berndawg84
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- Joined
- Sep 29, 2016
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Hello,
Looking for suggestions on what items I should most consider upgrading or getting next.
I do BIAB and have the Wilser bags, a 10 gallon kettle, 50' wort chiller, oxygenation kit, temp control for my fermenter (heating only, no cooling...I use a heat wrap with an Inkbird controller, works perfectly for me) as well as other small things (hydrometer etc.). I currently bottle, would love to get into kegging eventually but hoping to make smaller upgrades first.
I'm curious to see what people think might be worthy new equipment or upgrades to get. Here's some ideas I've had, open to see what people might think are the best equipment upgrades to make "better beer" (I know that's subjective). I've put in bold the ones that seem the most realistic money wise to me in the next few months.
-Refractometer (I've heard mixed things about them, but it does seem easier to use than a hydrometer and it wastes less wort)
-Stir plate setup for yeast starters
-Grain mill (I hear people say this is a vital upgrade! I currently just double crush my grain at the LBHS)
-So I still only have a stovetop setup...I've only been doing 2.5gallon BIAB batches so I don't have to boil too much water. It's hard to get a very vigorous boil though so I should probably get a propane burner setup, that may be more crucial than other things?
-pH meter (Bought some cheap test trips recently...my LBHS says to not worry about pH too much, as I'm in Denver where the water is pretty moderate, but I do hear that accurate pH measurement/adjustment with acids can make a big difference. Most of the cheap meters seem to be of poor quality, so I'm probably looking at about $70-80 for a good one).
-I've avoided getting my water tested by Ward Labs, but I should probably pony up and do that
-Second carboy and temp control setup so I can actually ferment 2 beers at once!
-Extra Fridge (for lagering or cold crashing...this may be high on the list, although I don't really have the space for that now)
-Kegging setup (but cost/space is an issue right now)
-Fancy electric brewing setup, probably a few years off hah
Thanks in advance!
Looking for suggestions on what items I should most consider upgrading or getting next.
I do BIAB and have the Wilser bags, a 10 gallon kettle, 50' wort chiller, oxygenation kit, temp control for my fermenter (heating only, no cooling...I use a heat wrap with an Inkbird controller, works perfectly for me) as well as other small things (hydrometer etc.). I currently bottle, would love to get into kegging eventually but hoping to make smaller upgrades first.
I'm curious to see what people think might be worthy new equipment or upgrades to get. Here's some ideas I've had, open to see what people might think are the best equipment upgrades to make "better beer" (I know that's subjective). I've put in bold the ones that seem the most realistic money wise to me in the next few months.
-Refractometer (I've heard mixed things about them, but it does seem easier to use than a hydrometer and it wastes less wort)
-Stir plate setup for yeast starters
-Grain mill (I hear people say this is a vital upgrade! I currently just double crush my grain at the LBHS)
-So I still only have a stovetop setup...I've only been doing 2.5gallon BIAB batches so I don't have to boil too much water. It's hard to get a very vigorous boil though so I should probably get a propane burner setup, that may be more crucial than other things?
-pH meter (Bought some cheap test trips recently...my LBHS says to not worry about pH too much, as I'm in Denver where the water is pretty moderate, but I do hear that accurate pH measurement/adjustment with acids can make a big difference. Most of the cheap meters seem to be of poor quality, so I'm probably looking at about $70-80 for a good one).
-I've avoided getting my water tested by Ward Labs, but I should probably pony up and do that
-Second carboy and temp control setup so I can actually ferment 2 beers at once!
-Extra Fridge (for lagering or cold crashing...this may be high on the list, although I don't really have the space for that now)
-Kegging setup (but cost/space is an issue right now)
-Fancy electric brewing setup, probably a few years off hah
Thanks in advance!