What to buy...

I need help. I have some money to burn (which is shocking for me), and I wanted to improve my brewing set-up somehow.

Here are the options:

Graduate from partial mash to all grain

Make kegging system so I can force carbonate


I really really want to start doing all grain batches but my apartment is only marginally big enough to store the equipment when not in use.

I have a spot where I could put a kegerator, and I am willing to put the effort into converting a minifridge and saving some money there.

To me this is a question of taking the next step in my brewing or saving the hassle of bottling every batch. At the same time, with a kegging system I can drink hoppy beers that much sooner, and yes, 3 weeks does make a noticeable impact on hop flavor and aroma. If you can get your hands on an real quality IPA bottled less than a week ago, that is a rare treat.

Opinions?

I do BIAB 2.5 gal batches with pretty minimal stuff,although I ocassionally upgrade.Fermentation temp control is probably more important,and you can make yeast starters with minimal equipment. You have money but cannot buy fancy bulk equipment so. I mean its not much to get a 7.5 gallon cooler mash tun compared to a 5 gallon cooler mash tun which the 5 gallon would give you smaller batches unless you have space to do full boils or maybe you like topping off. Just breaking some ice here,cheers.
Question is,how much can you boil? Ive been a bit disapointed in kegging,its about the same as bottleing-3 weeks. Shure it can carb faster but maybe not ready yet? you can drink soooner with certain teqniques but,whether its better..? well thats up to you to find out.

If you don't have enough room to store all grain equipment, then at least get some corny kegs and a little chest freezer.

The quantity of water you can boil will determine if all grain is good for you as it is nice to do full volume boils. I've been doing quite a few 2 1/2 gallon batches as I can do them in my kitchen when the weather is nasty out and it gives me the chance to try more variations with smaller batches. While my stove has a high output burner and can boil the larger batches, I find that the small batches are easier to work with. I also do BIAB and that method has a small amount of equipment needed and is really cheap to do. That would leave you more money to spend on kegerators if that is what you want. Another option that may work for you is the Tap-a-Draft system that you could put in your refrigerator and avoid adding a kegerator to a cramped apartment. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/tap-a-draft-starter-kit.html

go for the kegging. best thing i ever did. i am able to enjoy my beer sooner then my beer in bottles. 3-4 weeks FV and 3-4 days keg and then it's in my glass. since i only have 7 extract brews under my belt, kegging has allowed me to pump out the brew quickly to find a brew and style i enjoy. now i can keep a keg full of the beer i like and still try other styles.

JDGator said:

go for the kegging. best thing i ever did. i am able to enjoy my beer sooner then my beer in bottles. 3-4 weeks FV and 3-4 days keg and then it's in my glass. since i only have 7 extract brews under my belt, kegging has allowed me to pump out the brew quickly to find a brew and style i enjoy. now i can keep a keg full of the beer i like and still try other styles.

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Hey gator, could you post a link to the legging kit you ordered? Looking to get away from bottles soon. Thanks.

BIAB for all grain is really easy. Doesn't take up any more room because you don't need anything besides a bag (assuming you have a brew kettle thats at least 8-10 gallons).

Since BIAB is so cheap, you can still buy a kegging setup. Pulling your own pints is the best thing about the hobby!

Definitely spend your money on fermentation temperature control. If you're already doing that, yeast starters. After that: oxygen. Then you can play around with all-grain or kegs.

IrocChris said:

Hey gator, could you post a link to the legging kit you ordered? Looking to get away from bottles soon. Thanks.

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i ordered from Ontario Beer Kegs.

This is basically what i ordered and then added to it.
http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Dual...mplete_Kit_p/dual-passthrough-complete-hb.htm

Pretty good people to deal with!

+1 on Ferm. temp. control, then starter / O2 injection / Stirplate, then BIAB / All grain. Kegging saves effort, but brewing and fermenting equipment makes your beer better.

I hadn't even thought about fermentation temperature control... Probably a good idea considering summer is coming. I'm still leaning towards the kegging system tho.

What's a good system for temp control?

Well, the nicest way is a chest freezer with a temp controller on it. Like all things, you can do that cheap or easy. Easy: buy a freezer at home depot and get a johnson digital controller. Cheap: craigslist freezer and wire your own ebay temp controller (there are TONS of instructions on this site). The freezer controller method allows you to ferment lagers, which is a plus. If you're going to get a chest freezer, it's going to take up space in your house and not be particularly beautiful, so SWMBO needs to be on board. If you put it outside, people can see it, and it's not going be very beautiful, so SWMBO needs to be down.

Other cheap options include: a muck bucket filled with water and frozen 2L water bottles. You swap out water bottles as needed throughout the day to maintain correct temperature. Keeping enough frozen bottles around takes up freezer space, so SWMBO needs to be down. If your climate is dry and you don't get extreme heat, you can get away with a thick towel soaked in water, with a fan or AC unit pointed at it. That's what I do. The towels dry out fast, so you need to do this more often than large frozen water bottles. A thick, soaked-through towel will be bone dry by the time I Get home from work (8hrs on the nose). For the week or two that it gets into the high 100s, 110s here, I make saison. If you're going to have wet moldy towels sitting around in your house (trust me, they get moldy), SWMBO needs to be down.

When it comes to upgrading, my problem isn't money, it's a pretty relentless K.I.S.S. attitude toward my brewing. Since going AG over three years ago, I haven't really made any changes.
I mill my grain with a cheap corona-type mill, I mash with a cooler / braid setup, I boil in a cheap 30 qt. SS pot over a turkey fryer burner, ferment in plastic buckets, and bottle in recycled commercial 9 inch longnecks. Our basement stays in the low '60s year round, so fermentation temperatures and storage are not at issue. And from the perspective of volume, I brew maybe 12-15 5 gallon batches a year.
When I reflect on my setup and the household I have to work in, I always conclude there would be no real benefit to me in making the kind of changes outlined in this thread, so I don't do it. Everyone's situation is a bit different, and to me, it makes sense that a person would tailor what they do to their own situation.