Poll: Which type of a brewer are you?

[DJP00829]

Definitely a little of both - I'm a beer-gear-head at heart, but my budget forces me to be frugal more often than I'd like.

 

[MichaelBrock]

I buy the gear necessary to make better beer. Stir plate, freezer w/ temperature control, o2 setup, etc. But I don't mind the process so don't spend money to make things "faster" or easier. So...not frugal, but not a gear head.

 

[Dan]

I'm a little of both. I'm a gearhead on a budget!

This!

 

[CidCitrus]

I try to brew a few batches in between any gear purchases so I don't feel like I'm spending any more than I would on store bought beer, but I definitely shop around a lot for the cheapest equipment. Just recently went all grain for about $250 total (IC, cooler MLT, burner, 11 gallon pot, spigot for pot). And my dad's, who recently started helping me, is more of a gearhead than me and bought me a 15 gallon pot. Ten gallon batches are in the works.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm a gear guy. But I build a lot of my bling (by necessity, electric brewery). So I think I'm a bit of both too. I voted gear guy though. Have fun with the poll.

 

[Tinga]

I find myself often going in different directions with what I want so I am always acquiring gear for everything. But I am always looking for the cheapest way to do it. So I have a lot of cheap gear and even more DIY stuff.

 

[Vernacular]

Those that die with the most equipment, win.

frugal...

Frosted my cookies to pay for that starter equipt. kit at the HBS. I have bought a few used glass carboys and a WalMart turkey fryer. No I don't have LOT OF EQUIPT. ahhh back in the day we brewed in an open wooden barrel, Friar Tuck taught me how. No one that has tasted my work has spit it out... so it must work for me.

and.... as for winning with the most.... toys... Lifes a bitch then you die... then SWMBO sells all your stuff in a yard sale.

 

[jonmohno]

Fruggals. Although im not frugal with ingredients. I think for the most part its technique more than what you have,athough i havent compared like say pure 02 compared to straining,shaking or aerating-mixing the carboy(im finding periodically shaking every few hours before yeast start working and yeast nutrient to be working nicely though) along with other things i havent spent money on.So i cant say having good equipement is better or not also.

Im a slowly develping gear enthusiast,maybe a dreamer that procrastinates for sake of buying more ingredients instead to make more varieties of beer.I guess i put more $ and effort into "research" when i could be budgeting it for more equipement instead. Thats probably what birthdays and Christmas could be good for.Ha ha. See how i am. They shure would make the perfect gifts,though.

 

[zacjack]

I do love gadgets, but I try to be be frugal (which is much different than "cheap"). I tend to spend money on things that matter.

 

[bmbigda]

most of us, including myself, are frugal gear heads. i buy in bulk, i stalk craigslist for cheap deals, i fabricate my own equipment whenever possible, i sell equipment i no longer use,

that being said, i have a keggle, a 20 gal pot, 2 mash tun coolers, 2 propane burners, 2 chest freezers, a march pump, 4 perlick SS faucets, 2 CO2 tanks, 2 dual body regulators, a plate chiller, a counter pressure filler, a stir plate, many kegs, many flasks, many carboys...and on and on and on.

but its not like i'm impulse buying and swiping my Visa, this is all collected over time, and obsessively finding the best deals possible...thats the norm around this hobby

 

[Stauffbier]

This!

 

[Demon]

Very much a gear enthusiast. With hobbies, I'm either not doing it at all or I'm in 100% and buying the best of everything. There is no middle road for me.

 

[BearPusher]

Well I'm just starting off and don't have much equipment yet, 6 carboys and a couple of buckets. That's going to change as everyday I look at my mini fridge and imagine having my own beer on tap my will grows a little weaker.

Then I figure if I'm going to start kegging I might as well move up to all grain when I get my new place in the summer... man this is one slippery slope! :rockin:

 

[LazyEye]

It depends on how many bills are left to pay so disposable income dictates. If uncle Sam didn't keep my tax return this year I would have definitely converted my magic chef 7.2 freezer to a 6 tap keezer and a conical fermenter.

 

[jonmohno]

Yep,there is a frugal gear enthusiasist in all of us.That being said i thourougly enjoy my beer brewing experience that is evolving/ growing better all the time.And i enjoy them brewing them better every time,usually.

 

[wSelwyn]

I upgrade my gear as I progress (and as my cash alows it). Each time I make the next step, I can definately taste the difference. Going all grain has been the best thus far.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Very much in the middle, but trending towards frugal. I'd prefer to have more equipment but can't afford (or have room to store) more

Same here,

My goal with Equipment is to minimize lifting and bending over, I'll be happy with a Simple 3-Tier someday. Just don't have anywhere to do it right now.

 

[arturo7]

Where's Ralph?

 

[eknee]

I am all about the diy gadgets. I'm finishing my 3 tier stand, I've built a counter pressure bottle filler, stir plate, temp controllers, keezer, fermentation chamber, converted propane burners to NG - including plumbing the NG supply, all within a year. It's been a great ride - and I get to drink great beer from taps in my garage...

 

[Genjin]

Same here,

My goal with Equipment is to minimize lifting and bending over, I'll be happy with a Simple 3-Tier someday. Just don't have anywhere to do it right now.

This is me as well. Slowly building my brewhouse. Started with extract in the kitchen, went to BIAB and partial mash. Just picked up a burner and aluminum pot for full boils and will be building a mash tun in the next month or so. Slow and steady. I have the great fortune of solid ale ferm conditions in my basement, so I don't have to worry about refrigeration at the moment. Starting to run out of space as the bottles and fermenters build up. Certainly nowhere to put the fancy stuff i.e. keezer, lager chamber, and tiered brewing system.

 

[bovineblitz]

I personally think you should have the right tools for the job, including temperature controlled fermentation, efficient chilling, and oxygenation. That said, I don't need or want anything fancy, the manual work is part of the fun to me.

 

[downtown3641]

I personally think you should have the right tools for the job, including temperature controlled fermentation, efficient chilling, and oxygenation. That said, I don't need or want anything fancy, the manual work is part of the fun to me.

Same here regarding the manual work. I feel more involved moving the liquids around myself than I think I would if I had a more expensive system.

I try to keep my equipment costs as low as possible and limited to where I want to go with my brewing. I wanted to go all-grain so I built a mash tun and bought a larger pot. Eventually, I'll want to brew lagers. I'll need to pick up a used freezer and a temperature controller. I just started kegging. Thankfully, the kegging kit was a gift and free aside from having to replace the odd sized stainless steel co2 tank (don't purchase from Monster Brew). I got a fridge for free from a friend. Had most of the equipment not been free, kegging would have waited.

 

[Homercidal]

I enjoy upgrading my equipment to make things easier. But I tend to do it mostly DIY, so I'm frugal that way.

 

[phenry]

I wouldn't say I'm a gear enthusiast, my main set up is a cooler mlt and kettle. But if there's something that will help me brew better beer like a stir plate or grain mill I don't try to find excuses not to purchase it.

 

[Varmintman]

Frugal I suppose but only because I enjoy the process. Something satisfying about taking grain and turning it into beer.

 

[ao125]

I suppose "Frugal". I got just enough gear to do 6gal AG batches and I'm not looking to expand or upgrade until something fails or breaks.

 

[beergolf]

I probably lean more towards the frugal side, but if there are things that are needed to make GOOD beer then I will get them. Things like a stirplate for making starters, temperature controlled fermentation chamber, etc are necessary in my mind. I have made cheap DIY stuff for those things. Something as simple as a cooler and an aquarium heater to keep the temps up for brewing Belgians and Saisons, is cheap but works great. I have a couple of fermentation chambers for cooling. One is a fridge with a temp control, but my other one is a Son of Fermentation chamber that works just fine.

I am pretty handy so if I need something I can usually figure out a way to make it myself.

 

[Fennis]

Frugal. I am sure I could make better beer using a high tech electric system, but I think I make pretty good beer using the BIAB method on an outdoor propane burner and serving it from a keg in a mini-fridge that I converted. I am happy making 5-6gal batches and don't plan on investing a lot more money unless something breaks.

 

[landshark]

Frugal by nature. Slowly working on acquiring fancy stuff, but it'll be a long time coming. I get by.

 

[djt17]

Frugal. Started with Mr Beer, couldn't stand the high prices of their ingredients, soon moved to AG with a bag. Then got a free Coleman Extreme & converted to a cheap Mash Tun (dennybrew.com). All kettles were purchased at close out, grain & hops purchased in bulk. I have an ugly retrofitted corona mill. Heck I even wash dry yeast.