Wanted A.g Supplies

[fistyman]

I have done the research and decided that the best spot to start purchasing would be brewers who might be upgrading.
I am looking to make double batches only so would be buying a 70 litre esky and 70 litre stainless pot.
I was told that immersion elements aren't much good so will probably use a 4 ring gas burner and LPG.
Anyone got some gear for sale?

 

[Stuster]

Good luck with that, fistyman. I'm not sure how many people you'll get wanting to upgrade from 70L SS pots, but you may be lucky. It might be a good idea to add your location to your profile so people know where you are. Go to My controls, Edit Profile Information and you can add that in.

 

[bindi]

I have done the research and decided that the best spot to start purchasing would be brewers who might be upgrading.
I am looking to make double batches only so would be buying a 70 litre esky and 70 litre stainless pot.
I was told that immersion elements aren't much good so will probably use a 4 ring gas burner and LPG.
Anyone got some gear for sale?

Welcome fistyman.

Don't write off the immersiom heater <_< I find it the most useful tool in the brewery.

 

[GMK]

Fistyman

Firsat off - 70ltr kettle for double batches only just makes it - go for 90ltrs at least.
Mash tun for most double batches u can get away with a 36ltr esky.

i echo stuster with putting your location in your profile.

Will help.

 

[Ash in Perth]

immersion elements are the best tihng to use for hot liquor tanks (as long as it is big enough) but maybe not the best thing for kettles because it can cause alot more caramelisation reactions.

 

[yardy]

immersion elements are the best tihng to use for hot liquor tanks (as long as it is big enough) but maybe not the best thing for kettles because it can cause alot more caramelisation reactions.

apologies for off topic, but how are immersion heaters better than lp for your HLT ?

 

[fistyman]

Hey guys, thanks for all the quick feedback.
I was thinking of using the HLT as the kettle to boil the wort in. Do people do that?
If so is a 70 litre pot adequate. I want to avoid using "borrowed" kegs from commercial breweries.
the guy at the local HBS showed me his kettle which is a cut off keg with two immersion heaters mounted inside. I have read that the heaters can caramelise the Wort though. I think this is a case of too much advice is bad advice.
So a 36 litre esky can do a double batch? That is good news!

 

[T.D.]

I can't speak for Ash in Perth, but I think he means as far as immersion heaters go, they are more suited to heating mash and sparge water than boiling wort. That is not to say they won't boil wort effectively (I used one for this for around 20 brews with good results), but you do get a lot of crap that builds up on the element, which is a pain to get off. No such problems if its only used to heat water.

I must say though, I have now done pretty much the same number of brews with gas than I did with the electric element and I don't notice any difference in caremalisation - not in terms of the taste of the beer anyway.

I am a big fan of the gas kettle / electric HLT combo. Electric is must less hassle and is a more feasible option if you have an HLT up high in a gravity-fed setup.

 

[Voosher]

I can't speak for Ash in Perth, but I think he means as far as immersion heaters go, they are more suited to heating mash and sparge water than boiling wort. That is not to say they won't boil wort effectively (I used one for this for around 20 brews with good results), but you do get a lot of crap that builds up on the element, which is a pain to get off. No such problems if its only used to heat water.

Nor can I but I would suggest there are some efficiency considerations as well. Direct heating via immersion heater should be more efficient than a gas flame heating a kettle.
Immersion heating into the wort would be preferable as well presumably, if not for scorching and caramelisation issues.

I am a big fan of the gas kettle / electric HLT combo. Electric is must less hassle and is a more feasible option if you have an HLT up high in a gravity-fed setup.

My set-up of choice as well.

 

[T.D.]

Hey guys, thanks for all the quick feedback.
I was thinking of using the HLT as the kettle to boil the wort in. Do people do that?
If so is a 70 litre pot adequate. I want to avoid using "borrowed" kegs from commercial breweries.
the guy at the local HBS showed me his kettle which is a cut off keg with two immersion heaters mounted inside. I have read that the heaters can caramelise the Wort though. I think this is a case of too much advice is bad advice.
So a 36 litre esky can do a double batch? That is good news!

You can use a single vessel for HLT and kettle, but you'll have to do only one batch sparge (otherwise you will be draining wort from the mash tun AND heating sparge water at the same time and if you only have one vessel you'll have a problem). Either that or you could transfer the sparge water into another vessel (fermenter or the like) and use that as a make-shift HLT. Its doable but fairly restrictive in my opinion.

I think you could manage a double batch in a 70L kettle. It would be a squeeze but not impossible. I usually brew 25L batches and my boil volume is usually around the 30-31L mark. A 60L boil in a 70L pot is doable but you'll have to watch it carefully as there will not be a huge amount of headspace.

And as much as a 36L esky will do a double batch it is a really tight squeeze. I would say it would not be possible at all if you batch sparge. I fly sparge and I can manage a double batch, but only just. It depends on whether you decide to fly sparge or batch sparge. If batch sparging I would go for a 50L+ esky. But then remember that when doing single batches you will have more headspace and therefore potentially lower temperature stability. Just another of the many trade-offs you will need to consider unfortunately!

 

[Steve]

Fisty - I can highly recommend joining the Canberra Brewers Club. After only a couple of meetings I sourced all the equipment to go from kits n bits to all grain. These guys are more than happy to pass on de-commissioned equipment at very, and I mean very cheap prices.
Cheers
Steve

 

[fistyman]

I have the forms for the club I just need to fill them in!
What about using a commercial hot water urn for the HLT?

 

[T.D.]

I use a hot water urn for my HLT. But if you are trying to do this on the cheap, an urn may not be the best bet. Some people luck out and get one cheap but most of the time they are fairly pricey. If you buy one new it will be around $250-$300. They are really good though - the thermostat makes it very easy!!

 

[DarkFaerytale]

i'v been looking at commercial hot water urns myself fistyman to use as a HLT some feedback would be nice on that, i'v seen some on e-bay at pretty reasonable prices

-Phill

 

[fistyman]

So many options so little time...

http://www.xb-70.com/beer/3_tier/

I think this is what I am going to build.

 

[GMK]

I use a 30ltr Electric Urn as a HLT.

Even better would be a 10 amp 40ltr Urn as a hlt.
I use a 36ltr round rubber maid esky as my mash tun
A 70ltr 3000Watt Electric Copper washer as my Kettle.

Also have a 2400watt immersion element i use as well - both in th eMash tun and in the kettle.

Hope this helps

 

[FNQ Bunyip]

Welcome fistyman ; have you read/looked @ much of this forum ? The gallary has some great setups on display and can be found in the Nav bar @ the top of the screen.

Of recent times there has been a lot of success with Brew In A Bag & All in One brewing methods and members having great beers as a result of getting into AG with out all the associated $$$ and effort. These 2 links make good reading befor you shell out on lots of kit.

:beer:

 

[fistyman]

thanks for the feedback I will look into those links. :beer:

 

[WildaYeast]

Hey fistyman,

Thanks for the link to the '3 tier brewing system'. I really enjoyed reading his document. Not sure I will make that set up (had a great first AG experience recently with BIAB, but also recently found a keg on the side of the road...), but it was packed with great info. Top value reading.

Good luck with your adventures and would strongly encourage reading the BIAB stuff and giving it a go, especially if anyone down your way can give you a demo. Also agree with the advice to try to check out and possibly use other people's systems. The recent brew day at Vjval1974's was a really great way to learn a lot in a short time (not to mention pleasurable). By all means make it to a Canberra brew club meeting before you dive in too deep.

Cheers, Brian

 

[Ash in Perth]

immersion elements are the best tihng to use for hot liquor tanks (as long as it is big enough) but maybe not the best thing for kettles because it can cause alot more caramelisation reactions.

apologies for off topic, but how are immersion heaters better than lp for your HLT ?

mostly so you can control your temperature via a thermostat so you dont need to worry about that when you are sparging (or re-circing). rather than heating only fom the bottom it heats from the middle and has better efficiency. it allows you to insulate your HLT, keeping the temp steady.