All Grain Virgin Needs Help

[NewBrewerCK]

Alright, I've made enough extract batches to know that I'm in it for the long haul. Need help deciding what I need for a brewpot. Is it worth the extra bucks getting a false bottom, spigot, thermometer?? Also, probably will not brew 10 gallons...probably 5-6 at most. How big should I buy? Thanks!

[Mikegobrew]

False bottoms vector more evenly and thus in general lauter more efficiently. However, a well made manifold can yield great results as well. I've never used a manifold, but a false bottom is extremely easy to clean of spent grain, not sure how it would go with a manifold. Someone else could tell us that.

Spigots are worth it and built in thermometers (IMO) are a waste. You never know if they are calibrated right and if it gets broke then what do you do. For $8 you can buy a really reliable digital thermometer (easy to check calibration in ice water) and use it for hydrometer readings as well. If it breaks, just buy another one.

I didn't have any plans on brewing 10 gallons either, but it didn't take me too many batches to figure out that an extra hour and I could get an extra 5 gallons. Just suggesting maybe to leave the door open there.

[cavers]

FWIW, I'm quite happy with my setup: Large food-grade plastic bucket for mash tun (formerly grape juice bucket for winemaking) modified to hold a metal screen and spigot, 5 gallon and 3 gallon brewpots used for boiling. That said, I stick to single temperature infusion mashes. Also - I wouldn't complain if I happened upon a 7 or 8 gallon brewpot.

Welcome to all-grain brewing! It's a blast! You'll dazzle your friends!

[Powhatan]

Alright, I've made enough extract batches to know that I'm in it for the long haul. Need help deciding what I need for a brewpot. Is it worth the extra bucks getting a false bottom, spigot, thermometer?? Also, probably will not brew 10 gallons...probably 5-6 at most. How big should I buy? Thanks!

Lots of opinions out there... here's mine (and I've got the extra hardware to prove it!):

Never say you'll only do X gal batches... you will discover that the time savings pay off in dividends. However, smaller batches allow for more experimentation which sits better with newer brewers. Once you get the knack, you opt for the larger batch size to save time.

Assuming you weren't referring to the same vessel with all of you qualifications - your brew kettle should be 2x whatever your batch size is. If you plan to to 5 gal batches - get a 10 gal pot. If you plan it correctly, you can re-purpose your brew kettle as your batch sizes increase.

Spigot - no question. It is essential.

Thermometer - I've tried them all. My favorite is the dial face in the side of the pot. I used the hand held and the digital with probe lead. They will all give you the same info, but the mounted dial leaves you hands free and you can quickly check the temp with just a glance.

If I were starting over and had it to do all over again (and was working with the assumption that I was only going to do 5 gal batches) I would step up and buy a 10 gal Blichmann boilmaker. The siteglass is an absolute blessing. If you decide to move to 10 gallon batches, you can re-task the kettle to either a HLT or mash tun.

[corkybstewart]

Lots of opinions out there... here's mine (and I've got the extra hardware to prove it!):

Never say you'll only do X gal batches... you will discover that the time savings pay off in dividends. However, smaller batches allow for more experimentation which sits better with newer brewers. Once you get the knack, you opt for the larger batch size to save time.

Assuming you weren't referring to the same vessel with all of you qualifications - your brew kettle should be 2x whatever your batch size is. If you plan to to 5 gal batches - get a 10 gal pot. If you plan it correctly, you can re-purpose your brew kettle as your batch sizes increase.

Spigot - no question. It is essential.

Thermometer - I've tried them all. My favorite is the dial face in the side of the pot. I used the hand held and the digital with probe lead. They will all give you the same info, but the mounted dial leaves you hands free and you can quickly check the temp with just a glance.

If I were starting over and had it to do all over again (and was working with the assumption that I was only going to do 5 gal batches) I would step up and buy a 10 gal Blichmann boilmaker. The siteglass is an absolute blessing. If you decide to move to 10 gallon batches, you can re-task the kettle to either a HLT or mash tun.
Just a couple of exceptions to your thoughts here. I do 10 gallon batches all the time in a converted keg-collect 13 gallons and boil down to 11. Sometimes with small beers I'll do 15 gallon batches-collect 13, boil down to 11 and ad 4 back to fill the kettle to the brim.
I agree that the big mounted thermometer is the way to go. I like being able to do something like measure hops or take notes and just glance up at the thermometer across the garage.
I have 2 sight glasses but I've been nervous about installing them and then breaking them. I'll give that some more thought.

[beerking]

Pretty much adding +1 to most of what has been said before:
1. Kettle should be double your intended batch size. Ditto for the mash tun (assuming you are using a kettle for this). I bought a Blichmann Boilermaker, and since I have had some trouble doing doppelbocks or barleywines in my 10 gal mash tun, I decided I needed a 15 gal Boilermaker. Problem there is that the thermometer is too high for mashing any but the highest gravity batches.
2. Thermometer: get the big dial one that is set into the mash tun. You can buy some that allow calibration. I like the short stem versions, so you have more room to stir the mash.
This is my favorite: http://morebeer.com/view_product/18692//Thermometer_3_Face_x_2%22_Probe
3. Spigot is a MUST! Try to lift and pour hot wort from the kettle once and you will see how dangerous that can be.

[Beer Martin]

Just an FYI, on the brewing network not long ago they went over fermentation. Your money would be better spent on fermentation temperature control over switching from extract to all grain.

If you have fermentation temperature control, then I would advise your transition. If not, you should think about looking into temp control. There will be a noticeable increase in the quality of your beers with temp control. If you have no temp control, there wont really be a negligible difference in your beer quality switching from extract to all grain.
________
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[Vienna Lager]

Would 2nd and 3rd what Corky and Beerking said NewBrewer. It looks like you were asking about brew pots size and also mash/lauter tun configuration along with accruements to the mash/lauter tun.

My mash tun is a rectangular 48 qt. picnic cooler with a copper manifold made out of 1/2" copper tubing. I siphon up over the edge of it as the original drain hole was sub-par for drawing off wort and that set up works fine for me. I have two dial thermometers, one with a longer shank than the other. The shorter thermometer gets placed in the mash/lauter tun to monitor general temps. and the longer one gets hooked over the rim of my cook pot. Also have a digital CDN thermometer for precise readings.

Have two cook pots, one is a 1/2 barrel that has the top third cut off and handles welded to the top rim and can boil up to about 8 gallons and use that for 5 gal. batches. It has no spigot, site tubes, or thermometers goobering up the side of it to get knocked off and such. It is light enough for one person to lift and pour the cooled wort into a primary. This is my traveling kettle that I use for our Polar Brew, Summer Solstice Brew, Teach a Friend to Brew Day, etc sessions. It is used in conjunction with a 20 qt. S.S. HLT and makes for a mobile set up.

The 2nd cook pot is also a 1/2 barrel that only had the top cut open to fit a lid on. It has a S.S. (not cheap) S.S. ball valve and spigot near the bottom and that is used for 10+ gal batches. When using it, my smaller kettle becomes a HLT which leaves my 20 qt. S.S. HLT to become a decoction vessel.

With my 48 qt. cooler I have done single and multi-step infusion mashes which pose no problems with fluid volumes as long as you pay attentions to known strike-to-grains formulas.

I too started with extract brewing after X-Mass 2004 then by spring of 2005 after 5 brews went to AG. Experimented with some recipes and settled on a few that would consider 'Go to' and ones that I always come back to if what to find the 'Bench Mark' again.

After about a year expanded my repertoire to include multi-temp rest then stumbled onto a 1/2 barrel about 2 years ago for less than scrap price at a garage sale. It sat around till last fall then had the top cut off and a ball valve installed so have moved into 10 gal. batches about every other other brew depending on primary availability. Also started dabbling with the decoction process about 6 months ago which adds to the excitement of the brewing process.

Would suggest reading "How to Brew" by John Palmer ad nauseam and keep good notes to learn from your trials and tribulations. Enjoy the journey that the AG brewing process will take you on.

[BignJames]

Just an FYI, on the brewing network not long ago they went over fermentation. Your money would be better spent on fermentation temperature control over switching from extract to all grain.

If you have fermentation temperature control, then I would advise your transition. If not, you should think about looking into temp control. There will be a noticeable increase in the quality of your beers with temp control. If you have no temp control, there wont really be a negligible difference in your beer quality switching from extract to all grain.



I could never get around that extract "twang"......that's why I went ag.

[vance71975]

I could never get around that extract "twang"......that's why I went ag.

See i love that Twang. But then again, i like Guinness so....