Dark side... what would i need?

[Metal_Pig]

As it says above really folks, ive been through a few kit brews up to now and have started thinking about going AG in the not to distant future. All the equipment i have at the moment is a fermenting bin, king keg, hydrometer and bottles, but i may be able to splash out on a bit of kit soon. So.....

Is it reeeeeeaaaally worth the outlay?
What equipment would i NEED to start with?
Can anyone recommend a good book?
How much more involved is a brewday? ie am i in for loads of "you're not taking over my kitchen for hours again with that awful-smelling stuff!!!!" - type comments from SWMBO?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated :wha:

 

[wigwamheed]

Absolutely worth it, I hate to say it but if you need to slowly ease swmbo round and don't want to spend loads getting an ag setup right away then BIAB is probably the way forward that way youll have some of the kit already of you do decide to go all grain. Check out the how to section on this site I believe calumscott has done a great guide on there

 

[Rukula]

Going AG is worth it, if you appreciate good beers, and really enjoy the hobby so far. It has more steps, and takes longer to brew. It allows for total control on your recipe, and you can use the freshest of brewing ingredients. Totally worth it for me.

When you go from Kits to AG, the first thing you will need is bigger pots. Most kits is not supposed to be boiled, but in AG you need to do the full 60-90 minute boil. If you are planning to make about 20-25 Liters, you should look for a 30-40 liter pot, WITH-A-TAP

Grains will obviously be required to do AG. You can either buy pre-milled grains, or regular grains, and mill them yourself. This is cheaper in the long-run, and gives the grains longer shelf life. So you may want to invest in a grain mill

You should read up on the different ways to do AG. You can mash using a cooler as a mash tun, or by using the BIAB (brew in a bag) method. I personally decided on using BIAB, and i'm happy with my choice. There are lots of these threads containing pros and cons for the different methods on this forum.

I used a book from Brooklyn Brew shop. Its really just a recipe book, with some tips and tricks in between. I started off by doing one of their 1 gallon kits, so i didn't need to go all in on the equipment, but still learn AG by following the same steps in a small scale... I can recommend starting there, if you have access to their kits.. It gives you a taste of AG, and makes it easier to decide if this is something you really want do do.

The smell of doing AG is just amazing. Its like fresh home baked bread. Not much to complain about.

Good luck!

 

[rich27500]

You can using maxi biab brew 23l using a 19l stockpot on your hob. The choices are endless. My ultimate set up will be a 50l stainless pot with elements, tap, hop filter and sight glass fitted. Right now I have an electrim which I overpaid for at about £90. I like the look of the malt millers stuff but if you're technically proficient you could make your own for about £50. Lots of how toos on this site, have a read and make your choice!

 

[LeithR]

Ditto all thats been said above - another good book and IMO is probably the best is John J Palmer's book called "How to Brew" the title says it all. covers the subject from DC to light.

P.S.
You can keep the price down by building your own and checking out Freecycle and local car boot sales.

 

[danb]

keep your eyes out for second hand stuff and build as much as you can. I have just done my first biab style ag brew and setup wise it has cost less than £60 that's with a second hand buffalo urn and building an immersion chiller. so £20 could be took out of that for the immersion chiller. first brew took me 6 hours start to finish all cleaned up although I was in no rush at all. swmbo didn't mind the smell brewing in the kitchen or the mess and I really thought she would. I think people have mentioned buffalos not being too expensive from nisbets online so if wanted brand new could do the whole lot for less than £150 quite easily.

 

[jonnymorris]

Is it reeeeeeaaaally worth the outlay?

Yes though the outlay is more in terms of time than cost.

What equipment would i NEED to start with?

1. Mash tun. A converted cool box or a large voil bag (BIAB).
2. Boiler. A big pot, plastic or SS. See Vossy's How To Build a SS Boiler.

Can anyone recommend a good book?

Graham Wheeler's book would be a good start.

How much more involved is a brewday?

A lot more involved but it's worth it.

am i in for loads of "you're not taking over my kitchen for hours again with that awful-smelling stuff!!!!" - type comments from SWMBO?

Yes. Go for it.

 

[Metal_Pig]

Thanks for the replies guys, think im going to look into BIAB, seems like a more sensible step up for me, rather than straight to AG :hmm:

 

[johnnyh]

BIAB is AG, just one method.

But you can do it with a £9 mash bag and a £20 19 litre stainless stockpot on your hob, so a very cost effective way.

 

[artyb]

i got my biab stuff from various parts of ebay over a few months,
i didnt spend more that £70.. :party:

76l pot £36..collected
gas ring £15..delivered
ball valve tap £8 ...delivered
no chill cubes £4 ea.. delivered..
voile ,[no bag just a square,] £2
some odds and sods ...?

simple to use ,store and clean

 

[pittsy]

also can you brew in the shed , keeps you mostly out the kitchen for the mrs point of view and making a mess ain't so big a deal

 

[rich27500]

This is a great biab guide http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=35233


And here's a bit of self publicity you might find helpful
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=23519

 

[Andyhull]

I'm ordering my grain (etc) on Tuesday from the Malt Miller.
I will be doing full mash from the start, no lifting of heavy bags (etc).
All you need for full mash that's different from BIAB is a £8 30lt coolbox to convert into a mashtun.

My setup consists of:-

1. HLT/boiler (which you need for BIAB)
2. Mashtun
3. Cooling cube (needed for BIAB)
4. FV (needed for BIAB)
5. All the extra bits, Thermometer, timer (etc, etc) (needed for BIAB!)

I made my full mash AG kit for around £30 all in.

I used a blue 33lt> mango barrel, 2 kettle elements, a bulkhead fitting and 15 mm ball valve with a braided mesh hose as a hop stopper to make the boiler/HLT.

The mashtun was built the same apart from not needing the 2 kettle elements.

As stated the only difference is the mashtun, no need for a separate boiler/HLT or pumps!

Everyone to their own but you can make a mashtun for pretty much the same price as a BIAB bag!!!!!


Good luch which ever method you choose I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I will be brewing in my shed to avoid conflict with SWMBO

Andy