Hey guys. I'm new to the hobby here and am gradually acquiring equipment. As money becomes free to spend, I will need to decide which is most pressing. Here are my choices that I would like input on: Should I evolve past extract brewing (I have only two batches under my belt) and get equipment and education on all-grain (burner, mash run, etc), or should I do away with the headache of bottling and get the equipment for kegging? I already got a 14 cu.ft. freezer on the cheap that I one day hope to convert to a keezer. Thanks for the input guys!
Money allocation question
- Thread starter Bionik9
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I bought a good bit of my stuff off of craigslist too. I went all grain first and then start kegging. Kegging is definitely easier and quicker than bottling, but I still bottle a batch every now and then. The best thing about kegging is I find that I can get it carbed better and more consistent. To me thats a bigger selling point of kegging than the bottle cleaning. I bought a 20 lb co2 and a keg with 2 taps for my kegerator off of craigslist for $75.00. So, just keep your eyes open for deals and they will come.
Rhumbline
Well-Known Member
I'd vote for the all-grain route.
You'll almost certainly want to go AG if you start kegging, but you can do the AG and bottle it to see if you want to take it to that level. There's no wrong answer.
You'll almost certainly want to go AG if you start kegging, but you can do the AG and bottle it to see if you want to take it to that level. There's no wrong answer.
StompingClover
Well-Known Member
I went the route of getting my all grain equipment first. Built some and bought some. Craigslist is a great resource.
Bamsdealer
Well-Known Member
This... for sure. Plus you can get started for a lot less $ and save a few bucks on each batch...
I'd say AG that is if you have decent fermentation temps. You can always brew certain beers to the temps you have.
You ready have a freezer so making that a germ chamber would be very cheap.
Down the road s keg with just a picnic tap is pretty cheap to.
You ready have a freezer so making that a germ chamber would be very cheap.
Down the road s keg with just a picnic tap is pretty cheap to.
I'm going to have to vote for this route. Temp control and pitching the proper amount of yeast will do a whole lot to make your beer better. You can make good extract/mini mash stuff and not cost yourself a whole lot.
If you want to go all grain you could always get a bayou classic pot and a burner from amazon for about $120. Then build a manifold out of some 3/4" copper. I brewed that way for almost 6 years. Until I got tired of lifting pots to gravity feed. But keep it simple to start.
jpr0930
Well-Known Member
+1. Best advice thus far. Get a johnson/ranco on that freezer and you are set.
Or you could get a turkey fryer (burner + pot) from Home Depot for about $60.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brinkmann-30-qt-Turkey-Fryer-815-4001-S/202038907#.UaOBGUDCaSo
If you have a LHBS nearby that crushes the grain you can simply add a paint strainer bag to this and be brewing all grain BIAB. I don't have a LHBS with a crusher closer than 150 miles so I bought a Corona grain mill ($30) so I can crush my own. This makes all grain pretty cheap and if you are good with math, you can figure out how many batches you have to make before the difference in cost between all grain and extract will make up the cost of the kegging system you want.
If you want to learn about all grain without spending much on it, the paint stainers work well in a 20qt pot doing 2 1/2 gallon batches. I do a lot of batches this way as I can do them right in the kitchen when the weather is nasty and I get to try a lot of different beers too.
Lotsa great advice so far, so I'll just share my growth as a home brewer. Shortly after I started (with a bucket and an extract/steeping kit), I went BIAB partial mash and all grain, and around the same time I scored a cheap fridge and some kegs. Shortly after that I got a burner and kettle large enough to do full boils on 5 gal batches along with a grain mill so I could control my crush and keep more uncrushed grain on hand. I've since added a 10 gal cooler mashtun and a 10 gal cooler (soon to be electric) HLT. Where I'm going is that the hobby will grow with you, as will your collection of goodies.
I'd first stress trying all grain, and for that BIAB is awesome. You can mash about 10 pounds of grain in a 5 gal paint strainer from HD or Lowes, or you cna order (or make) larger bags. I know Midwest has 'em that'll easily line a 10 gal beverage cooler and hold 20+ lbs of malt. Second, if you have a chest freezer, why not get an inexpensive temp controller and use it as a fermentation chamber as others mentioned. Controlling fermentation temps will drastically improve your beer, extract or AG. Kegging's great, don't get me wrong, I only bottle beers that I plan to age long term anymore, but it's secondary to making great beer. Get the kegging setup when the budget allows. Spend money on brewing books and brewing magazine subscriptions. Anything you want to know about the craft is in books, mags and online for you to read.
I'd first stress trying all grain, and for that BIAB is awesome. You can mash about 10 pounds of grain in a 5 gal paint strainer from HD or Lowes, or you cna order (or make) larger bags. I know Midwest has 'em that'll easily line a 10 gal beverage cooler and hold 20+ lbs of malt. Second, if you have a chest freezer, why not get an inexpensive temp controller and use it as a fermentation chamber as others mentioned. Controlling fermentation temps will drastically improve your beer, extract or AG. Kegging's great, don't get me wrong, I only bottle beers that I plan to age long term anymore, but it's secondary to making great beer. Get the kegging setup when the budget allows. Spend money on brewing books and brewing magazine subscriptions. Anything you want to know about the craft is in books, mags and online for you to read.
beergolf
Well-Known Member
This gets my vote. The two best things you can do for good beer are Controlling fermentation temps and pitching the proper amount of good healty yeast.
SO I would suggest a good way to control fermentation temps, then invest in a stir plate to make starters.
My setup sounds a lot like yours. I have the turkey fryer linked above. 5 gallon paint strainer bags from HD (2 for about $5) fit the fryer kettle perfectly. I got a cheap Corona mill and modified it to use a drill as the crank (hand turning it was a pain).
Because temp control in the mash is critical, I got a nice long, waterproof thermometer from Thermoworks:
http://thermoworks.com/products/low_cost/rt610b_12+24.html
It's a great BIAB setup. Depending on the gravity, I can do 2.5-3 gallon batches easily. If I go PM, I can easily do 5 gallons.
Here's another vote for solid, precise control of fermentation temps before either AG or kegging (both of which I do and enjoy BTW).
I'd much rather drink an extract batch that was made with careful attention to pitching enough yeast (at the right pitch temp) and maintaining fermentation temps in the optimal range for the yeast used vs. an AG batch that was brewed well, but pitched and/or fermented too warm.
A used freezer/fridge from Craigslist and a controller box built with an STC-1000 ($20 on Amazon) will take your brews up to the next level.
Lots of good feedback and it's all appreciated. I had an auto correct mistake in my first post - I know it's a mash TUN. That was bothering me. Anyway, let me clarify that I do actually have a small fridge I got for free to ferment in. I have an external temp control along with it. My first batch was very tasty. In fact, I control fermentation and carbonating temps. For the second batch, I added a nice stainless spoon and an immersion chiller. I also have a bottling bucket/primary and a carboy. The chest freezer is just for future plans of a keezer.
Now, what is BIAB? And it seems the consensus that the quality of the beer and money saved doing all grain is worth putting up with the headache of bottling? I should spend my money on an all grain setup and do kegging later?
Thanks guys.
Now, what is BIAB? And it seems the consensus that the quality of the beer and money saved doing all grain is worth putting up with the headache of bottling? I should spend my money on an all grain setup and do kegging later?
Thanks guys.
Here's links to the threads that got many of us started with BIAB. You can do both all grain and partial mash (mini mash and some extract).
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-stovetop-all-grain-brewing-pics-90132/
I also have a couple videos about BIAB on my YouTube channel. You can click the link in my sigline.
+1 on Temp control, then all grain, then kegging as your priorities. Bottling is a pain, but kegging doens't make your beer better.
kombat
Well-Known Member
Another vote for all grain. Get a cooler mash tun and a turkey burner for doing full volume boils.
So true, but it surely is nice to walk across the game room, take your pick of the three varieties on tap and pour as little or as much as you desire.
I started doing AG with a chest cooler (50qt) mash tun and CPVC manifold. Now that I've switched to electric BIAB, I'm beginning to see why so many dig brewing in the bag.
THe only nice thing about kegging is you can just take little sample when you dont want a full beer.
It is nice to control carbonation but if that can be acheived with bottling to.
what kind of place do you live in? What is your ambient temps in say a basement.
I have not invested in temp control because I havea basement that stays right where I want it in summertime, and in winter I just move it to a different room vs the cellar and im good with temps. cellar is 50-55 degrees in winter and 60-65 in summer
It is nice to control carbonation but if that can be acheived with bottling to.
what kind of place do you live in? What is your ambient temps in say a basement.
I have not invested in temp control because I havea basement that stays right where I want it in summertime, and in winter I just move it to a different room vs the cellar and im good with temps. cellar is 50-55 degrees in winter and 60-65 in summer
+1 as well to ferm chamber. Also make a stir plate and get on those yeast starters. You will be amazed how paying attention to the needs of the yeast will improve your beer. Then, I would think through if you are happy with extracts, or wish to spend more time on AG (BIAB or otherwise), and honestly would think of kegging once you have your process down. Qualitywise, kegging does not affect things much. Not to mention that it costs a fair bit and is addictive (you always find you 'need' at least one more keg). Then again if bottling really annoys you that much go ahead and spring for kegging after temp control/yeast starters.
SoonerDoc
Well-Known Member
Since you've got fermentation temperature control, I'd say move towards equipment for a full boil. Both for the benefits of a full boil and for the future use in AG brewing. I never tried partial mash, I went into AG after about 2 years. The freedom to recreate any recipe and the improved quality (to me) of my beers made me wish I'd done it sooner. I was intimidated by AG but shouldn't have been. I get a lot more pleasure out of AG brewing than I did extract. Like I said, I didn't try partial mash first, so I can't speak for that. The process, however, isn't all that difficult either way.
A lot of people complain about bottling. I made a kegerator a few years ago and I like it a lot but bottling never bothered me like it has some people. If you despise bottling, maybe the keg set-up is your next purchase. If it doesn't bother you that much, move towards "full boil" equipment.
A lot of people complain about bottling. I made a kegerator a few years ago and I like it a lot but bottling never bothered me like it has some people. If you despise bottling, maybe the keg set-up is your next purchase. If it doesn't bother you that much, move towards "full boil" equipment.
