About to make the plunge and start down my shopping list of gear. At the top is a Spike 10g horizontal 2 port kettle. Probably get the false bottom, and tri-clamps connections. Any gotchas with this product?
Kind of scary when I don’t even know if I will like the beer I produce. It must be better than what can be bought commercially, or it is not worth it.
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Before you pull the trigger, answer some questions…
Are you handy enough to build/fab your own kettles?
Brew indoors or out of doors?
Traditional 3 tier system?
Gravity?
Pump?
Willing to commit to making some crappy brews along the way?
I have a 20 gallon spike kettle… IF I were to change anything… I wished I’d stayed at 5 gallon batches and built my ELECTRIC SYTEM around a Spike 10 gallon kettle… Spike is top notch equipment… as are some other companies that build specifically for brewing… not adaptions…
Ball is in yer court…
Sneezles61
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Given that all I know about you and. your brewing habits is what i’ve read in this post my question is…
Why are you ready to invest so much in a kettle if you don’t even know you’ll “like the beer you produce”?
My First kettle for brewing was a 9 gallon bayou classic. Probably cost 1/4 of what the spike cost and I’ll guarantee the spike won’t improve the beer over what I made with that kettle.
I’m not a fancy kettle guy. I brew 10 gallon batches and after 10 years I still use cheap kettles. I have two 16 gallon Bayou Classic Kettles.
Expensive kettles won’t improve your beer.
Having gotten that off my chest…haha…are you sure you’ll never want to brew more than 5 gallon batches? Will you brew higher abv beers?
Are you an extract brewer and do you intend to stay an extract brewer or will you mash your own? If you do what kind of mash tun will you use? If you do AG BIAB 10 gals could be tight for bigger beers.
So…yea…lots of questions around your future as a brewer WILL have an impact on the kettle you want or will need in the future. If you’re spending a lot on equipment I’d be sure it fits into the plan for the future @neckbone brewer and isn’t a wasted investment.
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I started brewing in a 5 gallon hand me down kettle that came with a turkey frier from my uncle. He tried brewing one time and decided it was too much work so he offered it and the frier to me and I got bit by the brewing bug from the first batch. It did the trick for a while as I learned how to do things. My first equipment purchase was a 10 gal Blichmann kettle. Once I was sure I was going full boil, I decided the spend was worth it and have not regretted it once since. The other thing you will need to consider when getting a 10 gal kettle is some sort of chiller. If you get that nice kettle, you won’t want to set the whole thing in an ice bath.
Rad
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All good questions and thoughts. If you’re brewing primarily for yourself, 5 gallon batches(with a 10 gallon capacity kettle)should suffice. If you intend to brew for a bunch of friends then you may want to look at larger systems.
@radagast I agree with the chiller suggestion, Although I still use a simple immersion chiller, and plunk that 10 gallon kettle down in an ice bath. I need all the help I can get with our warm Florida tapwater.
My Megapot was a great purchase. I just held out for a bit and got it on sale.
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Great suggestions guys.
Let me answer a coupe of your questions and throw in some comments on my situation.
Ten gal pot should be all, I think, I’ll need; staying with 5 g batches.
Probably sticking with extract too, but I also can see the lure of all grain.
My unheated basement runs 50* to 55* in the winter, but an office room down there is heated for a temp range that would allow 50* to 72*; hopefully ok for lager.
Summer temps run up into the 60*'s good for ale if I add a touch of heat (would work in the winter too…
Now, about equipment. When I hit my 60’s I realized my future was shrinking. Someday thinking was fading fast. So I began jumping into projects with both feet, full bore ahead. That covered wood working, bass fishing, Gulf Coast fishing, shooting sports, etc.
Now I’m 82 and green bananas are a gamble. I don’t want to try lesser items with the thought of upgrading later. Got the idea?
Also I am trying to avoid buying twice because the first go was not the wisest. That’s were my questions come from.
I think I have all the equipment list complete except for a burner. Leaning towards the Hell Fire.
The budget is forgiving.
Now I could use suggestions on an extract kit. Peroni is my favorite beer. Light, crisp with a flavor I like. Something like that would be good. Also a fan of IPA.
Thanks for the help.
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Your basement is perfect as is for lagers. You can’t go wrong with spike gear. Welcome to the obsession and have fun.
If you are looking for suggestions on a kit from our host, I’d suggest:
for an IPA. Solid midwest IPA modeled after Bell’s Two Hearted. I have not personally attempted any lagers yet due to lack of adequate temperature control, so maybe someone else can chime in with some recommendations there.
Rad
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Well then, it sounds as though you are determined…
Brewing in doors with gas is a crazy thought… I will recommend you look at electric… Then the only item to worry about is the moisture coming from the boil then… but an exhaust fan over the kettle has resolved that for a few peeps I know… I thought Spike has an electric set up… I’ll go look after this…
Pilsner brews require an extra keen eye to water details… Actually, the lack of minerals in the water… Distilled/RO are your friends there…
There are kits out there that’ll brew what ever you choose… Once you get an understanding where the ABV and different flavors come from, you can “make your own” kits and save a bit of cash…
We are rooting for you to have a great brew experience… We’d like to follow you on yer journey!
Sneezles61
Spike Solo… If that was around before I built mine… I’d bought that!!
Even for extract brewing… the basket will keep the hops contained…
Sneezles61
I brew in a ten gallon only use my 20 gallon nowadays for maple syrup. Get a cream ale kit will get you close to peroni without the temperature control you need for lagers. Also look at pilsner kits and switch out the lager yeast for a German Ale yeast. Use Saaz hops
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Thanks for the tips on Pilsner and Cream Ales. I’ll follow up on them.
No indoor brew. Boil will happen in the garage and the ferment in basement heated area.
The spike 10g and hell fire are on order at local brick/mortar for pickup next week. Ordered some things from our host too.
I think I read Palmer’s book 4 times. Great info and presented well.
I’m not ready yet, but close.
Time now for a cigar and bottle of beer.
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One thing you’ll need to consider is how to get the wort downstairs for fermenting. You’ll be looking at approx 50lbs-60lbs (if not more) of awkwardness if carrying a carboy/kettle down into your basement.
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I picked out a Cream Ale from NB. Going to order dry malt for a yeast starter.
Seems like a decent place to start with my beer making.
My equipment won’t arrive until next week at the earliest, but want to have ingredients on hand to get going.
The instructions call for boiling a couple gallons, adding cold water to the ferment vessel. I feel it would be better to use a full boil. Surprised at the instruction. Am I missing something?
Full boil is better for hop utilization. I would shoot low on the volume until you zero in on your boil off rate. Its easier to top up than boil off because the longer boil to hit your volume could add bitterness.
Keep us informed on your progress plenty of descent brewers here. We will get you up to speed quickly
I really want to know what is the difference between homemade beer and commercially sold beer? which one is better?
How do you feel about a home cooked meal versus going to a restaurant? It’s the same difference? Depends on the chef and depends on the restaurant.
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Homebrew is better
Thanks for the boil answer Brewcat. That’s why I’m on here.
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