Help me move from Extract to All Grain. Equipment discussion

[wilmh]

I've been brewing with extract for the past two years and I think I'm ready to move to all grain. Most of my buddies have moved on so I'm looking for additional suggestions to acquire the equipment needed to move to AG. I'd like to have the ability to brew average OG 10 gal batches or higher OG 5 gal batches. I'm trying to do this as efficiently (READ: CHEAP) as possible to keep the wife happy.

Here is a listing of my current equipment:

7.5 gal Aluminum turkey fryer pot and burner
DIY Hop spider using fine bag
50' 3/8 id copper wort chiller
Harbor Freight pump (used with worth chiller, cooler and ice bath for wort chilling or bucket/lid/arm to clean kegs)
Auto-racking cane
SS strainer to help catch/filter trub and hops from wort at transfer to fermentation bucket
Aquarium air pump with stone for aerating wort
Food quality 6.5 gal fermentation buckets with 3 part airlocks

Keezer currently running 3 pin-lock kegs with picnic taps, 20# and 5# CO2 tanks, dual guage regulator (haven't moved to external taps due to keezer being in garage - and I have a 3 year old son. ) Eventually I plan to move to 4 kegs for serving along with a CO2 distribution block.

I'm currently in the process of building a stir plate so I can start doing yeast starters.

I just acquired another refrigerator that I'm planning to use as a fermentation chamber (just need to finish buying the temp controller parts).

I do have one Sanke keg that I acquired a while back with intentions of turning it into a keggle.


One idea I have would be to build the keggle as my kettle, use my current kettle (if big enough) as my HLT, and buy a cooler (size?) for my HMT. Unsure if I should then add a pump (and possibly a plate chiller)?

 

[forstmeister]

If you build the keggle and a mash tun you are all set to go really. Your current kettle is just too small for a full boil of a 5 gallon batch.

 

[BigFloyd]

Looks like you've got a pretty good handle on it. I'd go ahead and finish up that fermenter fridge with an STC-1000 before doing that first AG batch so that you can also gain the advantage of fermenting at the optimal temps.

I recently switched from using a mash tun to doing BIAB (with a single-vessel PID-controlled recirculating 240V electric setup) and have been enjoying that enough that I'd recommend taking a look at going the BIAB route.

 

[glugglug]

Get a mash tun set up. A cooler is the easiest. Get it big enough to do 10 gallon batches. You will then have pretty much what you need for all grain. But looks like what's limiting you then from doing 10 gallons is your kettle. That IMHO would be your next move.