $150. Unfortunately I don't have a good place to really brew 15 gallons at a time, which means I'm sticking with extracts for now...

A question: the guy had a huge amount of bottling sugar that he also threw in and said it was probably 5+ years old. Can/should I use this or would it be better to buy fresh stuff? There was one batch in a ziplock bag and another batch in what looked like a completely sealed, new in pouch, type of setup. Thoughts?

 

[Hodawg]

Sounds like a hell of a score there, popester! As for the priming sugar, I'd toss it. I've personally botched 3 batches using old ingredients, especially old priming sugar. You'd hate to go through all the effort of brewing, bottling, and waiting just to find out a month or so later that the sugar was dead. Keep to the freshest ingredients possible and you'll have better chances of success.
Beers,
Ken

 

[MikeG]

Nice find! As for that sugar I'd say toss it. It's pretty cheap and not worth any risk ruining a batch of beer.

 

[joety]

Nice score, that will definitely get you started. That closet reminds me of my first brewery in the apartment 20 years ago or so.

All for $150. Unfortunately I don't have a good place to really brew 15 gallons at a time, which means I'm sticking with extracts for now...

Well, you can't brew 15 gallons in a 15.5 gallon keg anyway. You need headspace and extra volume for boil-off. It will get you to 10 gallon batches, however and it will obviously do five gallon batches just fine. You'll find a better result doing full boils (and you'll use roughly 20% less hops) with extracts as well if you scrounge up a turkey fryer and brew on the patio.

 

[popester]

Yea, unfortunately I don't have a patio either I might be buying a condo soon, and everyone I visit I've been thinking about where and how I could brew most efficiently

I'll toss the sugar. It also came with a thing of irish moss, about the same age, I suppose I'll toss that too.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[jajabee]

Man that is one heck of a score!

 

[Powchekny]

That's a great deal. Personally, I'd keep the bottling sugar, assuming it tastes OK. If it tastes normal, I don't see what could be wrong with it. It's not like it's a leavening agent or anything like that. Its ability to carbonate your beer comes from the yeast you use, not the sugar itself.

--Pow

 

[Nugu]

Don't huck the Irish Moss, that's a non-vital ingredient and boiled anyways - so no chance of it f'ing up anything. It's a fining agent so if it doesn't work you lose nothing.

 

[springer]

Nice score I wouldnt toss the sugar . When I bottled I boiled the water and sugar and let it cool.

 

[Arkador]

I am not a fan of the botteling bucket myself, Use one of the ale pails and a siphon. The spigot on the bottle bucket will get nasty after just a few uses, and is a real apin to clean!

 

[HOP-HEAD]

The spigot on the bottle bucket will get nasty after just a few uses, and is a real apin to clean!

Not sure what you're talking about? A bottling bucket with spigot is 10 times less trouble than a siphon, and if soaked in oxy periodically, the spigot itself is as easy to clean as anything else....

 

[Figbash]

Craig's List rules! I scored 17 vintage raised letter bottles a while back for 75 cents a piece. They look great filled with home brew.

Sugar doesn't lose anything with age. As long as you are certain it is sugar, it'll be fine. Do not toss the Irish Moss. That stuff is expensive and also has an unlimited shelf life.

Tom

 

[homebrewer_99]

Keep the sugar...as long as there's nothing living or dead in it...

 

[android]

gotta love CL, nice find.