So my first brew is bottled and I'm itching for another brew, just pulled the trigger on the dry stout and winter warmer from nb and tomorrow I plan on stopping by the lhbs to pick up some common ingredients in bulk and another carboy maybe some other "necessary items" plus a honey ale kit. Here's to 20 gallons of home brew in a couple months.
carried away?
- Thread starter Sudsy426
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Can I make a couple suggestions? Buy fermenter buckets instead of carboys. They make just as good of beer and they are cheaper, safer, easier to handle, and they will stack if you don't want to have them full all the time.
The thing that made the most improvement in my beer was temperature control during fermentation. Find a way to keep the fermenter cool (low to mid 60's) for the first 4 or 5 days and your beer will turn out much better.
With the bug having bitten you so hard so quickly, you also should consider when you will switch to all grain brewing as the difference in price between grains and extract will make quite a difference in what you spend plus it will open up opportunities for even more varieties of beer.
The thing that made the most improvement in my beer was temperature control during fermentation. Find a way to keep the fermenter cool (low to mid 60's) for the first 4 or 5 days and your beer will turn out much better.
With the bug having bitten you so hard so quickly, you also should consider when you will switch to all grain brewing as the difference in price between grains and extract will make quite a difference in what you spend plus it will open up opportunities for even more varieties of beer.
I don't stack buckets inside one another. Too easy to get scratches inside them.
broadbill
Well-Known Member
How does one plastic bucket can scratch another plastic bucket? Usually the material doing the scratching is harder than the material being scratched.
Besides, I would bet you those same brew buckets are shipped from the factory stacked. They are kept in a stack at just about every LHBS I've ever been too. I'm sure they are getting unstacked/stacked a couple times a week. All this happens without getting scratched.
I think its safe to stack.
It never fails to have some one pushing all grain on the extract fourm. It seems like every other post some times. When it comes down to it all grain really isn't that much cheaper than extract,even kits. To the OP enjoy them. I have been a kit brewer going on 3 years and don't plan to switch any time soon.
My personal experience is that with all grain you can get a wider array of flavors than with extract. That being said, anyone that gets tired of the plethora of flavor combinations that can be made with extract and steeping grain is either a severe alcoholic or only using an excuse to move to all grain. Cost, well that depend on how you look at it. I'd have to brew a LOT of beer to make up for the cost in equipment and time. It is certainly a bit more work, more equipment and more time, but only a personal choice to "need" to move to all grain. I feel the old argument of all grain is the only way to get fresh taste is no longer a concern since there are so many internet based companies that sell very fresh LME. There are simply too many folks getting blue ribbons for extract with judges that cannot tell the difference between an all grain and extract. Brew on...
roastquake
Well-Known Member
Don't stack buckets unless you thoroughly clean the outsides, dirt from the outside of one can easily scratch the inside of the other. I wouldnt even do it with cleaning because the bottoms get scratched and dirt can hide in those scratches
Sudsy426
Well-Known Member
Very good to hear all this useful info thank you thank you. So i ended up getting another bucket for primary and another carboy for secondary along with the honey ale kit i was looking for and some odds and ends hahaha, add that to the two nb kits i ordered last night and i think its a pretty good start. to reply to the plastic bucket and all grain thing. I don't plan on stacking the buckets i have enough space where for now its not necessary. As far as all grain, i see the joy in having total control but i also think there is plenty of modification possible with extract.i would be interested in a kegging system before i entertained an all grain system. Cheers
Ah, that just means you don't have enough buckets yet. All grain certainly can be a lot cheaper but some people get carried away with equipment and negate the cost advantage. I only had to add a Corona style mill and a pair of paint strainer bags (about $35 total) to start all grain. It doesn't take very many batches to make up that cost.
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