Want to upgrade equipment - How to spend?

[drummer0413]

I have been brewing extract now for about 6 months and I am looking to start doing all-grain. I have around $1500 to "play" with for this upgrade. I was looking at the B3 500 system and it has now gone up in price to $1500. Is this worth the price at $1500? If not, what should I purchase to go all-grain? Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[Mylo]

If you just "want" to go all grain, then by all means... However, if you haven't gone to 1) a full boil, 2) fermentation temp control, and 3) yeast starters - then you should do that first. You will undoubtedly need a big kettle, some type of chiller (I recommend JZ's Whirlpool Immersion, or a CF chiller), maybe a chest freezer and temp control, stir plates, erlynmeyer flasks, etc. Maybe it is best to spend you money building out some of this other stuff, first.

You don't need to go to all grain to make award winning beers. However - I would bet that most award winning beers have all three of the above. I would also recommend not going with a 5 gallon all grain system. Even if you don't drink that much, it is nice to make a 10 gallon batch for not much more time, effort, or cost of ingredients.


Mylo

[Crut]

My personal thoughts,
I would hold off on the sculpture. fiteen hundo is a nice chunk to work with. For that you could buy a couple turkey fryer setups, maybe a nice big kettle (or find a couple keggle resources), all the hoses, bulkheads, valves, grain crusher, etc. and still have some leftover for buying barley and hops. Then use tables, cinder blocks, or whatever to be able to gravity drain HLt or MT. Or go with a pump for a double tier stand for another 140.

2x-turkey fryers=$80
boil kettle=$200
Valves/Bulkheads/hoses=$150 ish
Barley Crusher=$130
Chiller-$70
cooler for MT=$40
pump (optional)=$140

roughly $670 w/o pump or $800 with pump.
Then you could have some nice change to buy materials with or whatever else you want to trick out your system with.
-Crut

[drummer0413]

I should have supplied a little more info. I am strictly talking about the brewing equipment. I currenty do the 2L starter, full boil with propane burner, temperature controlled fermentation setup, and a kegging setup. I am happy with my beer and the process but want to start doing all grain.

[Crut]

ok so take out $40 for a turkey fryer setup.
You have a chiller yet?
-Crut

[drummer0413]

Yes I do have a chiller. I would love to build my own setup. I just don't know where to start as I have seen so many different alternatives.

[Bugeater]

When I first started brewing and considering going all grain, I wanted a big sculpture system so bad I could taste it. However, being broke, I pieced together my ghetto batch sparge system. Now, after 6 years of all grain, I am unable to see how a sculpture would make my brew day any faster or easier or that it would make my beer any better. As a result, I don't really want one any more. I might move to a simple one tier system eventually, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. As close as I can see myself getting is simply adding a pump to my process when I do a 10 gallon batch.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[smurfe]

Yes I do have a chiller. I would love to build my own setup. I just don't know where to start as I have seen so many different alternatives.

It ain't hard or expensive. Go Ghetto. Everything except for the kegs came from the corner hardware store. Works great and was dirt cheap.