Upgrading Equipment

Hello all, its been awhile since I've last posted.  It looks like the site has grown a bit since I was last here, good to see!

At any rate, I'm thinking about replacing some aging equipment.  I have a 10 gallon aluminum brewpot that I was thinking about replacing with a 10 gallon stainless steel pot and my bayou burner (I believe its an SP-10) is looking a little rough at approx 6-7 years old.  I've been happy with the burner but am wondering if I get a stainless pot with a bigger diameter would the SQ-12 be better?  Its lower btu's but from what I can tell that may not be a big deal.  Of course I live in North Dakota so the garage brewing in January may mean higher btu's are needed? 

Also, does anyone have any thoughts on the ho-hum turkey fryers you can buy in places like Bass Pro shops or Cabela's.  I know there is a 45k btu avaialble but I was thinking its too much money for an under powered piece of equipment. 

any input is appreciated, thanks!

wr

http://blueribbonbrews.com/photos/equipment/

Welcome back!

I like my Polarware 42 qt pots for HLT and MLT, and you can see how I insulated them with camping mats and bubble wrap at the link above.  Pic #8 shows a very easy/cheap windscreen to focus the heat.  (I use it every time.) 

I have one of the wide banjo-type burners with many small jets and it heats quickly and is very quiet.  Some of the turkey fryers sound like a jet engines. 

thanks for the reply!  Good to be back.  How many BTUs is that banjo burner?  Do BTUs even matter?  I thought they did but my research (all on the net) reveals diverging opinions on that.  How fast does it heat your volume of wort?  I usually make 6 gallon batches so I'm normally boiling 7.5 to 8 gallons of wort.  I like the high BTU burner I have now because it brings the wort to a boil in roughly 15 minutes.  After that I can throttle way back on the gas and keep it at a pretty aggressive boil for the rest of the time.  I'm wondering if I would have that same time to boil with a unit that has a larger surface area but less BTUs? 

Oh, Maltlicker, one more thing.

Any costs and instructions on those ferm chillers?  How good are those?  I've used a modified technique for my lagers that I learned from watching the basic brewing video on how to build a low-tech lagering system.  Its still a bit of work and still very difficult to keep the temp down to where it needs to be.  I'd be interesting in attempting to build something like those ferm boxes if they are reliable, fairly cheap to build and for the severely mechanically inept, fairly easy to build as well. 

thanks again

wr

It's the typical banjo burner from Northern Brewer but I don't see the same stand that I got several years ago.  It heats 6.5 to 7.5 gallons for me fairly quickly, and I don't crank it up for speeds sake.  YMMV.  I crush grains while the water is heating, and I clean up mash pots and grains while the kettle is heating, so speed is not critical to me.  It also seems miserly on gas, as I get 5-6 batches per 20# tank.

The tough part on the ferm chillers is getting the right foam - I got it used from my LHBS for cheap.  Years ago when I built them, it looked like a sheet cost $70 new and you had to go to a specialty building materials store to get it.  Again, YMMV since I don't own a truck and Home Depot is about as hard-hat as I get.

Once you have the sheet, it's easy to measure twice, cut once, and glue up.  I used Liquid Nails, and then taped it with HVAC foil tape.  The second one was a snap after the learning curve.  I live in Charlotte and used them to make ales, changing ice daily, sometimes twice daily.  I think they are perfect for in-frequent brewers, or the apartment dweller or anyone with limited permanent space for a freezer since they are so light you can hoist them up into attic or hang from garage ceiling when not in use. 

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2013/06/best-buy-igloo-52-cu-ft-deep-freeze.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HomebrewFinds+%28Homebrew+Finds%29


Honestly, if you have space, something like this small freezer seems simpler and more robust. 

I think you might be right.  I don't brew lagers all that often but it has more to do with temp control than anything else.  What a great price for that freezer.  I'm thinking that between the money for the materials, and value in not losing my mind trying to put something together that should be fairly simple but for me would turn out well......(use your imagination) I would probably end up saving money by purchasing a freezer like that.

What a great idea and I do have the space in my home brewery (unfinished room dedicated to homebrewing).

I'll look into that more heavily, thanks!!

wr