Hi all! I'm new to brewing and have been researching for several months now. I've done a lot of thought about it and I wanted to go straight into all grain. I just prefer to have more of a hand in the whole brewing process. I've watched a friend of a friend (not really helped) brew all grain and it helped me solidify my choice to brew all grain. At this point I'm trying to get an idea of what equipment/supplies I actually need since there is so much out there. I have $500 or so to spend on the whole setup. I already have a brand new never used 10 Gallon Igloo water cooler. One thing to mention is I have a gift card to Northern Brewer so I need to get approximately $150 worth of stuff there. I don't mind purchasing other equipment at other stores if needed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Marc
You need a big cooler for a mash tun. Check! You'll need a way to strain out the wort. Something like this: or http://byo.com/stories/projects-and-equipment/item/391-build-this-mash-tun-for-under-$50 If you do a false bottom, you can consider doing fly sparging. More gear, more effort, better efficiency. Up to you. You'll need a big kettle to boil. If you want to do a full sized batch, you'll need about 8 gal. If you want to do double batches, or long boils, don't go under 15 gal. You want space for boiling, sloshing, stirring, etc. Think about how big you want to get and BUY ONCE! $500 should get you a nice boil kettle, a false bottom, if you want, and a good setup on a mash tun with some cash left over for grains. I'd hold off on a grain mill until you fully dedicate yourself to the hobby. You'll also want a fermenter and to consider how you're going to ferment your beer in the low 60s F. This should be a good start, and you may want to consider aeration or a stir plate.
10 gallon kettle for the mash or for the boil? I too am looking to get a full kit as I am borrowing a friends equipment and looking to go all grain. The kit I am looking from more beer has a 8 gallon brew kettle and 10 gallon igloo for mashing. The other option is for a 5 Fallon mash tun.
You can boil a 5 gallon batch in an 8-gallon (or even slightly smaller) kettle. But your margin of error for boilovers may be relatively small, depending on your starting wort volume, boil vigor, amount of hops, etc.
I would say 10 gal kettle for boils. You'll end up collecting close to 7 gallons to start boil. I wouldn't feel comfortable with an 8 gallon but it could get the job done if you watch it and baby it to start.
What are the pros/cons of using an Igloo cooler vs. a rectangular Coleman? I've heard people defend the Coleman because to the water : grain contact surface area it provides (or something along those lines). Are there noticeable differences?
