What to do with supposed $1,200 Trump-bump

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BIGRUGBY

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Current setup-
5 gal all-grain brewer with 15 gal Megapot and 10 gal mash tun. Currently fermenting in buckets with no temp control and then bottling. Love brewing, don't drink fast enough. Thinking beer on tap will help make it disappear faster.

Been wanting to build a kegerator for some time. Now with a supposed $1,200 coming, I might invest in some temperature controlled fermentation now as well (plastic buckets to conicals). Looking to consolidate my operation into the 3rd car garage spot into something like this-
upload_2020-4-12_9-29-10.png

I'm a big fan of doing things right the first time. Pay once, cry once (especially if Trump is footing the bill!), so it might as well be a cool setup in the garage. Here is what I am thinking of buying, would love your guys input/insight.

$100 Craigslist fridge
$400 Kegging supplies (4-6 intertap faucets w/everything minus the kegs that I already have)

$200 Glass door fridge
$50 Inkbird temperature controller (with the thermometer in the fermenter turning fridge on/off)
$550 Spike conical fermenter

Thoughts? Ways to do it better/cooler? Open to ideas. Thanks!
 
If you want anything like that picture you may need to expand your budget 4 or 5 times.
 
I'm gonna trash my dead kegerator (currently in use as ferment fridge, with no chilling capability) and invest in a nice big fridge with a separate freezer, that will fit four corny kegs. Then my current kegerator (french door Samsung, can only fit two kegs) goes back to being the ferment fridge. Also going to upgrade to a 4-way manifold, so I can have three on tap with a dedicated line for force carbing; will need to get a new tap setup as well since I only have two currently. Dunno what the husband is going to do with his, probably pay bills or something stupid like that....(side note: both of us work in "essential" occupations so we're still getting paychecks, I do feel for those who are struggling with unenjoyment and having to deal with all of that. Just trying to lighten the atmosphere.)
 
Have you thought that maybe if you are not in a position where you need the assistance money to meet your expenses, that you should look around your community for people that do? Or at least spend the money in a way that helps the economy in your region?
 
Yeah...
As a Libertarian i also gotta point out...
Trump is not footing the bill...
(There is no Obama/Trump money)
The American Taxpayers are...
So maybe save the money for the inevitable recessecion/depression coming on the horizon....

However, that being said....

To answer your question....
I would suggest using a glycol chiller. You could get one with temp control, then decide if you want a second. That alapne is gonna be ~ $1500 or so.

Or, you could get a mini fridge, inkibird control, and a heat lamp for a bucket. That is ~ $400 or so maybe.

You can build a keezee for maybe ~$600 or so- all brand new. Used you can save serious dough.

Like Giggs said above- that picture is sweet, but much bigger than $1200!!!

Good luck!
 
Will be getting a glycol chiller and maybe another grainfather fermenter since this is the 3 check month for me. Hopefully this will finish me off with this brewing needs for a long while. Maybe grab some sacks of Dingemans grains and a tilt hydrometer.
 
Here's mine. Instructions for how to build a keezer like that without using glue in my signature.

I have Taplist.IO via a Raspberry Pi doing the menu on the monitor, and a glass rinser attached to the left-hand side. The glass rinser is fed by a small keg inside the keezer with CO2 pressurizing it, and drains to a jug on the floor hidden by a little stained wooden crate.

Four secondary regulators on the right-hand side, and CO2 tank and main regulator behind them on the floor, so more room for beer inside the keezer.

Freezer (9.1 cu feet): ~$350
Taps (Perlick flow control): $250
Shanks, tubing, etc.: $150
Secondaries: $180
Tank: $65
Main regulator: $50
Inkbird Controller: $35
Misc tubing: $25
Glass Rinser: $71
Wood for collar: $23

Total: $1199.

Suspiciously close to $1200, don't you think? :)

You can do cheaper on the freezer, and vary the number of taps and secondaries and such. I started with 3 taps on an earlier version of this. Some people use Intertap flow control faucets which are cheaper than Perlick, and you can go cheaper yet if you don't want flow-control. Probably could knock off $500 if you reduce the capacity, number of faucets, secondaries, and the like.

BTW, as you go through pricing all this, make sure you check out RiteBrew.com. Faucets, regulators, tubing, parts, shanks, etc.--hard to beat their pricing.

keezerandmenu.jpg
 
That picture is quite nice. My rusty freezers wouldn’t get much love. Just had a freezer take a dump. 21cu ft for Fermentation. Good luck finding any freezer at the moment. Guess everyone had to stock and hoard. Glad I brewed a Saison this weekend. I wanted to find an 8.8 freezer for a new keezer. I hate using a fridge and constantly moving the kegs around. If I were doing a fridge again, it would be bottom freezer only. Fridge for fermentation, freezer for keezer is where I would go.
 
mongoose33 said:
Here's mine. Instructions for how to build a keezer like that without using glue in my signature.

I have Taplist.IO via a Raspberry Pi doing the menu on the monitor, and a glass rinser attached to the left-hand side. The glass rinser is fed by a small keg inside the keezer with CO2 pressurizing it, and drains to a jug on the floor hidden by a little stained wooden crate.

Four secondary regulators on the right-hand side, and CO2 tank and main regulator behind them on the floor, so more room for beer inside the keezer.

Freezer (9.1 cu feet): ~$350
Taps (Perlick flow control): $250
Shanks, tubing, etc.: $150
Secondaries: $180
Tank: $65
Main regulator: $50
Inkbird Controller: $35
Misc tubing: $25
Glass Rinser: $71
Wood for collar: $23

Total: $1199.

Suspiciously close to $1200, don't you think? :)

You can do cheaper on the freezer, and vary the number of taps and secondaries and such. I started with 3 taps on an earlier version of this. Some people use Intertap flow control faucets which are cheaper than Perlick, and you can go cheaper yet if you don't want flow-control. Probably could knock off $500 if you reduce the capacity, number of faucets, secondaries, and the like.

BTW, as you go through pricing all this, make sure you check out RiteBrew.com. Faucets, regulators, tubing, parts, shanks, etc.--hard to beat their pricing.

View attachment 675376
Click to expand...

I want to hang with you man. I love the monitor!!
 
Menards doesn't show any in stock, but there are four ship-to-store models they list. Also it's their 11%-off sale, so you can get a 10 cu ft freezer for $310.
 
Group W said:
If I end up with a $1200 check it’s getting split between servers at two restaurants I frequent that need help and a server at another that spent 3 weeks in ICU.
Click to expand...

Good on you. Ours are going to the local food bank. Both my wife and I are still working, empty-nesters, we don't need that $1200 x 2. But we know others that can use it. Everyone who spends it is doing with it what they should--keeping the economy going.

I went in with a couple friends who, along with me and about 10 others, have coffee at a local Country Kitchen every morning--except not now. We kind of figured what our tips would have been over a 3 month period, and gave that tip money to the 5 servers who take care of us. $75 apiece per server. Wasn't a ton, but it was our way of saying hang in there, and thank you for treating us as family when we're there.
 
Tobor_8thMan said:
Unless you are truly unemployed due to the pandemic (and if so you qualify for unemployment), return the funds to the US government. IMO, the gesture was unneeded and unnecessary.
Click to expand...

Give it back to the government? They won't do anything of note with it. At least this time they're not just bailing out the banks and Wall Street.
 
mongoose33 said:
Give it back to the government? They won't do anything of note with it. At least this time they're not just bailing out the banks and Wall Street.
Click to expand...

Again, it is NOT the 'governments money'. It is the American Taxpayer's money.

I am not trying to go off topic or take any sides- just want to clarify that the money first comes FROM the American Taxpayer to the government.

Semantics, kinda like aruguing that brewers make wort, yeast makes beer.
 
Nate R said:
Again, it is NOT the 'governments money'. It is the American Taxpayer's money.

I am not trying to go off topic or take any sides- just want to clarify that the money first comes FROM the American Taxpayer to the government.

Semantics, kinda like aruguing that brewers make wort, yeast makes beer.
Click to expand...

Actually, they're just printing it. It's not taxpayer money. It's funny money.
 
Friends,

The stimulus ($1,200) is not intended to be income replacement or to "directly" help those in need. It is meant to "stimulate" the economy. Unemployment Benefits +$600 is intended to help those who have lost their jobs or are otherwise in financial despair. If you choose to donate your stimulus, that's fantastic, good on you. But make no mistake, Americans are meant to SPEND the stimulus as quickly as possible. I'd recommend spending it on local businesses to help keep them in business.. or if you donate, donate to someone or something that will spend it immediately.

The home brewing community is a fantastic group... always giving of themselves and ready to help when asked... unless the question is a repeat of the subject of 50+ threads. Stay safe, my friends.
 
I don’t need the stimulus money and I don’t even expect to receive it. If I do, it will become take-out funds for my family of five, who are not typically all home for every meal as we are now. We have already seen some favorite local restaurants close, and we will do our small part to support those remaining. 15%+ tips on every order even though we drive and pick up.
 
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Support your LHBS? Buy what you can from them, see what they can order for you.

Also, since we(the taxpayers) are helping to support your brewing habits, make sure to send us a beer..
 
Group W said:
If I end up with a $1200 check it’s getting split between servers at two restaurants I frequent that need help and a server at another that spent 3 weeks in ICU.
Click to expand...
Good on you man! Working out my recipe, as I type, to fit my 25 gallon kettle for chicken and dumplings. Going to make and give.
 
BIGRUGBY said:
Wow, what a coincidence.... And here I thought we were going to have an "IBTL" that was going to get way too political about a government stimulus check in which I am asking for advice on how to spend it... lol
Click to expand...

If I were you. I’d offer him $1200 for it. Not to many people are going to be lining up for it. Then we can tweet that Trump just bought a HB temperature controlled fermentation chamber.
 
My wife is a NP and I figured I’d make it for their team. She said so many places are feeding to keep people working. I know many out of a job, it will be easy to figure it out.
 
I understand buy once, cry once, but I would keep an eye on craigslist, fb marketplace, etc. People have scored some really good deals. I picked up a 4 tap keezer, 4 kegs, two co2 tanks, a snake, and some miscellaneous stuff for $350. Plus I picked up a free fridge for a ferment chamber. It's not the prettiest newest stuff, but it all works.
 
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