I like the comparison with choosing a mountain bike. Another that works for me is bread making – do you prefer a bread maker or going back to basics with a sour dough culture? It doesn’t really matter, as long as you have fun – they both taste pretty good.
Everyone has their own priorities when home brewing. These change over the years as budget, space to brew and the time to do it evolve. New gadgets are available, new techniques and recipes circulate and one’s taste matures.
I have travelled from one extreme to the other, starting with basic equipment and kits about 10 years ago. It tasted “OK” – nothing special but much better than the Boots kits Mum used to brew in the 60’s.
My present kit turns whole grain into finished ale in about seven days:
- Milling the grain: Crankenstein 320D three roller mill driven by a Metabo SBE 1100 plus drill.
- Converting grain to wort: Speidels 20L Braumeister, plus a large electric water urn for sparge water.
- Fermenting and serving the beer: WilliamsWarn 23L BrewMaster.
- Also for serving the beer: Corny kegs in a two tap Kegerator.
This lot is at the expensive end of the spectrum. (The last car I bought cost about the same). I respect the fact that many people don’t want brewing automation – they enjoy the basics. Some folks cannot justify buying this level of equipment. Others enjoy building it themselves. Finally, as this forum makes clear, many people get a lot of satisfaction from making great beer at the lowest possible price. I respect all of these, but they are not me.
My drivers have been:
- Flexibility on everything from milling (size) through mashing/sparging/boiling (stage temperature, duration) to fermenting (temperature)
- No access to the kitchen.
- Several moves between contrasting climates: West Australia to Thailand to the Lake District. Each have their own challenges for temperature control.
- Minimise the time spent cleaning/sterilising.
The result is a system that, although not fully integrated, does automate some of the steps. I was never very successful in controlling temperatures during any of the steps when I did it manually (except boiling!) I have used it for a range of beer styles and have never had a spoilt brew. (I had several when using a plastic fermenter, secondary fermentation in carboys, etc). I have been able to give up cleaning bottles and priming them.
And the downside? Obviously, the price – which I accept. Less obvious is the fact that more complex equipment is trickier to troubleshoot and fix. @chthon’s KISS principle is violated big time. At various points I have replaced pumps, a non-return valve, a tap and a pressure gauge. So those who enjoy tinkering will not be entirely disappointed! Fortunately, I have found the vendors supportive when I needed them.
The weird thing is that when it comes to choosing a bike and making bread I prefer the low tech choice.
Simple to operate and takes up no space. 40 Brews on so it's pretty well paid for itself.
