Brewing in the basement

[Tipple]

It's on a 40 amp circuit. To be fair, the manual says 40 or preferably 50, so perhaps it would perform better on a 50 amp circuit. What you really need to know is the output of the largest "burner", which I don't have.

I use a 19 litre stock pot which has a steel base - had to buy it especially because our previous one wouldn't work with induction. Check the bottoms of all your pots with a magnet to find out which ones will work. Needless to say, the pot was made in China where litres appear to be smaller. A 12 litre boil is just right in this pot (allows headroom for foaming). We have a 3-speed fan (useless, almost useless, and noisy). I have to wipe it down at least once due to condensation.

 

[MikeyMike]

I have a dumb question:
Right now I brew my beer using extracts. Extracts only require boiling 2.5 gallons which I can due easily with my gas stove in the basement.
If I were to whole grain brew I need to boil 5 gallons. By what I'm reading that I will need to use more BTU's. Many brewers use a propane burner either outdoors or in a garage.
I live in Chicago and I'd rather not brew outside in the winter. I have a propane burner that I fry turkeys with. Any opinions on using this burner indoors?

Not a dumb question.
Years ago, I use to live in Buffalo and winter brewing wasn't cutting it outdoors. This lead me to going all electric in my basement. It was quite a project, and i had other considerations to figure out like steM condensation, but after my first basement brew, there was no looking back. These days, I brew in my garage but have many fond memories brewing in the basement.
To go electric, you might check face book marketplace for used electric homebrew equipment. Although it's not the route I went, one of my local brewclub friends did and got surpringly good system on the cheap.
Also, if you're going to brew a lot of 5+ gallon batches, consider 220 volt. Although it requires a special hookup, it's a game changer in terms of wait times and temperature stability.

Cheers!

 

[Drum]

Right now I'm just brewing extracts. I'm trying to gather the pros & cons to jumping to all grain/BIAB.
Many pros to sticking to extract since I just enjoy drinking stouts and porters.
Not as much interested in adding flavors to my beer.
What I gather that all grain advantage is the joy of experimenting and tweeking your beers, the varieties available and the joy of tinkering with your equipment and beers.
But the initial cost...

 

[Drum]

Right now I'm just brewing extracts. I'm trying to gather the pros & cons to jumping to all grain/BIAB.
Many pros to sticking to extract since I just enjoy drinking stouts and porters.
Not as much interested in adding flavors to my beer.
What I gather that all grain advantage is the joy of experimenting and tweeking your beers, the varieties available and the joy of tinkering with your equipment and beers.
But the initial cost...

Not sure if all grain tastes better than extract though.
Thoughts?

 

[Minbari]

Not sure if all grain tastes better than extract though.
Thoughts?

Once you get a couple batches in, I think it does.

Plus, as you mentioned, you can tweak recipes to your liking. You like making porters and stouts. Let's say you have a recipe that isn't roasty enough. easy enough to add more roasted barley or sub in some black patent.

Biggest downside to extract is that your are at the mercy of who ever mashed the extract. If you do biab, there is not alot of extra cost

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Not sure if all grain tastes better than extract though.
Thoughts?

My all-grain beer now does taste better than my extract beer then. But in addition to switching to all-grain, I gained knowledge; water chemistry, oxidation, etc. If I remember right, when I first switched to all-grain the beer was better, but not tremendously better. So, if you are happy with brewing extract, then keep doing extract. It's your beer and your enjoyment that matters.

What I gather that all grain advantage is the joy of experimenting and tweeking your beers, the varieties available and the joy of tinkering with your equipment and beers.

An additional advantage of all-grain is cost of ingredients. A quick look at NorthernBrewer's website shows all-grain kits are about 10% cheaper compared to the extract kit. And if you buy your base grain by the 50lb or 25kg sack then the savings are even more.

 

[Megary]

Right now I'm just brewing extracts. I'm trying to gather the pros & cons to jumping to all grain/BIAB.
Many pros to sticking to extract since I just enjoy drinking stouts and porters.
Not as much interested in adding flavors to my beer.
What I gather that all grain advantage is the joy of experimenting and tweeking your beers, the varieties available and the joy of tinkering with your equipment and beers.
But the initial cost...

If you'd like to get a taste of what all grain is without going "all in", maybe try an extract batch with steeping grains.

https://byo.com/newbrew/extract-with-grains/

 

[Drum]

If you'd like to get a taste of what all grain is without going "all in", maybe try an extract batch with steeping grains.

https://byo.com/newbrew/extract-with-grains/

Once you get a couple batches in, I think it does.

Plus, as you mentioned, you can tweak recipes to your liking. You like making porters and stouts. Let's say you have a recipe that isn't roasty enough. easy enough to add more roasted barley or sub in some black patent.

Biggest downside to extract is that your are at the mercy of who ever mashed the extract. If you do biab, there is not alot of extra cost

I'm looking to buy the equipment a little at a time. Propane burners on Amazon are around $100 but the burners on NB and More beer are $200+. I'm guessing that burner on Amazon lack of precise temp control.
Any recommendations what burner to buy for biab?

 

[Minbari]

I'm looking to buy the equipment a little at a time. Propane burners on Amazon are around $100 but the burners on NB and More beer are $200+. I'm guessing that burner on Amazon lack of precise temp control.
Any recommendations what burner to buy for biab?

I do electric, so no burners.

For biab, I would look at either mashing in the old orange cooler idea, or look into a recirc system. Obviously, the recirc system with a herms or rims will be more expensive.

As for the burners. the Blichmann hellfire is hard to beat and it is in the $200 range.

If you don't mind a bit of do-it-yourself, get a 7gal stainless pot and put one of these in it. can do the boil and heat water for the mash.

DERNORD 2 Inch Tri-Clamp 240V Water Heating Element Immersion U Type Electrical Brewing Boiler Heater (240V 4500W) https://a.co/d/aa7F6up

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I'm looking to buy the equipment a little at a time. Propane burners on Amazon are around $100 but the burners on NB and More beer are $200+. I'm guessing that burner on Amazon lack of precise temp control.
Any recommendations what burner to buy for biab?

Unless you are brewing 15-20 gallon batches, or have money to burn, you really don't need all the BTUs of the Blichmann Hellfire burner. I brew 7 gallon batches and have the Dark Star burner from Northern Brewer (currently $67) that has been working fine for the past 8 years. I mash in a picnic cooler so I only use my burner to boil the wort. So I don't need precise temperature control.

 

[Zambi]

If cost is an issue, you can look at smaller batches.
I brew 10 litre on my gas stove. I figure 15-20 would still be possible.

Extra cost for my 10 ltr all grain vs extract:
(Brew pan, I use 10 litre pot, so similar as you would use for extract)
Biab bag
Grain mill (but you can buy milled grain)
Cooler box (I move pan, bag & grain inside cooler box). Just wrapping the pot in duvets also works
Colander for draining bag and extra pot for sparging.
Instant read thermometer
So no big investments.

Advantage of small batch is that you can still easily handle the weight of the bag with mashed grains and everything else

 

[west1m]

Get the Blichmann hellfire a ten gallon SSpot with spigot and all the extras. Your buddy will love them when you give them to him and go all electric.

 

[Donoroto]

I'm looking to buy the equipment a little at a time. Propane burners on Amazon are around $100 but the burners on NB and More beer are $200+. I'm guessing that burner on Amazon lack of precise temp control.
Any recommendations what burner to buy for biab?

Just beware cheap-o burners: They might be turkey fryers, which are not really good for the weight of a 5-gallon batch of beer.
Spilling 5 gallons of boiling liquid can ruin much more than your day. Not so much the burner, but the stand for it.