Help with BIAB setup in apartment

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GrayBrew

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Hey HBT. I'm completely new to homebrewing. I've never done a brew day before, but I'm going down to my buddy's place in a couple of weeks to go through one to see if I'm really into it - he's been homebrewing for a few years now.

Anyway, I'm planning on asking the wife for a kit for Xmas, and want to tell her which one to get. I'm thinking of the Platinum Plus kit from Midwest Supplies for the basic stuff (https://www.midwestsupplies.com/platinum-pro-beer-brewing-starter-kit). However, given the size of my apartment (1-bedroom) and the fact that my stove is electric I think I want to start with 2.5-3 gallon BIAB batches. If I can skip over extract brewing that would be ideal, and I don't think I have the space for an all-grain brew, separate heat source, and/or mash tun.

My first thought was to get a 3-gallon carboy to use for fermenting (I'd put the 5-gallon bucket into storage for when we get a bigger place). Obviously, I'd need a bag for the grain and possibly a metal bucket/strainer thing to prevent scorching in the kettle.

So I thought I'd come to the experts to see what I'm missing (because I know I'm missing something). Would the 5-gallon kettle that comes with the above kit be big enough for 3 gallon BIAB batches? Should I skip the kit altogether and go piecemeal for now (if I stick with it I could definitely get use out of the kit when we move to a house). Is 2.5-3 gallon batches short-sighted (should I go 5 gallon and top off? Not sure yet if I could give away all that beer). Anything else I'm not even thinking of? My buddy mentioned maybe getting a larger 10-gallon kettle with a spigot and an electric immersion heater, but I feel like that may be overkill to start with.
 
Small batches are fine, and so is skipping the extract route and going straight to all-grain. The only area you really need to be careful with is the brewing water, as it can kill an otherwise good all-grain beer, whereas the same water can be fine with an extract batch. It's not a big deal to manage, but you do need to think about it and be aware of it.

Skip the kit so you can customize your equipment to suit you, rather than go with a one-size-fits-all approach. Get an 8 gallon SST kettle with a clad bottom. That will give you a little room to grow, while leaving plenty of room to mash and boil your 3 gallon batches and with the clad bottom, and there will be no issue with bag scorching. Yes, you can put something in the bottom of a non-clad pot to keep the bag off the bottom, but it's just more stuff to worry about and store and possibly forget to use - get a clad bottomed pot and forget about it.

Go with a standard Ale Pail for your fermenter. It will work fine for smaller batches. Carboys are a pain in the arse (my opinion, based on experience) in just about every way and the benefits over plastic for primary fermentation are negligible. Save your money to eventually go stainless (BrewBucket or similar).

You'll also need a wort chiller. A 25' 3/8" copper IC chiller will be fine. You can use a small pond pump to circulate water thru it if you sink doesn't have a compatible connection point.
 
Good advice from @LLBeanJ skip the all in one kits. That's the beauty of BIAB all you need is a good kettle and a bag. Spend your money on a good 10 gallon kettle (can do 5 gallon in the future), cheap plastic bucket fermenter, and a good chiller. That's all you really need to get started, once you make a couple batches you'll start learning about other important things and expanding your brewery. Experienced brewers always overwhelm new brewers with too much info too fast. I'm sure someone is going to mention that you need a fermentation freezer, stainless everything for LODO, your own grain mill, getting a PHD in water science and a bunch of other things that while important are NOT necessary in making good beer.
 
Not to hijack Graybrew's topic, but I'm in the same boat. As far as water goes, is using distilled water ok for biab? Hopefully this will help him as well. Thanks
 
RichardM said:
Not to hijack Graybrew's topic, but I'm in the same boat. As far as water goes, is using distilled water ok for biab? Hopefully this will help him as well. Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, distilled is perfect for BIAB, but you will need to add some minerals back in. Which ones, and how much of each, will depend of the style of beer. You can use the Brewer's Friend water calculator, as it is easy to use and has worked very well for me for many years.
 
GrayBrew said:
Obviously, I'd need a bag for the grain and possibly a metal bucket/strainer thing to prevent scorching in the kettle.
Click to expand...

I have used paint strainer bags, and now use a wilserbag and have never needed anything in the kettle to prevent scorching.

GrayBrew said:
Would the 5-gallon kettle that comes with the above kit be big enough for 3 gallon BIAB batches?
Click to expand...

I do 3.25G into fermentor to package 3 gallons. I use a 30qt 7.5G turkey fryer pot. I have tried a couple times to full boil on the stove, not easy when you're starting with 4.65G trying to boil down. I think you will need to do batches where you can package 2.5G.
 
With a 3 gallon carboy you'll always need a blowoff tube for a 2.5 gallon batch. There are 4 gallon buckets that give that extra room so you can net 2.5 gallons. I have a gas stove and brew in my kitchen with BIAB. Welcome to the hobby, uh if you have a good time, that is. ;)
 
I take my carboys to the grocery store and fill them up at a water machine for something like $0.30 a gallon. You could buy 1 gallon jugs but that's more expensive. You can pick up your brewing salts at the home brew store or order them online.
 
Thanks for all of the help everyone. Sounds like I should customize my set up. Here is my wishlist so far. Let me know if anyone has anything to add/subtract:

  • 8 Gal. Megapot 1.2 w/ Spigot/valve - $179.99 (Do I need to go 10 gal? Might blow my budget but could use other gift money to upgrade if it's necessary)
  • Copperhead Immersion Wort Chiller - $77.99
  • 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter With Lid - $17.99 (is this the right size for 2.5-3 gallon batches?)
  • Bottling Bucket With Spigot - $17.99 (do I need this for BIAB?)
  • Star-San 16 oz - $19.99
  • Royal Crown Bottle Capper - $19.99
  • 12 Oz. Beer Bottles - Amber Glass - Case of 24 - $12.99
  • Fermenter's Favorites 120 Count Crown Beer Bottle Caps - $3.99
  • Austin Homebrew Auto Siphon (3/8") - $10.99

Total = $361.91 plus shipping/tax

TBD:

  • Batch grains/yeast/hops
  • Pond pump if chiller doesn't fit on sink
  • Paint strainer bag
  • Thermometer (suggestions?)
  • Hydrometer?
 
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GrayBrew said:
Where does one get distilled water and minerals to add to it?
Click to expand...

Distilled water from a water machine or any store that sells bottled water, as thekraken mentioned.

The typical salts you would need are calcium chloride, gypsum, baking soda, kosher salt, and Epsom salt. LHBS for the calc chloride and gypsum. Grocery store/Target/Walmart/drug store for the others.

Edit to add: also pick up a lb of acidulated malt from the LHBS to keep on hand and use as needed. You can crush it in the blender or food processor as you use it.
 
GrayBrew said:
Thanks for all of the help everyone. Sounds like I should customize my set up. Here is my wishlist so far. Let me know if anyone has anything to add/subtract:



  • 8 Gal. Megapot 1.2 w/ Spigot/valve - $179.99 (Do I need to go 10 gal? Might blow my budget but could use other gift money to upgrade if it's necessary) No, you do not need to go 10 gallon for your stovetop batches - 8 gallon is plenty big. However, if you think you might want to try 5+ gallon batches someday, 8 gal will be really tight, but then again, a 10 gallon won't be that much better. Also, Megapots are real nice kettles, I have a 15 gal and absolutely love it, but they are pricey. There are lesser priced SST clad-bottom kettles out there. With that said, you will not regret going with a Megapot.
  • Copperhead Immersion Wort Chiller - $77.99
  • 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter With Lid - $17.99 (is this the right size for 2.5-3 gallon batches?) The size is fine. No issues with lots of headspace in a primary fermenter.
  • Bottling Bucket With Spigot - $17.99 (do I need this for BIAB?) Technically, you don't have to have a bottling bucket, but you'll be extremely glad you have one when the time comes. I wouldn't cut costs here.
  • Star-San 16 oz - $19.99
  • Royal Crown Bottle Capper - $19.99
  • 12 Oz. Beer Bottles - Amber Glass - Case of 24 - $12.99 Or buy a couple cases of your favorite beer and get free bottles. Downside is labels that may need to be removed if you are OCD about such things.
  • Fermenter's Favorites 120 Count Crown Beer Bottle Caps - $3.99
  • Austin Homebrew Auto Siphon (3/8") - $10.99

Total = $361.91 plus shipping/tax

TBD:


  • Batch grains/yeast/hops
  • Pond pump if chiller doesn't fit on sink
  • Paint strainer bag Will work to get you off and running, but they don't compare with a custom BIAB bag from Wilser or this guy (Mine is from the latter and is the only one I'll use).
  • Thermometer (suggestions?) Thermapen if you can swing it (they're not cheap), otherwise one of the ~$20 Thermoworks models will get you by.
  • Hydrometer? Yep, and get two, because they are extremely fragile. According to Murphy's Law, if you get two, you'll never break the first one.
Click to expand...

You're off to a good start.
 
LLBeanJ said:
You're off to a good start.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for all of the help. I'm excited - don't know how I'm going to wait until after Christmas to start.

Do you have any recommendations on where to get a cheaper 8 gallon kettle from? Here are a few other options I found:



Thinking I save up for a 10-15 gallon Megapot once I have more space, and go with a cheapo kettle for now. Hard to tell which ones above are truly clad-bottom...

I have one of these $20 guys from Thermoworks: http://www.thermoworks.com/RT600C
 
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It's easy to drink the homebrew community KoolAid and keep thinking you need to go bigger, bigger, bigger! And maybe that's a legitimate goal for you. But maybe not. Some of us actually started bigger and downsized intentionally.

2.5 gallons is a great batch size. There are 2.5 gal corny kegs, so no problem with first class serving solutions. A 5 gallon kettle (and mash tun cooler, if desired) are perfect for that volume and cheap. Small immersion wort chillers fit in these kettles nicely. Small fermenters fit in small refrigerators. It's half the work to fill 26 bottles, and it's plenty of beer - especially if you like variety. Brew more often, learn more, improve everything about your skills, all without accumulating huge vats of mediocre beer in the process.

If you eventually go electric, you can consider 110V solutions because you're not boiling big volumes. Kettles and fermenters of that size are less heavy and safer to carry, tilt, and pour from if necessary.

It's highly recommended. Not sure where you are in NJ, but I'm in Bergen Co. if I can be of any assistance.
 
Just my 2cents, but I am doing 2.5G biab batches using a 4G kettle on my gas kitchen stove. I feel like an 8G kettle on your apt stovetop will be a bit cumbersome in terms of size/handling/time to get to a boil. But maybe others use larger kettles on their stovetop without issue. Just struck me that I would have a hard time handling such a large kettle on my stove.
 
McKnuckle said:
It's easy to drink the homebrew community KoolAid and keep thinking you need to go bigger, bigger, bigger! And maybe that's a legitimate goal for you. But maybe not. Some of us actually started bigger and downsized intentionally.

2.5 gallons is a great batch size. There are 2.5 gal corny kegs, so no problem with first class serving solutions. A 5 gallon kettle (and mash tun cooler, if desired) are perfect for that volume and cheap. Small immersion wort chillers fit in these kettles nicely. Small fermenters fit in small refrigerators. It's half the work to fill 26 bottles, and it's plenty of beer - especially if you like variety. Brew more often, learn more, improve everything about your skills, all without accumulating huge vats of mediocre beer in the process.

If you eventually go electric, you can consider 110V solutions because you're not boiling big volumes. Kettles and fermenters of that size are less heavy and safer to carry, tilt, and pour from if necessary.

It's highly recommended. Not sure where you are in NJ, but I'm in Bergen Co. if I can be of any assistance.
Click to expand...

Great info thanks man! Yes, definitely some convincing reasons to go with 2.5 gallon batches.

I’m in Hoboken so not too far away. Just joined the Jersey City Brew Club Facebook page so hoping to go to some meetings in the future. Probably in the new year.
 
Leezer said:
Just my 2cents, but I am doing 2.5G biab batches using a 4G kettle on my gas kitchen stove. I feel like an 8G kettle on your apt stovetop will be a bit cumbersome in terms of size/handling/time to get to a boil. But maybe others use larger kettles on their stovetop without issue. Just struck me that I would have a hard time handling such a large kettle on my stove.
Click to expand...

Do you have to top off or anything? All of the info I’m seeing make it seem like 4 gallons would be a little tight since some of the water boils off.
 
Personally I would say that 4 gallons is a bit tight but doable with care, 5 gallons is no problem at all, and 8 gallons is a breeze. I happen to use an 8 gallon kettle, but only because I had two of them from earlier brewing days. A minor downside is that it's 14" diameter, so the boil off rate is a tad higher than a narrower kettle.

If you figure boiling in a smallish kettle on a stove, your boil will not be immensely vigorous, so your evaporation rate will likely max out at around 0.8 gal/hr (probably less). So a 90 minute boil would require 1.2 gallons of extra wort. Add that to 2.7 gallons to account for fermenter trub/waste, and you have 3.9 gallons of wort to start with in the kettle.

That's a 90 minute boil, the maximum time you might employ. An average 60 minute boil would only require 3.5 gallons. So you see how the kettle volume figures into things with these various scenarios.
 
McKnuckle said:
Personally I would say that 4 gallons is a bit tight but doable with care, 5 gallons is no problem at all, and 8 gallons is a breeze. I happen to use an 8 gallon kettle, but only because I had two of them from earlier brewing days. A minor downside is that it's 14" diameter, so the boil off rate is a tad higher than a narrower kettle.

If you figure boiling in a smallish kettle on a stove, your boil will not be immensely vigorous, so your evaporation rate will likely max out at around 0.8 gal/hr (probably less). So a 90 minute boil would require 1.2 gallons of extra wort. Add that to 2.7 gallons to account for fermenter trub/waste, and you have 3.9 gallons of wort to start with in the kettle.

That's a 90 minute boil, the maximum time you might employ. An average 60 minute boil would only require 3.5 gallons. So you see how the kettle volume figures into things with these various scenarios.
Click to expand...

Would you consider an 8 gallon kettle smallish? Or were you talking about a 5ish gallon size? Would evaporation be higher in an 8 gallon?
 
GrayBrew said:
Would you consider an 8 gallon kettle smallish? Or were you talking about a 5ish gallon size? Would evaporation be higher in an 8 gallon?
Click to expand...

Sorry - I was talking about a 5 gallon kettle there, with a 10"-12" diameter depending on height. It's the diameter that affects the boil-off rate, not the overall volume.
 
Here is my $.02

First of all, welcome to the hobby. I hope that you find that it is something you like to do. I have been brewing for over 5 years and have progressed from a “Mr Beer” kit, to a turkey fryer and coolers to Keggles with bigger burners and larger coolers, to a 3 vessel all electric system with RIMS. I gotta warn you, once you get started there is always going to be something else you will think you gotta have or need (but you really just want a new toy). Start small and add as you can.

You can start with a small kettle, a 5 gallon paint strainer bag for biab, a 1 gallon paint strainer bag for hops, a small fermenter bucket with a lid and air lock, a bottle capper and some hose. But, there are a few other things that you may want to consider, even in the beginning. Your really, probably going to spend $100 before getting grain or extract. That said, you will probably only be able to boil 3 gallons or less on an electric stove, even straddling two burners. So starting small isn’t a bad thing. You can do a smaller boil and add water at the time of transferring into the fermenter to make a larger batch. Or split the boil between two pots on separate burners (add hops in just one of the kettles).

Looking at the Midwest starter system you mentioned, I think it is a good deal for the money. Having everything you need to start and all in one package will save you a ton of shopping. That is worth some of what you will be paying, especially since it includes your first beer kit and a $20 coupon on the next one. You would probably be hard pressed to put all of this together individually for less money.

I do notice a few things you may want to consider adding.
1.) The kit includes an Oxi cleaner (I.e. Oxiclean) but no sanitizer. Get some StarSan.
2.) It is extract only. There are no hop bags or a grain bag for flavor grain steeping or BIAB.
3.) There is no hydrometer. You may want to find out when fermenting is done and how strong your beer is. You should get one right away.

Even with these things missing, It is a pretty good deal for what you get (unless they charge $50 for shipping). You could ask for it and a $30-$50 gift certificate to your local home brew store. Be aware, it is going to take up a bit of space, especially in an apartment.

I was curious. You could probably put together the same equipment by going to 5 or 6 places and buying pieces. Here is what it might cost. I have included the few additional things. This is pretty much the minimum you will need to go all grain in style. This does includes regular 5 gallon marked buckets at about $14, given your smaller batch size (3 – 3.5 gallons). 6.5 gallon buckets would be overkill but you could get for about $30.


$22 - 32 qt (8 gallon) Tamale Kettle with a steamer rack – Walmart.com or your local Hispanic grocery store. The steamer rack bottom can keep your grain bag off the bottom, but you need to take this lost water space into account when mashing. That said, since the grain bag is in wort/water, the grain bag will probably be just fine on the bottom..
$10 – Sparge/grain bag for BIAB – home brew store (you can also sew one from a sheer curtain).
$3 – 1 gallon paint strainer bags for hops – Lowes, Home Depot, Menards
$12 - 2 – 5 gallon food safe, marked measuring buckets @ about $6 each(one for fermenting, one for bottling). – Lowes sells these
$2 – 1 – 5 gallon bucket lid. Buy an orange one from Home Depot, they are very flexible, seal well and come off easy.
$2.50 – Pack of 3/8” grommets. You will need to drill a hole in the lid for the airlock – Lowes, Home Depot, Menards
$7.00 – 2 - Bucket Spigots – Home Brew Store – You will need to drill a hole in the buckets for this. I* put them on both my fermenter and bottling bucket because I take hydrometer samples from them.
$15 – Bottle Capper – Home Brew Store
$5 – bag of crown caps – Home Brew Store
$1.50 – Airlock – Home Brew Store
$3 – 10’ of Vinyl Tubing for siphoning, transferring and racking – Menards, Home Depot, Lowes
$3 - Bottling cane – Home Brew Store
$3 – Racking cane – Home Brew Store
$25 – Ingredient Kit for your first Beer, or grain and yeast (you may need to also purchase yeast for the kit if that supplied is old -$6)
$1 – Dollar Store OxiClean
$5 – 4 oz bottle StarSan sanitizer
$9 – Step Drill set to drill holes in the buckets – Harbor Freight (use a 20% off coupon from Valpak.com)
$13 – Hydrometer and Test Jar
$6 – Thermometer (you can get a digital meat thermometer at Ikea)
Total: $148.00
(and a lot of shopping)

One final thing. Plan on about 11 bottles per gallon (132 oz. / 12 oz.).
 
BitterSweetBrews said:
Here is my $.02

First of all, welcome to the hobby. I hope that you find that it is something you like to do. I have been brewing for over 5 years and have progressed from a “Mr Beer” kit, to a turkey fryer and coolers to Keggles with bigger burners and larger coolers, to a 3 vessel all electric system with RIMS. I gotta warn you, once you get started there is always going to be something else you will think you gotta have or need (but you really just want a new toy). Start small and add as you can.

You can start with a small kettle, a 5 gallon paint strainer bag for biab, a 1 gallon paint strainer bag for hops, a small fermenter bucket with a lid and air lock, a bottle capper and some hose. But, there are a few other things that you may want to consider, even in the beginning. Your really, probably going to spend $100 before getting grain or extract. That said, you will probably only be able to boil 3 gallons or less on an electric stove, even straddling two burners. So starting small isn’t a bad thing. You can do a smaller boil and add water at the time of transferring into the fermenter to make a larger batch. Or split the boil between two pots on separate burners (add hops in just one of the kettles).

Looking at the Midwest starter system you mentioned, I think it is a good deal for the money. Having everything you need to start and all in one package will save you a ton of shopping. That is worth some of what you will be paying, especially since it includes your first beer kit and a $20 coupon on the next one. You would probably be hard pressed to put all of this together individually for less money.

I do notice a few things you may want to consider adding.
1.) The kit includes an Oxi cleaner (I.e. Oxiclean) but no sanitizer. Get some StarSan.
2.) It is extract only. There are no hop bags or a grain bag for flavor grain steeping or BIAB.
3.) There is no hydrometer. You may want to find out when fermenting is done and how strong your beer is. You should get one right away.

Even with these things missing, It is a pretty good deal for what you get (unless they charge $50 for shipping). You could ask for it and a $30-$50 gift certificate to your local home brew store. Be aware, it is going to take up a bit of space, especially in an apartment.

I was curious. You could probably put together the same equipment by going to 5 or 6 places and buying pieces. Here is what it might cost. I have included the few additional things. This is pretty much the minimum you will need to go all grain in style. This does includes regular 5 gallon marked buckets at about $14, given your smaller batch size (3 – 3.5 gallons). 6.5 gallon buckets would be overkill but you could get for about $30.


$22 - 32 qt (8 gallon) Tamale Kettle with a steamer rack – Walmart.com or your local Hispanic grocery store. The steamer rack bottom can keep your grain bag off the bottom, but you need to take this lost water space into account when mashing. That said, since the grain bag is in wort/water, the grain bag will probably be just fine on the bottom..
$10 – Sparge/grain bag for BIAB – home brew store (you can also sew one from a sheer curtain).
$3 – 1 gallon paint strainer bags for hops – Lowes, Home Depot, Menards
$12 - 2 – 5 gallon food safe, marked measuring buckets @ about $6 each(one for fermenting, one for bottling). – Lowes sells these
$2 – 1 – 5 gallon bucket lid. Buy an orange one from Home Depot, they are very flexible, seal well and come off easy.
$2.50 – Pack of 3/8” grommets. You will need to drill a hole in the lid for the airlock – Lowes, Home Depot, Menards
$7.00 – 2 - Bucket Spigots – Home Brew Store – You will need to drill a hole in the buckets for this. I* put them on both my fermenter and bottling bucket because I take hydrometer samples from them.
$15 – Bottle Capper – Home Brew Store
$5 – bag of crown caps – Home Brew Store
$1.50 – Airlock – Home Brew Store
$3 – 10’ of Vinyl Tubing for siphoning, transferring and racking – Menards, Home Depot, Lowes
$3 - Bottling cane – Home Brew Store
$3 – Racking cane – Home Brew Store
$25 – Ingredient Kit for your first Beer, or grain and yeast (you may need to also purchase yeast for the kit if that supplied is old -$6)
$1 – Dollar Store OxiClean
$5 – 4 oz bottle StarSan sanitizer
$9 – Step Drill set to drill holes in the buckets – Harbor Freight (use a 20% off coupon from Valpak.com)
$13 – Hydrometer and Test Jar
$6 – Thermometer (you can get a digital meat thermometer at Ikea)
Total: $148.00
(and a lot of shopping)

One final thing. Plan on about 11 bottles per gallon (132 oz. / 12 oz.).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback! I should have mentioned my budget originally. All in I'm probably looking to spend around $400-$500 max. Not saying that this is necessary for a beginner or even advised, but that is what I can get away with to start.

I can't really see myself NOT liking this whole brewing thing, but I understand it may not be the best idea to spend this much in the beginning. However, I do think that having some mid-tier beginner equipment would help make things easier for the first few brews and make the process even more enjoyable. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not looking to cut costs all over - I have a bit of room to play.

Here is the wishlist that I've put together on Northern Brewer:

https://www.northernbrewer.com/wishlist/index/index/wishlist_id/91620/

This plus a 3/8" autosiphon comes to just under $450. Then I need to buy a recipe kit which should be under $50 probably. Now, again, is this necessary? No, definitely not. But it is within my budget, so if I can get away with spending this much, should I?

The Megapot is definitely overkill, but I feel like it will last me a long time, no? The silicon tubings are not necessary either, but they should last a while, as well. I feel like everything else on the list is pretty basic. I know most beginners don't start off with a wort chiller, but I feel like it's a good starting upgrade to have in order to avoid doing an ice bath, especially in an apartment.

Thoughts?
 
After watching this video I'm starting to think it may be better to get a cheaper kettle and invest in a used mini-fridge and cheap temp controller.
 
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I've thought for quite a while that this may be the best deal in starter kits out there:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/premium-homebrew-starter-kit.html

About the only thing it doesn't have is a burner. That's ok--you want to do this on a stove. 8.5-gallon kettle, comes with a chiller, hydrometer, fermenter, spoon, even with a kit you can brew your first beer with. I think it's extract but perhaps you coudl get them to swap in an all-grain kit.

This is the kit I wish I'd bought when I started. I bought the Northern Brewer (same as Midwest Supplies) kit, and by the time I added a chiller, the upgrade w/ hydrometer and spoon, a few other doodads...well, I wish I'd bought the Morebeer kit.

BTW, I'm still using the Bigmouth Bubblers, they're fine, but if you want a less expensive option, the Fermonsters are it.

My 2 cents.
 
GrayBrew said:
Do you have to top off or anything? All of the info I’m seeing make it seem like 4 gallons would be a little tight since some of the water boils off.
Click to expand...

I don't top off, but the only time it's a little tight is when stirring in the grains. Some of my batches are only 2G or 2.25G and I have enough room. But for the 2.5G batches I temporarily remove some of the heated strike water to a small pot off to the side, stir in the grains, and put that water back in. After that point the kettle size is fine. But if you are able to get a 5G kettle, you should have plenty of room.
 
GrayBrew said:
Thanks. Any thoughts on the BrewDemon since I'll be doing 2.5 gallon batches?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3DZFJW/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I105XCDZD1O3T0&colid=OKL0U53BOA1R
Click to expand...

Looks interesting.

My biggest concern would be controlling fermentation temp with something like this. I think you could set it in a pan and use the swamp-cooler method of reducing overheating.

If you haven't budgeted yet for a fermentation chamber, given you're looking at this pretty seriously, I'd put that on your list.

Given the size of this unit, it looks like it should easily fit in a 4.4-cu.ft. dorm-style refrigerator. If you're patient--and if you're waiting until getting these things as Christmas presents, you can be--you might find one on Craigslist or similar for in the $60-70 range. Add an Inkbird temp controller ($35 unless you use the current code which drops it to $30), a reptile heat mat ($16 or so), and you'd have ferm temp control that would also accommodate a larger 5-gallon fermenter.

This is what I'm referring to:

View attachment 420010

BTW, here's the kind of thing I'm talking about on Craigslist:

https://quadcities.craigslist.org/app/d/mini-fridge/6341842175.html
 
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I tried the BrewDemon for a bit. It's a cool little thing but ultimately, a leak developed on the seam where the spigot is installed. That rendered it instantly unacceptable because I refuse to deal with flaws like that. Supposedly they have improved this and newer versions may be different. But I've moved on.

A 5 gallon Better Bottle works well for a 2.5 gal batch fermenter. So does a 5 gallon corny keg. A 3 gallon carboy is a bit tight, but can easily be used with a blow-off tube just in case. Here's a cool one with a spigot:

http://eckraus.com/plastic-3-gallon-carboy-with-barbed-faucet/

Actually, I just bought a couple of 4 gallon stainless steel pails that I'm going to try. I found some cool lids for them on Amazon. But that's a bit more DIY, maybe something for you down the road.
 
mongoose33 said:
Looks interesting.

My biggest concern would be controlling fermentation temp with something like this. I think you could set it in a pan and use the swamp-cooler method of reducing overheating.

If you haven't budgeted yet for a fermentation chamber, given you're looking at this pretty seriously, I'd put that on your list.

Given the size of this unit, it looks like it should easily fit in a 4.4-cu.ft. dorm-style refrigerator. If you're patient--and if you're waiting until getting these things as Christmas presents, you can be--you might find one on Craigslist or similar for in the $60-70 range. Add an Inkbird temp controller ($35 unless you use the current code which drops it to $30), a reptile heat mat ($16 or so), and you'd have ferm temp control that would also accommodate a larger 5-gallon fermenter.
Click to expand...

I think this is the new plan. I'm going to scrap the Megapot and get a cheaper kettle, then put that money towards a Craigslist minifridge and a temp controller. I already have a reptile heating pad from my now deceased bearded dragon (R.I.P. Foster). I did a quick search on Craigslist and found several around $50-$80 within an hour drive of me.

This is what I'm referring to:
View attachment 419998
Click to expand...

This attachment isn't working FYI.
 
McKnuckle said:
I tried the BrewDemon for a bit. It's a cool little thing but ultimately, a leak developed on the seam where the spigot is installed. That rendered it instantly unacceptable because I refuse to deal with flaws like that. Supposedly they have improved this and newer versions may be different. But I've moved on.

A 5 gallon Better Bottle works well for a 2.5 gal batch fermenter. So does a 5 gallon corny keg. A 3 gallon carboy is a bit tight, but can easily be used with a blow-off tube just in case. Here's a cool one with a spigot:

http://eckraus.com/plastic-3-gallon-carboy-with-barbed-faucet/

Actually, I just bought a couple of 4 gallon stainless steel pails that I'm going to try. I found some cool lids for them on Amazon. But that's a bit more DIY, maybe something for you down the road.
Click to expand...

So many options. Think I might just start with a 6.5 gallon ale pail unless there is a specific reason not to.

Edit: just realized that an ale pail may not fit in a mini fridge. Yea one of those PET carboys could definitely work.
 
So many options is true! It's a good reason to start with basics, and spend more money when you really understand your preferences a bit better.

And trust me and many others here - lots of new brewers focus too much attention on the hot side of brewing equipment (kettles, mash tuns, stainless gadgets, and flames) and leave fermentation as an afterthought. That's actually a$$-backwards most of the time. Mashing and boiling are more forgiving processes. But once your wort cools below 140F, you had better know how to handle it, and the yeast, and the ensuing baby beer, properly.
 
GrayBrew said:
I think this is the new plan. I'm going to scrap the Megapot and get a cheaper kettle, then put that money towards a Craigslist minifridge and a temp controller. I already have a reptile heating pad from my now deceased bearded dragon (R.I.P. Foster). I did a quick search on Craigslist and found several around $50-$80 within an hour drive of me.



This attachment isn't working FYI.
Click to expand...

I fixed it above. Not sure why it didn't work, and now it won't display it inline. But if you click it it'll display.
 
mongoose33 said:
I fixed it above. Not sure why it didn't work, and now it won't display it inline. But if you click it it'll display.
Click to expand...

Whoa what are all the tubes going into jars doing? Blowoff? That’s not needed for beginner stuff right?
 
I'm doing 4 gallon batches with an 8 gallon kettle, and it gets pretty full sometimes. I can do a 5 gallon batch if I sparge in a plastic bucket. What are you planning to use for a heat source? I have a gas stove with a large high-output burner on one side (and a tiny "simmer" burner, and 2 normal ones) and the high-output burner just barely can boil a 5 gallon kettle and it doesn't quite handle the 8 gallon, even if it's only half full. So I had to add an electric heat stick.

3 gallon batches, 5 gallon kettle, white plastic bucket for primary, and a 3 gallon carboy secondary sounds like a splendid place to start. Nothing will go to waste if/when you move up. If you start too large, you won't be able to boil it.

You can buy 4 gallons of bottled water in a thin plastic disposable carboy for about $5 or $6 (around here, anyway, and I've seen them at Sam's Club in Houston) It's about the same size as a 3 gallon glass carboy, is a lot lighter, and unbreakable. I use them for fermenters all the time.
 
GrayBrew said:
Whoa what are all the tubes going into jars doing? Blowoff? That’s not needed for beginner stuff right?
Click to expand...

No, it's not. Just having a small fridge and temp control will provide you a great leap forward in the quality of your beer.

****************

I dump CO2 into those jars; what I discovered is that if I keep them in the fridge, they'll freeze when I cold-crash the beer.

There isn't enough room for an airlock in the small fridge, so I move the CO2 out of the fridge using 5/16" silicone tubing. I drilled a small hole in the front of the fridge to allow that tubing to pass out of the fridge, then put it into the blowoff jars. I use two of them so when I cold crash and the headspace in the fermenter contracts, it'll pull back the CO2 into the fermenter.

Here's a couple of pics showing it; the second grommeted hole is to pass the Inkbird temp controller probe, and the power line for the heat mat into the fridge w/o having to close the door on those lines.

You can see the 5/16" silicone line coming up from below; it goes into the first jar, up and out through the connecting tube to the second jar, and then to the bottom of the Star-San solution in the second jar where it bubbles up. When I cold crash, the contracting headspace pulls the CO2 in the first jar back into the fermenter, and the liquid in the second jar is pulled into the first to replace it.

The stuff on the right going into the camoflage refrig isn't related to what I'm doing in the minifridge.

newsetup2.jpg

minigrommets.jpg

blowoffjars.jpg
 
Wow. So you can cold crash in a mini fridge? This is used to clarify your beer, right?

May be a dumb question - can you put a temp controller in there without drilling holes? What's the standard way to do this?

Oh, and would you be able to remove the freezer shelf in order to fit an airlock?
 

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