Setting up to brew first all grain

[cohen_fetters]

I'm ready to do my first all grain brew but I am undecided on what equipment I should get. I plan on getting a 10gal igloo for mashing. But I can not decided if I want to get another brew kettle for my sparge or just get another igloo to use as a HLT? Any advice or past experiences would be appreciated

 

[dstockwell]

Undecided and haven't bought anything = BIAB...

 

[spiveyb]

I started with only 1 cooler and 1 kettle. You can use your boil kettle to heat your sparge water while you are collecting your first runnings into a bucket. Once your are done add your sparge water, stir it, let it set 15-30min, and then vorlauf again. Once done put all of your wort back into your boil kettle. This way you can brew now, without a bag, and can then add a second cooler to fly sparge down the line.

I would not get a small kettle for an hlt on a gravity system, the cooler holds heat well and its a pain to have to monitor a metal HLT with either having to build a heat source high or bring back down to heat it.

Good luck

 

[kh54s10]

When I was setting my system up I decided on a Rubbermaid water cooler mash tun. I didn't like the idea of having to pour heated sparge water into a cooler so I soon got two 10 gallon pots and set up a 3 tiered sculpture. The HLT is on a turkey fryer burner, the MT is in the middle and drains into the BK which is on a Bayou Classic SP10 burner. The BK is high enough to drain into a fermenter set on the floor.

I plumbed a water line through a filter and a ball valve across the ceiling of my porch to fill my HLT. The first time I have to lift any liquid is when I take the fermenter down to the basement and my fermentation chamber. And by that time it is cooled.

Another way to go is to use a pump. Heat water in the BK then pump it either to a HLT or straight into the mash tun.

 

[thereverendmaynard]

I think you need to realistically plan out what your end state might be. I was doing 5 gallon extract, but knew I wanted a 3 vessel 20 gallon setup. So all my purchases were geared towards that. What I can say is that there are a fair amount of little purchases along the way that I did not anticipate, and those things can add up. Start a spreadsheet and start adding up all of the things you will need to get to the first brewday. This will help you plan out your purchases and make sure you can get to where you want to $$$ wise.

 

[cohen_fetters]

I am looking to set up a 3 tier sculpture but want to build myself to save some money.

 

[cohen_fetters]

When I was setting my system up I decided on a Rubbermaid water cooler mash tun. I didn't like the idea of having to pour heated sparge water into a cooler so I soon got two 10 gallon pots and set up a 3 tiered sculpture. The HLT is on a turkey fryer burner, the MT is in the middle and drains into the BK which is on a Bayou Classic SP10 burner. The BK is high enough to drain into a fermenter set on the floor.

I plumbed a water line through a filter and a ball valve across the ceiling of my porch to fill my HLT. The first time I have to lift any liquid is when I take the fermenter down to the basement and my fermentation chamber. And by that time it is cooled.

Another way to go is to use a pump. Heat water in the BK then pump it either to a HLT or straight into the mash tun.

this is what i have drawn out in my head. I want to build my 3 tier system and was thinking the same burner up top mash tun in the middle than BK at the bottom. Did you make you own tower or did you buy a 3 tier system. I am just trying to figure out how to mount the burner on the top tier

 

[cohen_fetters]

I think you need to realistically plan out what your end state might be. I was doing 5 gallon extract, but knew I wanted a 3 vessel 20 gallon setup. So all my purchases were geared towards that. What I can say is that there are a fair amount of little purchases along the way that I did not anticipate, and those things can add up. Start a spreadsheet and start adding up all of the things you will need to get to the first brewday. This will help you plan out your purchases and make sure you can get to where you want to $$$ wise.

in the end i want a 3 tier gravity system. I'm leaning towards having to kettles just for the ease and not having to transfer hot water by hand

 

[kh54s10]

This is my stand:

Note the water line to fill the HLT. And the water filter on the wall behind the BK (under the towel). The ball valve is mounted to the wall just out of the picture at the end of the mash paddle handle.

 

[cohen_fetters]

This is my stand:

Note the water line to fill the HLT. And the water filter on the wall behind the BK (under the towel). The ball valve is mounted to the wall just out of the picture at the end of the mash paddle handle.

looks awesome i am leaning towards more of making a tower. I just don't know how to mount the burners

 

[brewcat]

I like having another cooler for my HLT. It controls temperature well. I don't find pouring hot water difficult. It is easier for me than pouring the wort into the fermenter. I also don't have to mess with two burners.