Hi guys, I've been thinking about going AG since I opened my first can of Brupaks some time ago.
As I like to make do with what I've got (and being a tight git) I was wondering what I would need to do a DIY AG setup.
At the moment I have a large stainless cook pot with lid which I use to brew. I also have a pick-nick cooler box with lid and getting hold of pipework isn't a problem.
I think I need to make at least a false bottom to the cook tin and drill a few holes here and there but, basically, I need full directions on how/what to do - pics or diagrams maybe?
Any help is mucho appreciato.
Ta.
The dark side is speaking to me, I think I need help....
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stevezx7r
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prodigal2
Ok Steve I think I can help you here.
You could be going AG sooner than you think with what you have(join us, you know you want to)
What is the capacity of your stockpot? this will dictate the size of your brews
Do you have a FV that is a bucket with a tap on? if the answer is yes then you now have a vessel to sparge in with the addition of a grain bag(£7-8 ), use the cool box to mash in and then tip the mash into the grain bag in the FV. Then if I where you I would batch sparge, you will need a 5L jug to make this easier(£1-3), make sure it has graduated marks on it and verify they are correct. Use your stock pot as your HLT , and as you get your wort from the mash either put in other pans and bring to the boil until your stockpot is free or put your wort into the cool box until your stock pot is free.
Once the boil of the wort has finished, you need to get the wort cool, now you can either leave it overnight, or get a cooler. I have done both and a cooler produces more cold break material AND produces a clearer beer.
Then how do you get the precious wort out? to start out you can syphon off, just remember that you will need a filter of some sort on the end of the syphon tube in the stockpot, I now use a modified metal sieve.If you also have a sanitised sieve over the FV this catches anything that may have got into your syphon.
The above would get you brewing and then you can make modifications to your system as you feel fit(like fiting a tap to your stockpot, or mashing and sparging in your coolbox). I will say that you need to know that your hob(I'm guessing that is going to be your heat source) is going to be up to the job of boiling your wort, if it is not either get a gas ring or buy a H&G 10gal plastic boiler.
Once you have used the suggested system above a few times you will be in a far better position to decide what you need to make life easier, and you will have stopped prevaricating, and gone AG. In truth once you have made the leap there is no going back
If you look at Jims method on the technique pages you will see how no nonsense brewing can be I personaly think the best think to do is get in there and get your hands dirty so to speak, it can be soooo easy to put it off because you need this and that, but if you have most of the bits knocking around the house, you owe it to yourself to give it a whirl
You could be going AG sooner than you think with what you have(join us, you know you want to)
What is the capacity of your stockpot? this will dictate the size of your brews
Do you have a FV that is a bucket with a tap on? if the answer is yes then you now have a vessel to sparge in with the addition of a grain bag(£7-8 ), use the cool box to mash in and then tip the mash into the grain bag in the FV. Then if I where you I would batch sparge, you will need a 5L jug to make this easier(£1-3), make sure it has graduated marks on it and verify they are correct. Use your stock pot as your HLT , and as you get your wort from the mash either put in other pans and bring to the boil until your stockpot is free or put your wort into the cool box until your stock pot is free.
Once the boil of the wort has finished, you need to get the wort cool, now you can either leave it overnight, or get a cooler. I have done both and a cooler produces more cold break material AND produces a clearer beer.
Then how do you get the precious wort out? to start out you can syphon off, just remember that you will need a filter of some sort on the end of the syphon tube in the stockpot, I now use a modified metal sieve.If you also have a sanitised sieve over the FV this catches anything that may have got into your syphon.
The above would get you brewing and then you can make modifications to your system as you feel fit(like fiting a tap to your stockpot, or mashing and sparging in your coolbox). I will say that you need to know that your hob(I'm guessing that is going to be your heat source) is going to be up to the job of boiling your wort, if it is not either get a gas ring or buy a H&G 10gal plastic boiler.
Once you have used the suggested system above a few times you will be in a far better position to decide what you need to make life easier, and you will have stopped prevaricating, and gone AG. In truth once you have made the leap there is no going back
If you look at Jims method on the technique pages you will see how no nonsense brewing can be
I personaly think the best think to do is get in there and get your hands dirty so to speak, it can be soooo easy to put it off because you need this and that, but if you have most of the bits knocking around the house, you owe it to yourself to give it a whirl -
gizmo
just a quick idea of what the cost of grain and hops. My local HBS is not the cheapest but here goes:- To make a bitter 23L pale malt, crystal, 2 types of hops was £9.25, then the price of yeast, Irish moss and DLS in my case this was OG1040. IPA OG1062 3 types of hops (250g), pale malt 23L ouch £17.15. Hope this gives you more idea AG V kits prices
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delboy
If your LHBS is expensive you should look into get them delivered from somewhere like H&G or the Hop shop.
I think the secret to keeping the cost down is to plan out a few brews and buy all the ingredients at the same time. A sack of pale ale will probably last about 5-6 brews and doesn't work out that expensive (it'll keep for months even when crushed), throw in a few kilos of some speciality grains, crystal, roasted barley etc and your sorted for most types of brews.
Lately i've been getting sacks of grain 25 kg for £20 (others on here get it cheaper again than that) from a local micro (worth looking into to see if there is any near you willing to sell grain, hops etc).
A typical brew could i reckon be made with about £5-7 worth of grain, depending on the recipe and where you buy it from , some yeast at just over a pound, a whirlfoc tablet £0.25.
I agree with gizmo that the hops can be expensive but you seldom use whole packages of hops for a single brew so you usually get a few brews out of a pack (unless of course your a hophead, i ain't).
Its also not unknown for members on here to buy hops in bulk and sell on 500g or 1kg of these at cost to other members (i've bought a kilo of cascade and a kilo of styrian goldings that way for about £11. I reckon i could get at least 11 brews out of these (probably much more) so you are talking about a £1 for hops in a brew.
I reckon it shouldn't be that difficult to bring a brew in for under £10
and the differnce in quality compared to kits will bring a smile to your face
I think the secret to keeping the cost down is to plan out a few brews and buy all the ingredients at the same time. A sack of pale ale will probably last about 5-6 brews and doesn't work out that expensive (it'll keep for months even when crushed), throw in a few kilos of some speciality grains, crystal, roasted barley etc and your sorted for most types of brews.
Lately i've been getting sacks of grain 25 kg for £20 (others on here get it cheaper again than that) from a local micro (worth looking into to see if there is any near you willing to sell grain, hops etc).
A typical brew could i reckon be made with about £5-7 worth of grain, depending on the recipe and where you buy it from , some yeast at just over a pound, a whirlfoc tablet £0.25.
I agree with gizmo that the hops can be expensive but you seldom use whole packages of hops for a single brew so you usually get a few brews out of a pack (unless of course your a hophead, i ain't).
Its also not unknown for members on here to buy hops in bulk and sell on 500g or 1kg of these at cost to other members (i've bought a kilo of cascade and a kilo of styrian goldings that way for about £11. I reckon i could get at least 11 brews out of these (probably much more) so you are talking about a £1 for hops in a brew.
I reckon it shouldn't be that difficult to bring a brew in for under £10
and the differnce in quality compared to kits will bring a smile to your face -
stevezx7r
Thanks for the advice guys. I've just come back from the H+G with my last few bits to make my (last) kit. A standard Youngs bitter. I also have a Coopers bitter in secondary, so, once these are done I will begin the slow walk down AG lane...
I'm not sure about the capacity of my stock pot but it's the same as the one in the H+G (not the HUGE one), so I think it's about 20+ litres...I'm gonna check in a minute. Failing that I also have a smaller ceramic stock pot with lid which I could use. It's just as well I enjoy cooking.
Well, that's it for me for now although I'm sure I'll have more Q's.
I'm not sure about the capacity of my stock pot but it's the same as the one in the H+G (not the HUGE one), so I think it's about 20+ litres...I'm gonna check in a minute. Failing that I also have a smaller ceramic stock pot with lid which I could use. It's just as well I enjoy cooking.
Well, that's it for me for now although I'm sure I'll have more Q's.
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delboy
Just realised have H&G on your doorstep, so no deiveries required, thats another expense cut right therestevezx7r wrote:Thanks for the advice guys. I've just come back from the H+G with my last few bits to make my (last) kit. A standard Youngs bitter. I also have a Coopers bitter in secondary, so, once these are done I will begin the slow walk down AG lane...
I'm not sure about the capacity of my stock pot but it's the same as the one in the H+G (not the HUGE one), so I think it's about 20+ litres...I'm gonna check in a minute. Failing that I also have a smaller ceramic stock pot with lid which I could use. It's just as well I enjoy cooking.
Well, that's it for me for now although I'm sure I'll have more Q's.
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stevezx7r
Just checked my stock pot and it's 12 litres almost to the top. Ah.
As I said I do have another stock pot (another guess here) about 5+ litres? I do like to make 40 pints (more would be nice) so I don't realy want to cut down on brew length which leaves me the option of using both stock pots.
Any ideas on the best way to proceed?
As I said I do have another stock pot (another guess here) about 5+ litres? I do like to make 40 pints (more would be nice) so I don't realy want to cut down on brew length which leaves me the option of using both stock pots.
Any ideas on the best way to proceed?
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prodigal2
With what you have you will at best produce a brew length of 14-15L including DaaBs 1L flying starter, once you take into account losses to hops and break material and space to prevent boil over. All it means is you would need to brew more often, but on the flip side you would get a good beer portfolio goingstevezx7r wrote:Just checked my stock pot and it's 12 litres almost to the top. Ah.
As I said I do have another stock pot (another guess here) about 5+ litres? I do like to make 40 pints (more would be nice) so I don't realy want to cut down on brew length which leaves me the option of using both stock pots.
Any ideas on the best way to proceed?
You could tolerate this for a few brews and get yourself a bigger boiler or stockpot as and when convenient
I must admit I have gone this route and have not regretted it one bit 
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stevezx7r
Right, i've been browsing the Bay and have come across several boilers, some only a few gallons some 6+ gallons. They all seem to vary in output so I guess the more the better? A temp control would be good too I guess so I think I need an external temp switch.
What kind of boiler would you guys recommend? Berco is a good make I think? I suppose I would be using this to boil the malt/hops then transfer to the picknick box to sparge (was thinking about grabbing an old dishwasher spray arm to do this...clean, of course) then transfer filtered wort to the FV.
Does this sound about right?
What kind of boiler would you guys recommend? Berco is a good make I think? I suppose I would be using this to boil the malt/hops then transfer to the picknick box to sparge (was thinking about grabbing an old dishwasher spray arm to do this...clean, of course) then transfer filtered wort to the FV.
Does this sound about right?
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delboy
Steve, I think you've got your brewing stages a bit mixed up there.
First you need to mash the grains (grains mixed with hot water to form a loose 'porridge'). A cool box is ideal for this as it is insulated and helps keep the temperature constant, which is important for the sugars to form.
When mashing is complete, you need to extract the sweet wort - a process called lautering. Part of this process is called sparging where hot water is used to flush out the sugars. If you have modified your cool box with a tap and stainer/manifold then you do not need to transfer the grain. If not then the grain can be poured into a large mesh bag and placed into a fermenter with a tap in order to lauter.
Next you need to boil the sweet wort with your hops to extract their bitterness/flavour/aroma and remove undesirable proteins from the wort. That same boiler can be used earlier on to provide the hot water for your mash and sparge (called a hot liquor tank (HLT) when used for this purpose, but its a boiler at the end of the day). A simple plastic fermenter with a heating element and a tap is probably the simplest option (just like that 33L one Daab mentioned). A way of straining out the spent hops at the end of the boil is needed if they are boiled loose.
Finally you need to cool the boiled wort down to a temperature where you can pitch your yeast. That is best done quickly with something like an immersion chiller as it removes more of those proteins from solution, but that is not completely essential.
So you need...
1. Some way to produce a large volume of hot (>70°) water for mashing and sparging
2. A container to mash in where a constant temperature can be maintained (e.g. a cool box)
3. A way to perform lautering (can be the same vessel as 2 if made suitable or a simple bag and fermenter with tap)
4. A way of boiling a bit more than the full final brew length (can be the same as 1)
5. A way to cool your wort (can be just leaving it to cool naturally if need be)
If you look at the many varying setups and methods used here they all come down pretty much to those steps and can be as simple of complicated as you and your wallet want
First you need to mash the grains (grains mixed with hot water to form a loose 'porridge'). A cool box is ideal for this as it is insulated and helps keep the temperature constant, which is important for the sugars to form.
When mashing is complete, you need to extract the sweet wort - a process called lautering. Part of this process is called sparging where hot water is used to flush out the sugars. If you have modified your cool box with a tap and stainer/manifold then you do not need to transfer the grain. If not then the grain can be poured into a large mesh bag and placed into a fermenter with a tap in order to lauter.
Next you need to boil the sweet wort with your hops to extract their bitterness/flavour/aroma and remove undesirable proteins from the wort. That same boiler can be used earlier on to provide the hot water for your mash and sparge (called a hot liquor tank (HLT) when used for this purpose, but its a boiler at the end of the day). A simple plastic fermenter with a heating element and a tap is probably the simplest option (just like that 33L one Daab mentioned). A way of straining out the spent hops at the end of the boil is needed if they are boiled loose.
Finally you need to cool the boiled wort down to a temperature where you can pitch your yeast. That is best done quickly with something like an immersion chiller as it removes more of those proteins from solution, but that is not completely essential.
So you need...
1. Some way to produce a large volume of hot (>70°) water for mashing and sparging
2. A container to mash in where a constant temperature can be maintained (e.g. a cool box)
3. A way to perform lautering (can be the same vessel as 2 if made suitable or a simple bag and fermenter with tap)
4. A way of boiling a bit more than the full final brew length (can be the same as 1)
5. A way to cool your wort (can be just leaving it to cool naturally if need be)
If you look at the many varying setups and methods used here they all come down pretty much to those steps and can be as simple of complicated as you and your wallet want
Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
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stevezx7r
Thanks for the info CC, all taken on board. So, I have two fermenters with taps, one keg with tap, one cool box without tap at the mo, two largish pans.
Is it possible to get a kettle element, cut another hole in one of the fermenters then seal it up to creat a HLT? I think I did have a look at the one in the H+G the other week and it looked pretty straightforward, just need the required rubber washers/nuts.
This is going to be the way forward for me - I just love building things and when I get sweet sweet beer at the end of my hard work all the better!
Cheers all.
Is it possible to get a kettle element, cut another hole in one of the fermenters then seal it up to creat a HLT? I think I did have a look at the one in the H+G the other week and it looked pretty straightforward, just need the required rubber washers/nuts.
This is going to be the way forward for me - I just love building things and when I get sweet sweet beer at the end of my hard work all the better!
Cheers all.
A kettle element would be just the job for the HLT. Add a hop strainer to the back of the tap and your boiler is sorted too (bit of copper pipe crimped at one end with lots of 1mm holes drilled and fitted inside the back of the tap with the appropriate sized tubing).
I'm currently going the the process of figuring out what I need to go AG. Must admit I'm a bit lazy when it comes to DIY and don't have too many bits to hand that can be modified for the purpose either. However, buying from new (preconstructed) I reckon I can get a 33L boiler, hop filter, cool box mash tun and immersion chiller for less than £150. Might be able to half that that if I were to buy the bits and construct myself but I'd probably muff it
I'm currently going the the process of figuring out what I need to go AG. Must admit I'm a bit lazy when it comes to DIY and don't have too many bits to hand that can be modified for the purpose either. However, buying from new (preconstructed) I reckon I can get a 33L boiler, hop filter, cool box mash tun and immersion chiller for less than £150. Might be able to half that that if I were to buy the bits and construct myself but I'd probably muff it
Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
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stevezx7r