Move To Traditional All Grain & Kegging

[bolus14]

I'm looking at moving into a new house this year and will have a lot more space for brewing and space for a kegging so I'm looking for ideas on being practical in moving to traditional all grain and kegging

I did 3 batches of extract brewing when I started in a 5 gal kettle, then moved to BIAB in an 11gal Bayou Classics kettle and have been doing that for about 3 years. Besides fermenting/bottling buckets and tubing that's all the equipment I have needed and it has served well.

I like to brew a variety of stuff and tend to brew for the season, plus some higher ABV brews for holidays and just to have when you want something stronger. I have a couple brews that I could make 10 gal of an be happy to have it around more often, but for the most part 5 gal batches are sufficient.

As for kegging i'd like to have a minimum of 3 taps, something presentable that blends into a contemporary design style. I tend to try to keep a porter or stout around so if the consensus is that nitro is much better then I'd like to consider that. I tend to go with higher ABV stouts though and porters range from 5% - 9%.

I can't really say what the budget will be, but after the dust settles on moving I may have $1,000-$1,500 that I'm willing to spend. That could vary depending on new furniture/appliance costs, etc. Anybody have ideas of other posts to refer to me, I've looked and there's obviously a ton of posts like this, but sorting through what's current/applicable and what has become out of date is very time consuming. Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[mongoose33]

If you're willing to build your own keezer, you can do very well for $1500, IMO.

I'm getting ready to build my own, I have three Perlick 650SS faucets (about $60-70 each w/ shanks), a couple of 5-pound CO2 tanks ($120 total), decent regulator ($70), manifold ($70), seven kegs ($430), various tubing and clamps ($35), Inkbird temp controller ($40), drip tray ($35), tap handles (boring black, $15). All that adds to....$905 if I have my math right. That leaves nearly $600 for a small freezer to convert to keezer, money for the collar and so on.

I think you can do very well for that price. Check for keezer build threads for ideas how you might do that.

 

[bolus14]

Also looking at equipment to move away from BIAB.
I think I can get used kegs pretty cheap, have a friend that works for a distributor so I think I can work a deal there.

 

[Anyhowe]

It you are married, then you can reasonably expect that you will have no funds remaining after the move. And FYI, the dust never settles....

If you are single, buy a used lazy boy, a good 60 inch tv and spend all the rest on a Grainfather, 6 kegs and huge keezer build.

 

[bolus14]

Ha-ha, I hear you. I might be being optimistic, but given that I manage our finances I'm sure I can swing something. We'll need more furniture, moving into a house about twice the size of our current one means more furniture, more windows coverings, more pictures... most of you understand I'm sure.
Realistically we've had extra "stuff" since we got married that has just been stored away so we won't need much more than some furniture for a second living room.
The new house has a small "barn" that I claimed as my brewhouse when we looked at the place so she knows I plan on buying some stuff. She also Hayes the times it take to bottle, really its more the prep time and cleanup time. In the end it's still around 2 hours start to finish, and I've been driving the idea that kegging would only take 30 min or so.

 

[bolus14]

What I really want to know is should I just look into getting a cooler and converting to a mash tun or would I be happier getting a 3 tiered system right now? I'd prefer to spend the cash now instead of buying something that I'll want to upgrade from in a year.

For the keezer should I look into building my own or just buy a pre-built? I'm sure building myself would be cheaper and lend more flexibility and options, just looking for advise from those that have done it if they would choose pre-built at this point.

 

[Anyhowe]

I must admit the Grainfather is a pretty good all around value at 850. That leaves you 600 for kegs and keezer and controller. You would be set.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I went through this process recently. I bought my house 3 years ago and didn't make the move to traditional brewing until I found a mash tun on Craigslist that was a SCREAMING deal ($20 for the yellow OSHA approved one) on a mash tun. I found a Blichmann burner for $100. I use a table from Costco now and got my HLT as a wedding gift because I wanted a nice turkey fryer pot and later found another igloo cooler for $10 at a garage sale. I bought a mini fridge to ferment in for $50 and just sold it this week because I found a 17 cu ft upright freezer I could use. I bought a chugger pump and 1/2" copper chiller a few weeks ago for $160. Deals are out there you just have to look and be patient. I also have 4 or 5 kegs. My 1/2" QDs came from amazons fit wasn't cheap but it was probably half of what it would cost me locally.

Just buy stuff one piece at a time and store it until you can put everything together. I did the whole process over time and it took a while but other than having a fancy brewing structure I can brew and ferment 10 gallon batches with temperature control all year long now. If you're mixing house finances with brewing finances maybe set aside a monthly budget of $50 or $100 for brewing stuff and save up whatever is left over to buy new stuff. If you aren't in a brew club you could look for one because guys know where to get deals or offer stuff to club members first before posting on Craigslist. Heck I'm growing 4 hop rhizomes and they were all free. Just remember you don't need the stuff you see online yet.

Find yourself a mash tun and start there. A camp chef 2 burner stove is $100 and I've seen photos of guys using them for a boil and HLT. You could also find a used turkey fryer and have two burners in the shed. A bazooka screen and stainless ball valve can be $50 or less. A table from Costco under $100 I believe. Building a three tier or single tier setup can be from 2x4sand those are around $4 for the KD stuff that won't twist when it dries out. I can find used kegs on Craigslist for $40-60 depending on the season it seems and you can get those converted for $100 depending what you want added on. I paid $50 for my freezer and had to drive 2.5 hours to get it but it costs $800 new and locally they were $300. The $40 I sold my old mini fridge for paid for the gas to get there and back. Inkbird 308 is $40 and they have discounts on Amazon during holidays according to their face page account. People give away computers all the time and you could make a stir plate from one or get online and buy the cigar box ones someone makes. Find some mason jars and you can harvest yeast from starters to reduce brew costs to save up for more equipment.

 

[bolus14]

I left out that I have a good bayou classics burner, could boil 19 gal if the diameter was right.

I'm more or less looking for the best options for an MLT that will be good for 10 gal batches or high gravity 5 gal. That the first piece.

 

[mongoose33]

Get the MLT and see how you like it. You can add a ball valve and torpedo screen to a cooler and you're good to go.

Like DurtyChemist, I lucked into a mash tun which accelerated my move to AG. Mine's a 12-gallon Igloo Cube, and I'm very happy with it.

And you know what? If you decide to move to a 3-tier system, sell the MLT. You may not get out of it what you put in, but you'll get a good fraction, and consider any difference to be "tuition" as you learned to do AG.

Here's mine:

 

[bolus14]

What's the largest batch you've done in that cooler?

 

[jabba11]

you have a lot of options. Ive been where you are too. Theres already been some sound advice here. Kegging is something that almost everyone moves to if they can. Ive never seen anyone say "I started kegging my beer but hated it so I went back to bottles". I built my own keezer with 4 taps. One of the best things Ive done. I don't have a grainfather but many people use them and it seems like a fine machine. I moved up a little bit recently and bought a Nano home from Colorado brewing systems and am eagerly awaiting that. If it was me I would spend the money on 6 kegs and a keezer build. if theres money left Id save it and research what kind of system you want to move too and save for it etc. Theres pictures of my keezer build on my website/facebook page. You didn't really describe what you have for temp control etc. Id get some of that even maybe before looking at the grainfather etc if you don't already have that.

 

[filthyastronaut]

If your BIAB setup has been serving you well, I'd maybe consider using your money to improve that process rather than move to an entirely different process, but that's me. You could potentially switch to eBIAB, for example, or get a stainless steel mesh basket instead of bags.