reallllly on the fence !!!!

[Aschecte]

Ok so here's my dillema..... I'm ready to step my brewing game up and I'm not sure where to go with this option #1 10 gallon deluxe all grain brew set up which inludes :

1- 10 gallon cooler MLT with false bottom and valve setup
1- 10 gallon cooler HLT with sparge arm and all tubing w/ valve setup
1- 10 gallon mega pot with thermo and valve setup

or stay doing extract and partial mash and go with

1- 5 gallon deluxe keg system ( I bottle now)

1- 5 gallon keg ( corny )
1- 10 lb co2 tank
1- dual regulator all hoses etc w/ picnic faucet

now heres the deal I want BOTH but can only afford one or the other.
What do you all think is in the long run is best to spend the money on i'm ready for all grain but so damn tired of bottles. Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[arturo7]

All-grain gives you more control of the final product. Kegging offers convenience.

 

[Kaz]

I say get the kegging system and buy a 10 gallon kettle to do all grain brew in a bag. My last 6 batches or so have been BIAB all grain and I've been really satisfied. A 10 gallon kettle will limit you to about a 13lb grain bill, so if you want bigger beers down the road, you may want a larger kettle or pick up the mash cooler later. As far as the kegging, I couldn't be happier with kegging, bottling was a PITA and I've convinced myself that the beers have been better since kegging them too.

 

[onipar]

I guess I'd suggest you go with whatever you're more interested in. Is it more important to you to start kegging, or to start brewing AG?

If you want, you can look at it in terms of money. Getting the AG stuff will help to save money on ingredients for future brews, while getting the keg equipment has the potential of causing you to spend more money (refill the co2 for one).

On the other hand, you could look at it in terms of time. Buying AG stuff will lengthen your brew day while getting keg equipment will shorten your bottling day.

I think I'd personally go AG before getting into kegging, but I'm not really bothered by bottling and I'm very interested in brewing AG. Just my 2 cent.

 

[Jsmith82]

I would get the keg system, then find the topic in the DIY section of this forum and build your own mash tun from an igloo cooler. It's simple, inexpensive, and works VERY well. Sure you'll have to split boil on your stove top between a couple smaller pots or invest in a larger pot and you'll be cooling your wort in the sink with ice until you buy the cooler, but hey; it works! Moving to AG brewing without investing into a bunch of high end equipment was not as hard as it seemed like it would be in my opinion... And I haven't killed anyone with my beer yet or watched someone spit it across a table, that's always a definite plus.

Have your cake and eat it too! Then pick up the pro setup down the road..

PS>> I'm damn sick of bottling myself (just look at my signature, blech.. over it).

 

[Aschecte]

I guess I'd suggest you go with whatever you're more interested in. Is it more important to you to start kegging, or to start brewing AG?

If you want, you can look at it in terms of money. Getting the AG stuff will help to save money on ingredients for future brews, while getting the keg equipment has the potential of causing you to spend more money (refill the co2 for one).

On the other hand, you could look at it in terms of time. Buying AG stuff will lengthen your brew day while getting keg equipment will shorten your bottling day.

I think I'd personally go AG before getting into kegging, but I'm not really bothered by bottling and I'm very interested in brewing AG. Just my 2 cent.

I'm kinda with you on this I feel AG is more of an investment in my brewing carrier wheras kegging is a convienence. Don't get me wrong bottling is a pain and the waiting associated opposed to force carbonating but it will not help me grow as a brewer in any way. I am still going to give it a few days so not to be impulsive with my purchase though.

p.s. I've read some of your work on your website it's really good and I'm looking foward to your upcoming release.

 

[Germelli1]

All grain. My 5 gallon batches are VERY rarely over $15 for a 15# grain bill. Bottling doesn't bother me at all but I also don't have the space for a keggin set up!

 

[passedpawn]

Go AG. The only reservation I have with your choices is that the kettle isn't sufficient for 10g batches (if that is in your plans). So, if possible, try to upsize that kettle to 15g and you won't have buyer's remorse later.

 

[Germelli1]

Also if you go all grain for 10 gallon batches, you are going to want a 15 gallon pot at the very least!

 

[phenry]

All grain. My beer improved immensely when I made the switch, but YMMV. Kegging is convenience. I just look at bottling as a way to get jacked forearms and wrists from scrubbing out 50 some bottles each time.

 

[CidahMastah]

+1 on go all grain. You will be able to afford the kegging equipment with all the money you will save doing AG batches.

+1 on Passed pawn's comment. Get a 15G kettle at a minimum (20G being perfect).

 

[supermoth]

All grain, and with the money you save on ingredients, kegging system in the near future.

 

[onipar]

I'm kinda with you on this I feel AG is more of an investment in my brewing carrier wheras kegging is a convienence. Don't get me wrong bottling is a pain and the waiting associated opposed to force carbonating but it will not help me grow as a brewer in any way. I am still going to give it a few days so not to be impulsive with my purchase though.

p.s. I've read some of your work on your website it's really good and I'm looking foward to your upcoming release.

Yeah, definitely give it a couple days. i always wait too, after too many impulse buys.

And thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you're liking the stories. I've gotten quite impatient for my novel to come out (it was accepted last year and won't come out till late this year), but luckily I've had a lot of short story releases to distract me. :cross:

Thanks for reading!

 

[chapa]

I agree with going all grain but doing biab or a cheaper route so you might be able to afford both a turkey fryer off craigslist will probably score you a burner and decent size pot for under $50, then all you need is a $5 piece of fabric to make a bag out of, and you're set. Convenience and quality

Of course, you're eventually going to want your own grain mill and immersion chiller also.

I really think the important thing right now is to make the most quality beer possible, which is a reason to go with all-grain, but also includes controlling fermentation temps, proper aeration, and yeast health (starters). You may already have this locked down, but this is where I'm at right now...I've been making good beer, but really need to get my fermentation conditions perfected.

 

[dleonard]

I would go with the kegging option.
I nearly quit brewing because of bottling. For me it takes about 6 hours of brewing to make a 5 gallon batch. It takes about 4 hours of messing around to bottle. (at least for me)
After realizing how easy it was to get a batch kegged, and that you never worry about having a bad bottle I was really happy with my direction. I also used to hear 'but you can't just take a keg to a party'. But yes, I do it all the time, CO2 tank, keg, bags of ice, and trashcan. Also, growlers are a great way to transport your keg beer.
Anyway, once I realized the ease of kegging it really made it worth it to upgrade brewing gear to all grain.
Just my two cents.

 

[Demon]

I went with kegging first. My logic was that if I took the only part of brewing that I hated (bottling) out of the equation I would brew more and skills would improve. I then moved to all grain and love it. With that said, if you piece together both setups with used parts or sale items you may be able to do both. You can get into all grain for less than $100.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Do both. Your kids really don't nee to go to college, its vastly overrated.

 

[Aschecte]

Go AG. The only reservation I have with your choices is that the kettle isn't sufficient for 10g batches (if that is in your plans). So, if possible, try to upsize that kettle to 15g and you won't have buyer's remorse later.

It's hard to say I've been doing 5 gal batches for a long time an I'm pretty comfortable with that but who know's maybe in the future 10 gallon batches may be what I'm in to you are def right though for the $100 extra it's worth bumping up the brew kettle

 

[humann_brewing]

Also if you go all grain for 10 gallon batches, you are going to want a 15 gallon pot at the very least!

yes, waiting for someone to mention that, hard to boil 13+ gallons in a 10 gallon pot

 

[Aschecte]

I say get the kegging system and buy a 10 gallon kettle to do all grain brew in a bag. My last 6 batches or so have been BIAB all grain and I've been really satisfied. A 10 gallon kettle will limit you to about a 13lb grain bill, so if you want bigger beers down the road, you may want a larger kettle or pick up the mash cooler later. As far as the kegging, I couldn't be happier with kegging, bottling was a PITA and I've convinced myself that the beers have been better since kegging them too.

well I kind of know what a BIAB system is but could you please give me a basic rundown of use if it's not to much of a bother. I just don't get how you would sparge the grain without a HLT and a way to catch the runoff in a 3rd vessel.

 

[passedpawn]

well I kind of know what a BIAB system is but could you please give me a basic rundown of use if it's not to much of a bother. I just don't get how you would sparge the grain without a HLT and a way to catch the runoff in a 3rd vessel.

I've never done it (biab), but I think they don't sparge.

 

[Aschecte]

I don't know maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but if you don't sparge your going to leave all those sugars on the grains and won't that effect your effeicency? like I said I have have 0% AG exp. so this all all speculation from reading books trying to get a good foundation.

 

[passedpawn]

I don't know maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but if you don't sparge your going to leave all those sugars on the grains and won't that effect your effeicency? like I said I have have 0% AG exp. so this all all speculation from reading books trying to get a good foundation.

Yes, if you don't sparge efficiency will take a big hit.

 

[wheels4]

You dont need to go overboard with equipment. Im no expert at brewing but I am an expert at saving money. The kegging system is a must. I bought this before I even started brewing. Just the thought of bottling is enough to drive me nuts. I keg and if I want to bring some with me some place then I fill my Tap a Draft system and bring it along. I had the same thoughts and went the cheap route and it has worked out great for me.

I had a 48qt. cooler laying around and made that into a mash/lauter tun. No need for fancy sparge arms ... your just starting out. Get a feel for what your doing then you can upgrade. I made a manifold for the cooler and you can batch or fly sparge. Cost me $30 for the manifold (I had 1/2in. pipe laying around) but you can make it out of pvc cheaper. For the pot I bought an Aluminum 32qt. pot from Walmart for $28. It is listed as a crab steamer online only. Is it the best??? nope. Does it work?? like a charm. I have made 6 brews with it and it is great. I bought 50ft. of 3/8 copper tubing and made my own chiller that also works great. Now being that it is 90 here and my tap water was 80 the last time I brewed I need a prechiller. No problem...get an old discarded heater core or ac condenser to put into a saltwater slush and there is a pre chiller for a few bucks. Mine was pretty much free as I have most things laying around. Water coming out of it was at 48 degrees. I cant wait to try it out the next time I brew. Its up to you but there is a DIY section here and I would go check it out. You really need the kegging system but I bet you could do both .

 

[Aschecte]

Ok so here's the update..... I did some thinking as well as some net searching and #1 found a keg system for $120 cheaper than my normal online hbs . I'll give the place I got it from props it was Midwest supplies ended up dropping $159 for a 5gal ball lock corny keg 5Lb co2 tank all lines and 2 way regulator. I made a 50/50 compromise on the MLT and HLT I bought the MLT 10gal igloo w/ false bottom and conv ball valve assy.for $109 my compromise was to build my HLT ( probably could've done the MLT also but didn't want to chance messing it up) 10 gallon igloo from Home Depot $52 all parts for bulkhead $26 so the HLT was $78 I basically just saved the shipping. So all together I got both for $346 plus freight was $388. I hate to admit it but my other HBS would've charged almost $300 just for the MLT/HLT and $350 for the keg system. Who ever said Homebrewing saves you money lied!!!!

 

[dallasdb]

KEG KEG KEG!!!

Do you realize how much effort it would be to bottle 10 gallons???

Do what I did and Brew in a Bag. I made a BIAB and 5 hop socks for under $10

I just did my first BIAB and the efficiency was PHENOMENAL!!!

 

[Kaz]

Ya, no need to even argue it. People doing BIAB are getting anywhere from 75-90% mash efficiency with no worry of stuck sparges, no waiting for lautering, no need for a HLT or mash tun. I really can't see the point in spending the money on the extra gear other than the need to be 'traditional'.

 

[dallasdb]

Ya, no need to even argue it. People doing BIAB are getting anywhere from 75-90% mash efficiency with no worry of stuck sparges, no waiting for lautering, no need for a HLT or mash tun. I really can't see the point in spending the money on the extra gear other than the need to be 'traditional'.

My first BIAB I got over 90% efficiency. After pulling the bag and letting it drain into the kettle I took a baking rack and squeezed every last drop out of the grains.

I was shocked at how well it worked for my first All-Grain.

Not to mention how much time you save. You save about an hour compared to traditional All-Grain.

 

[CidahMastah]

Not to mention how much time you save. You save about an hour compared to traditional All-Grain.

I started doing BIAB and I think it is great - but how do you figure you save time? Process is the same, except BIAB is in a sparge bag and traditional uses a mash tun. In both cases I did a version of batch sparging (sparge bag in collader and poured sparge water over grains and into the pot to meet preboil volume for BIAB). Both took the same amount of time.

The only real savings is equipment cost (you can get away with only 1 large pot). Luckily, my buddy stepped up to the plate and bought a blingman MT since I already had the BK.


Aschecte
Good choices on the purchase!

You won't regret them.

It is almost frustrating how much the LHBS rip you off. I would buy it all local, if they didn't stick it to me as bad as they often do. Not everything is unfairly priced, but most everything.

 

[Kaz]

I've heard of guys sparging and lautering for over 3 hours using a traditional mash tun. With BIAB, I pull up the bag, let it drain for about 5 mins, press the crap out of it on a grill for about 5 minutes and all this while my burner is going full tilt to get me to boiling. So, based on what I've heard (never used a mash tun myself) I think can be a huge time saver, especially with grains that are prone to getting a mash stuck.