Long winded newbie AG questions!

[gavdee]

Hi all – Newbie here,

OK, now to ask all the questions you've probably all answered a million times before, so if not straight answers, then superb links to answers will work just as well!

I've never brewed before, either from extract or all grain and I'm just going to delve straight into all grain.

I fancied it a while back, looked on youtube for some tutorials, found this guy 'Chris Knight' really good, but it actually did more to scare me off than encourage me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGrsGPVA_Y

Then my other half kindly got me the book 'The Big Book of Brewing' by Dave Line recently, which got me back into the idea of AG brewing.

I've since seen this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKeEv7UTTP0
which encouraged me further - i.e, 'I could do that!' but I dunno, no disrespect because obviously I've never tried it myself, but it seemed a little TOO amateurish for what I'm after.

Then finally this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABve6NbPNhk
which seems pretty much bang on in between the above two, and somewhere I'd like to aim for in terms of efficient set up, and not trying (yet) to be TOO scientific, although I'm sure that will change when I get into it!

So questions about set up:

I fancy batch-sparging, so I reckon in terms of vessels, I will need A) a boiler B) a mash tun C) a vessel to collect the run off/s D) a fermenting vessel.

I'm going to buy an insulated coolbox mash tun, as I reckon cost-wise, it's not too much different between home building and buying. Obviously I will buy the FV and the run off vessel, but it's the boiler that bothers me - I've seen an Electrim boiler for nigh on 70 quid for what is essentially a plastic bucket with elements, thermostat and tap attached!

Are there any really good, thorough, step by step instructions on building a boiler from scratch? I don't think I will need a thermostat, because I want to mash in the mash tun.

This is how I see the process happening, so correct me where needed!

1. Boil water in the boiler, once it's at the correct temperature, pour from the boiler straight into the mash tun, add the grain, mash.

2. Do run offs into the run off vessel

3. Add the ran-off wort into the boiler and boil.

4. After boiling, cool quick as possible.

5, Then open the tap and let the boiled wort into the fermentation vessel.

6. Ferment.

Obviously the above is a massively basic outline of what I have in my head, but this is more a question of how many vessels I need and whether it's worth trying to build my own boiler for this batch sparging process, or is there another way?

I would actually prefer to use one of those big steel pans to just boil water and wort on the hob, but they cost a bleeding fortune!

Weirdly the thing that is bothering me about transferring boiling water direct from the boiler into the mash tun is that those plastic things don't seem to have decent handles to grip onto while doing it!

SO, any links to a boiler tutorial would be much appreciated and then any advice on how many vessels I'll need for the AG process would also be great - I'm not even getting into fermentation yet - just want to get my set up sorted!

Thanks in advance!

 

[prolix]

Most of that is spot on, the mash strike is only 72°c not boiling so will be fine, the collection vessel can be the fermenter pour it into the boiler when done. (I used to do this until the fermenter split and hot liquid went every where I was luckiy other have not been so).

There are some great breweries for sale matchless do a 30l one that is worth loking over then hop and grape and leyland homebrew do breweries and boilers, worth looking at again if only for ideas.

 

[ano]

Some of the picture links seem to have disappeared but my placky boiler I made 2 years ago (and still in use) was accompanied by a thread over at Jim's.

It might be a start. I think there are other build threads on here somewhere. Basically there are a number of issues when building a boiler. Make sure you know the plastic you're dealing with. Mine, although hdpe, does get a bit wibbly, i'd like it to be thicker. Know your elements, the ones out of bargain kettles are bargain elements. The leads you get ought to be properly rated with a sufficiently wide diameter core to transfer the current, PC leads, whilst they fit, get hot as they aren't really meant to carry 10A.

I'm a lover of over-engineered products rather than the "built down to a budget" alternative, but am too tight to upgrade atm, housemoving etc. Maybe one day.

In terms of mash tun, the plate-bottomed design has served me well if you hadn't seen it as an alternative. For more philosophical than empirical reasons I like its cylindrical design.

 

[BigYin]

I'm in the process of building my boiler.

I've done a detailed how-to on the elements on here : Clicky

I'm considering putting together a detailed how-to on the rest of the boiler setup, but here's my pics so far

So far the cost of the boiler build is ballpark £28 not including any postage costs or a few tool costs I've incurred along the way.

So a 33 litre boiler for under £30, plus the satisfaction of doing it all yourself - cannae beat it :thumb: :drink: :drink:

Whichever route you choose to go down, good luck!!

 

[tubby_shaw]

Have you read THIS?