Kit to AG time?

[R-J-M]

Morning all :)

I have been brewing kits of ale/lager and making lots of wine & cider from scratch for a year now and loved every minute of it. So I think it's time to move to all grain.

My question....do I start with buying individual equipment such as Cool Box Mash Tun, Tea Urn/Boiler etc (if so, what do I actually need)? Or should I just save up and get a Bulldog Brewer V3 or The Grainfather?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Linalmeemow]

There's lots of information on this around the forum already. Consensus seems to be it depends on you, the space you've got and the cash you've got to hand (though buying 3 vessel AG setup seems cost roughly the same as the cheaper all-in-one systems). That said I don't recall seeing anyone who has one of the all-in-one systems express any regrets about their choice.

 

[Brewed_Force]

Maybe go for the BIAB approach, that way you only need a big pot (not of money:lol:) to get going.

 

[R-J-M]

Yes I too have seen lots of positive reviews on the GF. But I've been warned to only get Version 3 of the bulldog brewer, but this must be quite new as I'm struggling to find them for sale in the UK. A little more reading around the forum is in order then! Thank you

 

[Linalmeemow]

Yes I too have seen lots of positive reviews on the GF. But I've been warned to only get Version 3 of the bulldog brewer, but this must be quite new as I'm struggling to find them for sale in the UK. A little more reading around the forum is in order then! Thank you

I bought v1 of the Bulldog Brewer and was perfectly happy with it other than the design of the grain basket handle, with the company replaced for me. Other than that the differences between models are superficial.

 

[wfr42]

Said it before and will say it again. I'm very happy with biab in my peco boiler.

The hbc and geterbrewed both do a good starter set including the wort cooler and a grain kit to get you started.

 

[Covrich]

Something to consider , where would you brew? would your significant other half kick you out side or to the garage?.

Before going in with both feet you could try a smaller batch on your hob get used to the process and then move from there.

What size batches do you want to do? 23L??

For that the general options would be

3 Vessel system mash tun boiler ect
All in one brewing system such as GF
50L pot for traditional BIAB (probably best on gas for this)
smaller electric boiler such as ACE or Peco.. you use a hybrid BIAB mash with a seperate sparge stage

 

[R-J-M]

All very good ideas thanks! My mate owns a brewery and I believe he is going to bring a boiler and cool box round one day for me to try. I would be brewing in the kitchen I guess. I would love to brew in the loft (which is where I condition my bottles) but there is no water source

 

[clarkeuk]

Said it before and will say it again. I'm very happy with biab in my peco boiler.

The hbc and geterbrewed both do a good starter set including the wort cooler and a grain kit to get you started.

I'll second the biab peco set up a great cheap way into all grain

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[R-J-M]

I'll second the biab peco set up a great cheap way into all grain

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Please can you link me to a starter kit? Or type up a list and setup I need?

 

[clarkeuk]

Please can you link me to a starter kit? Or type up a list and setup I need?

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/bmz_cache/3/3b27fdd3bfa397887bfd51fcf3dcfa89.image.460x550.jpg

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[Ale]

Ive just done a 10l batch on the stove for my first AG. In the FV atm and seems ok. Nearly ready to bottle but leaving it a little longer as only been in there a week.

I bought a 12l (boil volume with a bit of headroom) stock pot from wilkos to do it and a 10l FV. If I stick with AG I will use that on a gas burner to heat sparge water so wont be wasted (unless I get a GF which comes with a sparge water heater.

 

[IainM]

I started doing AG with the HBC BIAB starter kit, with a peco boiler. I made some great brews with it but doing batch sparging was messy and it got a bit annoying having to check the strike water with a thermometer and turn it off at exactly the right time, and wrapping the thing up with insulation, unwrapping it to stir the mash, then wrapping it up again. It was a nice cheap intro into AG brewing though and I have no regrets. I've now got one of the more recent Bulldog Brewers and I'm very happy with it. Makes the brew day easier and gives me more free time. I only have one thing I need to clean and it is compact. I couldn't recommend it enough, though from what I've heard the other all in one systems do just as good a job. I never really considered a three tier system because I don't have the space or the inclination to have more things to clean.

 

[Linalmeemow]

I would love to brew in the loft (which is where I condition my bottles) but there is no water source

Don't brew in the loft. At some point you'll have a wort spillage (I've done it myself and so have most of the other brewers I know) and you don't want that getting into your ceilings!

 

[Dads_Ale]

All very good ideas thanks! My mate owns a brewery and I believe he is going to bring a boiler and cool box round one day for me to try. I would be brewing in the kitchen I guess. I would love to brew in the loft (which is where I condition my bottles) but there is no water source

If you are brewing in a kitchen this might help;

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=69978

 

[R-J-M]

Good point, I've just got crates stacked up in storage box to condition at the moment.

 

[Old_P]

I brew in a bathroom and it works rather well. I put a wooden board across one end of the bath, place the pot on that and it's good to go. Any spillage is easy to clean up, good water and drainage, plus the bathroom is design to handle high humidity. Of course you will need an electric element in you pot, unless you have a suitable wood stove in your bathroom......you never know, I bet someone has :lol:

 

[chewie]

Morning all :)

I have been brewing kits of ale/lager and making lots of wine & cider from scratch for a year now and loved every minute of it. So I think it's time to move to all grain.

My question....do I start with buying individual equipment such as Cool Box Mash Tun, Tea Urn/Boiler etc (if so, what do I actually need)? Or should I just save up and get a Bulldog Brewer V3 or The Grainfather?

Thanks in advance!

The all in one systems are pretty much a glorified version of a BIAB, what they offer is convenience and space saving over either a 3 pot or stainless steel over plastic system. You do not need an all in one to brew a great beer and very many on here don't use one but i certainly haven't looked back since going the GF route and every brew I've made since getting it has only been better than the last.

It's entirely up to you what route you go down, the single best thing i can say is go with what your own individual research tells you and buy according to what your pocket can take in whatever concept you thing is best.

 

[R-J-M]

The all in one systems are pretty much a glorified version of a BIAB, what they offer is convenience and space saving over either a 3 pot or stainless steel over plastic system. You do not need an all in one to brew a great beer and very many on here don't use one but i certainly haven't looked back since going the GF route and every brew I've made since getting it has only been better than the last.

It's entirely up to you what route you go down, the single best thing i can say is go with what your own individual research tells you and buy according to what your pocket can take in whatever concept you thing is best.

really good advice, thank you. My first thought was to go straight to a Bulldog V3 or GF, just because its everything in one place (as I am stuck for space sometimes) and I guess almost fool proof with a little help from YouTube demos.

The only thing putting me off an all-in-one (other than the price!) is that if it packs up one day, then its gone. But If I had an individual mash tun, boilers etc, they can be replaced if needed.

A bit more reading and shopping around is needed I think :)

 

[dps51]

Please can you link me to a starter kit? Or type up a list and setup I need?

you could always youtube for info or google it like this one
http://homebrewmanual.com/brew-in-a-bag/