Making the step to àg

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
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Nolski77
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Making the step to àg

Post by Nolski77 » Tue May 17, 2016 11:07 am

Hi. I've been kit brewing for years and want to make the jump into ag. I have a couple of queries though so would be appreciative of any advice.

I'm looking to keep the cost down so I'm thinking about building my own mashtun from a picnic coolbox.

Boiler I can afford to buy and will probably go for a plastic 33litre one. Aprox 70-80 quid.

I have plenty fv's and I also have an 18ltreburco which I'm hoping çan be a hlt.

I had originally considered buying a grain father but the more I look into it I'm thinking about going old school.

Any advice or links to diy guides would be appreciated. Thanks
Youngs ubrew lager which came with the wilkinsons kit 1st brew

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bigchris
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by bigchris » Tue May 17, 2016 11:25 am

You can try AG using the BIAB method which would save needing to build a mash tun.

AnthonyUK

Re: Making the step to àg

Post by AnthonyUK » Tue May 17, 2016 12:21 pm

You can build a boiler as you mentioned with a suitable plastic container and use Tesco budget kettle elements from the kettles which are £5 each.
I have a standby boiler made from a blue 40l Mango chutney barrel and a 40l Buffalo urn as the main. Using both of these I can knock out two batches in around 6 hours.
I would definitely investigate BIAB as a viable method especially if you want to keep costs down.
I would suggest a 50l boiler but smaller is possible with topping up after the mash or a sparge method.

Fil
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by Fil » Tue May 17, 2016 1:22 pm

welcome to Ag bewing, imho its the most rewarding brewing you can do.

Biab is an excellent intro too. while there is a bit of specialised equipment for almost every aspect, performing a basic brew with minimal equipment is the ideal way to highlight just what extra equipment will be useful to you, (If any) to improve the brewday and the experience.

if you can diy build a cold box mash tun a boiler is simple in comparison. the off the shelf brew boiler options are all a lil under the optimum volume, making the start of the boil tricky to contain without spilling and making a mess with the violence of the boil. 'Big is Beautiful' to paraphrase..

if in doubt the copper kettle online brewshop sells everything needed including a drilled out tank connector for sliding copper tube all the way thru for attaching a hop filter to the inside and valve on the outside.. They also sell PP buckets suitable for boiler making, and can cut out element and drain holes foc iirc.
ex fermenting bukets and blue barrels aka mango barrels can soften with the heat of a boil, a mango barrel has ample volume to allow for this but an ex FV can change shape due to this and loose some volume capacity as a consequence..



the home build kit essentials are a couple rolls of ptfe tape and an ebay bargain flat silicone baking sheet with which you can seal any valve or element breach into your vessels ;)

any questions, just ask, and have fun with the build and the brewing..
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

lord groan
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by lord groan » Tue May 17, 2016 5:25 pm

Loads of 'how to' stuff on the equipment thread. Read through a load of different self build threads and get a good idea of what you'd like to try. I recommend doing a cheap as chips job to start with then use it for a while, and when you begin to see what's wrong with it your next build will iron out all the issues hopefully.

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Peatbogbrewer
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by Peatbogbrewer » Tue May 17, 2016 5:34 pm

I went AG with mash tun, boiler and FV but went back to BIAB, not looked back since. 7 gallon Boiler with tap, gas burner, big grain bag, lots of insulation (coats, sleeping bags etc), big colander, wort chiller, thermometer, hydrometer, few FVs and bobs your uncle. I can honestly say the beers is just as good!
Peat

Nolski77
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by Nolski77 » Tue May 17, 2016 6:39 pm

Thanks folks. I looked into biab last year but didn't get it off the ground. I think I will buy a large bucket from copper kettle and build a boiler. The local hb shop sells the bags, so with a bit of luck I'll be brewing my first batch in a few weeks.
Youngs ubrew lager which came with the wilkinsons kit 1st brew

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Dads_Ale
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by Dads_Ale » Tue May 17, 2016 7:01 pm

Hi.
I have a pdf guide on brewing AG on the cheap in your kitchen. Essentially it just a account of one of my brew days using some of my older equipment that was made from FVs.
It is still work in progress but if you would like me to send a copy thorough just pm me an email address and I'll send it over.

jkroland

Re: Making the step to àg

Post by jkroland » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:09 pm

[quote=Dads_Ale post_id=792226 time=1463508076 user_id=13808]
Hi.
I have a pdf guide on brewing AG on the cheap in your kitchen. Essentially it just a account of one of my brew days using some of my older equipment that was made from FVs.
It is still work in progress but if you would like me to send a copy thorough just pm me an email address and I'll send it over.
[/quote]

Hello sorry for replying to an old thread I'd love a copy off your pdf on all grain brewing on the cheap pm your email a dress and I'll email you as can't pm on here

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Dads_Ale
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by Dads_Ale » Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:17 pm

jkroland wrote:
Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:09 pm
Dads_Ale wrote:
Tue May 17, 2016 7:01 pm
Hi.
I have a pdf guide on brewing AG on the cheap in your kitchen. Essentially it just a account of one of my brew days using some of my older equipment that was made from FVs.
It is still work in progress but if you would like me to send a copy thorough just pm me an email address and I'll send it over.
Hello sorry for replying to an old thread I'd love a copy off your pdf on all grain brewing on the cheap pm your email a dress and I'll email you as can't pm on here
Hi. The following link will take you to the guide

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxjIZH ... sp=sharing

jkroland

Re: Making the step to àg

Post by jkroland » Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:57 pm

Thanks man

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Dads_Ale
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Re: Making the step to àg

Post by Dads_Ale » Fri Jan 19, 2018 5:41 pm

jkroland wrote:
Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:57 pm
Thanks man
If you can't PM and need any more info then just put a post here as I usually check the forum on a daily basis.

I need to get on and update it as I have now added fermentation temperature control, which I must admit has made a huge difference to beer quality on a given day (i.e. hot) :D

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