Beginner Question – Check my Shopping List

[jeffreyabr]

I’ve done a few brews so far and observed a handful, so I was thinking I might finally bite the bullet and buy my own equipment. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a ton of Amazon gift cards from birthday gifts, so I have the luxury of a lot of this being essentially free, but I didn’t want to waste money.


I read through the Reddit r/Homebrewing Beginner’s Guide and bookmarked the basics:

• Red Baron Bottle Capper
• Regular 5/16" Auto-Siphon
• Brewing Spoon
• Brew Bag
• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Lid and Spigot for Bottling Beer
• Hydrometer (Triplescale)
• Vinyl Tubing - 10 feet (Do I need 10 feet?)
  
  

I’m sure this isn’t something I need, but I found that both a highly rated 16 gallon kettle costs the same as the 10 gallon kettle. Is this a case where getting something bigger than I would immediately want/need is a good option because it’s something I could grow into? Would I be able to brew 5 gallon batches in a 16 gallon kettle just as well as a 10 gallon kettle?

10 gallon

16 gallon

Anything I’m missing? Thoughts on what I’ve picked out so far? Have I gone massively overboard or are any of the products I’ve listed known to be a poor choice for this application?

 

[porterpounder]

Definitely go with the big kettle if you have the means to heat it. I'd go with the bigger 1/2" autosiphon. Faster flow rate. Also get the clip for the autosiphon. Makes it easier to get a clearer product. Definitely the stainless spoon, but maybe also a nice solid maple mash paddle. I'd skip the hydrometer in favor or a refractometer. It's faster, easier to use wasting less beer, and harder to break. You can never have too much tubing.

 

[eadavis80]

Most people don't regret buying the biggest kettle they can afford. I myself bought only an 8-gallon Tallboy from NB and while I can do a full 6-gallon boil in it, I have to be careful of boil overs. Looking back, I wish I had bought the 10. That being said, I doubt I'd EVER want anything more than that, but like I said - I don't know anyone that regrets buying the biggest kettle they can. But, yes - you can brew 5 gallons - EASILY in either kettle. I'll let others comment on the other supplies. However, I WOULD get a wort chiller - ice baths get old and time consuming in a hurry.

 

[physics911]

• wine thief
• cooler for mash tun if you plan on doing all-grain
• pH meter
• A couple of good thermometers
• primary fermenting bucket or carboy
• bungs and air locks
• wort chiller (an ice bath is fine)

 

[ericbw]

What are you fermenting in?

My next big purchase will be a chiller.

 

[jeffreyabr]

Definitely go with the big kettle if you have the means to heat it. I'd go with the bigger 1/2" autosiphon. Faster flow rate. Also get the clip for the autosiphon. Makes it easier to get a clearer product. Definitely the stainless spoon, but maybe also a nice solid maple mash paddle. I'd skip the hydrometer in favor or a refractometer. It's faster, easier to use wasting less beer, and harder to break. You can never have too much tubing.

We've been frying turkeys/ducks for Thanksgiving for the last several years, so I've got the equipment from that fryer. I might want to look into how much weight that can hold though, if I would ever consider a 10 gallon batch or something.

I will definitely look into that upgraded autosiphon.

Hadn't heard of a refractometer until now, but that looks like a cool improvement to a hydrometer.

Most people don't regret buying the biggest kettle they can afford. I myself bought only an 8-gallon Tallboy from NB and while I can do a full 6-gallon boil in it, I have to be careful of boil overs. Looking back, I wish I had bought the 10. That being said, I doubt I'd EVER want anything more than that, but like I said - I don't know anyone that regrets buying the biggest kettle they can. But, yes - you can brew 5 gallons - EASILY in either kettle. I'll let others comment on the other supplies. However, I WOULD get a wort chiller - ice baths get old and time consuming in a hurry.

That's what I'd thought on kettle size, but I figured no harm in asking the question. The size is only slightly wider, so it's not like I'd have half the bag of grains sitting outside the wort in a 5 gallon boil in a 16 gallon kettle.

It hasn't happened yet, but my neighbor has put it in my head that boil overs are inevitable. Hoping the extra large kettle would help prevent against that.

Just saw a wort chiller in use at my friend's this past weekend, and there's no doubt in my mind I'm going to go for that now! Ice baths aren't worth the effort now that I've seen how that thing functions. I'll have to sort out the garden hose in the front of the house to reach around to the driveway, but that shouldn't be a complex issue.

Are stainless steel or copper preferable materials to look for?

 

[jeffreyabr]

• wine thief
• cooler for mash tun if you plan on doing all-grain
• pH meter
• A couple of good thermometers
• primary fermenting bucket or carboy
• bungs and air locks
• wort chiller (an ice bath is fine)

What are you fermenting in?

My next big purchase will be a chiller.

I had thought I might ferment in that 6.5 gallon bucket. Being that it's opaque and the nozzle assists in the bottling stage, I thought that was possibly the way to go. Is there a better option?

I was possibly eyeing this copper wort chiller. Dimensions-wise, it fits easily into either kettle I was looking at. Should I consider anything stainless steel? Is there an advantage to either?

 

[physics911]

Should I consider anything stainless steel? Is there an advantage to either?

I don't recommend stainless for anything related to heat exchanging (wort chiller), as copper has far better heat transfer properties.

Regarding the bottling bucket, that will work fine as a primary. However, be aware of your trub level in relation to the spigot. Some put a wedge under the bucket to make the trub settle to the back side. Also consider a dedicated fermenting bucket is under $20 and you don't have to worry about a dog/cat/kid/ghost hitting the valve on your bottling bucket and dump your beer all over the floor.

 

[kh54s10]

Hydrometer first, a refractometer as an addition, not a replacement. You will want the hydrometer for your final gravity readings. There are online conversion programs to use a refractometer, but they can be inaccurate.

A good thermometer is a must. I prefer PET bottle fermenters to buckets. I also don't trust spigots in a fermenter. There is too much of a risk of bacteria settling into it during the fermentation time, while being difficult to sanitize while in place.

Agreed with a larger pot. If you ever want to do 10 gallons you will need at least a 15 gallon pot.
I also agree with the larger autosiphon. When my 5/16 broke I got the 1/2", well worth getting.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Hadn't heard of a refractometer until now, but that looks like a cool improvement to a hydrometer.

A refractometer really isn't a replacement for a hydrometer. That's not to say it's not worth having (it certainly is), but you'll be best served actually having both.

1) Refractometers are designed to read °Brix as content of sucrose, not maltose, and as such have a different refraction index that's not always constant, and that index affects the accuracy. The dual scale refractometers with an SG scale in addition to °Brix often assume a linear relationship that is not reality, and are even less accurate. Most folks will calibrate their refractometer with water like they would a hydrometer, which doesn't take that index into account. The difference is fairly small, but it's enough to notice. The best way to actually calibrate a refractometer is with wort of a known gravity, best case is one similar to the gravity that you're measuring for your batch. Doing that requires a hydrometer. Measure wort with a hydrometer, and then measure it with the refractometer and calibrate to the same level. That of course assumes you're reading the hydrometer correctly, which is another issue.

2) Refractometers are thrown off by the presence of alcohol. This means that in order to use one for final gravity, you have to correct for it, and those aren't always 100% accurate.

Me personally, I use a refractometer for anything during brewday (ie before I pitch yeast), but after that, I use a narrow-range lower end hydrometer for final gravity (mine is 0.990-1.020, but I have a full range one for anything expected to finish higher than 1.020, but most of my beers won't finish anywhere near that high).

 

[kh54s10]

Maybe just over looked: But I see the Red Baron bottle capper but see no mention of caps.

Bottling wand.

Vinyl tubing. Maybe 1 1/2 inch long to attach bottling wand to the spigot.

 

[jeffreyabr]

Maybe just over looked: But I see the Red Baron bottle capper but see no mention of caps.

Yeah, I left the little incidentals out, but bottle caps are definitely on my radar. Mostly wanted to be sure I wasn't about to get something that isn't as good as would be expected.

Bottling wand.

Vinyl tubing. Maybe 1 1/2 inch long to attach bottling wand to the spigot.

I saw a video that had what looked like a good setup with a bottling wand with vinyl tubing and a bucket with a spigot, so that's something I would like to emulate.

 

[kh54s10]

Yeah, I left the little incidentals out, but bottle caps are definitely on my radar. Mostly wanted to be sure I wasn't about to get something that isn't as good as would be expected.





I saw a video that had what looked like a good setup with a bottling wand with vinyl tubing and a bucket with a spigot, so that's something I would like to emulate.

That is what I was getting at... Some use a long piece of tubing to the wand then have to put in each bottle. I find it easier to push the bottle up to the wand, fill then set on the table, top with a cap and fill another. I then cap all the bottles at once.

 

[jeffreyabr]

That is what I was getting at... Some use a long piece of tubing to the wand then have to put in each bottle. I find it easier to push the bottle up to the wand, fill then set on the table, top with a cap and fill another. I then cap all the bottles at once.

Yeah man, it makes total sense. That's a much smaller run for the beer to have to make while also being dispersed in controlled amounts. I like that setup idea a lot.

 

[Aristotelian]

I would recommend a second bucket for bottling. I am paranoid that the spigot seal would eventually deteriorate and I would lose an entire batch of beer and get 5 gallons of beer on the floor. Better to use a completely solid bucket when you are going to leave it for weeks at a time.

Agree, hydrometer is the higher priority. Refractometer is a luxury.

I personally can't imagine ever drinking 10 gallons of beer. You might want to see how big that 16 gallon pot is in real life before you go that big.

If you are planning to do BIAB, you will need paint strainer bags from the hardware store. Otherwise you need to get a cooler for a mash tun as somebody else said. Personally I use the BIAB method.

 

[ericbw]

That is what I was getting at... Some use a long piece of tubing to the wand then have to put in each bottle. I find it easier to push the bottle up to the wand, fill then set on the table, top with a cap and fill another. I then cap all the bottles at once.

This is what I do, too. It keeps your hands free. Bottling alone is really tough with a hose and siphon.

 

[jeffreyabr]

I would recommend a second bucket for bottling. I am paranoid that the spigot seal would eventually deteriorate and I would lose an entire batch of beer and get 5 gallons of beer on the floor. Better to use a completely solid bucket when you are going to leave it for weeks at a time.

Agree, hydrometer is the higher priority. Refractometer is a luxury.

I personally can't imagine ever drinking 10 gallons of beer. You might want to see how big that 16 gallon pot is in real life before you go that big.

If you are planning to do BIAB, you will need paint strainer bags from the hardware store. Otherwise you need to get a cooler for a mash tun as somebody else said. Personally I use the BIAB method.

So you'd siphon from the fermenter bucket into the bottling bucket and then bottle? I suppose that works as well.

Gotcha, I thought a refractometer was just a higher-end hydrometer. I don't need to go the extra mile right out of the gate.

I was surprised the 16 gallon and 10 gallon kettles were exactly the same price. That's the only reason I'm considering the 16 gallon. If I can brew in that just as effectively, and since the dimensions aren't drastically different (13.6 x 13.6 x 16 inches in the 10 gallon vs 15.6 x 15.6 x 19.5 inches in the 16 gallon), I figured I might as well get something I can grow into over time. No way I'm going over 5 gallons to start with, but hypothetically, if I moved onto kegging in the future, I'm already scaled up.

I like/feel comfortable with the BIAB method so far, but why do you suggest paint strainer bags? I was under the impression bags meant for brewing had a higher thread count which was better. My friends say they can easily sanitize and wash them. This was the one I had my eye on. Any recommendations?

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, the idea of a bottling bucket is to transfer from your fermenter into a bucket with a spigot at the bottom. Much easier than siphoning straight from the fermenter, and easier to sanitize at bottling time than if your were bottling straight from the fermenter.

I go with the paint strainer bags. They get the job done for 2 for $4 at the hardware store. You can spend more if you want and you will probably get what you pay for, but if you want something entry level the paint bags will get the job done.

 

[ericbw]

Paint strainer bags probably won't last as long, but they're cheap. Might be a little smaller, too. You can wash and sanitize.

Are you sure the kettles are exactly the same? When I got mine, I saw an 8 gallon with 2 ports and a 9 gallon with 1 port for the same price. Make sure it's only different size.

 

[dmcman73]

So you'd siphon from the fermenter bucket into the bottling bucket and then bottle? I suppose that works as well.

Gotcha, I thought a refractometer was just a higher-end hydrometer. I don't need to go the extra mile right out of the gate.

I was surprised the 16 gallon and 10 gallon kettles were exactly the same price. That's the only reason I'm considering the 16 gallon. If I can brew in that just as effectively, and since the dimensions aren't drastically different (13.6 x 13.6 x 16 inches in the 10 gallon vs 15.6 x 15.6 x 19.5 inches in the 16 gallon), I figured I might as well get something I can grow into over time. No way I'm going over 5 gallons to start with, but hypothetically, if I moved onto kegging in the future, I'm already scaled up.

I like/feel comfortable with the BIAB method so far, but why do you suggest paint strainer bags? I was under the impression bags meant for brewing had a higher thread count which was better. My friends say they can easily sanitize and wash them. This was the one I had my eye on. Any recommendations?

I used to ferment right in my bottling bucket, never had an issue. I used to spray some Starsan into the nozzle and seal it up by putting a zip loc bag around the outside spout.

The positive about fermenting in one bucket then transferring into your bottling bucket is that you'll be able to leave the trub behind in the fermenting bucket.