Move To Ag

[tangent]

After a few beers with Wee Stu (Scottish beer rocks!) and checking out his set-up, I'm SOLD on AG!
The mouthfeel of the ale has me sold completely.

I've been making larger and larger partials until I've been down to using a tin of Goo and grain with no added DME or LME and a home cultured yeast.
Time to get rid of the tin of Goo.

I already have a big esky but it's a rectangular one, should be ok tho?

Going to get a converted keg/boiler at some stage - suggestions?

Also, best place for the ball valve taps in ADL?

Appreciate your thoughts, and thanks again Wee Stu!

 

[Guest Lurker]

Hey Tangent welcome to the dark side. Square thin walled eskies make the best beer. Because the skin around the edge of the tun ends up at a lower temp than the main mash in the middle, you get a complexity in malt flavour and mouthfeel that those sad round esky owners can only hope to one day emulate.

 

[Batz]

Hey Tangent welcome to the dark side. Square thin walled eskies make the best beer. Because the skin around the edge of the tun ends up at a lower temp than the main mash in the middle, you get a complexity in malt flavour and mouthfeel that those sad round esky owners can only hope to one day emulate.

[post="85970"][/post]​

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Nope not biting this time :lol:

 

[roach]

Also, best place for the ball valve taps in ADL?

[post="85966"][/post]​

prochem(in hindmarsh)is the best place in town for ss ball valves.

 

[warrenlw63]

Square thin walled eskies make the best beer. Because the skin around the edge of the tun ends up at a lower temp than the main mash in the middle, you get a complexity in malt flavour and mouthfeel that those sad round esky owners can only hope to one day emulate.

[post="85970"][/post]​

What GL failed to tell you though is that this effect is only valid if you drink your beer from a square glass.

Warren -

 

[bindi]

Hi tangent and no going back.
I bought the fittings for my kettle [50L keg bought for $35] from a plumbing supply shop [North Coast Plumbing]
Ball valve 13mm water&aga dr. T $7.72
15mm x150mm s/brass allthread $4.07
2x15mm s/brass backnut flanged $5.02
Brass hose tail 12mm tx12mm mi$2.22
Fibre body washer 12.7mm large $0.44 [I will get a better one for heat]
Total price $19.45 !!
Also Plumb Ezy 1000x1/2 r/c [braid] $8.95
A 46L Keep Cool esky [rectangle] $69.0 Square THICK wall
Fittings for this cost only $19.95
Grain mill etc etc It goes on and on :blink: My head hurts

 

[Justin]

Go with a keg for a boiler if you want, but my recommendation is to buy an aluminium pot, 60 or 80L from word go. Should cost you very close to the $100 mark and it's money well spent.

You don't need any special tools to convert it (eg. angle grinder), it's legal and it comes with a nice fitting lid and you could have it converted into a kettle with ball valve in 10mins. $15 worth of fittings for a weldless set up, drill a hole and file it to the right size (most people don't have a drill bit large enough to drill the hole in one go but a rat tail/round file will sort you out quick smart). Ta da!

Honestly, that would be the best $100 you'd spend I reckon.

Cheers, Justin

N.B. Buy your fittings from a specialised plumbing/hose place-not the hardware store. It will cost you 50% less and you'll get the right fittings first time in one go

 

[GMK]

Welcome to the Dark side....

I think a 70 ltr Electric Copper washer makes a great kettle.
I also think that 70ltrs is the minimum size u want for a kettle.
90 ltrs is better - then u can really do big batches and strong batches.

If u want SS Fittings - i have a few sitting around i want to get rid of..
Will sell them cheap and if you come up you can check my set up and have a beer - even fit them if u want to.

I fitted Wee Stus mash tun out.

Mash tun - i use a round Rubber maid 36ltr.
This IMHO is the minimun size for the mash tun.
As u are starting out - decide if u want to do step mashes - if taht is the case then a metal pot/keg makes a good mash tun as you can directly heat it - i have seen Chillers and it works really well.

Good Luck...

 

[Joel]

Where can you get the 60L - 80L Aluminium pots from?

I won't be upgrading from my plastic electric setup for a while, but it'll be something to keep in mind for when I do upgrade.

 

[Murray]

Catering places usually stock them.

 

[cubbie]

I got a 50l SS pot for about $45 from an asian store. No burning or scolds yet.

About time I fitted a tap though.

 

[delboy]

yeh asian shops rock they have got just about every thing in them like cooking pots and nasa burners and they are heeps cheeper than some of the outlets with makeup girls in the front of the stores or some bbq shops that have pimpely little nerds trying to sell you a 6 burner bbqs when all you want is a burner.

you also can get your adjucts from these places as well .yellow rock sugar (similar to belgen candy sugar) just have to shop around

delboy

 

[tangent]

I've got a few more decisions to make:

Fermenters and Boiler sizes:
i've already got a few fermenters and plan to buy a few 60L ones
OR
hold off and wait to see what s/s conicals fellow AHB geniuses come up with.

this is going to determine if i go with
1 - plastic and start doing double brews, needing a bigger boiler than 50L
2 - or use a 50L keg/boiler and stick with single brews, but all stainless

Do you guys double or triple brew and split the brew into multiple fermenters?
I'd imagine with a good part of the day consumed with brewing, you'd want to pump out more than 22L.

What are you doing with all your trub and spent grist?

 

[Batz]

I got mine from this place , not much good unless you can pick it up , postage would be a killer.

http://www.cateringkitchen.com.au

Batz

 

[warrenlw63]

Tangent.

I do double batches (42 litres). I just split them up among 2 Fermenters. The idea of a larger fermenter (say 60 lts.) appeals to me. It's just the thought of lifting the bloody thing into the fermenting fridge and even higher for racking into kegs that's a little offputting. h34r:

Warren -

 

[warrenlw63]

Got my pot here

I suspect they wouldn't be hard to come by anywhere. Just wander into your local restaurant and ask them where they get them from. :beerbang: Expect to pay about $150 for 80 litres. Far, far cheaper than S/S.

Warren -

 

[bindi]

I got mine from this place , not much good unless you can pick it up , postage would be a killer.

http://www.cateringkitchen.com.au

Batz

[post="86052"][/post]​

I was in that shop yesterday! :blink: bought all sort of stuff from them also looked at the ally pots when I missed out on your keg for sale. I found an other though.

 

[wee stu]

After a few beers with Wee Stu (Scottish beer rocks!) and checking out his set-up, I'm SOLD on AG!
The mouthfeel of the ale has me sold completely.

[post="85966"][/post]​

Firstly, I want to make this clear this was not a paid testimonial
I only made 5c from the Brew Like a Monk book sale to Tangent.

Secondly, I think the spartan simplicity and rustic charm of my primitive all grain set up was probably the most appealing factor. If you can brew anything like half decent beer on a simple system like mine, it shows that all grain doesn't have to be rocket science.

Tangent, I would suggest you try and see a few systems in practice before making life altering decisions. You are more than welcome back round to my next brew day, for a start.

Do you guys double or triple brew and split the brew into multiple fermenters?
I'd imagine with a good part of the day consumed with brewing, you'd want to pump out more than 22L.

What are you doing with all your trub and spent grist?

[post="86051"][/post]​

I've only just started doing double batches. But what I do is double brew days, where I make two 20 to 25 litre batches of different beer. Once you have a system you are comfortable with, it is really quite surprising how much little additional effort (and time) is required to do a second brew.

Trub and grist goes on to the compost and eventually finds its way back into the cycle of life.

 

[johnno]

Like I said in another thread.
Its all about the taste.
As soon as I tried an AG beer I quickly moved to partials knowing I would make AG as soon as possible.

johnno

 

[Darren]

65-70 litre batches is the way to go. Lifting is a problem. I use go up a little at a time. Wine pump would probably be the way to go and would resuly in no lifting ever