Beer Forum

Ok...so after some more thought detail and research, i decided against the electric idea..and im going for the propane HERMS idea, with computer PID temp control. question is, what do you guys think of the morebeer 2100 with full digital package? together they are basically $4500. if you are not familiar with the product here it is.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/8920/1 ... wSculpture

and here is the smart package

https://morebeer.com/view_product/8864/103470

i am not the best DIY guy...so would you say this is worth the money to just buy this beast? or should i stick it out, and try to build my own and save the money?

Nobody can answer that question for you. Hundreds of homebrewers have plunked down their hard earned cash for those scultures. I imaging its because they can't do it themselves - or they value their time and have the money. They are easily worth it. A lot of time and materials goes into them. I just priced out the materials for mine and it is not much cheaper. I will spend less money overall - but it will take a lot of time. I don't mind the time. I like making brewing gear almost as much as brewing it. My sculpture will be seriously over-engineered and have a lot of bells and whistles. Not becuase they are necessary - but just because I think it's cool.


Mylo

I'm building. So far I've spent about $200 on steel. I'll probably come in under $500 when I'm done and outfitted. Of course I already have some key parts, like one pump, kettles, etc. If I had the money for a B3 sculpture I might buy one, but I have other stuff to spend money on, like plumbing my basement for all this. I like cutting steel, wood, etc. and building stuff.

Then again, it is now December and I haven't managed to get any welding done in about four months.

-Eric

Your time is a factor that must be evaluated, yet is sometimes difficult to put a hard (i said hard!) value on. If designing and building your equipment brings you satisfaction, then nothing will compare to the equipment you build yourself. If I charged myself labor based on what I normally make hourly, for all the time I've spent making brewing equipment, I'd be broke. But I like to tinker and that is it's own reward. I've been piecing together an electric PID controlled kettle for months. I probably spend an average of an hour a day planning, building, buying parts, etc.

The B3 sculptures seem to be worth every penny and if my time were more scarce, I'd aim at purchasing one instead of all the tinkering I do. They sure as hell look sharper than the crap I've cobbled together (tiers made from loose stacked bricks eg.)

earlier this year I was about to buy a sculpture. Instead I found people who could help me learn to weld, sweat copper pipe, etc., and for 5-6 months I've been working on my own.

When I started I thought it was pure folley and that I'd never complete it, but now I am totally in love with what I've made, and super pleased to have learned all these new skills. I'll be tracking down electric experts next to add electric heat and controls to it.

the money I saved more than paid for getting two march pumps and going with a blichmann 20g for the mash (two converted kegs for hlt and bk).