What would you buy?

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Oyarsa

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I received a gift card for $200 at Amazon. Being a beginning brewer, there are plenty of things I could spend it on. Currently I have 5.5 gallon kettle I use for extract brews. I plan to move to BIAB in the near future.

I could maybe get a new, larger brewing kettle, or get something to test pH, or a stir plate/erlenmeyer flask, or a temperature controller (though the fridge I would use is also used for food), or an immersion chiller. What I'm leaning towards is a keg, CO2 tank, and supplies for kegging. What would you buy in my position? What would give the biggest bang for buck? I could maybe finagle a swap of the card for money elsewhere, so it wouldn't necessarily have to be from Amazon...
 
If I were you I'd probably add a little and get either a Mash & Boil or a Robobrew. Those let you brew indoors with regular 110/120 volt wiring.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
 
bpgreen said:
If I were you I'd probably add a little and get either a Mash & Boil or a Robobrew. Those let you brew indoors with regular 110/120 volt wiring.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
Click to expand...

The Mash and Broil would be a possibility, but the Robobrew would definitely be too much. With the 5.5 gallon kettle, I can brew inside now, just not very large batch sizes.
 
If you aren't controlling fermentation temperature, IMO that's the next step for you. You can get small dorm-style refrigerators that are taller than the square cube ones for relatively cheap (check Craigslist). Add an Inkbird 308 temp controller, a fermwrap heat belt or a reptile heat pad, and you have fermentation temperature control.

You can do this with any refrigerator, or even a chest freezer.

Most experienced brewers would tell you a great leap forward in their beermaking was fermentation temp control.

Kegging is also good. A good 2-gauge regulator is around $50 from Ritebrew, a 5-pound CO2 tank about $60-65, a used ball-lock keg about $50, a picnic tap less than $10, the tubing and QuickDisconnect for the gas line less than $10.

Other things of interest might be a refractometer if you don't have one, an oxygen tank regulator and O2 wand, or a stir plate and flask, as you noted.
 
I've got a Mash & Boil and I really like it. I just didn't want you to limit your options.
 
The Mash and Boil is very intriguing. It would vastly simplify my brewing and increase my capacity.

I do think that fermentation control would probably be the biggest leap in the quality of my product.

But kegging would be nice to have for some adventures in other brewing besides beer, plus the benefit of simplifying bottling day...

Decisions, decisions...
 
Go with fermentation temp control. Mash & boil and Robobrew are gizmos you can get later if that type of brewing suits your fancy. No matter what you do (extract, AG, BIAB, fully automated electric,etc) you’ll need fermentation temp control and it’ll probably make the single biggest difference in the quality of your beer.

This chest freezer will hold 2 Carboys for fermentation or 3 kegs for serving.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-7-0-cu-ft-chest-freezer-white/8390027.p?skuId=8390027

Add an inkbird controller and a seed germination heating pad and you’re golden.

For kegging watch the used market. Often times people will sell fridges converted to kegerators with the CO2 tank regulator and tap for less than the tank alone, I picked one up for $50 which also had the keg shell which became my mash tun. Used corney kegs can be had for cheap too, I got 4 in the classifieds section on this forum for $25 each.
 
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With extract brewing that you are currently doing I would go for temp control. On a side note, when you switch to BIAB you should get a pH meter at the same time you get your bag.
 
One more suggestion:

You have a $200 gift card, and it's easy to have our mind on that $200 as a limit, but you should, IMO, also consider adding to that as circumstances warrant.

One of the hardest things to do--darned nigh impossible--is to think far enough ahead that you don't buy stuff that 6 months or a year later you wish you'd upgraded at the time.

An example is a 2-gauge regulator. You can buy a 1-gauge regulator cheaper, and it'll work just fine. However, at some point you'll be wondering how much CO2 you have left and you'll have to resort to trying to weigh the CO2 tank to figure that out. Much easier and more convenient to have a 2-gauge regulator that shows you when it's time to get a refill.

Another example is the kettle. I originally had a Northern Brewer 8-gallon kettle which is just fine for all-grain (if you have a separate mash tun) or extract brewing. But suppose you decide you want to do BIAB (brew in a bag) all-grain brewing; you really need a 10-gallon kettle for that, if you're going to do 5-gallon batches. And since you're also thinking of kegging, and the standard keg is 5-gallons, well, there you are.

The point is to not scrimp now such that later you wish you'd bought higher quality or higher capacity.

Yeah, I get it, not everybody's made of money, but if you plan on this being a long-term hobby--and thinking about how to spend a $200 gift card on brewing equipment suggests to me it is--then it may reward you to think about where you want to be in a year or so, instead of setting a near-term goal.

Do you have anything you can sell off to generate more brewing capital? Or some short-term gig where you earn enough money to go to the next level? Heck, just buying a better kettle means you can sell the old one.

Anyway, this is the voice of experience speaking--there are many things I wish I hadn't bought that I later upgraded. Good luck, and most of all, enjoy--this is supposed to be fun!
 
Purchase some brewing books. Knowledge is key. Read these books until the pages are dog eared. Don't simply accept adding a can of LME and tossing in some hops into the brew kettle. Understand as much as possible in regard to brewing. Once comfortable with understanding things, then consider more equipment, all grain, etc.
 
Tobor_8thMan said:
Purchase some brewing books. Knowledge is key. Read these books until the pages are dog eared. Don't simply accept adding a can of LME and tossing in some hops into the brew kettle. Understand as much as possible in regard to brewing. Once comfortable with understanding things, then consider more equipment, all grain, etc.
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Generally I agree, but ya gotta buy equipment, too!

Ever read the book "Brew Like a Pro"? Worst book on brewing I've ever bought. The author starts by saying we should only drink draft beer, and thus the first purchase for a new homebrewer should be....a kegging system. Really.

It's ridiculous; I believe almost every new homebrewer goes through a stage where they aren't sure if they'll really keep up with this. I see "kits" for sale on craigslist from time to time, where the basic kit is for sale, clearly the homebrewer gave up on it, and didn't progress.

So how can a home brewer invest in all the stuff for kegging when they probably are having some difficulty setting aside $200 for brewing equipment...and knowing if they even want to move ahead with brewing?

************

That said, books are terrific, but I found that I benefited more from them after I'd reached a basic understanding of brewing, by actually doing it. OP is past that point, I'd guess, but still.

I have...probably approaching 25 books on brewing, still getting the odd one here or there, but for the most part, I'm done buying books. I used to pick up homebrew books in the bookstore and if I learned a single thing by browsing through it, I'd buy it. Not so much any more.

Not to have a thread-jack here, but @Tobor_8thMan , if you had to list 5 books other than "How to Brew" or "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing," what would be your top 5?
 
I'm on the fermentation temperature control side. Kegging equipment can be had for cheap on craigslist or offer up if you're patient; for temp control you should try to go with new. You will be amazed how much your end product improves with temperature control. I'm getting a Bayite dual temp controller ($32.99 on amazon) and a fermwrap. I already have a Ranco single temp controller on permanent loan from a friend (has to go back when i get the new one) but I can't warm up my ferment fridge with it.

For a bigger kettle, Costco carries a 12g aluminum kettle (I have one) that works very well, in the $50 range. I know most brewers here prefer stainless, but it's costly. If you have the means (or a friend) to drill a hole in it for a bulkhead and valve, you're golden. I've done 10 gallon batches (very carefully) in mine and it works a treat. And it's big enough to do 5g BIAB. Just my 2 cents.
 
Yes, not to hi jack the topic, simply trying to help.

I've found the Brewers Association books helpful. Those focusing on a single style. Very interesting reading.

Also, "Brewing Better Beer" by Gordon Strong, "Farmhouse Ales" by Phil Markowski, "Brewing Classic Styles" by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer, "New Brewing Lager Beer" by Greg Noonan and "Designing Great Beers" by Ray Daniels.
 
Great advice from all of you. I think you have me leaning towards temperature control now instead of kegging. I live in an area where Craigslist and Offer Up don't have much to...offer up...but I don't necessarily mind bottling for a while longer.
 
Tobor_8thMan said:
Yes, not to hi jack the topic, simply trying to help.

I've found the Brewers Association books helpful. Those focusing on a single style. Very interesting reading.

Also, "Brewing Better Beer" by Gordon Strong, "Farmhouse Ales" by Phil Markowski, "Brewing Classic Styles" by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer, "New Brewing Lager Beer" by Greg Noonan and "Designing Great Beers" by Ray Daniels.
Click to expand...

It's funny what different people find helpful. I have Strong's book, Zainasheff and Palmer's book, and Daniels' book. None of them, IMO, are all that good. The Strong book, especially, was a disappointment.

None of that's an insult or cut. Just like different people like different beers and beer styles..... I find it interesting that your favorite books tend to be recipe books or style books, whereas the ones I've found most helpful have been process books.


Along those lines, I, as you do, found the Yeast, Hops, Water, and Malt books to be particularly helpful.

Of all the others, the best I've read has been HomeBrew All-Stars. There are recipes and such, but lots of process info from each of the "all stars."
 
seatazzz said:
I'm on the fermentation temperature control side. Kegging equipment can be had for cheap on craigslist or offer up if you're patient; for temp control you should try to go with new. You will be amazed how much your end product improves with temperature control. I'm getting a Bayite dual temp controller ($32.99 on amazon) and a fermwrap. I already have a Ranco single temp controller on permanent loan from a friend (has to go back when i get the new one) but I can't warm up my ferment fridge with it.

For a bigger kettle, Costco carries a 12g aluminum kettle (I have one) that works very well, in the $50 range. I know most brewers here prefer stainless, but it's costly. If you have the means (or a friend) to drill a hole in it for a bulkhead and valve, you're golden. I've done 10 gallon batches (very carefully) in mine and it works a treat. And it's big enough to do 5g BIAB. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

I'm going to throw this out there, not to start a firestorm, but as another view as to aluminum kettles.

I've been doing LODO stuff, which is not for everyone. One of the tenets of LODO brewing is to get copper and aluminum out of the system, as they promote what are called "Fenton reactions."

Fenton reactions create staling compounds in this context, which may not show up initially in the beer but later on may cause shelf life to diminish faster than it otherwise would.

I know some argue that aluminum oxide will form insulating the wort from the aluminum, and I don't know if that's really true or not. All I know is aluminum may be a dicey choice depending on what you're going for.

Seatazz, seems like your beer is ok, so this may not be an issue for you.
 
c02 tank/keg!
bottling is for the birds!
i bought c02 tank, kegs, and converted a fridge to a kegerator before i ever even brewed a beer at home, lol
 
NewJersey said:
c02 tank/keg!
bottling is for the birds!
i bought c02 tank, kegs, and converted a fridge to a kegerator before i ever even brewed a beer at home, lol
Click to expand...

I can certainly understand. I purchased things for my bar years before I actually had a bar. Why? Always wanted my own bar. Perhaps motivation to push thru until it was completed.
 
A large, quality SS pot is a great investment, but only if you have the location/equipment for larger scale boils.

You cannot go wrong with fermentation control. I have brewed for 25 years without a dedicated fermentation control but it limits what I can brew and when I can brew. I can ferment at 65F to 70F in the summer and winter, but not the fall and spring. A chest freezer is on my short list.

That said, I love my kegging system. I have had a kegging system for years, and did not have a dedicated fridge for the first 10 years.
 
Oyarsa said:
Great advice from all of you. I think you have me leaning towards temperature control now instead of kegging. I live in an area where Craigslist and Offer Up don't have much to...offer up...but I don't necessarily mind bottling for a while longer.
Click to expand...

I find Craigslist to be similar to fishing. You probably aren't going to throw your line in and catch a big one on the first try. It's a matter of a little bit of perseverance.

There are also certain times of year that may be more fruitful. If you live in or near a college town, end-of-semester or end-of-year are great times to fish...er, I mean browse Craigslist. Lots of college students getting rid of stuff.

You also have to vary the search terms. Try "beer," "brewing," "CO2," "kegerator," "tank," "homebrew," "brew" and so on.
 
Oyarsa said:
I received a gift card for $200 at Amazon. Being a beginning brewer, there are plenty of things I could spend it on. Currently I have 5.5 gallon kettle I use for extract brews. I plan to move to BIAB in the near future.

I could maybe get a new, larger brewing kettle, or get something to test pH, or a stir plate/erlenmeyer flask, or a temperature controller (though the fridge I would use is also used for food), or an immersion chiller. What I'm leaning towards is a keg, CO2 tank, and supplies for kegging. What would you buy in my position? What would give the biggest bang for buck? I could maybe finagle a swap of the card for money elsewhere, so it wouldn't necessarily have to be from Amazon...
Click to expand...
Amazon is a wonderful shopping platform. MOST of the time , items are cheaper than you'd find in a dedicated online store for whatever it is youre after. Free shipping options and the option of a purchase history at your fingertips and "buy again" if you need to . You also have a vast collection of buyers reviews.
Having said all that, back to answer your question...
I would upgrade to a 2 port ,10 gallon kettle(Amazon $85). I already have and is why i'm suggesting it. That 5.5 is just about the bare minimum ,but if you ever plan on making a 5 or 6 gallon batch ,its way too small. Use the 5.5 for a strike and sparge water vessel. Testing pH - just go to a pool supply store or section in walmart and buy a container of cheap litmus papers ,so save money there. Immersion chiller,easy,cheap enough and effective- 50 ft coil of 3/8"-1/2" copper tubing , a 25 ft length of 1/2" garden hose and a bag of hose clamps.
If you don't already own a grain mill, this would be a great addition to your equipment. If you have money left over after those, and you should have just enough... buy a brew kit.
 
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While i feel really strong about kegging over bottling. (Literally cleaning, prepping bottles almost drove me out of the hobby) i agree with what most of the majority here say . FERMENTATION CONTROL is the single biggest improvement a new brewer can make.

Buy an Inkbird controller, and some type of heat pad/heater. I'd find a way to sell off the rest of the amazon card to buy a dedicated fridge or freezer from Craigslist, etc. if you don't have other $$ set aside for that.

Being able to control the temps exactly as you want to is the largest step to consistency in brewing that you will take. That same beer you make over and over with the exact same ingredients will taste completely different each time you make it based on the temps it ferments at. Control the ferment temps, and you can control the consistency.

Good luck with whatever option you choose.
 
One of the things stopping me from getting a bigger kettle is the question of where/how I would use it. Right now, I can use the 5.5 gallon on the kitchen stove and cool in the sink. I imagine I would have to get a burner to use a bigger kettle and an immersion chiller to cool it. Is that a pretty safe assumption?
 
hottpeper13 said:
Hey Goose,it helps that you live in a Wisconsin college town!
Click to expand...

Not as much as you think. I did get my tall dorm-style fridge from a student who was graduating, but that was it. I'm 22 miles away from Dubuque IA so that's the Craigslist site I use; it pulls items from Madison, Cedar Rapids, northern Illinois, and so on.

In some cases, it's worth the drive. I found a brewer exiting brewing (new kids) who sold me for $150 stuff worth $400 or more. He was 40 minutes away. Sold a couple glass carboys for $25, and for $125 net I had a mash tun, ferm chamber fridge, fastrack bottle racks, Inkbird 308, bomber bottles, and a ton of other stuff. For $125 it got me into the all-grain game, AND got me fermentation temp control at the same time.

For some reason, there seems to be a lot of beer and brewing stuff in Cedar Rapids IA. Don't know why, but new brewers in the area should check that out.
 
Oyarsa said:
One of the things stopping me from getting a bigger kettle is the question of where/how I would use it. Right now, I can use the 5.5 gallon on the kitchen stove and cool in the sink. I imagine I would have to get a burner to use a bigger kettle and an immersion chiller to cool it. Is that a pretty safe assumption?
Click to expand...
FYI, my 10 gallon pot will not physically fit on my kitchen stove as it hits on the microwave mounted above. I use it on an outdoor propane burner. Just something to check if you do go that route.
 
Not trying to be a pain or disparaging any of the replies, but I still recommend learning the basics. The how, what, why, when of brewing before adding anything.

Sometimes we veterans forget the learning, questions, hurdles, etc new brewers face since we dealt with these things so long ago.

All replies are valid. However, no reason to worry about (fill in the blank) if we don't understand why bittering hops are added at 60 minutes or (for example) carapils malt is used even with an extract brewing session. Or, how/why toast crystal 10L for about 20 minutes and steep.
 
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Temp control all the way without question. If you're practices are clean and on point with the basic starting equipment the temp control will show the biggest improvement / bang for your buck.
 
Good point, Tobor. I'm sure there are lots of things I still need to learn even with the equipment I've got...
 
Oyarsa said:
One of the things stopping me from getting a bigger kettle is the question of where/how I would use it. Right now, I can use the 5.5 gallon on the kitchen stove and cool in the sink. I imagine I would have to get a burner to use a bigger kettle and an immersion chiller to cool it. Is that a pretty safe assumption?
Click to expand...
I have a big problem with taking 5.5 gallons of boiling water in hand and going anywhere with it. Sure its possible , but sure you could also just as easily and quickly drop it , trip and fall and you have 3rd degree burns from it. I'll opt to immersion chill it and keep my skin .
 
Soulshine2 said:
I have a big problem with taking 5.5 gallons of boiling water in hand and going anywhere with it. Sure its possible , but sure you could also just as easily and quickly drop it , trip and fall and you have 3rd degree burns from it. I'll opt to immersion chill it and keep my skin .
Click to expand...

That's why God invented pumps.
 
Soulshine2 said:
God invented gravity , man invented pumps.
I have a pump,used it for one brew.
I opted for gravity instead, nothing to break.
Click to expand...

Hmm... decent pumps shouldn't break. A pump or pumps are brew house requirements. Would not imagine the Herms without a pump. Would not imagine sparging without a pump. Would not imagine running the hot wort thru the counterflow wort chiller without a pump, etc.

However, draining the primary conical simply using the lower side ball valve works very nice.
 

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