grown up brewing

[crazycatman]

Hi Guys,
Bit of advice needed, after having some very good results from brewing kit beers lately i've decided to join the ranks of all grain brewers. The two boilers that most suppliers offer are the "bruheat" and the "electrim" Anyone got any tips on which one to go for. I'm sure the higher end boilers (£300+) would be best but for a first time trial i'll start cheap!
Ta.........

 

[Wez]

When I started I got a 33L boiler which had been fitted with 2x 2.4KW elements for about £70 I later got a 60L fermenter and moved the elements and tap across to that (60L FV was about £20) - I wish i'd gone straight for the 60L one.

You won't turn back once you've tried your own AG :thumb:

 

[Buzz]

I had a bruheat when I started. Fine for the first half-dozen brews but the thermostat becomes a PITA after a while. In the end it couldn't achieve a rolling boil - I've kept it as my mash tun but made my own boiler with one of the Nordic pots in the end - see Vossy's excellent how to.

The Bruheat will get you started but Ill be surprised if you stick with it for long. If I started all over again I wouldn't bother with it - I'd make my own and make sure it was bigger, like Wez says.

 

[Bobo]

check out Leyland Homebrew, They do a 33l boiler (single element) without a thermostat for £40. Don't know how much delivery is but its the boiler i'll be ordering soon.

http://www.leylandhomebrew.com/item586.htm

 

[crazycatman]

Well,,,,,
Have taken the plunge and ordered a boiler, cooler, sparger etc and a selection of ingredients
I remember when my father started homebrewing because it was a cheaper alternative to the pub and outdoor, i've just worked out i can buy about 700 cans of beer for my investment so far so i hope it's worth it,, also just worked out i have drunk about 40,000 pints in my drinking career so should pay for itself quite quickly
Am trying a recipe from Dave Lines book that calls for flaked rice and cannot see it in the ingredients section of the sites i have been on,, are there any alternatives or am i looking in the wrong place?????????
Will post many pictures of my first brew day (success or failure) next week,,,, start date sunday 1st of feb..........
Wish me luck :pray:

 

[A T]

check out Leyland Homebrew, They do a 33l boiler (single element) without a thermostat for £40. Don't know how much delivery is but its the boiler i'll be ordering soon.

http://www.leylandhomebrew.com/item586.htm

Ask him to fit a second element, it will save you a lot of time

 

[Aleman]

Am trying a recipe from Dave Lines book that calls for flaked rice and cannot see it in the ingredients section of the sites i have been on,, are there any alternatives or am i looking in the wrong place?????????

My local Tescos sell it in the 'Ethnic' foods section . . . . I've also seen it in Morrisons . . . . I suspect this is one of the Paler lager recipes . . . . Increase the Pale malt in the recipe by 20% . . . and decrease the hops by 10-20% . . . Dave Line was undergenerous on malt and overgenerous with the hops.

 

[Dunfie]

Well,,,,,
Have taken the plunge and ordered a boiler, cooler, sparger etc and a selection of ingredients
I remember when my father started homebrewing because it was a cheaper alternative to the pub and outdoor, i've just worked out i can buy about 700 cans of beer for my investment so far so i hope it's worth it,, also just worked out i have drunk about 40,000 pints in my drinking career so should pay for itself quite quickly

As you have taken the plunge and started AG then you may as well learn the rule:

We never, ever quote capital expenditure when calculating the cost of a pint. If the ladies were to find just how much we spend on our "money saving" hobby then things would get a little bit uncomfortable. :lol:

 

[A T]

And of course if you do feel the need to calculate do it on a a 5-25 year one :lol:

 

[Dunfie]

And of course if you do feel the need to calculate do it on a a 5-25 year one :lol:

Good point AT.

I have actually taken all the debt that I have accumulated from buying brewing equipment and repackaged it up and sold it on to unscrupulous financial organisations. They in turn have offered it to other brewers, who probably cannot afford to it, so as to allow them to borrow money to buy more brewing equipment. I like to call it "pub prime".

 

[Wez]

:rofl:

 

[MartialAnt]

I bought a 50L FV from Leyland HB. He put a tap on it for me (£4) & then i put 2 £3 asda kettle elements in it.

Total £32.99 + the pleasure of knowing that i havent lined the pocket of a HBS owner.

Why o why would you want to buy one?