normonster
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- Jul 31, 2014
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I have a nice 10 gallon three vessel system at home, but lately Ive been taking a different approach, mainly to diversify my brews and try some new styles without ending up with a full 10 gallons of each. It struck me not long ago that I really wish someone had laid it out like this for me when I started. I waited a long time to buy my brew rig and it was expensive had I known what I could do with basic tools I may not have ever bought the big system, but really, all these tools translate to a larger system, save maybe the small kettle.
That said, here is the start-up advice I would give to anyone thinking about getting their feet wet with brewing. I recommend going straight to all-grain, but this would obviously work with extract as well.
Cheers! I hope someone out there finds this useful.
Phase One:
BeerSmith (moble ap or PC version)
3 Gallon Kettle
BIAB bag to fit (if you scale up later, this is your hop bag)
Auto Syphon
Scale (tenth gram accuracy hops now, water additions later)
Refractometer
FG Hydrometer
5L wine bottle or equivalent (Capable of fermenting 1.25 gallons with headspace for krausen)
Airlock
(2) 2L flip-top growlers/bottles
Corn Sugar for priming, grain for recipe (pre-milled), hops for recipe
Starsan
PBW
Whirlfloc
*With this setup you can mash and boil 2-2.5 gallons of wort on your stovetop (need at least 1.25 gallons of boiled wort), chill the boiled wort in your sink, transfer wort and ferment in the wine bottle, then transfer to the growlers and prime for carbonation. You end up with 4L of finished beer in two growlers. Not to mention you can do this in your kitchen.
Phase Two:
Mini fridge (tall enough to fit your fermentation vessel with airlock)
Inkbird temp controller (2 stage)
Reptile heat-mat (or propagation heat-mat or whatever source of heat you want to use)
Second 5L wine bottle
Second airlock
Two more flip-top growlers
Maybe a cheap Corona grain mill, but buying pre-milled at this rate of consumption is totally fine
**Now you are set to control the temperature of your fermentation and double you production capacity. With a 2 week fermentation window and a 1 week bottle refermentation you could add a third set of fermenter/airlock/growlers and set yourself up with 2 growlers per week with weekly brew days, and you can make a wide range of styles and not have to worry about what youll do with 5 gallons of Russian Imperial Death Water. Not to mention that if a recipe does go awry, you can dump and not lose much in the way of cost.
Phase Three:
Download Brewn Water (and read all the notes)
pH meter
pH meter calibration/storage solutions
Pipette
Lactic Acid (go EASY on additions here start with half what is specified in Brewn, measure and adjust further)
All chemicals for water adjustment listed in Brewn Water (Gypsum, Calcium Chloride, Baking Soda, etc.)
***Now you are not only controlling the temperature of your ferment, but you are also in control of your water profile. It can be tailored to support certain styles and their characteristics.
That said, here is the start-up advice I would give to anyone thinking about getting their feet wet with brewing. I recommend going straight to all-grain, but this would obviously work with extract as well.
Cheers! I hope someone out there finds this useful.
Phase One:
BeerSmith (moble ap or PC version)
3 Gallon Kettle
BIAB bag to fit (if you scale up later, this is your hop bag)
Auto Syphon
Scale (tenth gram accuracy hops now, water additions later)
Refractometer
FG Hydrometer
5L wine bottle or equivalent (Capable of fermenting 1.25 gallons with headspace for krausen)
Airlock
(2) 2L flip-top growlers/bottles
Corn Sugar for priming, grain for recipe (pre-milled), hops for recipe
Starsan
PBW
Whirlfloc
*With this setup you can mash and boil 2-2.5 gallons of wort on your stovetop (need at least 1.25 gallons of boiled wort), chill the boiled wort in your sink, transfer wort and ferment in the wine bottle, then transfer to the growlers and prime for carbonation. You end up with 4L of finished beer in two growlers. Not to mention you can do this in your kitchen.
Phase Two:
Mini fridge (tall enough to fit your fermentation vessel with airlock)
Inkbird temp controller (2 stage)
Reptile heat-mat (or propagation heat-mat or whatever source of heat you want to use)
Second 5L wine bottle
Second airlock
Two more flip-top growlers
Maybe a cheap Corona grain mill, but buying pre-milled at this rate of consumption is totally fine
**Now you are set to control the temperature of your fermentation and double you production capacity. With a 2 week fermentation window and a 1 week bottle refermentation you could add a third set of fermenter/airlock/growlers and set yourself up with 2 growlers per week with weekly brew days, and you can make a wide range of styles and not have to worry about what youll do with 5 gallons of Russian Imperial Death Water. Not to mention that if a recipe does go awry, you can dump and not lose much in the way of cost.
Phase Three:
Download Brewn Water (and read all the notes)
pH meter
pH meter calibration/storage solutions
Pipette
Lactic Acid (go EASY on additions here start with half what is specified in Brewn, measure and adjust further)
All chemicals for water adjustment listed in Brewn Water (Gypsum, Calcium Chloride, Baking Soda, etc.)
***Now you are not only controlling the temperature of your ferment, but you are also in control of your water profile. It can be tailored to support certain styles and their characteristics.
