Spend my $400 on upgrades!

[cannman]

I won a big bet this weekend at work regarding a monday night football pool (shhh) and I want to use the new budgeted money to upgrade my brew system. What I have is below, lets come up with some ideas!

FYI I bottle and BIAB.

Kettles:
16 gal SS w/ball valve, thermometer, SS anti trub filter, ss false bottom
7 gal Aluminum w false bottom

30,000 btu dual ring propane burner

Carboys:
6 gal glass
5 gal glass
7 gal fastferment conical *coming soon*
3 gal food grade bucket w lid x 2

6.5 plastic bottle bucket with lid to make into fermenter if needed

Copper coil wort chiller
400 GPH water pump for ice recirculation

Bottle tree

wing and bench capper

Fermentation Chamber (mini fridge) controlled via STC-1000

Grain mill *hand crank*

Thanks for your help!

 

[PJM]

How about a fermentation chamber?

 

[cannman]

How about a fermentation chamber?

lol got that, I just edited the list. Thank you!

 

[antony]

am I the only one that thinks you should move to kegging now? Score an affordable (free) fridge & your in business for that $400.

I just started kegging & I like it much much much more.

 

[cannman]

am I the only one that thinks you should move to kegging now? Score an affordable (free) fridge & your in business for that $400.

I just started kegging & I like it much much much more.

I still have my old fridge from my bachelor pad back before I got married stuffed in the back of my storage unit. But where does one keep a spare fridge?? Space is very tight.

Maybe stock up on the equipment, convert, and keep her at the ready for the moment we move? *this will be about 3 years*

 

[FiddlersGreen87]

**** that Monday Night Football game.

 

[Zepth]

That's about what I spent on my initial kegging setup. Chest freezer, 2 kegs, regulator, picnic taps, co2 tank. Nothing terribly fancy, but a good start. I've since added additional kegs. Next upgrade is a tower and faucets. Then either collar and another tower (total 4 taps), or permanently motorizing mill.

Why? Why is there always something else to spend money on?

 

[ThomasPaine]

+1 on kegging. If kegging isn't an option you may think about going electric to save on propane. Do you have a stir plate? More copper to cut down that cooling time would be good too. Don't forget about a grain mill

 

[antony]

I still have my old fridge from my bachelor pad back before I got married stuffed in the back of my storage unit. But where does one keep a spare fridge?? Space is very tight.

Maybe stock up on the equipment, convert, and keep her at the ready for the moment we move? *this will be about 3 years*

eek, 3 years is a long time. I have mine in the garage next to my fermenter. It's an upright & only holds two kegs but I love it now. If you can get creative with space kegging gets my vote. It beats the hell out of bottling imho.

 

[cannman]

+1 on kegging. If kegging isn't an option you may think about going electric to save on propane. Do you have a stir plate? More copper to cut down that cooling time would be good too. Don't forget about a grain mill

Stir plate as in for yeast culture?

I was thinking about getting into yeast harvesting and keeping strains alive etc. I used to keep a sourdough starter that required similar work...

Oh, stir plate, no not yet, but I do plan on building one very soon if I move forward with yeast. A+

 

[Cyclman]

Stir plate and oxygen injector for sure. Save $ on yeast, much better fermentations in my experience. A good thermometer like a thermapen is nice.

A mill might increase efficiency and allow you to save $ on bags of grain (you can mill pretty fine for BIAB). I have lots of carboys, do full batches, 1/2 batches, wine, mead, wood aged.

Then, kegging equipment. I don't have that as a high priority as it doesn't make your beer noticeably better, but it is a wonderful convenience.

 

[cannman]

Stir plate and oxygen injector for sure. Save $ on yeast, much better fermentations in my experience. A good thermometer like a thermapen is nice.

A mill might increase efficiency and allow you to save $ on bags of grain (you can mill pretty fine for BIAB). I have lots of carboys, do full batches, 1/2 batches, wine, mead, wood aged.

Then, kegging equipment. I don't have that as a high priority as it doesn't make your beer noticeably better, but it is a wonderful convenience.

*Hand crank mill added to the HAVE list*

Oxygen injector???

 

[Cyclman]

*Hand crank mill added to the HAVE list*

Oxygen injector???

Something like this: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WILLIAMS-2-MICRON-OXYGEN-AERATION-SYSTEM-P699.aspx

 

[cannman]

Something like this: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/WILLIAMS-2-MICRON-OXYGEN-AERATION-SYSTEM-P699.aspx

Wow love it!

I used to aerate by pouring my batch back and forth between a bottling bucket and the kettle... wow. I'll never have to do that again!? :rockin:

Only $350 to go!

 

[Cyclman]

Wow love it!

I used to aerate by pouring my batch back and forth between a bottling bucket and the kettle... wow. I'll never have to do that again!? :rockin:

Only $350 to go!

Thought of another great item that makes life much easier, a keg washer:

my video wouldn't load, but it is a sump pump in a bucket, with a copper pipe drilled with holes. There are several "how tos" for them.

 

[cannman]

Thought of another great item that makes life much easier, a keg washer:

my video wouldn't load, but it is a sump pump in a bucket, with a copper pipe drilled with holes. There are several "how tos" for them.

A keg washer for me would be a carboy washer. What I need is a 12+ port bottle sanitize. DIY coming up! (*maybe*)

 

[ThomasPaine]

refractometers are great too. DIY stir plates are very cheap and a great thing for making yeast starters. Once you get into starters, you will never go back.