blanstuf
Member
First off, this is my first post and I wanted to say thank you to everyone on this forum for all of the great information. I've been reading through the forum, articles, and wiki pretty regularly for the past few months and have learned a great deal.
I have brewed 5 extract batches, two are bottled and ready to drink, two more were bottled this past weekend and the fifth is in secondary to bulk age for a month or so. I have several more extract recipes I want to brew and eventually make the step up to all grain, once I have a pretty good handle on the process.
Now for the advice part... I currently have access to pretty much all of the basic equipment needed to brew and bottle. Some of it is mine, some belongs to a friend who doesn't use it, and my brother has basically everything needed to do all grain that he is never going to use. Last week I was unexpectedly given a $50 Amazon gift card and my first thought was to get a wort chiller (none of us have one). However, this morning I thought maybe I should use it to get a really nice thermometer.
Up until now, I have been doing partial boils on the stove and cooling in an ice bath but with the warmer weather (I REALLY hate the cold) I will be more willing to brew outside with a turkey fryer and full boils. This makes me think a wort chiller would be in my best interest. On the other hand, the thermometer I am using is a simple grocery store thermometer. It does the job but I am wondering if I should upgrade that before attempting all grain.
Do you think I should go with a wort chiller, a nice thermometer, or some other piece of equipment the I really should have? Thanks in advance for the replies.
I have brewed 5 extract batches, two are bottled and ready to drink, two more were bottled this past weekend and the fifth is in secondary to bulk age for a month or so. I have several more extract recipes I want to brew and eventually make the step up to all grain, once I have a pretty good handle on the process.
Now for the advice part... I currently have access to pretty much all of the basic equipment needed to brew and bottle. Some of it is mine, some belongs to a friend who doesn't use it, and my brother has basically everything needed to do all grain that he is never going to use. Last week I was unexpectedly given a $50 Amazon gift card and my first thought was to get a wort chiller (none of us have one). However, this morning I thought maybe I should use it to get a really nice thermometer.
Up until now, I have been doing partial boils on the stove and cooling in an ice bath but with the warmer weather (I REALLY hate the cold) I will be more willing to brew outside with a turkey fryer and full boils. This makes me think a wort chiller would be in my best interest. On the other hand, the thermometer I am using is a simple grocery store thermometer. It does the job but I am wondering if I should upgrade that before attempting all grain.
Do you think I should go with a wort chiller, a nice thermometer, or some other piece of equipment the I really should have? Thanks in advance for the replies.