Upgrade Decisions

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Hey all,

I've brewed about 5 extract batches and slowly become better at it, but its time to upgrade my equipment. I currently do have a fermentation chamber, so I've got that part covered, so now I'm looking at a few other things, but I'd like some opinions from those with more experience. Here is what I'm planning to get:

1. Better quality/larger brew kettle 8/10 gallon.

Now it gets interesting...it either one of these options with the kettle:

a wort chiller OR

a propane burner.

OR get both?? If they're both worth it.

I currently have a gas range in our kitchen we use. I do want to start doing full wort boils, and play with mini mash in the future. If I could only get the wort chiller or the burner..which would you get and why? Which one has a bigger impact on the beer? Is it more important to bring the wort to a boil faster? Or do pitching temp quicker?

Thanks for any advice! I'm sorry if this has been asked before.

 

[Duke145]

What size kettle are you using now? If you can already do full boils for a 5 gallon batch then I would get the chiller, then sooner you get a chiller the sooner you will wish you had gotten one sooner. If you can wait on the kettle you may want to get one for 10 gallon batches down the road.

 

[nettekdl]

What is your batch size? If 5 gallons, the 10 gallon pot is worth it as well as a wort chiller, ice baths suck. I personally like propane because I hate brewing inside because first my burner has a hard time with a full boil but mostly because SWMBO doesn't like the smell in the house for two days and even with my vents on all the way I get condensation on my ceiling. As far which is better I can't answer that because you can do without a wort chiller easily doing no chill or live with ice bath and if you have no issues boiling inside you don't need a burner so I guess what in saying is its up to you which seems more important to you.

 

[brewcat]

You'll need both if you plan on full boils. So get both.

 

[histo320]

Don't do things the way I did them. Instead of slowly stepping up, go bit right away.

8 or 10 gal kettle - YES - allows you to do full boils which in turn will improve the quality of your beer immediately.

I'd start with the burner before the wort chiller. I know its a pain to cool the wort but I used my bathtub with a ton of ice and it worked until I got the wort chiller. The burner allows for a more vigorous boil, plus if you get a bigger kettle it will take even longer for you to get to a boil. Also, if you ever plan to go All Grain you need a couple of big kettles to heat up your mash and sparge water.

 

[daveMN]

I'd put in a vote for the wort chiller. I'm not a fan of carrying a pot full of 40 lbs of boiling wort. It's also a pretty easy DIY project. Put the rest of the money into a 10 gal pot. I bought an 8 gal pot and wish it was bigger every time I brew.

 

[myerstyson]

I bought an 8 gallon kettle with temp probe and with a ball valve. Here's what I wish I'd done:
a) read more here...
b) gotten a 10 gallon kettle. Some long boils I lose more to evap that I wish I could do a 7-gallon boil for my 5-gallon batches;
c) didn't spend the money on the two couplers. I never used the ball valve. I used the temp probe, but it got in the way of stirring; I could just as easily use a dial thermometer.

Wort chiller is wort(h) the money. Bottling tree (you have one already? or do you keg)...I have no idea how I lived w/o one for those first few brews.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Wow this community is awesome. Right now I just have your basic 5 gallon kettle, so I can't do a full boil for a 5 gallon batch. We have a gas range but I didn't know if it's take too long to bring a full wort to boil on it. I guess maybe going big and getting all 3 would be best. I want to go all grain some day, but for now I want to get consistent with extract and partial mash first.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

I'm still bottling btw...but have a chest freezer that I ferment in for now. I want to turn it into a keezer but felt I'd rather spend my money on better quality Homebrew equipment first before I step into keg brews. I don't mind bottling if it's gonna be good beer

 

[RM-MN]

Wow this community is awesome. Right now I just have your basic 5 gallon kettle, so I can't do a full boil for a 5 gallon batch. We have a gas range but I didn't know if it's take too long to bring a full wort to boil on it. I guess maybe going big and getting all 3 would be best. I want to go all grain some day, but for now I want to get consistent with extract and partial mash first.

Tomorrow is "some day". I put off going to all grain way too long because I wanted to get good at extract and didn't want to have to get all that equipment. Then I heard about BIAB and it looked pretty simple so I tried a half size batch in the 5 gallon pot I already had. It took months to go back and make the 2 extract kits I had already bought because the all grain was so easy and more interesting. I never tried a partial mash. Why bother when I could to all grain so easily.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Here is my take:

10 gallon (NOT 8) and the chiller.

Here is my thought process...You may or may not be able to easily achieve a 5-gallon (actually, about 6.5 gallons) boil on a typical gas range but it will eventually happen unless the stove is terrible.

10 gallon pot gives you a larger surface area (aspect ratio) to make achieving that stovetop boil a little easier. It also allows you to very easily move to 5 gallon BiaB for the cost of a bag.

Finally, if you have at least one 20 amp dedicated circuit somewhere close to where you want to brew (microwave circuit in many modern homes or the clothes washer) for about $60 you could go electric (all manual)...it is about the same cost as an inexpensive burner and no propane required. A single 2000 or 1650W element needs no regulation for boil in a 5-gallon setup.

If you then later decide you want to go to "full" all-grain setup (I can't see why but some do) this pot is an eHLT.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Awesome guys thanks for all the advice

 

[wilserbrewer]

A single 2000 or 1650W element needs no regulation for boil in a 5-gallon setup.



.

agree w Udo, 2000w minimum IMO, 1650 to light

 

[Onkel_Udo]

agree w Udo, 2000w minimum IMO, 1650 to light

I accidentally boiled 8 gallons in my eHLT cooler once so with enough insulation, even 1500W wiil get there eventually.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I accidentally boiled 8 gallons in my eHLT cooler once so with enough insulation, even 1500W wiil get there eventually.

Maybe in a cooler, highly unlikely in a metal pot in my experience. The Brits sell an HDPE plastic boil kettle, and some have even built plastic boil kettles, but a metal kettle acts like an energy suck.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I accidentally boiled 8 gallons in my eHLT cooler once so with enough insulation, even 1500W wiil get there eventually.

Maybe in a cooler, highly unlikely in a metal pot in my experience. The Brits sell an HDPE plastic boil kettle, and some have even built HDPE drum plastic boil kettles, but a metal kettle acts like an energy suck even if insulated.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Thanks for all the input this community is great! I decided to go ahead with the 10 gallon pot over the 8 gallon pot. This gives me room to grow into whatever I want later, its a small extra price to pay now than a lot more down the road.

I picked up some ingredients to do a 3 gallon BIAB, and then will probably move to 5 gallon BIAB once I get it down. I'm still going to get a wort chiller I think though, just waiting to see a good deal on one.

Thanks again guys!

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks for all the input this community is great! I decided to go ahead with the 10 gallon pot over the 8 gallon pot. This gives me room to grow into whatever I want later, its a small extra price to pay now than a lot more down the road.

I picked up some ingredients to do a 3 gallon BIAB, and then will probably move to 5 gallon BIAB once I get it down. I'm still going to get a wort chiller I think though, just waiting to see a good deal on one.

Thanks again guys!

So what you are saying here is the next batch will be 5 gallons? I think you will love it and it really is so easy that you'll be ready for the 5 gallon batch really soon.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Just a word of caution, a 5 gallon batch will hold mash temps better than a smaller 3 gallon batch, if your kettle fits in your oven, this is a handy way to maintain temps.....just preheat to 160 170 and shut the oven off when you put the kettle in.

 

[PADave]

Thanks for all the input this community is great! I decided to go ahead with the 10 gallon pot over the 8 gallon pot. This gives me room to grow into whatever I want later, its a small extra price to pay now than a lot more down the road.

I picked up some ingredients to do a 3 gallon BIAB, and then will probably move to 5 gallon BIAB once I get it down. I'm still going to get a wort chiller I think though, just waiting to see a good deal on one.

Thanks again guys!

Exactly the same path I'm headed down! This week I got in my new 10 gallon kettle, wilserbrewing bags, and a 3 gallon kit. With plans on going 5 gallon soon.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

@wilserbrewer thanks for the advice that is definitely the one part I've gotta control. I'll try out the oven trick as long as I can fit the kettle in there!

 

[ZmannR2]

Don't just get a wort chiller. Get a pre chiller too for it

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Exactly the same path I'm headed down! This week I got in my new 10 gallon kettle, wilserbrewing bags, and a 3 gallon kit. With plans on going 5 gallon soon.

Same here I'm excited for everything to show up! I can still heat and cool as I did before without the urgent need for a cooler/outdoor burner, but definitely 2 pieces I plan to add as I move ahead.

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

Everything finally arrived yesterday. I got a 10 gallon kettle, and to start I ordered up the Dead Ringer IPA 3 gallon kit from northern brewer. Since I do want to brew some bourbon stouts and some others that will need time to secondary ferment I grabbed a 3 gallon carboy. Can't wait to get this thing brewed this weekend.

 

[Rayi]

Nothing less than a 15 gal kettle. I see BIAB full grain in the future

 

[RM-MN]

Nothing less than a 15 gal kettle. I see BIAB full grain in the future[/QUOTE]

How far away is this "future"? Tomorrow would be a good day for it. Maybe this weekend?

Once I started all grain with BIAB it was hard to make the two extract batches that I had the kits for. I just didn't want to go back to extract because BIAB was so easy and so cheap. Once you try it you'll see that too.

 

[Sailingeric]

I have a 7.5 gallon turkey frier pot and I wish I had gone 10 gallons but I make it work, I just have to keep an eye on boil overs in the starts of the batch. The burner was a big step up in making brewing quicker and easier. The wort chiller was nice to bring the temp down but I think my best spent $$$ so far has been on kegging. Once you get the basic equipment going you should look at kegging next

 

[NarrowsBrewCo]

@RM-MN I already have the chest freezer and temp controller but I live in the south so it's a fermentation chamber for now. That's my next step though, get thsy ready for kegging and I can have keg beer in the summer, homebrew once it cools down.

 

[RM-MN]

@RM-MN I already have the chest freezer and temp controller but I live in the south so it's a fermentation chamber for now. That's my next step though, get thsy ready for kegging and I can have keg beer in the summer, homebrew once it cools down.

Why not blow a wad of money on a plastic tub and just use some frozen water bottles to keep the water cool. That way you could partially submerge your fermenter and keep it cool enough to control fermentation. That way you could be making home brewed beer all year long.

 

[max384]

If you're doing five gallon batches, a ten gallon kettle is the minimum size you want. I have a fifteen gallon that I use for five gallon batches, and it's great. Boilovers just simply don't happen. And I can do a ten gallon batch if I want to.