Sister wants to buy me AG equipment...please advise!

[Anthony_Lopez]

The grain mill may be a little overkill at first... until you are buying bulk grains, I dont know that there is much advantage of having a grain mill except that you can control your crush a little better. Both home brew shops around me have an excellent crush already.

If it were me, I'd ditch the grain mill and get a larger pot with a ball valve and thermo welded in... Also, what are you using for a propane burner?

 

[farmbrewernw]

My sister doesn't get me sh!t for my birthday, course I never get her anything either so go figure.

 

[climateboy]

The grain mill may be a little overkill at first... until you are buying bulk grains, I dont know that there is much advantage of having a grain mill except that you can control your crush a little better. Both home brew shops around me have an excellent crush already.

If it were me, I'd ditch the grain mill and get a larger pot with a ball valve and thermo welded in... Also, what are you using for a propane burner?

The trouble is, there are no home brew shops near me, not anywhere near me. The nearest one is a 45 min car ride and I don't have a car. I've been frustrated to not have a mill...it would give me more control over when and what I brew. Now, I feel like, when I order a kit with crushed grains, I have to use it right away. Having a mill will let me mess around and try different things, as well.

I'm okay with using a floating thermometer in the pot...and my gas stove gets hot enough to boil a lot of liquid.

 

[JPicasso]

My LHBS frequently has a broken mill. frequently, meaning 1 or 2 times a year, but if I was exclusively all grain, it would be a real PIA. I have a barley crusher and haven't used it yet! But you gotta spend that birthday money (or sister beer money) when you have it, or it'll go to slushies and beef jerky.

Looks like you got a good setup. Let us know how you it works for you.

 

[kal]

Someone who knows nothing about AG brewing can't really buy you the things you need if you yourself don't know what you want.

While the principles are generally the same, there are a million (slightly) different processes that people follow to to make beer from grain. From simple to complex. None of them are "wrong" - it just depends on what *YOU* want to do.

So I'd recommend you spend a few weeks (months?) first reading about what is AG brewing and what you want *YOUR* brewing process to be.

A good start is the John Palmer book: "How to Brew". You can start with the AG basics here: How to Brew - By John Palmer

Kal

 

[climateboy]

Thanks, Kal. I've done my research. I wasn't expecting her to know what to get me, but how to make best use of her gift.

 

[Revvy]

so climateboy...have you pitched your list to your fabulous sister yet???

 

[D-Boss]

Man, you all must have way more money than I do. 500 bucks?! I went all grain for under $200, you just have to be a little resourceful and have some patience. I have an 8 gal HLT, 42qt picnic cooler MLT, and 15.5 gal keggle. All have valves, sight glasses and thermometers. A cheap Corona mill, a homemade immersion chiller, and a turkey fryer base.

 

[Darwin18]

Man, you all must have way more money than I do. 500 bucks?! I went all grain for under $200, you just have to be a little resourceful and have some patience. I have an 8 gal HLT, 42qt picnic cooler MLT, and 15.5 gal keggle. All have valves, sight glasses and thermometers. A cheap Corona mill, a homemade immersion chiller, and a turkey fryer base.

I agree. I got my MLT at Walmart on sale and purchased the cooler conversion kit from Northern Brewer. I got a 10G pot with a ball valve and built in thermometer for $90 minus shipping on Ebay. I saved easily over a hundred dollars by buying it there instead of through a homebrew shop.

Eventually I'll want to get a turkey fryer and a chiller but even with those purchases I'd want to stay around a $100's. $500's seem's like overkill and you might be spending money on things that you don't really need.

Going all grain shouldn't cost an arm and a leg so long as you bring along some of the equipment you started doing extracts with. One thing that I really recommend getting if you go all grain is BeerSmith. Enter in your recipe, print, and it does all your water calculations for you and keeps everything nice and organized.

 

[kal]

That's the nice thing about all-grain. You can spend $200, $500, or $5000. All up to the person and what they want to get out of it and the kind of setup they want to put together. I don't think $500 is overkill at all as long as you realize why you're spending the money and that cheaper options are available too. $500 doesn't even buy a nice set of stainless pots. Yes, a turkey fryer and a picnic cooler will work too but everyone's different. That's why we have Honda Civic's and Ferrari's. Both will take you from point A to point B but that's not the point now is it?

Kal

 

[climateboy]

so climateboy...have you pitched your list to your fabulous sister yet???

I have indeed pitched it, and, like quality yeast, hope that it will result in great beer.

I did tell her, though, that it was a far bigger gift than I ever would have asked for, and broke it into two rational stages:

1) I'd love to have a grain mill around, as the LHBS is so far away, and even if she doesn't get me the AG equipment, it will make the partial mash brews and mini-mashes I've been doing so much easier and convenient. I'd like to buy grains and kits and decide when I want to use them, rather than worrying about the state of crushed grain.

2) the other parts...15 gallon kettle, mash tun, and wort chiller...these go together, and would be fine without the grain mill. Sure, ordering crushed grains is not ideal, but I'll put up with it for the AG kit!

 

[climateboy]

Ladies and gentlemen, she went for all of it. Mill, cooler tun, 15-gal kettle, wort chiller. I am a blessed individual. Get ready for frantic noob-AG e-mails...

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

Not to be an ass, but does your sister need a pool boy?

 

[mmb]

W00T!

I'm willing to be a kept man.

 

[climateboy]

Sorry, boys, but you need 34 years' worth of indian burns to qualify...

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Ladies and gentlemen, she went for all of it. Mill, cooler tun, 15-gal kettle, wort chiller. I am a blessed individual. Get ready for frantic noob-AG e-mails...

Sweet!! Congrats