What to Buy with Santa's Money

[ZenFitness]

I received a $500 gift certificate for my LHBS plus another $200 cash last night. This morning I'm mulling over the options for taking advantage of these generous gifts.

I already have an AG setup with a cooler MLT and another cooler for sparge water plus a brew pot that is a 15 gallon deep turkey fryer. I have a fermentation fridge as well.

The two things I don't have are a kegging setup and an O2 wand, so I'm debating these two things.

Does anyone have any other recommendations? If I go with a kegging system, I've also got to figure out how to chill and serve them as I don't have a keg fridge or much space for one. Thus, any creative thoughts in this area are appreciated as well!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Hello]

I would absolutely get a craigslist fridge and a keg setup. Merry Christmas and what a generous gift!

 

[MaxStout]

Nice. Santa was kind to you. Definitely get the O2 wand. Fridge would be good. You'll still have plenty of $$ left over.

My score of brew cash was a bit more modest, but enough to get me the Blichmann burner I've been eyeballing. The old Bayou Classic (which works great) will be relegated to sparge water duty.

 

[Pappers_]

You could get a small fridge big enough for one keg, get the one keg setup with picnic tap, and the oxygen wand for what you've got. Congrats!

 

[seckert]

i would go with the keg setup and CL fridge...I didn't get that much $ but I did get enough to finish some of the things I was putting together and the wife bought me a refractometer for Christmas...

 

[jrgtr42]

the O2 wand should b pretty cheap.
I would think parts and pieces for kegging rig and that would be good with the GC, and any left for ingredients.
The cash will go a good way to a fridge or chest freezer for kegorator. You may need to chip in some yourself.

 

[Cyclman]

O2 injection, stirplate. Good thermometer. You'd still have $$$ for a 2 keg setup.

 

[haeffnkr]

2 best things for brewing beer are fermentation control and water.
O2 setup and stir plate are nice also.

Then of course there is the serving aspect and kegging....

Get a RO/DI setup and make a kegerator.

thanks Kevin

 

[brewguyver]

Def fermentation control. Bare in mind there is a cry now or cry later aspect to the Craigslist fridge. Cheap old fridges use a good amount of power.

 

[Toga]

If you do not have a grain mill buy one so you can purchase malt in bulk. If you have a mill get set up for kegging. A keg set up was my best homebrew investment yet. No more bottling unless it is voluntary It takes minimal effort to clean and sanitize one keg vs 1-2 hours to clean and sanitize bottles + an additional hour or more to fill and cap the bottles. BTW it takes less than 4 minutes to go from primary to a cleaned sanitized keg with a large auto siphon. :rockin: