Extract/ All grain equipment questions

Hello beer people,

I am looking to start brewing beer from home. I have just cleared out my outhouse and realised that it seems perfect for brewing, (although the mrs doesnt agree!).

The space has a concrete floor, electricity, sink, drain, window for ventilation, hot and cold water and is always around 10-14 degrees depending on the time of year.

Im unsure what to do regarding a brew pot. I could buy a cheap £15 6l pot that will work on the electric kitchen hob, however I aim to progress to all grain once funds (and a bit of experience) allow. with this in mind would i be better off buying a larger 32l pan with a view to using a burner when i go AG?

Would i have difficulty using this on an electric kitchen hob for extract?
Would i be ok to use a burner in an concrete outhouse with windows and doors open? or is this a big no?


The final question is regarding fermentation, i know the reccomended fermentation temp is around 20 degrees, however if i wanted to ferment in the outhouse the temp in here is around 10 degrees at the moment, would this pose a problem other than it taking longer? Reason i ask is that idealy i would like to keep everything in the outhouse as it is a fair size and keeps my other half happy (well sort of happy).

Thank you in advance.
Selb

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=52463

Gas burner is fine as long as you've got some ventilation. Bigger pots like you are thinking about have a lot of weight (hence the timbers etc in my set up). I wouldn't want 35 kg on my hob!

As for fermentation, it doesn't work like that unfortunately. For the yeast to do its thing it needs to be within a certain range - 10°c is far too low. Rig up some sort of heating system and aim for around double. 20°c is optimum for most yeasts. That's why a fermenting chamber (aka old fridge!) is the favourite for many.

Thank you for the reply, yes i didnt think putting that on the hob would be a good idea to be honest, i think im just going to get an 11L stock pot to go on the hob for extract/ to start with and then look at a burner set up down the line.

I will have to ferment in the house then to start with then, i will make space in the understairs cupboard !

Many thanks

Selb

I have a 16 litre pot which fits nicely on my kitchen hob and has the advantage of allowing me to do small AG brews of up to 10litres. This would give you the ability to do your extract brews and try AG on a small scale. I haven't tried extract brews but I was amazed how easy the AG was even with minimal equipment.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51779

Hi Selb.. you only need a 32l pot if your doing a 5gallon brew, you can do a 1gallon all grain brew in a small stockpot on the stove which will give you a good taste of the process and what sort of time is involved. If you like the experience and results from a small ag batch Then you can make a slightly more informed decision about which way to take into AG brewing..

also a 1gallon biab brew only needs a bit of net or a sieve and a small stockpot, But will provide a hell of a lot of insight into the whole process and the difficulties involved with scalled up masses and volumes. hanging onto a kilo(dry) of grain in a bag is way easier than draining 5kg+ when saturated with about 7.5kg+ of liquor

Regarding yeasts and temps, there is a bit more too it. all yeasts will have a temperature range within which they will flourish, lager yeasts can be active as low as 10C (not yeasts that come with lager kits but independently bought yeast vials etc) so check each yeast used.

The best solution to temperature control for circa 5 gallon batch of fermenting beer is the brewfridge mod, a freeby fridge with an stc1000 or similar controller and a small heater allows you to set a temperature within an insulated box.. for less than £50 assuming you get the fridge donated for free a brewfridge providing a consistent fermentation temp will benefit both kit and ag brewers alike..

ps imho dont aim for the middle of a yeasts published temperature range aim at the bottom level to promote a cleaner steady ferment, too warm and you can generate more off flavours.. :