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Brew Pots and Such
So It has come to the point in my 6 months of brewing, I have over grown my 7 gallon brew pot that I started out with. As I have already grown out of so many other smaller scale brewing supplies. So what is my next step? Keeping in mind money is tight so im looking for a way to handle the mass of beer im brewing, and keep in on the cheep end. SO Home Built. I have read something on getting a keg and cutting the tops of them and using it as a brew pot. is this a good method or do I buckle down and buy a larger stainless steel pot?
Moving up to larger Brew pots also means the need for a larger fermenter. I have seen many food grad larger plastic container that look like they would work out but im unsure of the consequences of using plastic over glass. Are what they say true about mixed flavors sticking to plastic or is it BS.
And my last question is about a beer gun. I think this should be its own topic but I figured I would dump it into this topic anyway. Any good any bad, any other option to use. Is it worth having a beer gun since most of my beers are being kegged now, but I keep having friends ask for my next latest and greatest beer.
Any advise is most appreciated.
I kind of assume you are doing all grain. What kind of space are you working with?
You can get a 20-30qt "Cube" cooler at Wal-Mart for a MashTun
To address some points.
Cutting kegs- 8gal-use for Hot Water/Liquor, 16gal- use for Wort Pot.
Yes works great, just the cutting part is a bitch. Something like a heavy duty Dremel with a cutting wheel seems to work the best, still not easy or fast. Go to craigslist & be patient.
Then you have to put a spigot on it
On craigslist you can find a used turkey fryer, but sure to get a high BTU one.
Plastic buckets - Been using the same ones for 15 years. Get 6gal ones, brew 5.5 gal & always end up with bang at 5gal for your kegs. I rotate them and after each use they stand overnight with about a 1/4 cup of unscented bleach & filled with hot water.
Beer gun- Don't bother. Find a piece of tubing that will fit snugly inside your faucet, and is long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle. Put the bottles in the fridge until the same temp as the beer, turn your pressure down as much as you can and pour, fill & cap. Best to do 22 oz.
If you can't afford the beer gun than I agree with brewski, but think about it again down the road as they are a damn fine addition if bottling from a keg. I love mine.
andrew jensen wrote:
If you can't afford the beer gun than I agree with brewski, but think about it again down the road as they are a damn fine addition if bottling from a keg. I love mine.
I second this. I like to keg, carb, then bottle about a 12 pack. Keep some for competition, some for extended aging, and some for giving away. If it is affordable, it really makes it easy. the tube over the faucet trick works too, however the bottles are not purged before filling. Because my bottles are for aging, oxidation is a major concern and I love the gun for that. i split the cost with my buddy, and he lives just a couple miles away, so we just trade off whenever we need to use it.
As far as the keggle, I highly recommend it, it is not only the perfect size, but there are many parts now specifically designed to work in conjunction with its configuration, so it is almost a standard.
As far as the fermenters, I would not go larger, just get more of them. i brew 12 gallon batches and just split the batch to 2 fermenters. Much easier to handle for the future process. 12 gallons in 1 fermenter is cumbersome and can be dangerous. 6 gallons weighs too much as it is!
thirsty wrote:
. 12 gallons in 1 fermenter is cumbersome and can be dangerous. 6 gallons weighs too much as it is!
I agree with this as most of my back muscles have become dedicated to supporting by beer gut, there is not much left to support the weight of a 6 gallon carboy when carrying it. I might start force "carbing" with helium to make the cornies easier to get out of the chest freezer.
I agree with you guys about the value of a beer gun for bottling a large quantity, or for an extended time.
It does a better job.
My understanding of Jat's post was that he wanted to cap a few bottles for rather immediate consumption by his friends, obviously somewhere other than at his place.
I have noticed, over the years, that the more of your hard earned homebrew that you bring with you, the more that is expected the next time.
Hence, limited transportable production, more brew stays where it belongs, at home in the keg. 
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