What is your brewery made from?

[corby_brewer]

I use a plastic Mashtun and a Burco boiler. Now the beer I make using this set up in my honest opinion is some of the best ive ever drank. So my question to all of you on this forum, What material is your brewery predominantly made from?

 

[Aleman]

I've been through a succession of breweries

25L Plastic
60L Plastic
60L Predominantly Plastic with Stainless boiler
100L Stainless
and soon to be 100L stainless with a Plastic FV

I can honestly say that there is no difference in quality between a beer brewed on an electric plastic brewery and an electric stainless one . . . or probably even gas stainless come to that. The reason why I went from plastic to Stainless was for safety reason . . . . . You only want third degree burns once . . . and you don't want them when a 2 year old is running around nearby.

 

[Muddydisco]

Who cares what it's made of as long as it makes beers to the brewers liking.
Extract brewers on here I have seen use stainless steel pots and pans cos for the size and heating option they have it works for them, then if you go onto Ag 5g brews you can't beat a bit of plastic for cheapness and flexibilty and the fact most home Diy'ers can make things with them. 10g brews can be either stainless or plastic because heating the size of brew and safety then come into play. Some poeple prefer gas and stainless kegs outside some prefer plastics and electric.
Anything over 10g then you really are into the world of stainless because plastic containers that size become harder to find.
St Austell brewery a commercial brewer use open topped plastic fermentors for their brews it doesn't do anything to their beers taste wise, Does it? i'm not going to stop drinking the stuff cos it's fermented in plastic.

Pointless poll in my eyes.

Even people like Vossy has a wonderful brewery all laid out, yes it's stainless but there is a plastic filter housing in the system. Is that going to make a difference NO.

 

[robsan77]

I think this poll is just a bit of fun. We all agree that there is no difference in the beer produced but lets just simply say what we use. Likewise I do not think admins should remove it for fear of a plastic v shinny which is better debate. No one says one is better than the other anyway, we all just say there is no difference in the beer but for some reason keep arguing. Lets not let political correctness get in the way. Although of course everyone does have a right to say what they think. free speech and all that eh.

I for one will not be making any more comments about this...

 

[ni9e]

Mines all plastic it makes great beer its light and easy to store and easier to modify than Stainless steel

 

[Moley]

I really can't see any great point to this question but my mash tun and FV are plastic and my boiler's aluminium, so I've clicked “mixed”.

My beer is absolutely bloody fantastic and I don't care how big-headed that sounds. :drink: :

However, I think that's probably phukall to do with what it's brewed in and everything to do with the members of this forum who have learnt me how to brew it :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

My brewery is predominantly stainless. I have a polycarbonate filter in the brewery, a HPDE 60ltr fv, and 2 x 50ltr stainless fv's. I intend to get a conical very soon but the jury is out as to whether to go for HDPE or stainless.

I started out with a plastic brewery but found limitations I wasn't prepared to accept with some aspects of the gear. Boiling almost 30ltrs of wort in a plastic bucket with a wobbly tap is not a good idea, as I tend to be a little clumsy in the brewery. On more than one occasion I almost knocked the tap off, and that would have had really serious consequences.
I also prefer stainless from a cleaning point of view. I don't have to worry about scratching things (important in FV's).

I use stainless in my brewery now as I like my gear to be robust, and also because it is almost totally inert regards reacting with cleaning agents I use, and the brewing process. When I set out making the present brewery it was with the intention of it lasting possibly ti'll the end of my days, another reason I went for stainless.

I had an interesting conversation recently with a well regarded home brewer. It went along the lines of him saying my gear was completely OTT for a home brewer. My reply was to liken our gear to cars. You may drive a Ford Ka or a BMW, both do exactly the same job, but you wouldn't walk up to each other and start criticising each other cars, so why would you do it with home brew gear!

 

[unclepumble]

I have 2 breweries,

an 5gal plastic set up, for experimental brews,

and a 150ltr S/S vessel copper fittings set up with 2 220ltr Plastic FV's for slugging brews.

My brews on either set up have been equally as good as each other, (Bloody Brilliant beer).

Pointless poll, its the brewer not the equipment that counts.

Same as guitars, Peter Green in his day could knock a classic tune out of an elastic band, case closed.

Shane