Stepping up and need advice

[Urbangoose]

I have been brewing 1 Gallon batches for sometime and am about to step up to the a 5 Gallon setup. Would really welcome advice on what is the best kit to get.... it’s like a minefield

 

[GerritT]

I have been brewing 1 Gallon batches for sometime and am about to step up to the a 5 Gallon setup. Would really welcome advice on what is the best kit to get.... it’s like a minefield

Do you want one of those semi-automatics, or extract, do you boil on propane or electric, or induction?

I started with 1 gallon and stepped up to 16 liters, very doable. 20 liter pot, 2 23 liter fermenters, huge sieve, things only get a bit bigger, cleaning and bottling takes longer. Advantage: recipes get easier and the reward is 4 times as much beer.

 

[GerritT]

Oh, and welcome

 

[LeeH]

https://brewkegtap.co.uk/products/robobrew-v3-all-grain-brewing-system-with-pump-35l

 

[Urbangoose]

Hi GerritT and thank you for the welcome

I am looking to move production to garage- so ideal to move to electric boil. Seen a few setups online where you get whole kit - trying to balance benefits of individual purchase? If sov- kit or individual- what is best starter to make things easy?

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to The Forum.

I "Mill and Mash" on Day One and "Boil and Cool" on Day Two. However, when I started I used the "Three Tier System" shown in the first photograph and the Cooler shown in the second.

The Water Heater is made from a Wilco Fermenter and an element from a Steam Cleaner.

The Mash Tun is made from a Cool-Box, a garden tap, a few lengths of copper tubing and some fittings.

The Boiler is a bought element fitted with a Washing Machine Tap.

The Cooler is knocked up from a couple of lengths of 15mm copper tubing and elbows.

The whole lot cost about £100 and a load of work - but it does the business for 23 litre brews!

 

[GerritT]

Hi GerritT and thank you for the welcome

I am looking to move production to garage- so ideal to move to electric boil. Seen a few setups online where you get whole kit - trying to balance benefits of individual purchase? If sov- kit or individual- what is best starter to make things easy?

Moving to electric: you either are going to buy for instance an induction hob ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007TKFC84/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 ) and some 30 liter pots etc, or something all-in-one like the robobrew, or this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MYAFGKM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 .
@Dutto's approach is clear and simple, and is a £300 cheaper. But a lot of work and needs some skills. The latter option is expensive and risky (single point of failure) but people that have one are quite fond of them: very predictable, and cleaning is a dream and it shortens the brewday with easily one or more hours.

If you have the money lying around, I'd say go for the all-in-one. For half the money you can buy the individual items (also usable for normal cookery, maybe easier to get a missus to agree). For half of thát there's the diy option.

I disregard the whole fermenter upgrade because that would remain the same in either the DIY or the all-in-one situation.

 

[pvt_ak]

I bought myself a PECO boiler when I first started - and 12 months later still using it.
Mash and Boil in the one pot using BIAB.

The only bits I added were a copper cooler - a must have and a hop spider !

Oh and a false bottom to stop any grain scorching on the element.

 

[Cwrw666]

I use an Ace boiler which I'm in my 4th year of using. Cost eighty odd quid but sadly the company closed down. BIAB of course which is a fairly cheap way of doing AG.
As has been mentioned there is always the risk of the boiler packing in mid-brew so I recently got a 16L stainless steel stockpot as backup. Wouldn't want to lose a whole brew just because the element packs in...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If buying online check out these discounts - https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/discount-cheatsheet.64575/

 

[Urbangoose]

Thanks all - really helpful to get a knowledgeable steer on this. Got so use to using old wine demijohns (have about 8 on the go at any one time), I know the process well now, so this feels like starting from scratch again.

 

[Urbangoose]

Looking at all the reviews on the all-in-one systems, the Grainfarther comes out best (but at a price) is the Klarstein comparable, or is it a case of pay for what you get?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The Braumeister is the one members would choose if money was no object but that does come at a price, i think the grainfather is the one owned by most members here so assume it's the best of the rest.
http://www.speidels-braumeister.de/en/braumeister/id-10-20-50-litre-braumeister.html