WANTED: Your views on my tentative AG kit...

[Dunk]

After a couple of years all grain brewing I have found that I like to both keg and bottle from the same batch. Bottling some means I have some to give away or take out, and also gives me a choice of beers later on once the kegs are finished.

I bottle directly from the fermenter, stirring in priming sugar very gently after having transferred the volume I want into the keg. I have two kegs, but there is normally only one full at a time.

I would agree wholeheartedly with all the advice regarding controlling fermentation temp. Money spent there is probably Worth double elsewhere.

One piece of advice about using a stovetop for boiling - check the members of your family don't minds the stink. I like it, my wife hates it. Thus I brew outside, and have gone electric.

All the best getting set up, and good brewing to you!

[subfaction]

Have you considered going the biab route, for me it cost around £70 to get a buffalo 40 litre boiler from the nisbet clearance ebay shop. Replacing the tap with a sexy version - see here (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=58074), fit a hop stopper, (around £30) all in. Add £20 for a nice custom bag and that's the only vessel you need to brew sorted... If you decide to go to three vessels you have an ideal ss boiler or hlt.

Buckets with taps are great for a fv, stick something under the tap side and you should find the trub settles the other side and you can use the tap instead of a syphon. Just ensure you dissemble and clean the tap before and after each brew.

[boniochompio]

Thanks very much for your replies so far.

Orlando and Dunk:
Thanks for highlighting the importance of fermentation temps. I've now added the suggested kit to my list. Would it be suitable to ferment in the fridge and also store a primed and kegged batch in there, or are the temperatures so different that I'd be better off stacking two fridges?

Subfaction:
I did consider BIAB, but I feel like I'd rather start with the full set up. Personally, I prefer processes to be as decoupled as possible, so a separte MLT and BK makes me more comfortable. I'd also like to fly sparge and try to get as much efficiency as I can, but your comment did prompt me to really look in to and fully consider BIAB, so thank you for raising my awareness.

[orlando]

Would it be suitable to ferment in the fridge and also store a primed and kegged batch in there, or are the temperatures so different that I'd be better off stacking two fridges?

It requires a tall larder fridge to do it as you can't get 2 FV's in the small under counter fridges which are the most popular choice. Plus the bigger size now means you have to ensure even temperatures in the fridge so a small computer fan is needed to circulate the air and probably a bigger wattage tube heater. Your idea of stacking 2 fridges would be better but to be honest you don't need a second fridge for the "warm" conditioning phase as it is not so sensitive to heat fluctuation. If you have a second fridge that will come in handy for the cold conditioning side, particularly in Summer. It will also be useful for storing ingredients that you don't use often, yeast in particular.

[Martin G]

Would it be worth considering starting out with a plastic pressure barrel? The 10l budget keg (with S30 valve lid) and the 25l King Keg or the large budget keg give some options. I find the 10l has been useful for conditioning smaller quantities of beer before bottling.

[sweatysock]

Sweaty:
Thanks very much for this info. The MLT I'm looking at is 45L, so not far off. Your suggestion of doubling the BK as HLT sounds like a great idea, as I could leave the BK on the hob during sparging (no lifting!) and keep constant control of the sparge water temperature, and by extension hopefully allow some control over MLT temp too. The plastic bucket I was originally thinking of using for HLT has litre/gallon gradients on its side, so if I run the wort in to this instead it would be easier to keep an eye on the volume too. Does this sound like a better solution to you?

That is exactly how I and many others do it. I now realise you are getting the 45 litre igloo MLT. I only have a small thermos one, but it only cost £16. I am currently evaluating the igloo one or the coleman xtreme. I would also commend you to consider batch sparging. I, like you, went down the fly route initially as it looks gucci, but I am now a convert to batch sparging. You will also end up with the HLT empty half way through so can start to heat up the first run off of wort while sparging the second lot.

You will wish you had never found brewing though. You will be constantly thinking ahead to the next brew while getting grief from SWMBO!

[boniochompio]

Martin:
I did consider the KKs, however I read that they are very leaky, and as I'd ultimately like to have a kegerator anyway I think my best option is to spend the extra and start as I mean to go on. I also don't think I'll go through my batches very quickly, so having the CO2 blanket to keep them fresher for longer seems like a good bonus with the cornies.

Sweaty:
I'm constantly thinking ahead to the first brew at the moment, so I can only imagine how bad it will be once I've actually got started!


I'm hoping to brew ~5G batches... would a 25litre FV be suitable, or should I really go for the 33L? I've read that you should try to get your FV size quite close to batch size so that there isnt too much oxygen in the FV, however, I also appreciate it needs a certain amount of breathing space... but having not dealt with these kind of volumes before, i find it quite hard to visualise. Any recommendations?

[Dave S]

Martin:
I did consider the KKs, however I read that they are very leaky, and as I'd ultimately like to have a kegerator anyway I think my best option is to spend the extra and start as I mean to go on. I also don't think I'll go through my batches very quickly, so having the CO2 blanket to keep them fresher for longer seems like a good bonus with the cornies.

Sweaty:
I'm constantly thinking ahead to the first brew at the moment, so I can only imagine how bad it will be once I've actually got started!


I'm hoping to brew ~5G batches... would a 25litre FV be suitable, or should I really go for the 33L? I've read that you should try to get your FV size quite close to batch size so that there isnt too much oxygen in the FV, however, I also appreciate it needs a certain amount of breathing space... but having not dealt with these kind of volumes before, i find it quite hard to visualise. Any recommendations?

Given the choice, I'd definitely got for 30-33 l. I have 2 x 25 l FV's which are mostly OK, but sometimes I use a yeast that turns out to be a time bomb. When that happens I get krausen pouring over the sides like no tomorrow. With a 30+ l FV that is unlikely to happen. It would also allow you to edge your brew length up by a few litres if you wanted to.

[orlando]

I concur with Dave S. My other reason for doing so is I use a mash paddle shoved into an electric drill to aerate my wort, a little primitive I know and will be changing to an air stone at some point. It is however incredibly good at whipping air into the wort but at the expense of a huge amount of foaming, which of course needs some space to grow into, so 30-33l every time. The difference in price is negligible so bigger, in this case, is always better. Just make sure you can fit it into your fermentation space.

[boniochompio]

Thanks for the info. 33L it is! I'll make sure to get a big enough FF. Also, I love the idea of the drill and paddle!

I think I've got everything pretty sussed out now in terms of equipment. My next step is the neverending task of comparing prices, and learning more about the actual brewing process. I'll post my final kit in a month or two for final approval (and to ensure I've not made any glaring errors between now and then.)

Fun bit of info for you all, when summer approaches in Japan some breweries release special beers to refresh the drinkers. Last year was "Asahi Red Eye", which was a tomato beer, and was so delicious. Hopefully we get something equally as interesting this year!

Lastly, I've been really amazed at how helpful you all have been, especially as I have absolutely no previous brewing experience (only a strong desire to learn and a lot of time on my hands!) and really can't thank you enough for your advice and encouragement. I hope I can get a setup going that will make you proud!

[orlando]

Lastly, I've been really amazed at how helpful you all have been, especially as I have absolutely no previous brewing experience (only a strong desire to learn and a lot of time on my hands!) and really can't thank you enough for your advice and encouragement. I hope I can get a setup going that will make you proud!

Your welcome, but to be honest we are only paying back our own dues, there probably isn't anything I've written that isn't down to someone else somewhere, your turn will come .

[Matt12398]

I've got an Igloo as well and it's a good coolbox for use as a mash tun. It keeps it's heat well and is big enough for a larger batch should you ever brewing bigger batches.

Good luck

[Rick_UK]

I would recommend one of the Youngs plastic fermenters with a 4" lid. They hold well over 30l to the brim and its easy to give them a right good shake to aerate without worrying about wort splashing all over the show.

I've fermented about 27l of wort without the krausen overflowing. Easy to fit a tap and they only fist 12 quid from Wilko!

Rick