upgrades

[patsbrewhouseCO]

so my birthday is coming up in a month and my family was wondering what I wanted for my birthday and i thought what a great opportunity to get some new brewing equipment. here is a rough list of what i got for brewing
- 10 gal kettle
- propane burner
- 2 glass carboys
- 2 buckets
- misc gear for doing simple testing and transferring
- crappy diy mash tun

so i was wondering what i should get next? Kegging system?( not sure how long ill be living at my current location depending on work). tiered system? new mash/lauter tun/ HLT?

Let me know what you think i should invest in for future brews. i plan on brewing 1-2 batches per month on my current system from september '14- september '15.

 

[EineProsit]

$35 on ebay - A refractometer is a must have.
Brewed yesterday couldn't find my refractometer and had to use a hydrometer, it worked but not near as well as a refractometer does.

 

[charliehorse]

Get a grain mill as soon as your budget will allow it. Not to start a war, but I picked up the Monster Mill 2 from these guys after quite a bit of careful research and shopping around:
http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/monster-mill-2-roller-mill/

 

[charliehorse]

duplicate post

 

[evrose]

1. Fermentation temperature control.
2. Fermentation temperature control.
3. Fermentation temperature control.
4. Fermentation temperature control.
5. Fermentation temperature control.

 

[Howhownow]

How is your temp control during fermentation and how do you chill your wort? I had a kegorator before both of those things, but to do it with cornies, multiple taps can be a bit of an investment. Mine has lasted 3 moves, BTW.
I vote temp control- Wine fridge $80 from CL, STC-1000 $20 ebay.

 

[Marc77]

1. Fermentation temperature control.
2. Fermentation temperature control.
3. Fermentation temperature control.
4. Fermentation temperature control.
5. Fermentation temperature control.

+1 billion internet points to you.

After a fermentation chamber I'd say a stir plate for your yeasties.

 

[LandoLincoln]

1. Fermentation temp control is a top priority. A chest freezer plus a dual temperature controller really improves beers.
2. Your own grain mill is great. No more depending on other people's grain mills which might not be set correctly.

 

[captianoats]

Temp control. It's the best thing you can do for your beer.

If not, get a keg. The laziness is nice.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[jabba11]

i dont disagree about temp control, I use the cool brew bags and really only have to ice them etc in the summer and they work pretty well if you want to monitor it some (I use a probe on a RANCO in winter combined with heat wrap and just ice on bottles in the summer).heres a couple of other things ...keggin equip (yep a kegerator makes things soo much nicer and easier), yeast starter stuff, and something I rarely hear but I use alot is my infrared thermometer.. accurate to a degree or two and useful with yeast starters and quick double chekcs of dial thermometers etc

 

[jfk69]

1. Fermentation temperature control.
2. Fermentation temperature control.
3. Fermentation temperature control.
4. Fermentation temperature control.
5. Fermentation temperature control.

+10. Best investment you can make. Nothing like doing an amber on wlp001, with ambient temps in the mid to high 80's, and your ferment is rolling along at a perfect 65 degrees. This is absolutely what you need for your next step. I wish I would have done it sooner.