Extract Brewing Equipment?

[Uncle Joshua]

What extra equipment would I need to make the switch from kit brewing to extract brewing? the chap at my local HB shop said I'd just need an FV with a kettle element added to it, is that all?

Also...what is cost like V kit brewing?

[soupdragon]

It depends how much you fancy spending?
A ready made 30 litre bucket with an element and thermostat fitted will set you back about £70. You can make one yourself for a fraction of the price, there's plenty of info on the forum if you're that way inclined. A cheaper alternative would be to get a stock pot to use on your hob. You can pick a 19 litre one up on ebay for about £20 plus postage. One issue with the bigger boiler is that you'll need an immersion chiller £35 ish but you can cool a stock pot in the sink.
There are limitations to having a smaller boiler though so it really does depend how much you want to spend?........

Cheers Tom

[soupdragon]

Oh and the costs are about the same, maybe a bit cheaper but the results will be much better

Cheers Tom

[Uncle Joshua]

you'll need an immersion chiller £35 ish

Cheers Tom

Would an immersion chiller be needed? couldn't the wort just be placed into an FV? I want to spend a minimum amount of money and as little to as possible doing the work.

[soupdragon]

You could but you'd still need to cool it down to around 20c before you can pitch the yeast. 5 gallons of boiling wort will take a while to cool unassisted. You'd also need a hop filter fitted to the tap inlet inside the boiler £15 ish but again you can make your own.
I use a stock pot and cool in the sink then pour the contents into my fermenter through a sheet of voile ( fine curtain material ) fixed over the top of the bucket.

Cheers Tom

[dmuz]

soupdragon,

If you use a hop tea bag, i presume this will eliminate the filter or voile?? Are there any disadvantages in using a hop bag?

d

[soupdragon]

soupdragon,

If you use a hop tea bag, i presume this will eliminate the filter or voile?? Are there any disadvantages in using a hop bag?

d

One of the most important aspects of the boil is to promote the hot break, one of the main contributing factors is the vigorous rolling boil with the hops roaming free within the wort. There are mixed feelings about using a bag or not ( I don't ) but the wort will still need to be filtered to remove the break.
Voile only costs a couple of quid for a couple of square yards so it's a worthwhile investment

Cheers Tom

[potatoes]

I use a stock pot and cool in the sink then pour the contents into my fermenter through a sheet of voile ( fine curtain material ) fixed over the top of the bucket.

Hi Tom,

I know this is an old post but could you explain how you fit the voile to the top of bucket? Or post a picture? I tried this one time and got wort all over the place...

Dan

[soupdragon]

Hi Dan

I just lay the voile over the top of the fermenter and make a shallow depression in the middle then use bungee straps around the outside to hold it in place.
Hope that helps?

Cheers Tom

[potatoes]

Cheers Tom, I think the shallow depression is the key. I didnt do that last time and it started to run off the side when the voile got clogged.

[soupdragon]

It just gives you a greater surface area to work with. I still have to move the voile around a bit to keep the flow going as even with the depression it still blocks.

Cheers Tom