Beerbelly Complete 55 Litre Esky Mashtun

[browndog]

Boagsy,
I think the reason a lot of the guys are suggesting you have a crack at building your own is that a lot of home brewers are very clever independant people, hence the very reason the make their own beer rather than buying it from a shop. As in your case, not all of us are handy with our hands or maybe have the time to build our own creations. Mate, if you have the cash, then buy what you want, you won't go wrong. Further, AG brewing is 100 times easier than what you read on this site, where every aspect is discussed down to a quantum level. Some of the best songs out there have the simplest construction.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Dazza_devil]

On the other hand you could spend the money on a strat and a twin amp with a hotcake pedal and be playing real sexy tones from a sexy rig! You get it??

Mate try a '98 Deluxe Strat with custom pups and a Keeley modded blues driver through a '65 Super Reverb and you will be in blues heaven.

 

[bowie in space]

Mate try a '98 Deluxe Strat with custom pups and a Keeley modded blues driver through a '65 Super Reverb and you will be in blues heaven.

Well, you are definately the sort of person who would benefit from a brewboy 2 :lol:

Bowie

 

[doon]

i was seriously considering getting a loan just to buy a brewboy system.

If i could have afforded it i would have, might aswell buy something decent to start with. Thats why i went complete esky set up rather then doing myself way more professional then i could of done.

 

[skippy]

Not fair!

What about Chappo with over 4000 and still uses kits... and sea water! h34r:


Cheers

well it just reinforces the idea that comments like that are the reason W.A. now powers this countries economy!

 

[skippy]

and micros!

 

[T.D.]

Mate try a '98 Deluxe Strat with custom pups and a Keeley modded blues driver through a '65 Super Reverb and you will be in blues heaven.

I've played Epiphone LPs that shit all over Gibsons and Mexican strats that shit all over Americans. Fact is, you like what you like - you should know that if you are a guitar guy. Building your own brewery not only saves you a BUNCH of cash, it also allows you to design something that suits your style and method. No offence to the beerbelly system, but its designed by somebody else with their preferences in mind - it might work perfectly for you, but then again it might not.

 

[chappo1970]

I would and have bought Wayne's gear in a heartbeat. Quality comes at a price guys that I am always happy to pay for, yeah? Plus he backs it up.

Chap Chap

 

[chappo1970]

True but being a welder and a general metalworker you can appreciate the work that goes into BB's gear.

I haven't missed you either Skip! :icon_cheers:

 

[clean brewer]

Id buy a Brewboy from Beerbelly without flinching, especially with Beerbellys bitch on the Job now... :beerbang: You know who im talking about? The most knowledgable guy that was on AHB... h34r:

 

[Dazza_devil]

I've played Epiphone LPs that shit all over Gibsons and Mexican strats that shit all over Americans. Fact is, you like what you like - you should know that if you are a guitar guy. Building your own brewery not only saves you a BUNCH of cash, it also allows you to design something that suits your style and method. No offence to the beerbelly system, but its designed by somebody else with their preferences in mind - it might work perfectly for you, but then again it might not.

Production line instruments yeah, but what about the custom shop? I know what you mean, the further you take your craft the more you demand from your instrument. But man, to have something built by a Master Luthier to your own specs, how can you beat that?

 

[Dazza_devil]

well it just reinforces the idea that comments like that are the reason W.A. now powers this countries economy!

yeah, and get back to work over there will ya's, we need the cash

 

[chappo1970]

 

[peas_and_corn]

Useful, as always.

 

[T.D.]

Id buy a Brewboy from Beerbelly without flinching

Then why don't you??

 

[Dazza_devil]

Surely a brewboy is going to give me a more precise control over mash temps, more constant results with the end product and a more pleasurable brewday than something I personally can throw together. By the time I get it right I'll have pieces of gear lying around that I thought I needed or upgraded all holding together with gaffa tape and fencing wire, it's gonna cost more in the long run. I know it can be fun building things yourself and I have often thought of building my own guitar exactly as I wanted it. I just don't have the time or the tools but maybe one day just for the hell of it. Down the track when/if I perfect the art of using a brewboy and somehow are demanding more from my tools would I not be able to customise it? Perhaps it's not the be all and end all but I can't see this hobby going away any time soon. I can make pretty good beers at the moment with extracts and I could be happy with just that for a long time. Long enough to take in the knowledge and save the funds needed for the best tools to perform the job.
With the guitar analogy, someone who's got a brewboy may be able to compare these factors,
I judge an electric guitar on how well it can respond to nuances in my playing, dynamics, pick attack, etc. The better the guitar the more depth it has in it's tone and how well it can lay a platform for the sounds I want to make. Many factors go together to bring this about. Primarily the pickups, their type and quality. Then there's the wood, you really have to get lucky on that one, it's natures work but you can achieve different tonal depths with differing species of tree. Then there is the level of tradesmanship that has gone into making the instrument, how well it's crafted and put together. Some would argue that the smallest things make a big difference to tone but I believe these to be marginal, e.g. nuts, machine heads, frets and finish on the wood etc. However, I do believe the bridge, in it's type and material, to have a marked influence. Factors such as setup and strings are gonna vary the tone and playability but these are adjustable enough if the instrument has been well made.
And that's all before you plug it in, then you have to be able to play it.
Anyway, the blokes at Beerbelly know more about building a brewery and makin beer than I do.

 

[enoch]

I am inspired - A new analogy! Fishing and boating. [pontification alert on]
I am guessig most people who take up fishing as a hobby:

1. Start out with a cheaper rod and reel and no boat.
2. As they get more of a handle on fishing they may get a bit fancy about the rods and reels, get a tinny.
3. Get a bit more carried away buy a four wheel drive, get a really big boat.

They all catch fish but getting a boat (tinny or luxury liner) can get you to a few more places and some different (better) fish.
I'm guessing most start and stay at 1, quite a few progress to 2 and a very few go all the way through to 3. Some people start at 3 and like standing on the bridge and wearing funny hats.
I bet the tinnys get out on the water a lot more than the liners and catch more fish. I have no idea what percentage of the blokes who go directly to 3 end up catching fish but I would take a punt that a lot of their flash boats dont end up getting used much after the first year.

I think the original q was about a mash tun rather than the brewboy. Buy it or build one with bits from Wayne and get the esky locally in tassie. His bulkhead fitting and falsy are beautiful. The return thingy is gorgeous although I couldn't bring my self to buy one!

Personally I have built all of mine from scratch and recycled bits from one version to the next. Next one will be made from an old copper and will not change the quality of my beer! I also tend to use Ally, brass and copper rather than stainless by default as it is lessy exxy if less bling. I'm an engineer that likes to tinker.

Oh I reckon 1 is k&k/k&b and 2 and 3 are AG.
[pontification alert off]
It is coolish and drizzle in Adelaide and fantastic after our little bit of early summer.

 

[altone]

I am inspired - A new analogy! Fishing and boating. [pontification alert on]
I am guessig most people who take up fishing as a hobby:

1. Start out with a cheaper rod and reel and no boat.
2. As they get more of a handle on fishing they may get a bit fancy about the rods and reels, get a tinny.
3. Get a bit more carried away buy a four wheel drive, get a really big boat.

They all catch fish but getting a boat (tinny or luxury liner) can get you to a few more places and some different (better) fish.
I'm guessing most start and stay at 1, quite a few progress to 2 and a very few go all the way through to 3. Some people start at 3 and like standing on the bridge and wearing funny hats.
I bet the tinnys get out on the water a lot more than the liners and catch more fish. I have no idea what percentage of the blokes who go directly to 3 end up catching fish but I would take a punt that a lot of their flash boats dont end up getting used much after the first year.

I think the original q was about a mash tun rather than the brewboy. Buy it or build one with bits from Wayne and get the esky locally in tassie. His bulkhead fitting and falsy are beautiful. The return thingy is gorgeous although I couldn't bring my self to buy one!

Personally I have built all of mine from scratch and recycled bits from one version to the next. Next one will be made from an old copper and will not change the quality of my beer! I also tend to use Ally, brass and copper rather than stainless by default as it is lessy exxy if less bling. I'm an engineer that likes to tinker.

Oh I reckon 1 is k&k/k&b and 2 and 3 are AG.
[pontification alert off]
It is coolish and drizzle in Adelaide and fantastic after our little bit of early summer.

Yep, I was thinking
1 as K&K etc
2 as Manual AG - ie gravity feed, buckets etc
3 as HERMS RIMS et al

I have built all my own gear, not because I think I know better than someone who makes gear for many brewers, but because it gets me in the game at a much lower cost.

I might do things a little differently than the rest of you guys, but that doesn't mean better - or worse - just that it works for me.

Buying gear doesn't make you less (or more) of a brewer. The end result is what matters.

edit - point in case here would be Manticle - he used very primitive gear to make excellent AG beers.

Oh, and as for the weather, yes it's finally cool with a little drizzle here in Melbourne too after days of hot stuff.
Hot being 35 ish - glad I wasn't in SA at 40 plus.

 

[lczaban]

I don't see how fiddle arsing about building a frankenstein brewery is gonna teach me the basics of AG better than a professionally constructed and setup brewery. I don't have the time, the tools or the experience. It's just more money. Why buy all the stuff twice.

Between this and the comments about learning the basics of AG brew first, I'd say that the gear has a part to play in the brewing process but it is the brewer that is ultimately responsible for the quality of the end result. A state-of-the-art, out of the box BB brewery has the potential to make you better beer but I have seen quality beer brewed on an AG rig that cost a total of $40 to put together. I'm sure there are plenty of horror stories out there too of AG beers coming out of bling breweries that you wouldn't feed to your dog... h34r:

Brewing extract beers has probably got you to a stage where you could be ready to do an AG beer without too many hassles. It's not rocket science and it is a case of starting with the basic process and building on your technique as you gain experience with each subsequent brew. The more you brew the better you become if you follow the basics (hygiene, mash-temp control and good fermentation practices) and learn from your mistakes.

A lot of guys on here build their own systems because they are either handy, haven't got the cash for all the bling up front or just expand on their gear as they become more experienced and wish to exercise greater control over the brewing process. Building up your rig gear over time also reflects somewhat your maturity as a brewer as well. With a basic rig you are at a crawling stage, then you start walking and running as you build up your experience and your bling collection expands. Like you I wouldn't consider myself handy, so I wouldn't be embarrassed about going and buying a ready made brew-rig straight off the shelf. The point I would make is that if you encounter any hassles with the quality of your resultant beers then the fault is likely to come either because of a lack of knowledge in AG brewing on your part or your lack of experience in using the gear. That's why guys here are hesitant about you going away and spending hundred's of s on an off-the-shelf system because it isn't hard to do this, churn out a series of bad beers and then lose interest because of a lack of experience/knowledge and doing your dough at the end of the process.

BTW this is my 5c - I hope you take the plunge and you make the most of your investment. FWIW, my experience is that the guys who brew regularly become the better brewers - brew as often as you can and you'll be brewing great AG beers before you know it! :icon_cheers:

 

[jimi]

This might be the first time I ever heard some argue to spend their own money!!
I hope we aren't resenting a guy for having the cash.

I remember Mercs first post on here, looking for instructions on how to drive his ferrari of brewing setups (oops should have used a muso metaphor instead )