Shopping list for new starter?

[skuzy]

G'day all

Looking for some guidance please on a shopping list to sink my teeth into this.

Right now I've a spare mini bar fridge and access to my mates robo brew.
I've also a ikegger kit (Corny & mini Legg with dispenser).

I will be looking to buy :
- kegerator 3 tap with flow control from kegland
- Bunnings container
- fermenter container

Would love to hear from people's experiences in what else I should pick up (or avoid buying)

Thanks in advance

 

[SponsorSFC]

I would get the standard non FC intertaps and just balance your lines.

Cheaper and will give you a better pour.

 

[ABG]

I would recommend getting some PBW (powdered brewery wash), Starsan, a fermenting kit from your local home brew shop and a temperature controller for your bar fridge. The most important things you can do right now are ensure everything is literally spotlessly clean and sanitised and then control the temperature of your beer as it ferments.

After that, I would suggest a magnetic stir bar to make yeast starters. Use your mates Robobrew until you feel the need to grab your own.

You may want to consider getting 4 or 5 smaller (say 5L) carboys a little down the track. That way you can split one batch of wort into 4 or 5 different fermenters and experiment with differnet yeasts (as well as mixing yeasts) and adjuncts. I found this really sped up my learning curve. You can also afford to be more experimental when you're only risking 5L of wort rather than 21L. It still sucks tipping 5L down the drain when an exbeeriment goes wrong, but the reward of getting something goofy that works is absolutely worth it.

Have fun!

 

[skuzy]

If your splitting into 5l batches. Where do these go after fermentation, ? Because I intend to go down the kegging path straight off the bat

 

[ABG]

If your splitting into 5l batches. Where do these go after fermentation, ? Because I intend to go down the kegging path straight off the bat

I have a 5L mini keg that I use for my experimental batches from time to time, but I generally bottle the smaller batches. Pretty inexpensive to set up for bottling and for me, it's worth it in terms of how much it speeds up the learning process of what works and what doesn't in terms of yeast, as well as mixing yeasts and other additions.

Some brewers prefer to stick to tried and tested recipes, others like to push the boundaries. It all comes down to how much you like to experiment. For me, I like to follow a recipe the first time I brew a new style, then start to push flavours in the direction that best suits my palette, as well as the palettes of those I'm giving my beers to. As an example, I brewed a NEIPA for the first time last weekend. That was a 21L batch. I messed up my numbers, so I'll put on another 21L batch soon to make sure I nail it. After that, I'll brew another batch and split that into 5 fermenters and experiment to see if I can improve (to my tastes) on the original.

 

[skuzy]

I would get the standard non FC intertaps and just balance your lines.

Cheaper and will give you a better pour.

Thanks for the suggestion mate.. I'll have to do a search and read up on how to do this

 

[SponsorSFC]

No problem. When you get around to measuring and cutting your lines it is easier to make them a bit longer at first then shorten them if need be.

However if you are buying it as a package KL may just ship with it precut to their recommended length.

 

[Bonenose]

I have two standard intertaps and one perlick FC on my keezer and to be honest barely use the FC. Use the tap obviously but rarely touch the flow control figured when I built it that it wouldn’t hurt to have one tap with flow control.

 

[Lionman]

Speaking from experience, the bunnings water contains make ***** fermenters. They have rough seems on the inside which harbour bacteria that you don't want in your beer. If you're thinking of going down that path, I would reconsider it.

If I were to start again I would get a stainless fermenter straight off the bat. Either a SS brew bucket or a kegmenter. You can make a keg menter pretty easily by cutting a hole in the top of a 50L keg that fits a corny lid.

 

[laxation]

Thanks for the suggestion mate.. I'll have to do a search and read up on how to do this

It'll be set up ready to go - approx 1.5m of 4mm line will be good.

Don't worry about the 5l carboys to start with - that's quite a specific thing that not a lot of people are into doing. Definitely not 'starter' equipment. The cleaning equipment suggested is 100% important though. Spray bottle for your starsan is improtant so you can spray on your keg connections to check for leaks

Absolutely nothing wrong with the bunnings fermenter either... just clean it. stainless is great but again not part of a starter kit - too damn expensive.

You'll need your kegs obviously, and if you get second hand, make sure to get new seals. Buy a lubricant too from the LHBS, it'll come in handy. wipe it on o-rings to get a good seal (esp. around the lid)

I dunno what fermenter container is, but you should look into a cheap fermenting fridge and temperature controller

 

[sp0rk]

Speaking from experience, the bunnings water contains make ***** fermenters. They have rough seems on the inside which harbour bacteria that you don't want in your beer. If you're thinking of going down that path, I would reconsider it.

If I were to start again I would get a stainless fermenter straight off the bat. Either a SS brew bucket or a kegmenter. You can make a keg menter pretty easily by cutting a hole in the top of a 50L keg that fits a corny lid.

I've got a couple I've been using for over 5 years that are still just fine
I'm only ditching them because I'm converting a keg for pressure fermenting
Going the upside down route so I can use the coupler for a slurry drain

 

[Wolfman1]

I've got a couple I've been using for over 5 years that are still just fine
I'm only ditching them because I'm converting a keg for pressure fermenting
Going the upside down route so I can use the coupler for a slurry drain

Off topic but I need info on upside down.
Spunding valve on the liquid out post
Drain slurry out the gas post
Put back up the right way before cold crashing?
Is this a corny or other sized keg

 

[Lionman]

I've got a couple I've been using for over 5 years that are still just fine
I'm only ditching them because I'm converting a keg for pressure fermenting
Going the upside down route so I can use the coupler for a slurry drain

Mine was soiled after nearly a year even though I cleaned and sanitized it before and after every batch.

Off topic but I need info on upside down.
Spunding valve on the liquid out post
Drain slurry out the gas post
Put back up the right way before cold crashing?
Is this a corny or other sized keg

I think the idea is you turn a 50L keg upside down and cut a hole for a corny lid int he bottom. That then becomes the top of the fermenter.

You remove the original spear from inside and attach a coupler with a ball of butterfly valve on it that you can then use to drain the yeast out from under the beer, much like a conical fermenter. Beer is extracted from the top via a ball lock post.

 

[skuzy]

I

I dunno what fermenter container is, but you should look into a cheap fermenting fridge and temperature controller

What i understood was... cool the wort in a bunnings container.. then transfer to a fermenter container
(eg what i was thinking of.: https://www.countrybrewer.com.au/products/Fermenter-Set%2dup-%2d-25-Litre-Pail.html)

before moving into Keg.

Am i off track here?

 

[sp0rk]

What i understood was... cool the wort in a bunnings container.. then transfer to a fermenter container
(eg what i was thinking of.: https://www.countrybrewer.com.au/products/Fermenter-Set%2dup-%2d-25-Litre-Pail.html)

before moving into Keg.

Am i off track here?

I think you're talking about No Chilling straight from a boiling kettle into a cube
In that case you want a cube like this
https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-plastics-25l-blue-tint-water-storage-drum-with-bung_p3240532

But I used to buy these when they were on special
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-water-carry-can---20-litre-blue/340674.html?cgid=SCA01040902

Transfer to your cube after whirlpooling/letting kettle trub settle while the wort is still above 90c or so
Squeeze all the air out and seal up tight

 

[ABG]

It'll be set up ready to go - approx 1.5m of 4mm line will be good.

Don't worry about the 5l carboys to start with - that's quite a specific thing that not a lot of people are into doing. Definitely not 'starter' equipment. The cleaning equipment suggested is 100% important though. Spray bottle for your starsan is improtant so you can spray on your keg connections to check for leaks

Absolutely nothing wrong with the bunnings fermenter either... just clean it. stainless is great but again not part of a starter kit - too damn expensive.

You'll need your kegs obviously, and if you get second hand, make sure to get new seals. Buy a lubricant too from the LHBS, it'll come in handy. wipe it on o-rings to get a good seal (esp. around the lid)

I dunno what fermenter container is, but you should look into a cheap fermenting fridge and temperature controller

Agreed totally. The smaller carboys are for further down the track if you want to experiment. Definitely not needed for starting out.

 

[skuzy]

I think you're talking about No Chilling straight from a boiling kettle into a cube
In that case you want a cube like this
https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-plastics-25l-blue-tint-water-storage-drum-with-bung_p3240532

But I used to buy these when they were on special
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-water-carry-can---20-litre-blue/340674.html?cgid=SCA01040902

Transfer to your cube after whirlpooling/letting kettle trub settle while the wort is still above 90c or so
Squeeze all the air out and seal up tight

Correct no chill method I what I'm looking to do. But then u have to move it another container to ferment right?

 

[laxation]

Correct no chill method I what I'm looking to do. But then u have to move it another container to ferment right?

Yeah that's right.

First container is a cube with a small opening, as it's important to make sure there's no oxygen/air at the top.
Second container is your fermenter, which is like this: https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-pl...e-mouth-water-storage-drum-with-bung_p3240533

if you're not at all strapped for cash, you can do better than the bunnings ones by getting a stainless, but the blue plastic ones are perfectly fine as well.

 

[ABG]

Any reason you want to go no chill? Every time you transfer your wort, you're increasing the risk of infection and the Robobrew comes with an immersion chiller. I brew wort for a mate and we throw it straight into his fermenter at pitching temperature and he pitches his yeast straight away. The fermenter goes onto his front seat and gets buckled in and we also put a strap around the seat and fermenter just to be sure.

I'd also recommend a bigger fermenter to give you a bit more head space. If you go to your LHBS, you'll be able to pick up something that's completely set up like this https://www.thebrewshop.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/211/s/carboy-fermenter-30-litre/category/50/ The plastic is much smoother than the Bunnings drum, which makes it just a touch less likely that your ferementer will be harbouring bacteria. For the extra bucks, I reckon it's worth the peace of mind.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

People in Plastic in Yennora is the place to get your cubes and a fermenter, if you get the 25 litre cube which will hold 28 litres then you could ferment in the cube if you are making a 20 litre batch. Could be yeast dependent as some yeasts really work up a krausen, you can halt this though with a bit of pressure on the blow off tube (a pair of vice grips) the back pressure will stop the kausening.