1st piece of equipment for AG?

[robertbartsch]

I assume your first piece of equipment to purchase when converting from PM to AG brewing should be a barley crusher followed by a mashing tun; right?

 

[BuonAnno]

Well it depends on what you already have.

You can get your grains pre-crushed so I would say the two pieces of equipment vital to AG are a mash tun and a pot able to handle full boils.

 

[Revvy]

I assume your first piece of equipment to purchase when converting from PM to AG brewing should be a barley crusher followed by a mashing tun; right?

A mill of any type is optional, since most LHBS and even mail order will crush for you. And as for style of crusher/mill, there are many options for that beyond that brand, including using a modified corona mill (like what Charlie Papazian gets 87% effieciency with) or even a modified 20 dollar pasta machine from Michael's are supply store.

But again in order of priorities grain milling is really low.

Of the two Mash Tun or the stuff do do BIAB is number 1

Then if you haven't you need to address doing full size boils, i.e. a turkey fryer or something.

And chilling, as in a wort chiller is a priority.

 

[MikeG]

I've been doing AG for 2 years and do not own a mill.

For me to go AG as an extract brewer:
1: I picked up a 30qt turkey fryer that allowed me to do full extract batches (~$70)
2: DIY MT (essential) for ~$80.

I buy my ingredients from Brewmasters Warehouse and always get an excellent crush.

Basically, the price from a partial boil extract brewer going to AG cost me $150.

 

[mattjmac]

Even cheaper when you can find that turkey fryer on CL. Tons of them go up in the month or so before Turkey Day.

 

[jaginger]

But again in order of priorities grain milling is really low.

Of the two Mash Tun or the stuff do do BIAB is number 1

Then if you haven't you need to address doing full size boils, i.e. a turkey fryer or something.

And chilling, as in a wort chiller is a priority.

Right on. But you can skip the chiller and search for no-chill. Saves some $$ and space to store another piece of equipment.

 

[Revvy]

Even cheaper when you can find that turkey fryer on CL. Tons of them go up in the month or so before Turkey Day.

I paid 25 for mine at Meijer's or maybe Kroger's in late October/early November a couple years back, seems they were getting ready to stock a newer, an consequently more expensive, model for the Thanksgiving holiday, so they deep discounted the older model to clear them out. Look along the back wall where the seasonal stuff is, and you may be surprised, they may be moving last year's fall stuff out of the way to shuffle the summer stuff, like BBq's off the main part of the floor and into "seasonal" so the really old stuff may be on deep clearance.

Just make sure that yours DOESN'T have the newer safety feature that requires you to push a button every 5-15 minutes in order to keep the gas flowing. They're a pain to use, and noone's come up with a good way to bypass that feature.

This one doesn't have it, it is a straght un-inerrupted hose from tank to burner'

The crappy ones will have a little grey box a little larger than an AA battery with a red button on it, located somewhere in the path of the gas. It uses different sized fittings so you can't even easily cut it out of the line and straight pipe the hose.

If all you can find at stores are the ones with the safety feature, than look at Cl or Garage sales.

 

[johnodon]

I'm now researching the Turkey Fryer option. I imagine stainless is the preferred way to go but is aluminum OK?

TIA,

John

 

[Revvy]

I'm now researching the Turkey Fryer option. I imagine stainless is the preferred way to go but is aluminum OK?

TIA,

John

You assume wrong...like so many things in brewing, it just doesn't matter.

Read this sticky....it's there for a reason

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

 

[MikeG]

Bah, my post was to say I picked up a 30-qt to do full-BOIL (extract) brewing.

Yeah, $150 is at the high-end but it gives you an idea of an upper boundary that isn't intimidating for making a decision with. Get those turkey fryers on sale/discount/used and same for a building a DIY mash tun, you could probably do that cheaper.

I've since moved up to a larger burner and do 10 gal batches in a larger boil kettle but getting into AG wasn't a huge money sink for me and was fun to do with excellent results on every batch.

 

[Starderup]

I'm now researching the Turkey Fryer option. I imagine stainless is the preferred way to go but is aluminum OK?

TIA,

John

My cost was:
$63.00 for the turkey fryer
About $12.00 for the parts to convert a donated cooler to a mash tun
$75.00 for a 50' chiller from Amazon.com

The first time you see grain turned into sticky sweet wort - priceless!

 

[skeezerpleezer]

If you have a heat source you can get a 32 quart tamale steamer at walmart for $25. I used one for awhile with no problems.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/TAMALE-SEAFOOD-STMR/13370045

 

[MikeG]

My cost was:
$63.00 for the turkey fryer
About $12.00 for the parts to convert a donated cooler to a mash tun
$75.00 for a 50' chiller from Amazon.com

The first time you see grain turned into sticky sweet wort - priceless!

Crap, I forgot about a wort chiller in my equation. I already had my 25' 3/8 IC when I went AG, forget what I paid for it. I eventually made a 50' 1/2 for my 10 gal boils (would work even better for 5 gal!).

I do believe in using a chiller - as to add to the price - but I have done a couple of no-chill brewing sessions for the single fact my yeast starter wasn't ready. I had no issues of any kind doing this so if the cost of an IC is a deal-breaker on going to AG then you can do the no-chill brewing.

 

[finley]

I just switched from Extract to all grain. I'd say the first thing you need, is a good, accurate thermometer. You can get by in extract brewing without it, even though you really should have one.

Then I'd go larger brew pot, I got a 12 Gallon aluminum one from a local grocery store for ~$30. I have gas burners on my stove, and the pot covers both burners, and I was able to get a full 10 gallons to a strong boil easily. You can keep doing your extract brewing in the meantime, just easier.

The next purchase is a toss up If you know you are going to spend the money, get a wort chiller. You can use it in your extract brewing, and making that process easier. It isn't completely necessary, but definetly helpful. If you aren't going to do that, then go Mash Tun.

 

[CaptKiRkLeS]

I have a Q about the mash tun...or maybe someone can direct me to the thread. I know there is a continuous debate of a 5 gal or 10 gal cooler. I can get a 5 gal for free but I don't see how it's possible to use, figuring most batches call for 10+ lbs of grain which adds 3.75+ gallons of water...how can that even fit into a 5 gal cooler?

 

[Revvy]

I have a Q about the mash tun...or maybe someone can direct me to the thread. I know there is a continuous debate of a 5 gal or 10 gal cooler. I can get a 5 gal for free but I don't see how it's possible to use, figuring most batches call for 10+ lbs of grain which adds 3.75+ gallons of water...how can that even fit into a 5 gal cooler?

You can get close to 14 pounds of grain in a 5 gallon cooler, and by cheating your grain to water ratio you can squeeze more in. I have been using my 5 gallon for close to 5 years now, and have rarely run into a situation where my cooler wasn't sufficient for the gravity of the batch I was brewing. Yeah you can't make 5 gallons of barleywine in it, but you CAN make 2.5 gallons of it there if you wanted. But for me I don't often brew 5 gallons of really big beers, those I tend to do small batch.

So for about 80-90% of my brewing needs, my 5 gallon cooler has worked great.

You can also do a hybrid batch/fly mash or sparge method where you aren't necessarily putting ALL your water in at once. There's many ways around if you are creative.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, a thermometer is a necessity, but you can find them at Walmart that "should" work for $15. Just make sure you check it before using (and return if it doesn't work).

But then a boil kettle of sufficient size is first. Turkey fryer works very well as long as you can manage the boil-overs (I have used infant gas drops, or the lhbs variety fermcaps with great results).

Then worry about a Mash Tun. Coolers are so easy to find at yard sales CL or on sale. A few more dollars in fittings and you are good to go.

Besides the fact that I built my grain crusher before I went AG, I'd say a crusher is near last on the list IMO. A big kettle and a big burner are super important.

And of course managing your ferm temps are more important than going AG, so i fyou haven't got that under control, worry about that first.

 

[Homercidal]

Oh yeah, and I forgot to add that batch size doesn't really matter. You can make it work if you are creative enough. Even if you have to mash twice to get your volume...

 

[CaptKiRkLeS]

Thanks guys...that answers a lot for me! Yea I don't plan on making a ton of big beers I guess it'll just come down to putting some experience in my belly.

 

[nebben]

A mill of any type is optional, since most LHBS and even mail order will crush for you. And as for style of crusher/mill, there are many options for that beyond that brand, including using a modified corona mill (like what Charlie Papazian gets 87% effieciency with) or even a modified 20 dollar pasta machine from Michael's are supply store.
....

Once I've dialed it in, I see 80-85% routinely with my corona mill. Although, I think my crush might be a little too fine though since my last brew was dinged in competition for tasting slightly astringent. Not the mill's fault though...

My vote is a mash-tun of sorts as a #1 priority, then full boil equipment.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

IMO, Mash tun is #1, then a BK & Good burner would be second. I think it is really wise to get a 40qt or larger BK, but that also means you need to buy an appropriate sized burner. That's the route I went anyway, I had the little 30qt Turkey Fryer and it just didn't cut it for me. I don't think you can get a vigorous enough boil in those without throwing wort everywhere. So, I went with a 50qt aluminum pot and I can boil as hard or soft as I want without ever having to worry about boilovers. I got the pot for $60 & and an SQ-14 for $50. But, the 30qt from the Turkey Fryer does make a good HLT.

 

[3PegBrew]

I assume your first piece of equipment to purchase when converting from PM to AG brewing should be a barley crusher followed by a mashing tun; right?

I didn't wanna read the whole thread so I'm just going to cut to the chase. Most home brew stores allow you to use their mills to crush your grains. That isn't a priority especially since it costs over 100 dollars when all you really need is a rolling pin or a rubber mallet and a ziploc baggy (yes this took a long time but I got 80%!). Ask the store if you have one near you. If the nearest one is over an hour away....obviously investing in your own mill would be beneficial NOW.

How are you going to get wort from grains? Get a Mash Tun. Concentrate on that and how you want to build it. Once THAT is done you can do whatever you want in any order.

Luckily for the many readers of this site, people have made many posts on Mash Tuns and how they have constructed them. You might also look into Youtube. Plenty of construction videos.

cheers hope this was somewhat helpful to anybody reading.