New to AG need help.

[TGreen588]

Fellow Homebrewers,

I am interested in getting involved in AG brewing, however I have a few questions before I invest time and money in the equipment. First, How big of a MLT would I need If I want to do 10 gallon batches? Would a standard keg be big enough for 10 gallon batches? Second What is the best way to go as far as wort chillers, Immersion or Counter Flow? I think thats all for now, thanks for your time and expertise!!
Tom

 

[nutcase]

I use a 10 gallon cooler for an MLT and a standard keg as the kettle and i have been fine on 10 gallon batches up to about 1.055 or so. The 10 gallon cooler is great for high gravity 5 gallon batches, but for a high gravity 10 gallon you would probably need a bigger cooler. 10 gallons is fine to boil in the keggle- but I haven't been able to not have a boil over yet with a 10 gallon batch. I like the simplicity of using an immersion chiller. And the IC works really well if you want to leave the cold break behind

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

A 10 gallon MLT is fine for "normal" gravity beers in 10 gallon batches, or high gravity 5 gallon batches. I used to have a 10 gallon cooler, but eventually upgraded to another keggle. It's a bit more expensive, but well worth the extra money IMHO.

A 3 keg setup is what I have and it really does work great for 10 gallon batches. Actually, I do 11 gallon batches so I end up with 10 full gallons of finished product. At 15.5 gallons, normal sanke kegs have plenty of space to keep boilovers from happening.

I've used immersion chillers, and they are nice and simple. However I switched to a counterflow chiller because it is more effective with warmer ground water, and I can cool and rack the beer to fermenter at the same time. People use both kinds, I really think it is a matter of preference. A good 50' immersion chiller would work great, as would a 25' counterflow chiller. Copper is cheap right now, so if you can I would encourage you to DIY!