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benharper13

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
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Location
utah
So my SHMBO likes my hobby but things I spend too much, however I work a sales job and I've been having ok weeks lately (maybe extra motivation for home-brew equipment) Anyway I want to have an amazing set-up one day but its one step at a time. So I am ready for a new upgrade. So far I have:
5 gallon ss brew pot
2 ale pails
1 5 gallon carboy
3 kegs
2 faucets (on the way for my kegorator)
outdoor burner
tons of bottles (which I may not use many of now with the kegs)
mash ton (5 gallon cooler)

Anyway I want to buy so many things (more carboys, larger pot, more kegs, chest freezer for keezer, all grain stand, another propane tank, temperature control and mini fridge for lagers (and ales in the summer), wine making supplies, the list goes on and on.)

So I need to know what order of new purchases, I am leaning toward the next purchase being either a fermentation temp control set-up or a larger brew pot to do full boils. I had some help on deciding to get the keg set-up last time so what do you think would be the best decision for my next purchase?
 
Everyones going to have a different opinion on which route to take on this one, but I personally would want the capability to do full boils first and foremost. As far as temp. controls I really liked my Johnson Digital Temperature controller, its a awesome unit. If it was me though I would put the temp controls on hold and get a 10 gallon pot & immersion wort chiller first.
 
Fermentation temp controller is only useful if you have:
A fridge to use it on
AND
Space for a fridge

The pot and wort chiller are eventual purchases anyway if you move towards all grain brewing. Tough call.
 
If you are going to be doing full boils, i think you will need an immersion chiller.
 
Everyones going to have a different opinion on which route to take on this one, but I personally would want the capability to do full boils first and foremost. As far as temp. controls I really liked my Johnson Digital Temperature controller, its a awesome unit. If it was me though I would put the temp controls on hold and get a 10 gallon pot & immersion wort chiller first.

^^^^what he said^^^^
 
I would definitely look at getting a larger pot and a chiller. You may be able to sell your existing pot off to help offset some of the costs. After that I would probably say go ahead and complete your kegging system.
 
I'm in the same boat, and I think I'm going with a larger pot first, then getting my own immersion chiller, I've been borrowing my current one.
 
If you have a keg set up, purchase everything with the idea of doing 10 gallon batches eventually. You are going to get tired of kicking a keg right when it starts tasting amazing and not having another 5 gallons of the same stuff to plow through.

A 10 gallon pot doesn't really fit the bill for that. Might make a HLT one day, but might as well go even bigger.

If it were me, I would get a larger pot and start doing full boils and I would get to work on a 10 Gallon Mash Tun which you might have all the parts for sans the cooler.
 
I do have a 10 gallon cooler I got for my wedding in july and I think the wife would be ok with me using that. I haven't even done all grain brews yet but I think I will once I get the bigger pot. So I have been look for 60 qt pots and obviously aluminum is much cheaper so I think I'll go with that to save money.

Side note: My wife and I talked about moving to bend one day (even though we have never been) we were looking online one day at places that aren't as cold as utah but not a big city and cost of living was pretty good. How do you like it? do you get alot of rain?
 
I think I got luck... Had a "professional" 8 gal all stainless turkey fryer that's been in the box for 7 years!

if you want more carboys search craigslist... Might find someone getting eid of em cheap... And if you don't mind glass ones the really don't "go bad"

sean
 

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