Where do I go from here? (another spend my $ thread)

[ATLJack]

As a gift, my wife bought be a 1 gallon kit for me to "test the waters" of homebrewing. I am enjoying the hobby so far. I have my 6th batch conditioning in bottles right now. The first couple were prepackaged extract kits, the last 4 have been extract recipes I pulled off the forum. The latest is Blood Moon IPA (found here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=471019). While bottling it I had a little taste and was blown away, I am disappointed that I only have a gallon of it. I cant wait for it carbonate and I will definitely make a 5 gallon batch soon.

Anyway, where to I go from here? The natural step is to obviously start brewing 5 gallon batches so I need a larger fermenter. I am allocating $300+/- to spend on equipment. What is the best use of my money? Should I dive in and buy a nice kettle and gas burner and start brewing outside? (Honestly, one thing I like about 1 gallon is that I can do it in the kitchen) Maybe a kegging set-up? I am fine with extract kits right now, but should I take the all-grain plunge? Where should I go from here?

 

[MagicMatt]

Based on what you've said, I'd say kegging is where you'd want to drop the money.

If you're going to scale up to larger (5 gal) batches but continue to do extract, I believe you can get by with a smaller kettle and just use water to top up to the desired batch size (partial boils) Haven't done this myself though so it may not be feasible for 5 gallons.

Otherwise, if you're going to get a 10gallon kettle to handle 5 gallon batches, I'd definitely recommend a propane burner. And the burner definitely matters, as some of my friends have a generic burner and it eats through the propane. They get 2-3 batches out of a tank while I get 5-6 with the Blichmann.

But kegging is where you'll likely get the most noticeable improvements - namely in not having to bottle 5 gallons of beer every time you brew! Kegging is super simple and takes 15-20 minutes when done correctly.

 

[aprichman]

As a gift, my wife bought be a 1 gallon kit for me to "test the waters" of homebrewing. I am enjoying the hobby so far. I have my 6th batch conditioning in bottles right now. The first couple were prepackaged extract kits, the last 4 have been extract recipes I pulled off the forum. The latest is Blood Moon IPA (found here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=471019). While bottling it I had a little taste and was blown away, I am disappointed that I only have a gallon of it. I cant wait for it carbonate and I will definitely make a 5 gallon batch soon.

Anyway, where to I go from here? The natural step is to obviously start brewing 5 gallon batches so I need a larger fermenter. I am allocating $300+/- to spend on equipment. What is the best use of my money? Should I dive in and buy a nice kettle and gas burner and start brewing outside? (Honestly, one thing I like about 1 gallon is that I can do it in the kitchen) Maybe a kegging set-up? I am fine with extract kits right now, but should I take the all-grain plunge? Where should I go from here?

For 5 gallon batches you need a gas burner or special electric heating elements mounted in the kettle. Propane is easier and cheaper to get going but you need good ventilation. For 5 gallon extract batches you need an 8 gallon kettle but 10 gallons gives you room to upgrade to BIAB if you want to go all grain. I would look for a kettle with a welded port on the bottom but alternatively you can use an autosiphon to transfer. 5 gallon batches require a immersion cooler unless you have a swimming pool to float the wort in.

 

[MrHopScotch]

One thing I can say for sure is that if you want to do 5 gallon batches, get a 10 gallon pot. This way you can do full volume extract boils and won't be out of luck if you decide to move on to all grain in the future. A 10 gallon pot should even be big enough to do 5 gallon BIAB batches. This lets you test the AG waters if you want to without a ton of extra equipment and expense. Welcome to the hobby!

Edit: aprichman beat me to it!

 

[Calder]

Follow their advice if you want to jump into this 'Big-Time'. If you just want to move to the next step and brew extract/specialty grain, and maybe partial mash, but continue brewing in the kitchen, then think smaller.

- Get a beginners kit (probably best way to get large fermenters and some other necessary equipment
- Get a nice steel pot for boiling. 5 gallon (20 quart) is about right for stove top. You can safely brew 3.5 to 4 gallons in it.
- FermCap to prevent boil-overs when you fill the 5 gallon kettle to 4 gallons.
- Immersion cooler.
- 5 gallon paint strainer bags from the hardware store for BIAB. With a couple of decent sized pot you can mash up to 5 lbs of grain on a stove top. Do some research on BIAB. Mashing a small amount of grains greatly increases the variety of flavors you can use.
- Bulk extract (make sure it is light/gold/pilsner, nothing dark), either LME or DME. It is cheaper in bulk.
- Bulk hops. Buy a lb of a clean bittering hop like Magnum, to use in everything, and then get a couple of hops you like in other beers. They keep well in the freezer.

......... and of course, there is lots of other stuff you will find out you will need

 

[jekeane]

It looks like you are in atlanta. If so craigslist is you friend in an area that big. I would be patient and pick up someones setup from CL. for instance http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/for/4960538230.html $50 for possibly all you need to do 5 gallon extract kits on your stove.

this one looks like a great deal and has a pot! http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/for/4963502341.html
search: beer, beer brewing, homebrew, home brew, home brewing, and keg and you'll see basically anything you might want.
searching: bayou classic or turkey fryer can get you a good pot and burner for cheap too.

With patience and a little luck you can be doing 5g BIAB (all grain) for less than your budget of $300 If either of those two links above panned out for you you could probably be up and running for $200 total.