. Lots of knowledge on the forum, lots of opinions too welcome to a great hobby, any particular style of beer you favour?
Welcome, nice to have Mr & MrsPittSmith on board
We brew most everything but at the moment we are in a pickle we had the Brewzilla 3-1-1 for two years and it just conked out. It was 2nd hand I hasten to add so between the two of us we have chipped in £3000 to get new gear we have been brewing with all makeshift but brewing excellent beers.
Glad I haven't (although being retired, kids kicked out of the nest, mortgage paid, I could, for the first time in my life, find it). I started brewing as a student, with bits and pieces that I could find or press into servive cheaply and that's still part of the attraction.
As mentioned almost all beers.
Well I doubt the full 3K will go on equipment, what is left over will go into the grain coffers. No, not planning to pressure ferment until someone can come up with evidence that it will produce a better-tasting beer. We will however be carbonating in the keg/fermenter.
Well, spending helps the economy and the homebrew stores, most likely buy from one of the sponsors on the forum as they all seem represented on Homebrew Forum UK. Will show that their advertising is paying its way, I will expect a discount mind.
Already have the power supply necessary so no problems there. I am looking at conical to reduce any impact the yeast's surface area at the bottom of the fermenter may have.
You are right it does open up a point of discussion. I am sure everyone will have their own priority/priorities.Ah! An interesting new discussion - what would you prioritise your hard earned cash on? (not altogether sure anyone actually asked that but…).
For me it’s storage and dispense. You can brew with any old kit but keeping your beer in good condition and serving it correctly?
Also, welcome Mr & Mrs Smith
Yes, I could build my own vessel but I just don't have the time, the money I would save on materials I would lose through the time spent. It was the elements that let me down in the Brewzilla, obviously the cemented-in elements are a problem to replace. Plus it had served its purpose of learning about the pros and cons of a single-vessel brewery.
.. And the element is replaceable.
Spending on equipment mainly helps the economy of China. I'm proud to say that one of my kettles was made in Spain and another made in Italy, but the SS Brewtec one is deffo Chinese. Guess which ones are better quality. Malt and hops, on the other hand, are of known provenance and this should suffice to keep my suppliers in business.
My philosophy is mend, re-use and adapt. The consumer, throw-away economy is destroying the planet. Avoid plastics, but if they can't be avoided then reuse and reuse. My old Fermenters from Hop and Grape gave 20 years service and the only reason I've replaced them is because the lids fell to pieces. They now serve for collecting apples at cider time. Replaced with Braumarkt plastic buckets, a tad smaller and thinner, but I expect to get a least ten years out of them.
