Poll: Which type of a brewer are you?

[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.

 

[MalFet]

There's an important third option: lazy.

I recently dropped a few hundred bucks on a recirculating RIMS system not because I like having the kit but because it makes some of the tedious parts of brewing easier.

So I guess I'm frugal, but for time and energy, not money.

 

[Kate00]

Frugal. I have an ok all grain setup where I went with the best deals I could find. No tiers, no pumps or anything. I move my liquid by lifting and pouring.

Times are hard, if I can even afford to brew, I spend the cash on ingredients versus gear.

 

[gingerdawg]

I must be a gear head, I have at least 6 or 7-5 gallon paint strainer bags, when I only really need 1!!

 

[DromJohn]

Frugal on equipment, but I'll spend for ingredients.

 

[spokaniac]

Frugal, but a gear enthusiast, so I try to come up with ways to make my own versions of the high tech gear.

 

[PistolsAtDawn]

So I guess I'm frugal, but for time and energy, not money.

Perfect! That's also how I feel about certain aspects of this project. I'm very frugal, trying to get by with what I can, keeping the equipment as DIY and inexpensive as possible, BUT if there's a part of it that I find overly time-intensive or bothersome, then I'll spend the money to improve it.

As an example, I bought an inexpensive submersible fountain pump to pump ice water through my immersion chiller instead of upgrading to a plate chiller. Obviously not too original of an idea, but it certainly seemed to help and >$20 for the pump is worlds better than $80+ for the plate chiller.

 

[pksmitty]

Definitely frugal.. But that's a good thing, because I hate listening to the kids whine about being hungry. They ate yesterday, didn't they?

 

[BillyBock]

GearHead. I like to make things. And I like to make them better than anybody else. Also, after all the investments, I will be able to make good beer for cheap. It will take a couple years to recoup all the costs, but oh well.

 

[corkybstewart]

This analysis is pretty shallow - it tries to pigeonhole an entire spectrum into 2 extremes.

I certainly don't have an automated 20 gallon single tier RIMS system, but I'm anything but frugal when it comes to brewing purchases.

Same here. I do have a homemade 3 tiered setup with a pump, and a stainless conical, but everything else screams "CHEAP"

 

[overdbus]

one leading in to the other ,started of thinkin it would be "cheaper"
well ya right just like every hobby I 've ever had....
i just "need" a few more things and I'll be able to brew really good
beer....

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

def love having the equip. not b/c i want to be bling but i like to work smarter, not harder, and if that means spend a little extra to ultimatly make better beer and have a pretty cool setup while doing it.. i do admire the frugal type that do it with the basics tho. have tasted great beer from there too. i just love brewing!!!

 

[petey_c]

Definitely frugal.. But that's a good thing, because I hate listening to the kids whine about being hungry. They ate yesterday, didn't they?

pk, that was pretty funny.

 

[Farmer_John]

I'm frugal, but frugality is heading the fascination stage of involvement in this hobby.

I find it absolutely fascinating that I can take a pot, throw some water, grain (DME) and hops in a pot on the stove...boil it...then throw it in a cheap plastic pail...forget about it for a few weeks...bottle it...and in a few more weeks have a beverage that in no way resembles the ingredients you started out with.

The fancy stuff is supposed to work to success. How much McGuyvering can you do to have your own success?

Great hobby and I'm not really a big beer drinker...

 

[PistolsAtDawn]

Great hobby and I'm not really a big beer drinker...

 

[Spintab]

LOL

 

[hopcop]

I'd have to say frugal. I'm a DIY guy and made my own chiller and a 10gal Rubbermaid mash tun. I thought that I had some "high tech" equipment now and this is going to make better beer. Well I know there is way more high tech equipment out there and this guy I know had the awesome $10,000 setup (he makes 50 gals a batch). I showed him mine as proud as I could be, he laughed and said good luck trying to make consistent great beer. While I initially was taken back I shook my head and offered him my house IPA. He drank it without saying anything till he was finished. He came up to me, shook my hand and said that was one of the best homebrews he has had in a long time. What's your recipe? I told him $160 ( the cost for my DIY equipment) and luck.

I think it's really in quality ingredients, good attention to a balanced recipe, understanding the brew process and enjoying the hobby. That's what makes great beer, not expensive equipment. This fancy expensive equipment makes the brew day easier to a degree but if you don't know what your doing well its really not going to make better beer. Just my 2 cents.

Cheers

 

[BrutalBrew]

I can understand having all the fancy equipment. But there's something about creating your own setup and making your own tools that is very satisfying. Much like the satisfaction of making your own beer....!!! Ive been in the repair business my all my life , repairing vehicles at dealerships or repair electric/gas fork lifts and lift trucks. ( Im a tattoo artist now , go figure) I would see people that thought they where a better technician because they had snap-on tools. Yes they are better tools than some dollar store crap. But it doesn't mean you cant get the job done and done correctly with a different tool.
The most important tool you could every have was understanding how things work so you can fix it. Good manuals/ electrical diagrams. Thats was most important. Just like brewing, understanding why temps need to be. When to add / when to wait. All the same in some ways. Knowledge is more important than how shinny your kettle is. Now after I get a lot of brewing under my belt im sure I will create new tools to make brewing easier.