Buying equipment for next step brewing. Advice needed.

[Cully]

After an awful false start with an Ibrew system I am hankering to get back in to making my own beer. I have always, in the past, used kits but am thinking of taking the next step. I have been looking at the Get 'er Brewed website and they have a couple of deals that I am interested in. Could some of you look at them and give any advice or any pluses/minuses that you can think of for each deal? I am looking in to both extract and BIAB options and will be looking to brew 40 pints at a time with the occasional smaller batch. Larger batch wont be an issue any more as I will have help. I want to be able to make varied beers and occasionally experiment. Please note that I am a total klutz when it comes to making my own gear and also have physical problems in that area too so making stuff from cheaper options myself is a no-go. These deals look Ideal to me, as I gave away everything but my old boots metal capper a while ago and seem pretty inclusive - but so did the Ibrew stuff. Both deals come with plastic boilers, one of which has a Pico 32l.All thoughts welcomed please.

http://www.geterbrewed.com/biab-all-gra ... h-kit.html BIAB

http://www.geterbrewed.com/extract-brew ... t-kit.html Extract

[simon12]

The 1st one looks like a bargain to me (I don't see why its so much cheaper than the other one) though the details are a bit vague. I don't think you will find anything cheaper ready made.

[AnthonyUK]

A few people here have used the BIAB kit. This would be the better option in my opinion.

[Wezzel]

Cully,

PM sent

[weetabixface]

the all in one BIAB package looks like excellent value, a boiler and chiller alone would be the best part of 100GBP

W

[Fil]

I agree that the biab set up isnt a bad price, But.. im not convinced its such a good deal, the 29-32l off the shelf boil kettles are a little undersized imho, boiling beer close to the rim of a boil kettle is a bit nerve wrecking and a pita when/if you need to mop up.

however if off the shelf solutions are your only practical option it may be a good fit for you.
Saying that if you can brew on the cooker and intend to chill in the pot, a £50 50l SS german stockpot would serve Very well. if the beer is chilled in the kettle you can siphon it out safely so no need for taps and hop filters and if you can boil on the stove, no need to fit elements..
if your stove is not upto boiling 30 odd litres of preboil volume a gas ring could be used.
a big 50l pot will ensure you can boil without any risk of spills and being SS will last a lifetime, and should you wish to embelish it with features like a valve there could easily be a fair few brewers in your area with tools n skills to lend a hand..

[Cully]

But if I had to do it, I could shorten the brew length to make it safer? I was a bit dubious about boiling in plastic but plenty seem to do it, and I believe those Pico boilers are decent kit?

[Pinto]

As long as it's PP, plastic boilers are fairly safe - although like you, I'd always be a little dubious of things like splitting or leaking after an impact, etc. I guess for a start tho, it would be ideal - maybe in the future you could upgrade to a pot/burco and sell on the PP boiler ?

[Cully]

Assuming I buy this - the BIAB one - how easy is it to take a recipe and work it out for 20 or 30 pints? Is there software that can do this or is it maths. My maths is very basic. I recently came in to possession of The Boots Homebrew handbook, and there are some 16 pint recipes in that. I also Have the Greg Hughes book. Just wondering about working out total water etc? As its only 32 liter boiler I don't mind doing cut down batches. ( Only really drink beer at weekends).

[themadhippy]

how easy is it to take a recipe and work it out for 20 or 30 pints? Is there software that can do this

loads of choices, but i likes the simplicity (and price) of beer engine.http://www.practicalbrewing.co.uk/main/ ... eerengine/
plug your recipe in for the given amount,tick the fixed box , adjust the volume to what you want and it'll tell you the new amounts

[Fil]

of the free software ive seen brewmate is a simple and intuative program. beersmith is the all singing feature loaded system and like all such systems has a bit of a learning curve associated with it thankfully you can download a 2 week or so full version free trial to try it out.

if you want something to tweak recipes on the fly i would give brewmate a look if you want a brewing system with all the features beersmith is worth a look and isnt expensive 15 or 20 usd iirc

[Cully]

Brilliant! I would need exactly that - something to type numbers in and for it to adjust the amounts for me. SWMBO is carping on about the smell and the steam, as It would be in my kitchen but the cooker is near a window ( no hood) and we have a good fan. If she creates any more I would wait till nicer weather and do it outdoors. Just need the cash now, half way there should have enough by February to go ahead. Can't wait! Thanks everyone for all the advice and info.

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Looks a little cheap the first one? Is there any pics of the equipment?

[Cully]

They have a presence on the forum - gonna pm them for more details.

[Cully]

BarnsleyBrewer I am presuming the Peco boiler in the first kit will be this one, which they sell separately.

http://www.geterbrewed.com/peco-boiler- ... -biab.html