What are you buying?

[MrC]

A recent auction for a stainless conical fermenter has made me ask myself some serious questions about what I should buy next for my 'Brewery'.

So here's a hypothetical question. If you were going to spend, say, $200 - $500 on beer gear, what would you buy?

I'd be looking at the beginnings of a kegging setup.

[Mike Neilson]

Most Its confirmed 10gal it is, that has to be the hardest Sparge I have ever done!!

[Tony]

I just bought one of those 27L chilli bins from Warehouse for $20 odd. I think it will be better than my previous one as it is narrower and deeper. Hopefully it will bring me a better mash efficiency? I'll keep you posted.

[MrC]

Good move Tony. I just upgraded my mash tun in the same manner. I was mashing in a 38L cooler but changed to a 32L, narrower & taller cooler from bunnings for $49. All can be seen here (blue = old, red = new)

I modified my manifold to fit the new cooler and I installed a tap where the spigot was. Efficiency problem solved. In fact, it has created a new problem for me coz I now need to learn the new system so that I can hit my numbers. Massivley overshot my OG on the new system coz I wasn't expecting such a big improvement. New crusher may have had some impact also.

[studio1]

A new thermometer. This looks the bomb. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Kitchen/Scales-measures/auctio...

[JackoNZ]

Nice! I got this one last week, stoked with it.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Farming-forestry...

[Dale]

Just looking at getting some grains. Lately I've been getting mini mash kits from Dunedin Malthouse but thought I'd start getting direct. Locally I can get Pale, Crystal, Cara, Amber, Chocolate & Munich from one of the breweries. Just wondering if I should also be getting any other's from liberty brewing. I'd like to do some porters, APA and maybe a lager.

What's your guys thoughts and what's storage like on these grains if i buy them un-milled.

Thanks

[denimglen]

Grains store for friggin ages unmilled, especially when kept cool and in a closed container.

I'd just buy grains as you need them, but over-buy. I buy 2kg of a malt at a time, after a while you build a pretty good stock and stop having to go to the HBS, awesome :-)

[Dale]

Hey, just doing an order from craftbrewer and thinking about getting Kopperfloc (90gm) or Whirfloc Tablets (90gms) instead of Irish Moss. Also thinking of getting 5.2 ph Stabiliser? What do you guys think?

At the mo I pour from the kettle directly into fermenter should I get Tap/Ball Value and fit that to the kettle would that be better to stop trub getting into fermenter?

Also getting some more beer line to balance kegs. Sounds like 3-4metres is needed per tap?

Thanks

[Mike Neilson]

I use whirfloc which is all good, didnt you purchase some grain from Liberty Brewing if so you should of got it of them. Get a tap and barb fitting makes it so much easyer!! Yeah get some 5.2, till you get your head around mash Ph and water Chemistry.

[denimglen]

I honestly wouldn't get 5.2, I've used it and preferred my beers prior to using it. I think it's more in tune with American's that have slightly harder, and more mineral content in their water.

I use kopperfloc, am happy with it. Have heard good things about whirfloc too. I find kopperfloc good enough that I wouldn't imagine there would be much more advantage to using whirfloc, so I'd get which ever was cheapest (or support liberty and get it from them ;-)

I wouldn't be without a valve in my kettle now, just make sure you get some sort of diptube contraption to get the most wort out.

It's almost 'the more beerline the better', the only downside is slower pours, but you're not a bar so who cares? :-)

[Dale]

Thanks guys for that. Also i was just down at Hops NZ and Doreen there said they now sell 500g bags of Fermentis yeast. Not sure if anyone would buy that much and spilt around? List attached

denimglen what do you mean diptube for your valve? Also with the valve can I use nickel plated brass or must it be SS?

[denimglen]

I beleive nickel plated brass is fine.

SS > brass > nickel plate though.

Without a dip tube you will stop draining as soon as the level of the wort reaches the top of the valve, which means you may be left with sometimes up to 5L of wort that you can't draw out. If you make a 'dip tube', like a bent piece of copper that goes down below the valve level you will create a siphon effect that will pick up wort below the valve. Of course you don't want to go too low though or you will start drawing off trub.

Hope that makes sense?