Right, i'm typing this in notepad so if the website kicks and error again i wont lose it!
Turning to the darkside straight from kits is really no biggy.
it does seem daunting at first but once you get that first brew out of the way you'll never look back
To go all grain, you'll need a mashtun and something to boil the volume you want plus 30%. that 30% is the extra wort you'll need to cater for boil off etc, and also to leave enough room in the boiler for safety reasons. so if you want to finish with a batch of 23L in your fermenter, you'll need something that has a volume of 30ish litres for a safe rolling boil. that's the rule of thumb i've sort of come to assume anyways.
all equipment comes in all shapes, sizes and cost. Don't be drawn in by all the shiny stuff you'll see us using. it's not absolutely necessary that you start with a stainless setup, unless you've got a deep pockets and are akin to a Magpie. shiny expensive setups wont neccesarily make your beer taste better either, but it does look cool and is easier to clean
cheaper, more common mashtuns are typically an insulated vessel like a picnic coolbox, with a self made copper manifold and tap for about £30-50 if you build it yourself. you can buy premade ones from the likes of brupaks for a bit more (£50-70 depending on which reseller you use). you may have seen Bain Marie's from nordic optical mentioned several times in the equipment section. these are stainless and insulated and some even come with a tap, for about the same price as a pre built brupaks one. but you'll have to make your own manifold. Mashtuns can be anything, as long as they hold the contents at a ~65 temperature over 90 mins. losing a degree or two over this time isnt too critical though. i've seen some people using normal stock pots wrapped in blankets and old duvets effectively too.
boiler, you can start off with one boiler and use it as both your liquor tank and copper by using gravity and fermenters to collect runnings, so an expense is spared on pumps etc. any boiler will do aslong as long as it's got enough headspace as previously mentioned. these range drastically in price from just under £100 for a plastic one, to £150 for an enamel one like mine (but it doesnt have the headspace and have to be damned careful) right up to brupaks stainless ones that are several hundred pounds. if you've got a well ventilated area for which to brew, i've seen people use normal stock pots with a hole drilled and fitted tap, used on a gas burner. dont forget the hop strainer! (yes it's been done... dont ask hehe)
have you thought about extract brewing?
if your on a REALLY tight budget, you can do away with the mashtun altogether, just have a boiler and be an extract brewer. by this i mean you'll be using tins of malt extract mixed with water, and then boil and add hops, instead of mashing grain as this is already done for you and conveniently tinned. you can do a hobgoblin clone i'm sure by this method, and i'm sure someone with a clever bit of software can convert their AG recipe into extract for you to have a go at.
With extract there are a few benefits; you'll have around 3-4 hours less time in your brewday (a typical AG brew takes between 6 and 9 hours from start to finished and cleaned up). it's also cheaper to start with on equipment as you only need a boiler with a hop strainer. you also wont need to worry about effieciency and water treatment as much. it also has a couple of drawbacks just like AG has too; LME or Liquid Malt Extract is more expensive per brew than grain. and some experienced brewers here would probably be able to tell that everso slight "kit beer" taste Extract brews can sometimes have. AG on the otherhand although it takes longer, if your the sciency type, it's great fun tinkering and tweaking very minor things, and tasting the effects later. i also think it's alot more rewarding
oh and AG is cheaper in the long run as grain costs alot less than LME
ultimately the choice is yours!
if you're on a tight budget, then going for extract would only need:
A Boiler (plastic one)
If you want to start with AG but cheaply without the use of pumps and extra bits:
A Mashtun (home made converted picnic coolbox)
A Boiler (plastic one)
If you want to start AG and have a few more bits to hand to make the whole process go smoother:
A Mashtun (pre built brupaks or home converted Baine Marie)
A Boiler
a chiller, either copper Immersion (IC) or counterflow (CFC)
if you want to go AG, have deep pockets and are a bit of a magpie:
A Stainless Liqour Tank (brupaks for eg)
A Stainless mash tun (brupaks or Baine Marie)
A Stainless Boiler
A Plate chiller
conical heat controlled stainless fermenters
RIMS
HERMS
PID's
PH meters
this
that
the other
..
....
and so on and so on... you get the drift though right? your beer will still taste awesome no matter how tight or flush you are! :drink: :drunk:
hope this helps
hey thanks for the brilliant reply brewstew, am printing it off now, and looking at shopping around for items, live in the sticks here, but i think newark has a brew shop, must admit, now am back into brewing i never thought so much was available, always thought it was dying out, but obviously it is not!!..thank god
