Equipment purchase

[DrunkleJon]

I know how everyone hates these questions, but I have about $2k of disposable income that I am thinking of spending on brewing equipment.

I already have a large (25 G) BK, and a burner, a 10G MLT plus a 15G HLT. I have a chest freezer for a ferm chamber, as well as a kegging system. I make good beer. I may consider upgrading my MLT cooler to something larger because I do 10 G batches but that will barely put a dent in the funding.

I do need to do something with my fermenters, my buckets are overdue for replacing. I have looked at/thought about conicals or the chronical with the temperature control stuff, but nearing $1k per fermenter is more than a little spendy though oh so shiny.

I do not really have a brewstand, and do not have the electrical connections for electric brewing. I am happy to take on DIY projects to build stuff. What should I spend my money on? What would you spend it on?

 

[Hello]

Disposable income? You single? hahah

When you say no electrical connections, does that mean you couldn't DIY something for a 30a panel? I do know if you're careful, you can likely get up and running if you DIY pretty much everything.

However, that aside, fermenters...have you considered stainless steel buckets? They should last a lifetime and I think still fit in your current ferm chamber, just maybe not as many as a plastic bucket.

I would also look into a stand. I don't know your ability but there is a weldless strut stand thread around here somewhere.

Short of that, I feel like you have pretty much all you could need unless you want to jump to electric. I can spend your money real quick.

 

[ArcLight]

To make good beer you don't need fancy and expensive equipment. (It's fun to have though)

You need good sanitation and good temperature control.

If I was building a system and brewed often I'd like a 2 section fermentation chamber so I could have 2 batches at different temperatures.
The size of each section of the chamber should optimally be large enough to hold two 5 gallon containers, so you can fit 10 gallons in one section. And 20 if you fill up each section of the chamber.

This chamber doesn't have to be expensive either.

I would not spend money on fancy stainless steel fermentors until I had the good and large fermentation chamber.
Then you might consider kegging. I bottle because we don't drink much and I like having lots of different bottles. Kegging would be nice though.


Since you have a fermentation chamber I would look into kegging if you don't already keg.
If you are going to brew big batches I can see why you would want to get a conical.
Do you have a stir plate and flask (http://www.stirstarters.com/)?
I wouldnt spend money on an Oxygen system, though with a big batch I'm not sure how you would aerate.

 

[Hello]

To make good beer you don't need fancy and expensive equipment.

You need good sanitation and good temperature control.

If I was building a system and brewed often I'd like a 2 section fermentation chamber so I could have 2 batches at different temperatures.
The size of each section of the chamber should optimally be large enough to hold two 5 gallon containers, so you can fit 10 gallons in one section. And 20 if you fill up each section of the chamber.

This chamber doesn't have to be expensive either.

I would not spend money on fancy stainless steel fermentors until I had the good and large fermentation chamber.
Then you might consider kegging. I bottle because we don't drink much and I like having lots of different bottles. Kegging would be nice though.

No matter how I type this, it's coming off as rude; it's unintended. Did you read the OP? He has fermentation control and already kegs. Basically I saw his post as him asking people what they'd spend money on when he seemingly has everything he could use.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Yeah I am single, how did you guess?

Well, in the present Garage area I have 2 maybe 3 - 110 circuits (one has my stereo and a full sized beer/hop storage fridge on it, another has the ferm chamber plugged into it and the third drives the opener). I already put one secondary fuse panel in for my basement kitchen renovation, and may/may have enough spare space/voltage in the main box for a second. Would a 30A be all that is needed? I hate running 220 cable, though I should still have some leftover. It is a thought, though brewing out in the sun is fun too. Maybe a slow electric buildup. Added to considering it list.

I have been looking into the stainless buckets. And glass carboys (I dont really fear the glass). But isnt it a problem to have? The money but not a plan on what to spend it on. I tend to overthink things and purchases.

 

[ArcLight]

No matter how I type this, it's coming off as rude; it's unintended. Did you read the OP? He has fermentation control and already kegs. Basically I saw his post as him asking people what they'd spend money on when he seemingly has everything he could use.

What I was getting at was don't blow all your money all at once, because it's unlikely to make much (any) difference in your beer.
Temperature control & cold crashing = good beer if you sanitize and clean.

I would much rather have a 2 section fermentation chamber, with the space to have 10 gallons in each section, for a total of 20 gallons.

If your fermentation chamber is already good enough, just replace the plastic buckets.
The conicals look cool, but won't make any difference in the end, if you are brewing 5-10 gallons. If you brew a barrel, then I can see the advantage of a conical. You would need a pump which you probably already have.

 

[Hello]

Yeah I am single, how did you guess?

Well, in the present Garage area I have 2 maybe 3 - 110 circuits (one has my stereo and a full sized beer/hop storage fridge on it, another has the ferm chamber plugged into it and the third drives the opener). I already put one secondary fuse panel in for my basement kitchen renovation, and may/may have enough spare space/voltage in the main box for a second. Would a 30A be all that is needed? I hate running 220 cable, though I should still have some leftover. It is a thought, though brewing out in the sun is fun too. Maybe a slow electric buildup. Added to considering it list.

I have been looking into the stainless buckets. And glass carboys (I dont really fear the glass). But isnt it a problem to have? The money but not a plan on what to spend it on. I tend to overthink things and purchases.

You can absolutely brew with a 30a panel. I went 50a to have the option to do back to back batches, but I bet I do maybe one or two every so often and realize 50a was hugely unnecessary. The wiring work for either way nearly the same in price though, so there's that.

You could supply yourself with an induction setup using the Avantco IC 1800s, which run off standard 110v. BYO magazine shows that full boils were possible on such a setup. I thought there was a brew controller that also allowed for 110v brewing, but I could be very wrong.

One thing mentioned by @ArcLight was a pump. Do you have a pump? If you build or buy a brew stand then would it be single tier? If so, a pump would be hugely helpful and basically necessary.

A nice stand with the pump(s) on casters, you can wheel in and out and keep your rig set up for the most part for every brew day.

 

[ColoHox]

I vote for a DIY stand. $2k is about the right amount for everything. Can you weld? If so, perfect. If not, building a stand is a great way to learn.

You'll need bulkheads, hoses, quick disconnects, valves, a pump or two. I bought 50' of mild steel from a salvage company for $100, borrowed a welder, and went at it. I bought my fittings from bobbyM at brewhardware.com.

 

[decoleur]

where do you want to end up. you could upgrade the size of your mashtun. refresh all your kettles. build a stand. get more bling (go stainless) get pumps. you could also consolidate your system and move towards a BIAB solution that shortens your brew day and simplifies your life.

the real questions is where do you want to end up?

personally I have a bunch of glass carboys. 6 gallon, 5 gallon and 3 gallon. I am acquiring some SS fermentors from the Chapman kickstarter and I am happy with this but think the stackable SS Brewtech fermenters are pretty sweet.

 

[DrunkleJon]

You can absolutely brew with a 30a panel. I went 50a to have the option to do back to back batches, but I bet I do maybe one or two every so often and realize 50a was hugely unnecessary. The wiring work for either way nearly the same in price though, so there's that.

You could supply yourself with an induction setup using the Avantco IC 1800s, which run off standard 110v. BYO magazine shows that full boils were possible on such a setup. I thought there was a brew controller that also allowed for 110v brewing, but I could be very wrong.

One thing mentioned by @ArcLight was a pump. Do you have a pump? If you build or buy a brew stand then would it be single tier? If so, a pump would be hugely helpful and basically necessary.

A nice stand with the pump(s) on casters, you can wheel in and out and keep your rig set up for the most part for every brew day.

Bought a pump a while back. Forgot to buy the fittings, etc so it has been a expensive paperweight for a while. Have been considering building a stand (everything I have is gravity fed and kind of pecariously stacked when I do so), and was thinking of making a wooden 2 tier with the MLT higher than the burner which would be used for the HLT/BK.

I vote for a DIY stand. $2k is about the right amount for everything. Can you weld? If so, perfect. If not, building a stand is a great way to learn.

You'll need bulkheads, hoses, quick disconnects, valves, a pump or two. I bought 50' of mild steel from a salvage company for $100, borrowed a welder, and went at it. I bought my fittings from bobbyM at brewhardware.com.

Like above. Have been considering a stand. I have access to an old stick welder and have a tenant who is a steamfitter and would be happy to help teach me to weld.

where do you want to end up. you could upgrade the size of your mashtun. refresh all your kettles. build a stand. get more bling (go stainless) get pumps. you could also consolidate your system and move towards a BIAB solution that shortens your brew day and simplifies your life.

the real questions is where do you want to end up?

personally I have a bunch of glass carboys. 6 gallon, 5 gallon and 3 gallon. I am acquiring some SS fermentors from the Chapman kickstarter and I am happy with this but think the stackable SS Brewtech fermenters are pretty sweet.

The where I want to go is the real question. My current system works for me and makes solid beer.

The MLT is only a 10 Gal round cooler and since I started 10 gallon batches, I have been pushing it on mashes.
The HLT is my old 15 gallon BK which I replaced with an overkill 25 gallon stainless pot (found it at a great price <$100 after all was said and done).

A stand would make life easier as I was balancing my MLT on an inverted 1/2 sankey and things lined up weirdly. Have since moved the MLT to a workbench and things are better though not perfect. Would like the rig to be movable

A fermenter refresh is needed. This is why I started looking into conicals, well that and for the bling aspect.

Going electric could be nice for the wintertime, I like being outdoors-able for when weather is nice though. Maybe some longer cables would be needed if I go this route.

Ugly does not much matter, the bling is nice, but I am not averse to DIY so long as it is safe, and not cost prohibitive. If I can buy it better and at a cheaper price you know I will do so.

 

[DrunkleJon]

More thoughts I have had. Was thinking about stainless brew buckets today and then a family member reminded me of the date of the family pig roast. It then hit me. Jockey Box. I have always had trouble with the kegs for the party and did some googling (I figure we usually do 3-4 taps meaning minimum 4 or 6 pass plate since I hear it is better to go through 2 passes per line).
This look like a good deal or will I have problems with the 1/4 inch diameter?
http://www.sodadispenserdepot.com/pics/Coldplate6.htm
Plus its stainless... Shiny.
Or should I go with stainless coils and build my own? Unfortunately it would only get use a couple times a year, but it definitely would get used. We are on year 8 now? And always get a keg when we go to the beach.

Oh the places we can go.