Equipment needed

[mpt1123]

Hello:
I have purchased the Deluxe Starter Package Wine Kit. What else would I need if I wanted to Home Brew? I figure I have to wait around a year before the wine is ready. Might as well brew some beer while I'm waiting.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[Dean]

That totally depends on what type of brewing you want to do. If you are going to do the no boil kits, all you would need is another primary fermenter. I don't like to mix mine, as beer does leave a pretty strong odor in them. Everything else you can use from the deluxe kit. You'll also want to pick up some bottles and a capper if you are going to use glass, or PET bottles and caps if plastic.

Once you are into it, then you can start to look at kegerators, brew pots, mash tuns, lauter tuns, wort chillers, lagering fridges, malt crushers, etc. Brewing is just as addictive as making wine!

 

[mpt1123]

Thanks, Dean. What's the general opinion of boil vs no-boil kits?

 

[paubin]

Mike, I think the easyest, with the best results would be the extract boil kits. Usually you only boil 2 1/2 gallons so a 3 - 3 1/2 gallon brew pot should do you fine. From there you'll probably move on to partial mash. Then the sky is the limit...lol. Iv'e been brewing for a long time and I still only bottle condition. I guess I just like the idea of my own six packs...lol.


Pete

 

[Wade E]

I think the no boil kits can do OK but typically get a better product as you boil more. I do all grain now but i still sneak in a partial now and then when Im too busy or to lazy and they come out pretty darn good.

 

[mpt1123]

Thanks guys. I think I may have stumbled on a deal. From what I have read, it looks like the boiling is best done outdoors. The propane stove and a 5 gallon stainless steel pot look to cost about $125. With Thanksgiving coming up, a lot of the hunting stores are selling turkey fryer kits for about $50. Kit includes the full propane setup and a 30 qt. pot. I think I'll give that a shot to get me started.
Thanks again for the advice.
Mike

 

[Travisty]

Don't forget that if you start with a full boil like you would with a turkey fryer set-up, you are going to likely need a wort chiller too. I suppose you could still use the ice bath method of chilling, but that could take a while, plus toting 5 gallons of boiling hot wort to an ice bath isn't the safest option in the world!

 

[mpt1123]

Right. I'll start looking for one that will fit around the pot.Thanks

 

[Travisty]

I'm not sure what you mean, but I think what you're referring tois a wort chiller? They don't usually go around the pot, rather they go inside the pot. What you're looking for iscalled an immersion style chiller. Basically a coil of copper tubing that you put in the boiling wort about 15 minutes before the end of the boil to sanitize, then when you cut the flame, you start running cold water through the coil. You can find premade immersion chillers at all sorts of places or you can make your own. The longer the tubing and the larger the diameter of the tubing the better, but also the more expensive. For a 5 gallon batch, 25ft of 3/8" tubing should work fine. The one I made is 50 ft of 3/8" tubing, and it works okay for 5 gallon batches and not very well for 10 gallon batches. I ended up rigging up a "Jamil Style Whirlpool Chiller" (http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php) that made a huge difference!


If buying or making a wort chiller along with the turkey fryer and whatever else seems like too much, you can always do partial boils with steeping grains in your kitchen. There's no need to immediately go straight to full boils, especially if you're just starting out and don't know if brewing is your thing yet. People have been brewing great beer with a stock pot on their stoves in their kitchen for a long time. I made several that way myself before I decided to step up to full boils, then to all grain.


If you're a podcast kind of guy, these are good shows to listen to for brewing equipment.


Brewing equipment on the cheap:
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Sunday-Session/The-Sunday-Session-07-16-06-Frugal-Brewing


Upgrading brewing equipment:
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Sunday-Session/The-Sunday-Session-01-21-07-Equipment-Upgrades

 

[Wade E]

There are Stainless Turkey fryer kits out there like the few Ive linked for you below.
http://www.turkey-fryers-online.com/mb37060_stainless_steel_turkey_fryer_pot.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-1175-Stainless-Perforated/dp/B0009JXYOG

 

[mpt1123]

Guys:
Thanks for the help. I think I have the brewing process down for now. Once the colld down is complete, it looks like I need to transfer the wort into aprimary fementation bucket. I was thinking of using a plastic carboy, but it looks like I need to add the yeast, additional water, check the SG, etc. after pouring in the wort. A carboy would make this difficult, so I'm leaning toward a bucket. I'll probably start with a Brewer's Best kit which makes 5 gallons. Should the bucket be 5 gallons or is 6 gallons better? I've read wherethere's a need for a blow offtube. The one's I've seen are all attached to a carboy. That means, to me, that people are using a carboy for their primary fermentation device. Like I said, that makes things difficult. Am I missing something here?
Thanks again for theadvice.
Mike

 

[Tom]

I been making beer for over 15 years. I now do all grain and keg.
All my primary is done in a bucket. Once finished I rack into a FIVE gallon glass carboy. If making wine you would have a 6 gallon carboy. DO NOT rack it into the 6 gal carboy. Just like wine the beer dont like alot of headspace.
So plan on picking uo some 5 gal carboys

 

[mpt1123]

Sounds good. Then build a blow-off tube that works with the bucket?

 

[Travisty]

There's not really a need for secondaries for most beers. In fact it can be advantageous to leave it on the yeast cake for some time (a few days or so) after the fermentation is done. The yeast will clean up after itself when it's done eating up the sugars. Once that's all done you can go ahead and rack to the bottling bucket or keg. This also eliminates another opportunity for contamination and/or oxidation to occur.


An easy blow-off tube is to use the bottom part of the three-piece airlock and pushing a 1/2" tube over the inner tube. Works great! Any time you don't have a lot of headspace, you'll probably need a blow off tube, especially with the fermentation that comes with a good healthy yeast pitch!

 

[Tom]

Well not all the time. Secondaries just like wine have a purpose. And that is to help clear the wines. If you are doing all extract I know some who will bottle out of the primary. Even that, Patience is rewarded by a clearer beer and no off taste or "floaties". Even the major mfg rs. (bud Coors etc.) do not bottle from the primary. Of course they have much better equipment and filters than we do.
Talking from 15+ years experience I take no short cuts.
Just my 2 cents
B T W
I rack again from my secondary and use that "yeast" as a starter for my next batch. I then bottle a week or 2 from my trishary.

 

[mpt1123]

I don't mind waiting so I like the idea of a secondary to add some clarity. The one thing I've read about is the settlement I should come to expect at the bottom of each bottle. I was hoping that a secondary - and possibly a tertiary - racking would help reduce the amount in each bottle. I was also thinking of adding some kind of a filter but haven't figured out where to put it yet.
I purchased a wort chiller today, so I'm all set. I have an old plastic cooler laying around that I was thinking of using to chill the wort. I'm going to drill a hole in each end - big enough for a garden hose - then feel the hose through the cooler and connect it to the wort chiller. I'll start the chill process with only tap water but after a few minutes I'll fill the cooler with ice. It should help drop the temp a little quicker. This is new to me, so I'm in the experimentation stage.
Mike

 

[Tom]

Keep in mind if you are bottling you need some yeast to carbonate your beer. I dont care as I keg and usually keg around 4-6 weeks. Once you get a good supply you will not be such a rush to bottle.

 

[Travisty]

I get what you're saying tepe, butyeast doesn't care whether it's in a primary or secondary to flocculate. I'm just saying that racking to a secondary just adds more chance for contamination and oxidation. As you know, beer is more open to contamination than wine due to the higher pH, lower alcohol content, and the higher residual sugar content. The more you can stack the deck in your favor, the better IMO. The only time you really need a secondary is if you're adding something else to the beer, or if you're planning on aging the beer long enough to worry about yeast autolysis. Jamil Zainasheff, one of the most award winning homebrewers,rarely uses a secondary anymore.


I'm not saying you should bottle from the primary either. What I do when I bottle is to rack off the primary yeast cake usually after three weeks or so) into a bottling bucket with the priming sugar, then bottle from that. When racking off the yeast, I just make sure to avoid sucking up the yeast on the bottom of the carboy. After carbonated and cold conditioned for a bit, my bottled beers are briliantly clear and if I was careful enough, there is minimal sediment in the bottle.


If you do use a secondary, make sure fermentation is complete before racking, be as attentive as you can with your sanitization, and don't let the beer splash into the carboy.

 

[Tom]

Ya know thats whats so wonderful about this group. You get good advise. There are many different ways to make beer and wine. Each brewer tweeks it one way or another. That being said it all comes down to sanitizing, presentationand TASTE. I like my beers clear wothout filtering. I get that from racking. You are right about oxidation But if you watch what you are doing you "may" be OK. I only lost a couple over the years.
Recipies are great. Once made then you can tweek it to your taste.

 

[Travisty]

True! So many ways to skin this cat.

I still maintain that my beers without a secondary end up crystal clear after some time in the bottle cold. Bottle conditioning always leaves sediment in the bottle regardless so what's a couple more mg?