What to buy

[sundaypapers]

I do 3 gallon full boils mashing in my bottling bucket with a large brain bag and would like to upgrade. I have a keggle, but have yet to use it and set it up. Things I need are a cooler mash tun, grain mill, hydrometer would be nice, keggle sight glass, brewsmith (free version ran out, but I loved it!). Also propane burner, thinking about biting the bullet and getting the blichmann. I'd really like something that would last and would help with making propane last longer. All that said, what are some things I should get now and things I could really go without for a while? Thanks again everyone.

 

[sundaypapers]

Also, I have roughly 400 bucks to spend, and I use craigslist a lot. I saw that I could mash about a max of 25 pounds in a ten gallon round cooler, but I may want more room in the not too distant future for larger brews. I am really liking mashing in a bag, just for the ease and all, so I'm not really planning on doing a bazooka type filter, but I'm not at all opposed to it. Just wanted to get expert opinions.

 

[CPT_Merica]

My two cents:

Get a hydrometer and learn how to use it.
Purchase Beersmith and have fun designing beers, while you apply everything you learn.
Make yourself a 10G mash tun.
Buy a banjo burner.
Use your keggle.
Spend the rest on ingredients.

Next phase would be grain mill, stir plate, and fermentation chamber.

 

[bennie1986]

I do 3 gallon full boils mashing in my bottling bucket with a large brain bag and would like to upgrade. I have a keggle, but have yet to use it and set it up. Things I need are a cooler mash tun, grain mill, hydrometer would be nice, keggle sight glass, brewsmith (free version ran out, but I loved it!). Also propane burner, thinking about biting the bullet and getting the blichmann. I'd really like something that would last and would help with making propane last longer. All that said, what are some things I should get now and things I could really go without for a while? Thanks again everyone.

Why don't you have a hydrometer? Get one!!! Keggle sight glass is a luxury, get a stick and notch it out at every half
Gallon. Beersmith, why don't you have that already also!!! I just up an bought a blichmann burner cause I had the coin at the time. From
What I understand it is middle of the road gas use wise but will get stuff up to boil way faster especially at ten gallons. I use a 5g cooler and get 1.078 og beers at only 70% efficiency so you could save dollars There as well!

 

[ShaineT]

Beersmith , though very good, is not the be-all-and-end-all of brewing software. Lots of nice online software is available and your recipes stay in the cloud for access at any device anywhere. BrewersFriend, BrewToad, or just do a web search for online brewing software.

 

[masskrug]

Lots of nice online software is available and your recipes stay in the cloud for access at any device anywhere.

Yeah. My hard drive crashed 2 weeks ago and I lost all of my Brew Target files. Luckily, I had uploaded them to Brew Toad.

 

[thatjonguy]

Keggle with BIAB first (with burner), make sure you get a valve on it, lifting it sucks.
How are you chilling after boil?
Then move on to better fermentation with temperature control and proper starters.
A mill is nice to have but you can get your grain pre-milled for you.
A sight glass is cool, but my wood stick with calibrated markings on it works just as well ($5).

 

[ShaineT]

Keggle with BIAB first (with burner), make sure you get a valve on it, lifting it sucks.
How are you chilling after boil?
Then move on to better fermentation with temperature control and proper starters.
A mill is nice to have but you can get your grain pre-milled for you.
A sight glass is cool, but my wood stick with calibrated markings on it works just as well ($5).

+1 Agreed. You can also build a T-shape out of copper fittings, use your pipe cutter to etch the markings for volume onto the vertical piece and then the top part needs to be as wide as the keggle. Just hang it into the keggle and note your volume.

 

[Clef051]

1st HYDROMETER!!! $7 Get one NOW!!!

mash tun $150 igloo polar 120qt
burner$38 bayou sp1
grain mill $135 barley crusher
beersmith $28

I come in at $358 the mash tun can be cheaper if you sign up for amazon prime, there is a free month trial. I think it was around $ for pvc and ball valve at home depot. The barley crusher is cheaper at the beersmith site, and since you will already be there buying beersmith...

Do you have a wort chiller? If not that is going to be a necessity also. Usually around $50 for a 25' immersion. I made one out of 50' copper coil from home depot, for about $70. The extra length is nice for larger batches which you can do with a keggle.

 

[sundaypapers]

Thanks for the responses, I should have mentioned everything I already had! First thing I bought after kit number one was a hydrometer. After kit two I got an immersion wort chiller.
That was the kind of stuff I needed though, luxury vs necessity.
I do the swamp cooler method just due to the wife not being comfortable with an appliance being used solely for beer, I know, weird right?
It would be nice to save on a burner and mash tun, so I have some good advice. I'd love to spend a good amount on ingredients as well, like in bulk, so this is looking good! Thanks a lot everyone.

 

[brewkinger]

+1 to all of this.

I am a Monster Mill guy though.
Friend of mine has BC and after many batches, we both agree that MM is worth the extra$$.
Main reason is construction and performance.
HBT user Goldiggie has it right. The Monster Mill could dispose of a body if need be.
I fill the 7# hopper and it literally devours the grain and empties the hopper in less than a minute.