what to buy... what to buy...

[ChrisS68]

Thanks to the dear wife and other fine family members, I have a little mad money to buy - what else - Beer equipment. Only thing is, I can't decide what to buy.

Basically, my choices are: a propane burner and wort chiller, or an entry-level kegging setup. Now, when approached from a purely practical standpoint, the obvious(?) choice would be the burner and chiller. What's the point in kegging your beer when the actual process of making it has not yet been optimized? That's kind of like putting the cart before the horse. However, I am not always one to take the most practical tack. I mean, I can still brew on the stove and do the ice bath thing. Also, it's easier to come up with the cash here and there for a burner or chiller than it is to have the necessary cash on hand to buy the kegging setup all at once. And come on, kegs certainly have that cool factor, especially if you were to break out a keg of your homebrew at a party; not to mention no longer having to deal with the tedium of filling so many bottles. On top of all that, a little while ago, after listening to me talk incessantly about wanting to keg, my wife bought me a corny. I was thrilled, though she was a little disappointed to learn that there wasn't much I could do with it until I got the rest of the equipment. So you see, I'd really be buying it for her too. heh

So, I guess I'm really leaning toward the kegging stuff. Sure, maybe I should get the burner and chiller first, but isn't the thing about mad money is that you get to spend it, not on what you should, but on what you want?
Heck, if I were spending it on what I should, I'd pay some bills. :fro:

Chris

 

[sflcowboy78]

I say go for the kegging setup. that is what my tax return will be going for this year the leftover money will go for some other needed equipment.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

How mad can you get?

Kegging changed everything about brewing for me.

For the price of (1) Bayou Classic burner, I was able to get (3) Academy Sports and Outdoor off brands (Outdoor Gourmet 160k btu as listed but, I thinks it really more like 80k btu actual heat x-fer).

Then, go to your local Habitat Building Store and see if they have refrigerant line. Sometimes they do and it's about half what it'd cost at the store. If you find the line, make the chiller yourself and use your new kegs to coil the line around.

 

[mnadamn]

I would tend to say go for the kegging equip... If you are really worried about optimizing your brew day.... I always boil my addition water and sanitize my brew bucket the night before I brew. Once the water is boiled, I put it in the bucket then move it to the chest freezer. This allows me a nice sanitary block of ice that I can pour my hot wort onto and crash cool it. I am also slowly buing parts to make a chiller, but my current system works amazingly so im not too concerned about when it gets done. Hope this helps

 

[MikeRLynch]

Agreed, we made our own chiller for approx 30 bucks with a coil of copper tubing from home depot, a faucet adaptor, and a couple clamps. I shake my head every time I see a $80 chiller on the shelf that looks exactly like mine.

The kegging setup is key, it saves a lot of trouble. If you find yourself with a choice after making a chiller between kegging and burner, I would go with kegging. You can always use your stove as you have been, the chiller will make the cooling process quicker and better, and the kegging will make your wife happy, as you will no longer have cases of de-labeled bottles filling every closet (I speak from experience )

 

[conpewter]

Go for the kegging equipment, it makes things so much easier and then you will have more time to do AG brewing when you get there (Since it basically doubles the amount of time you need to make a batch)

 

[Birchgrove77]

I agree with everyone else - you need the basic kegging setup! With the holidays approaching you should be able to find a very decent propane burner/turkey fryer setup that will get you out of the kitchen. The kegging system, although probably a bit more costly, is the more economical choice since your beer will spend more time conditioning/being served then it will being boiled.

 

[Parker36]

I am going to disagree with everybody else here (Sacrilege!) and say go with the burners. Unless you already have a keggerator or plan on keeping them on ice all the time or to have a lot of parties. Kegging is simple and easy, but not necessarily always more convenient.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I am going to disagree with everybody else here (Sacrilege!) and say go with the burners. Unless you already have a keggerator or plan on keeping them on ice all the time or to have a lot of parties. Kegging is simple and easy, but not necessarily always more convenient.

I agree. Kegging is great, but realistically it costs almost $100 per tap to get the beer out of the keg in any convenient way. If you have the mad money to get a couple kegs and a tap setup then I say kegging is the way to go, but if you are just getting a tank/reg/and manifold, I would say go for the brewing upgrades and start collecting pennies for the tap system.

Cheers

 

[Evan]

if your not going AG, i'd say keg! you already have one keg...any kit you buy, there're be ANOTHER keg in it.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Burner, pot and chiller is not very helpful unless you are going AG. Unless you are going to throw in a mash tun too, and make the leap, go with the kegging setup. I still bottle some beers (like my tripel) but it's rare. Kegs are so much easier, and your beer clears and conditions faster too since you can force carb.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Burner, pot and chiller is not very helpful unless you are going AG. Unless you are going to throw in a mash tun too, and make the leap, go with the kegging setup. I still bottle some beers (like my tripel) but it's rare. Kegs are so much easier, and your beer clears and conditions faster too since you can force carb.

True that... I assumed you are AG although I fear I am incorrect.

 

[King of Cascade]

Why don’t you take the money and go to the strip club. Get some nice looking chick to grind on your lap while shaking her tits in your face.
Sure kegging equipment is more practical but there is nothing like paying a chick to pretend that she likes you.

 

[ChrisS68]

Thanks for the input everybody!

Yeah, not all grain just yet. I definitely want to go that way, though sometimes it's hard just to find the time to knock out an extract batch. I had thought that, maybe after Thankgiving, some deals might be had on propane cookers.

I do have an old fridge that can hold a couple of cornies. I've been using it for fermenting over the summer, but now that the weather is cooling off, I won't need it for that and can just ferment in the basement for the time being. I'm debating whether or not to make it into a kegerator. Until then, I figure I'll just keep the cornies in there with a picnic tap. Not optimum, but it is just temporary. Being half Polish, I don't mind working with a kludge for a little while. I've also got another fridge available that will probably wind up being the beer fridge (kegerator?), I just need to find the time to pick it up.
Thanks again!

Chris

 

[ChrisS68]

Why don’t you take the money and go to the strip club. Get some nice looking chick to grind on your lap while shaking her tits in your face.
Sure kegging equipment is more practical but there is nothing like paying a chick to pretend that she likes you.

Hmmm... I'm married, but I do like the way you think outside of the box.

 

[King of Cascade]

Hmmm... I'm married, but I do like the way you think outside of the box.

Never went to the strip clubs before I was married

 

[curt656]

Why don’t you take the money and go to the strip club. Get some nice looking chick to grind on your lap while shaking her tits in your face.
Sure kegging equipment is more practical but there is nothing like paying a chick to pretend that she likes you.

I'm with the King!

ChrisS68, just because you're on a diet doesn't mean you can't look at the menu....and then rub it all over your crotch.

 

[Jamo99]

I vote kegging setup, especially since you have the fridge and a corny already. I brew about 3 times more than I would because of kegging.

 

[eddie]

Get the chiller and burner. It'll make you feel like a man.

 

[Gonefishing]

I vote for the kegging setup. You'll like it a lot more than standing outside brewing in the middle of winter! Stay on the stove until spring!

 

[beerthirty]

Think of the time savings without having to wash, store, sanitize, and fill bottles. My vote is in.

 

[ChrisS68]

Get the chiller and burner. It'll make you feel like a man.

While I assume your statement was made somewhat in jest, it is certainly not without merit; the basic subject was actually considered. I mean, there is something about brewing outdoors that calls to our primal senses, not unlike grilling meat or running a chainsaw.

That being said, the kegging setup has been ordered. Hopefully it'll be here by the end of the week.
Now I really need to get going on something to put in it!
Thanks to all for your input!

Chris

 

[TexLaw]

Full wort boils really are a great way to make great beer. I'd go with the burner and chiller, but you don't have to spend much on either. If you have something left, look into the kegging setup.


TL

 

[Yooper]

It sounds like it's too late to give my input, but that's never stopped me before!

I love kegging, but it was definitely one of the last investments for me. I was always trying to get a "better" beer before I was going to keg it. I made ok extract beer, and ok PM beer, but I kept wanting to improve my beer so my focus was on getting equipment for that. Full boils improved the beer dramatically (I lost that sort of carmel taste to my beer) and then AG improved it dramatically once again.

For sure, kegging is fun and convenient but on a limited budget, I'd buy the equipment I needed for the best beer I could make. My beer still isn't the "best I could make", I'm sure- but I'm satisfied with my procedure and equipment.

Kegging ok beer is fine. But making great beer is better.

 

[beerthirty]

Off Topic, Yoop about your avatar, did you put her to the boards?

 

[Yooper]

Off Topic, Yoop about your avatar, did you put her to the boards?

No, I just talked a little smack to her before I took her down. She was tiny- even smaller than I am. I bet she's barely 120 pounds, so I have about 15 pounds on her, and I'm about 3 inches taller. Then we went to a bar and I bought her one of those froo-froo girly blue drinks.