What mash tun was your Dad using to brew AG in the 60’s? You mention using nylon stockings, were the stockings used as a grain bag as in what is known as BIAB these days?
AG! Worth it or not?
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Hi S.E. It was when I was only about 8 - 11 years old but this is what I remember. I would have to assist with some tasks.
We had a large wood fired copper in the laundry and a wood fired stove in the kitchen. We did swap over to gas during this time as well. My mums uncle ran a fish and chip shop and he had large stainless crab and prawn cooking pots that my dad would borrow for brew days. Water was heated in the copper boiler and mashing was done in one pot. He used to wrap it up with sleeping bags and his Taft jacket. It was just grain mash and not in a bag. He used a bed sheet to filter into another pot after the mash and tipped the grain into it to hang above the pot from the Hill's hoist to drain. I can't recall if he sparged or not but think I recall him hosing it while it was hanging up.
The nylon stocking and glass marbles were used to contain the hop flowers and keep them down during the boil which was done in the kitchen. After the boil, the lid was put on the pot and it was allowed to cool naturally overnight. It was a long day and the house smelled like a brewery.
When we moved house in early 1973, he had to move about 30 dozen bottles of beer I think. He is still alive at 89, so I can ask him about his process in more detail if you have any questions. I can remember him roasting and toasting grain and sprouting corn on the concrete floor of the garage using wet hessian potato sacks.
Decision day today. I need to decide whether to order the 10 gallon Ss Brewtech Mash Tun for $299 + $100 delivery, today, or go with the 65 Litre Digimash conversion kit (malt pipe) for $153 + delivery with no time pressure. What would you do?
"A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of regret avoided"
Stretch the cash now to what you really want, rather than forever regretting the compromise. SS Brewtech is good gear.
Stretch the cash now to what you really want, rather than forever regretting the compromise. SS Brewtech is good gear.
Love everything about this. Just amazing imagery.
I do like the idea of the separate and dedicated MT, and it is no doubt a nice piece of kit. Plus, its reduced by $500 (today is last day at this price) so it is a good opportunity that may not be repeated any time soon. However, due to the space factor and the requirement for gas to boil, I'm also quite liking the idea of the single vessel option of the 65 litre electric Digimash. I already have the Digiboil and I also have a 10-gallon Nano boil kettle so I could go either way really.
I have a mash tun already, one of those rubberised kegs that has been converted with false bottom and plumbing etc, but it isn't really size matched being smaller. I have 2 actually if you count my original homemade Esky unit. I've got a smaller insulated boil pot as well, again with plumbing that was used for single vessel BIAB. I have a Kegland pump and loads of threaded stainless fittings, TC / sanitary fittings and silicon hoses, sight glass, ball valves, a cooling coil etc, etc. I've been buying up anything I see that is close to home and cheap, so, I have enough here to do all grain today if I wanted.
The $400 it would cost to get the SS B InfuSsion delivered to my door is the same as a guy wants for a grubby one (incomplete) on Marketplace and its 2 hours away.
I have a mash tun already, one of those rubberised kegs that has been converted with false bottom and plumbing etc, but it isn't really size matched being smaller. I have 2 actually if you count my original homemade Esky unit. I've got a smaller insulated boil pot as well, again with plumbing that was used for single vessel BIAB. I have a Kegland pump and loads of threaded stainless fittings, TC / sanitary fittings and silicon hoses, sight glass, ball valves, a cooling coil etc, etc. I've been buying up anything I see that is close to home and cheap, so, I have enough here to do all grain today if I wanted.
The $400 it would cost to get the SS B InfuSsion delivered to my door is the same as a guy wants for a grubby one (incomplete) on Marketplace and its 2 hours away.
I was never afraid to do home brew once I left home in 1979 as an 18-year-old because I'd seen it done and assisted many times in my childhood. I gave it away after a few years because I became busy with work and was not drinking much due to having a young family of my own. I then started brewing again when I had time in around 2010 or 2011, which is when I joined this forum initially. We were living elsewhere at that time, and I stopped again for a while when we moved back to our own home because I wasn't set up. I then re-started just a few years ago. I'll probably be doing this for some time now, so this is why I'm looking at setting up with better gear at the moment.
TwoCrows
Well-Known Member
I get 75 % eff out of the brewzilla 65ltr all day long. Then I transfer to the 65ltr Digiboil to boil the wort. Digiboil is the sparge water and boil kettle. Very happy. 38 ltrs strike water in mash 25 ltrs sparge, boil off and 2 x 22 ltr cubes and 1x or 2x 1 ltrs cubes.
It's worth it.
I've been brewing AG now for 18 years, and continue to use the same 3V budget set up since my first brew. Does it make good beer? You bet it does. I buy base malt in 25kg sacks, and specialty malts as needed. Hops are stored in the kitchen freezer (not that mrs philrob is overly enamoured of this, but as I am the chief cook at home, it's part of my domain anyway).
For me, it's about quality and character of the beer I brew. I've never been a fan of regular big brewery beers, so to drink the beers I want I need to brew them myself. I know these days we can buy a huge variety of craft and imported beers, but as I'm retired and living on my own resources, I need to be somewhat careful in spending my hard earned dollars. For example, a recent brew I did was a Belgian Dubbel, and I consider it one of the best beers I've brewed. For the cost of about $1.50 for a 750 ml longneck, compared to anywhere around $10 for a 330ml imported one, it's no contest.
Doesn't stop me drooling over all the modern SS gear etc, but my equipment will see me out.
I've been brewing AG now for 18 years, and continue to use the same 3V budget set up since my first brew. Does it make good beer? You bet it does. I buy base malt in 25kg sacks, and specialty malts as needed. Hops are stored in the kitchen freezer (not that mrs philrob is overly enamoured of this, but as I am the chief cook at home, it's part of my domain anyway).
For me, it's about quality and character of the beer I brew. I've never been a fan of regular big brewery beers, so to drink the beers I want I need to brew them myself. I know these days we can buy a huge variety of craft and imported beers, but as I'm retired and living on my own resources, I need to be somewhat careful in spending my hard earned dollars. For example, a recent brew I did was a Belgian Dubbel, and I consider it one of the best beers I've brewed. For the cost of about $1.50 for a 750 ml longneck, compared to anywhere around $10 for a 330ml imported one, it's no contest.
Doesn't stop me drooling over all the modern SS gear etc, but my equipment will see me out.
This is really good to know. I may live to regret it, but I think I'll let the Mash Tun go. Without the$100 delivery, I'd have it already. It's 1 box and it isn't that heavy. I can't see $100 value there from Brisbane to Sydney.
I've just been looking at this again. Buying just the MT alone does not appear to be all that is required, and I'm not sure it can be used as shipped. There is a list of accessories that go with it. The Essentials kit. You don't get much for $63.95 but apparently you need it. Nice would be the Recirculation kit for another $185.95 and the Sparge Arm for $59 and then apparently you need the 1/2" to 3/8" MT Bulkead Fitting for another $12. Total $639.90 plus delivery.
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