What Kit for Garage Set-up?

The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

soggydog

Active Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Messages
28
Reaction score
1
Location
NULL
I'm looking for advice in setting up in the garage.
I know there's loads of threads with lot's of information, but am finding it difficult to unravel what I'm after.
The main question is whether to invest in either a butane burner or kettle with an electric element.

option 1
My current 32 litre kettle sit's happily on the kitchen gas cooker.
I have a spare butane canister (for a calor heater) so thought this might be the quickest set up to get going.
Would I just need a burner with a butane regulator?
I'd then like to get this going for a while and then increase the brewlength to around 65 litres.


option 2
Buy a new kettle with an element and go straight in at 65 litres.
This would hopefully give the option of half fill boils.

The garage only has standard electrics (phase 1 1 think) and can be ventilated by opening the garage door.
Any help would be much appreciated.
 
How much have you got to spend, and have you checked in the wanted and for sale thread?!!!
 
Thanks for the reply ManseMasher

I'm willing to spend a few hundred to get an ideal set-up in the garage but want to test the water first.

I've got the basic kit for use in the kitchen but would spend �£150-ish on either a butane burner/regulator or a kettle with an element.

This is my main question as I want to commit to gas or electric from the start.

If this all goes well I'd maybe go for a kettle with a false bottom for mashing, fermenters, and something to cool the wort down like a coil or a heat exchanger.
 
Looks like a good range (pun intended) of burners.
Any other advice as to whether to go gas or electric based on my earlier post?
 
Sorry mate, wasn't ignoring that part! I think tbh the answer you would get from a gas user is go for gas, and from an electric user it would be go for the wiggly amps. You already have a pot. Beauty of gas, no holes needed in the side of it for an element, so that makes gas the obvious choice especially as you will use it in your garage, so ventilation not an issue. I also find gas easily controllable - just like a gas hob - when the heat is removed the effect is instant. If you want to go bigger, more electric elements would most likely be required to get your liqour up to temperature. Can your garage supply handle that?
 
Sorry mate, wasn't ignoring that part! I think tbh the answer you would get from a gas user is go for gas, and from an electric user it would be go for the wiggly amps. You already have a pot. Beauty of gas, no holes needed in the side of it for an element, so that makes gas the obvious choice especially as you will use it in your garage, so ventilation not an issue. I also find gas easily controllable - just like a gas hob - when the heat is removed the effect is instant. If you want to go bigger, more electric elements would most likely be required to get your liqour up to temperature. Can your garage supply handle that?

Thanks for this. All seems clear to me now. I'll get the burner and hook it up to butane and give it a go.
For future reference, what are Wiggly amps?
I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers
 
That same burner is availble from the Malt Miller, in case you need any other brew supplies may help cut down on postage:
http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=422

Not got gas myself but he does a regulator as well for ��£7, maybe give Rob at MM a call and check what you need if ordering the burner from him - he is very helpful in my experience.
http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=424

Thanks for the advice. I'll need a butane regulator though as I think burning butane is safer all round.
I'll have a look at the Malt Miller site. I try to stay off it as I know there's a chance I'll blow my savings on an SS Chronical 1/2 BBL kit.
Cheers
 
I'll have a look at the Malt Miller site. I try to stay off it as I know there's a chance I'll blow my savings on an SS Chronical 1/2 BBL kit.
Cheers

:lol: I know what you mean, I have lots of ingredients to work my way through so am trying to resist placing any more orders.
 
Thanks for this. All seems clear to me now. I'll get the burner and hook it up to butane and give it a go.
For future reference, what are Wiggly amps?
I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers
Wiggly amps - electrickery - 240Vac.
 
65L brew length?

I do 65L brew lengths and consider my 100L boiler to be only just adequate to prevent boil overs! It's electric, but to boil that quantity has a 6KW element, about the biggest you might consider on single phase. (It's actually 3x 2KW elements wired in parallel, even at this size three phase was the default). It's on a 40A circuit because I might want to do more than just turn on the boiler! Wired to a 32A industrial connector, no household plugs! Also lots of "safety interlocks" in the control panel to prevent switching it on and blowing the house fuses! So gas sounds like a reasonable option...?
 
Last edited:
I think gas sounds like the simplest way to go. The more I read about the amount of electricity I'd need, the scarier it gets.
 
I think gas sounds like the simplest way to go. The more I read about the amount of electricity I'd need, the scarier it gets.

A lot of brewers in fact most here do the ellecy

I had an ACE boiler and I tested it fine.. mashed with it and there must have been wort leaking into the electrics and it kept tripping the entire house out.. took it round my dads and it blew his whole lot out when he only plugged it in..

Put me off using leccy for life if I was honest. I know it shouldn't do and was probably a freak occurance, but up until then I cooked on my gas hob without problems and now on that burner and it works great
 
+1 for electricity from me 2, i run 2 x 16a feeds upto my brewshed for a brewday, 2 x 25m of 2.5mmsq 3 core flex terminated with 16A sockets for element use.. as long as its temporary wiring you dont need a sparky to install it ;)

i also brew circa 70l max in my 100l (98l stock pot) kettle, imho a good 5cm+ of pot wall above the still liquid level is needed to contain a rolling boil..
10369446825_86c78fb578.jpg


My ventilation solution is simple i open up the shed window, and sit the kettle in the doorway with a big fan behind it to blow the steam out of the door.
 
Im looking for something when my sheds all cleaned out so i can do all grain,and give it a go been looking at Powellbrewing in wales,the full 100ltr set up looks reasonable after pricing all the bits seperate,you even get all the burners to go with it,do you think its a reasonable price? or would any suggest better set ups?
 
afaik Powell have a decent rep, but their mash tuns are wrapped stock pots, most folk who have used a thermopot will swear by them, a lil more expensive but superior insulation and efficiency as a consequence..

also be aware that there will be brass pipe fittings/valves supplied as stock, you will need to ask/specify Stainless steel and pay a lil extra for it too.

its not difficult to diy brew pots from off the shelf stainless steel stock pots and thermopots you can buy the pots direct from an eu supplier at significantly lower prices than available in the uk, my 98l stock pots were less than £50 delivered each and an 80l thermopot was circa £90 delivered.. email [email protected] and ask for a quote for a uk delivery..
 
Back
Top