What to buy?

[clarksc4]

Soooo, I'm on my 5th day in a row of 16 hour shifts. What should I get on payday? I have a cooler/SS braid mash tun and turkey fryer burner all grain set up. Currently fermenting in buckets. Thinking about a speidel fermenter, refractometer, installing a valve on kettle, or a few fast racks. Any other suggestions? Not going crazy, just a little reward for 40 hours of overtime.

 

[brick]

Do you have your own mill? That's my next upgrade.

 

[JonM]

I know Northern Brewer keeps having daily specials (Buy an X, get a Y free) and I bet lots of the other big brew stores are having deals this time of year. Might be able to really clean up by taking advantage of the deals, too!

 

[clarksc4]

Yes, I have a mill. I'll have to wait and see what the NB deal is

 

[Brewsncrabs]

Thermapen if you don't have one. Lots of sales on their site now.

 

[JonM]

Another vote for the Thermapen. I can't imagine brewing or grilling or cooking without it.

 

[Cyclman]

Fermentation stuff! Stir plate, oxygen injection, temp controlled freezer.

 

[Brewmex41]

Stainless conical

Ship me one too
How about getting a couple books, like the Water, Yeast, etc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/190975028929?lpid=82

 

[IL1kebeer]

Do you have fermentation temperature control?

 

[snowtires]

Valve for your pot. No question about it.
Edit: or an immersion chiller if you don't have one yet
But definatly a valve

 

[jakeasaur]

Fermentation stuff! Stir plate, oxygen injection, temp controlled freezer.

^ agreed. All on my Christmas list

 

[clarksc4]

I have an IC, just assumed everyone that does AG has a chiller, lol

 

[clarksc4]

I Don't have a step drill, so I'm thinking I'll get a megapot instead of spending time and money on bit, parts and time to install.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Got kegs?

 

[DanH]

Keggle, plate chiller, pump, kegs, keezer, oxygen, sacks of grain, bags of hops, RIMS tube, PID controller and solenoids for your propane, stainless fermenter, nitro tank, stout faucet... You're gonna need more overtime...

 

[clarksc4]

I do have kegs, my freezer crapped out on me (old CL buy). Maybe I'll jut get a new chest freezer. Sometimes store have sales where you get coupons for frozen food wen you big a chest freezer.

 

[IL1kebeer]

I do have kegs, my freezer crapped out on me (old CL buy). Maybe I'll jut get a new chest freezer. Sometimes store have sales where you get coupons for frozen food wen you big a chest freezer.

A temperature controlled freezer for fermentation will have more of an impact on the quality of your beer than almost anything else that was mentioned.

 

[glugglug]

I believe the next thing to take care of is temperature control. I agree with all previous posts stating that. So I would say a temp. Controller of some sort. Plenty of ways to control temps, but most of them utilize a controller.

 

[clarksc4]

I have a Johnson controller that I was using for my keezer before it died. Is there a way to use a chest freezer as a keezer and a ferm chamber at the same time? Set the freezer to keg temp and use a brew belt at fermentation temp? Put some insulation between kegs and fermenter maybe? I don't really have room for two extra freezers

 

[clarksc4]

Decision made!
I will be doing this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/fermkeezer-357170/
And depending on total cost, adding a valve to my kettle.

 

[DanH]

Excellent choice; however, two Freezers with two STC-1000's would be more simple and probably more versatile.

 

[clarksc4]

Space is a bit of a concern. I'm going to build my ferm chamber with remnants from Son of fermentation chiller. I seldom have two batches in primary at the same time so I can have a bucket sized chamber that should be pretty cheap to build.
I also think my wife would not like me buying two chest freezers at once. Just need some help on wiring an STC controller to a fan for the air circulation

 

[DanH]

Well I've wired a few of them, but it would help to know what you're looking for. Do you want one STC-1000 to run both units? And do you want the fan to be always on? Or on only when the STC wants to cool the ferm chamber?

 

[clarksc4]

I already have a plug-in Johnson temp controller for fridge. I just want the fan to run to pull cold air into chamber as needed and shut off when the beer is at temp. If I can use a thermowell to have it run based on temp of beer it would be even better. So I just need to know how to wire STC to run fan to cool chamber

 

[DanH]

There are wiring diagrams online but just hook up the cooling side to an outlet receptacle and plug the fan into it.

Edit: look at post three here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/stc-1000-wiring-help-442080/

Edit2: clearly it's a link to an stc wiring thread, put when I click on it, it takes me to a thread about Blue Moon. Must be the new app...

 

[clarksc4]

I'm guessing I can't just wire the fan directly because the fan is a lower voltage than the STC power output, correct?

 

[DanH]

That sounds correct.

 

[Early8]

As I prefer to avoid plastic as much as possible, I would be thinking glass fermenters, unless you want go with SS conicals. I think those new open top 6.5 gallon glass bottles Northern Brewer is now selling look really interesting.

 

[butterpants]

Space is a bit of a concern. I'm going to build my ferm chamber with remnants from Son of fermentation chiller. I seldom have two batches in primary at the same time so I can have a bucket sized chamber that should be pretty cheap to build.
I also think my wife would not like me buying two chest freezers at once. Just need some help on wiring an STC controller to a fan for the air circulation

Can always get a new wife....