Tight Wad V Time Saver

Paulie Walnuts · Jan 2, 2011

I've noticed on this forum for some time now that several people are self admitted tight wads, and are too mean to spend a small amount of cash to make their lives easier.

Much of the equipment used in home brewing seems remarkably cheap, and how anyone can do without a hydrometer is beyond me. There are many useful bits of kit which in my opinion make brewing much easier and save a lot of time, and all for a relatively small outlay.

I only make kits, and these days I batch prime. Previously though I found that rather than using a kitchen spoon it was much easier with a set of proper measuring spoons (around Â£1), and a small funnel when putting sugar into bottles. A 50W aquarium heater cost me Â£8 off Ebay, much better for controlling heat than an airing cupboard.

An extra fermenting bucket for batch priming - around Â£10, plus a battery operated pump - worth its weight in gold for the time they save - Â£!4.99 including delivery, again off Ebay.

Perhaps other people have more time on their hands than me, fair enough, I'm a busy guy. But surely it doesn't break the bank to get kitted up a little better.

BarnsleyBrewer · Jan 2, 2011

Barnsley Brewer is a Typical Yorkshireman

Eat All, Drink All,Pay Nowt,
& if ever tha does owt for nowt
Allus do it for Thisen.

evanvine · Jan 3, 2011

Each to his own PW!
If other brewers wish to save their cash and spend their time, that's fine by me!

Moley · Jan 3, 2011

Paulie Walnuts said:
Perhaps other people have more time on their hands than me, fair enough, I'm a busy guy. But surely it doesn't break the bank to get kitted up a little better.

I suppose I'm going to have to fork out for new specs soon :cry:
I've always read your user name as Pauline

Much of what I have said about being a self-confessed tight-**** has been exaggerated or tongue in cheek, but I don't have a huge disposable income, so I will buy anything I need for this hobby but will think twice about anything which might be optional. For example, I have previously kept tropical fish so I already had a couple of aquarium heaters. In the shed was also a large base tray from an old bird cage. This will hold 6 DJs or 8 PETs in a 4 inch deep water bath, so why the hell would I want to spend sixty quid on a couple of heat pads?

Scale things down a bit, I don't buy Campden Tablets at Â£2.50 for 100 because a tub of metabisulphite will go much further and is far more cost-effective.

However, when I'm making wines for 25-40p a bottle it does rather gall me to have to pay 70p a dozen for corks, that's almost 6p each and represents a huge percentage increase on bottle cost.

One shilling and and tuppence - for a CORK?
Someone's having a laugh! :twisted:

BarnsleyBrewer said:
Eat All, Drink All, Pay Nowt,
& if ever tha does owt for nowt
Allus do it for Thisen.

I love it :thumb: :rofl:

Dieseljockey · Jan 3, 2011

Moley said:
Paulie Walnuts said:

Perhaps other people have more time on their hands than me, fair enough, I'm a busy guy. But surely it doesn't break the bank to get kitted up a little better.

Click to expand...

I will buy anything I need for this hobby but will think twice about anything which might be optional. more cost-effective.

BarnsleyBrewer said:

Eat All, Drink All, Pay Nowt,
& if ever tha does owt for nowt
Allus do it for Thisen.

Click to expand...

I love it :thumb: :rofl:

Paulie I'm a busy man...I can do a 15 hour day and do so 3 times a week... We have to remember that it's a hobby...I've made most of my kit, I'm into diy...but if I need a certain item that I can't make then I will buy it...nothing to do with being tight...but for the
guys who can brew with an old bucket well done...as long as they make something that they can drink and enjoy.

Well said BB :thumb: :thumb:

31bb3 · Jan 3, 2011

Beg steal and borrow thats my motto , but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and spend having said that I'd rather pay for something than try myself and bugger it up

hairybiker · Jan 3, 2011

Well not having ANY SPENDING MONEY

, I have to go down the cheapest way of doing something. However sometimes the cheapest way is reached by SPENDING MONEY :wha:

After my last brew taking 2 weeks to ferment (using SA-04 normally 2 days!) I bought an aquarium heater off ebay (About Â£8 delivered) and my latest brew (from Sat called MCXI) is fermenting away happily and nearly finished.

However "splashing the cash" is not required IF YOU HAVE SOME DIY skills & tools - HOWEVER it is MORE expensive if you have to buy the tools first :grin:

I will not buy a MT I build them using cool boxes - have done for many years now, nowt wrong with them until I break them :nono: Same with boilers, I have a home made 10 Gal one that I built about 10 years or so ago, twin elements and still going strong. Not that difficult to make IF YOU HAVE THE SKILLS & TOOLS. :?:

Basically whatever is easiest for the brewer, then just relax and have a home brew. :drink:

Baz Chaz · Jan 3, 2011

31bb3 said:
......... I'd rather pay for something than try myself and bugger it up

Have to agree with that, my DIY skills are limited

so anything to do with liquid and electricity I err on the side of caution :thumb:

.... my new (bigger) shiney boiler arrives tomorrow :pray:

Although my mash tun was a different matter, very Heath Robinson :lol:

artyb · Jan 3, 2011

one of the joys of this forum and hobby is seeing the great inventions and ideas to improving the brewing experience.... :party:

graysalchemy · Jan 3, 2011

artyb said:
one of the joys of this forum and hobby is seeing the great inventions and ideas to improving the brewing experience.... :party:

I agree, for its not just about brewing the beer, making the equipment tweaking it etc is part of the fun. If that wasn't the case then I probably wouldn't have any interest in this forum and probably brew Kits or worse not bother at all. Sometimes spending money is appropriate, I wouldn't scrimp on decent ingredients, however I do buy in bulk to save money.

Even if I did have the money I don't think I would go out and buy a Shinney ready made set up you see advertised on ebay, however I would buy the pots and make it myself, that is half the fun.

: cheers:

AG

Paulie Walnuts · Jan 3, 2011

Moley said:
Paulie Walnuts said:

Much of what I have said about being a self-confessed tight-**** has been exaggerated or tongue in cheek.......................................................

Scale things down a bit, I don't buy Campden Tablets at Â£2.50 for 100 because a tub of metabisulphite will go much further and is far more cost-effective.

Click to expand...

The OP was a little tongue in cheek as well - glad to see it has been taken in the spirit it was intended. Talking about Campden Tablets though, I do recall reading, possibly on another forum, of someone trying to buy a SINGLE Campden Tablet from any other forum member willing to post one.

I'm sure Yorkshire People aren't quite as bad as the stereotype either. Having no home brew shops near me in North London I get most of my supplies from the Brewmart website in Sheffield, and I'm sure a few locals must spend there hard earned there as well. I do make sure all of my orders are over Â£60 though, in order to get free delivery.

gurtpint · Jan 3, 2011

Baz Chaz said:
31bb3 said:

......... I'd rather pay for something than try myself and bugger it up

Click to expand...

Have to agree with that, my DIY skills are limited

Same here. I have a lot of respect for people who are able to make pretty much everything from scratch, but since my skills are limited, I live in a small apartment in the city center, have no garage/shed and no tools to speak of I'd rather get some stuff ready made. Even so, I've been getting some exercise raiding shops for bits and pieces in industrial estates shuttling around on my bike. There are many paths but the Quest for That Tasty Brew is One.

Springer · Jan 3, 2011

I've noticed on this forum for some time now that several people are self admitted tight wads,

Your point being............. :?
I think Mole hit it on the head, its often said in jest

I don't think anyone ruins there hobby for the sake of a hydrometer, bucket, or a set of spoons for that matter

I did consider making a nice 5ml spoon out of a bit of 15mm copper tube, cos I could, nice, accurate and easy to use

I also think a lot of people like the challenge of producing their own kit, rather than just throwing money at the job.

Hydrometer, spoons and bucket accepted.

Each to there own Paulie as E said. :)
Haven't seen most of the kit that I have made on sale anywhere

and the cost even with self build sums up to quite a bit of cash, I do spend big money at hydrometers, buckets and spoons thought :lol:
S

P.S. There can't be many who spoil their hobby for the sake of the items you mention, as a kit brewer, nothing wrong with that, but thats all the kit you need isn't it. :? :lol:

BarnsleyBrewer · Jan 3, 2011

Paulie Walnuts said:
I'm sure Yorkshire People aren't quite as bad as the stereotype either.(I am )
Having no home brew shops near me in North London I get most of my supplies from the Brewmart website in Sheffield, and I'm sure a few locals must spend there hard earned there as well. I do make sure all of my orders are over Â£60 though, in order to get free delivery.

Brewmart is a very good shop, not far from me! :thumb:

evanvine · Jan 3, 2011

graysalchemy said:
Even if I did have the money I don't think I would go out and buy a Shinney ready made set up you see advertised on ebay, however I would buy the pots and make it myself, that is half the fun.AG

Well said that man!

Aleman · Jan 4, 2011

evanvine said:
graysalchemy said:

Even if I did have the money I don't think I would go out and buy a Shinney ready made set up you see advertised on ebay, however I would buy the pots and make it myself, that is half the fun.AG

Click to expand...

Well said that man!

Knowing what I know now . . . and the investment I have made in tools and time in building my large brewery . . . I think buying ready made is actually a good way to go.

Springer · Jan 4, 2011

Knowing what I know now . . . and the investment I have made in tools and time in building my large brewery . . . I think buying ready made is actually a good way to go.

Neah, you would not be happy with it A, then you would have to go out and buy the tools anyway, to modify it to your standards

:lol:

Seriously thorough, I do see your point, if someone makes big money at a proper job and enjoys it, has not got tools etc, and couldn't use them if they did etc it is a way to go.

I'm still trying to work out how to make and hydrometer. :? :lol:

Where can you buy ready made anyway............... :? I'm not thinking about it, I'm a tight wad, and was already tooled up, so not an issue for me.

Stone Cold · Jan 4, 2011

I tell myself its all an investment. beer is as expensive as fuel so its worth spending some to get cheap ale in the long run.

markp · Jan 4, 2011

I agree with Aleman - I have a very limited selection of tools and I am no good at DIY. It would have been foolish for me to even try to build myself what I've bought.

As for being 'tight'..........difficult to find the right words for this :pray: :lol:
There is nothing wrong with being careful with money....nothing at all. I do think though that being overly/too careful is not a particularly attractive quality tbh.

ATB

chrisp · Jan 4, 2011

I've got to agree with Aleman on this

I did what most on the forum do and moved from Electrim boilers and Thermobox mash tuns to shiney, with stainless HLT's, MT's and kettles

But then I stumbled upon an American Brewmagic set up on EBay, that a commercial microbrewer in Reading had bought to produce bottle conditioned beers, it cost him over Â£5k to have it imported, including a wort cooler and 2 plastic 120 litre FV's.

http://www.brew-magic.com/

At less than 1/3rd of the price I took it off of his hands, never been used, meaning I have control over the mash temperatures, extremely easy to work and fairly consistent brews, due to the computer operated system.

I still had my fun running the water and drainage into the garage etc, but I dont think I could have made a system for the same sort of money

Other bargains have been a Blichmann Ferminator, Spartenburg Challenger Keg ( a big cornie) and a Gamko 6 keg cooling cabinet all care of EBay at very good prices

Chrisp

Tight Wad V Time Saver

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