Equipment needed to all-grain

[Ritchie]

I just got a ten gal. r-maid water cooler.
I am going to order a valve kit and false bottom from northern brewers.

if you have better product or cheaper make me a list.

i am going to use my normal boil pot 21qt.

ritchie :idea

[JohnD]

How big are the batches you plan to make? The 21 qt. cooker is big enough for a 3 gallon batch but not big enough for 5 gallons. You will need a pot with a minimum 8 gallon capacity for a 5 gal, batch (figuring 6 1/2 gallon preboil with some room for boil foam)

[Michael Erwin]

As Dippel said, you need a bigger pot, if you want to use that 10-gallon cooler to its fullest potential!

Also, I really swear by the stainless dishwasher supply line instead of a false bottom or manifold. I crush grain at .025", far smaller than the factory setting, and never get a stuck sparge. You can see how I built mine at: http://bit.ly/9BWHOH.

[Chris Norrick]

One of the reasons for going all grain is the cost savings in buying whole grain in bulk. For bulk grain you will need a crusher. All the roller crushers (Barley Crusher, Monster Mill, Crankandstein) all seem to work equally well. The Corona plate mill isn't designed for big batches but Steve Sluder uses one for his smaller batches.

Also, doing full volume boils requires some sort of chiller.

A little Five Star 5.2 Mash Stabilizer also works wonders.

[msjulian]

You will need a good thermometer and something to use as a mash paddle as well.

[BM1]

One of the reasons for going all grain is the cost savings in buying whole grain in bulk. For bulk grain you will need a crusher. All the roller crushers (Barley Crusher, Monster Mill, Crankandstein) all seem to work equally well. The Corona plate mill isn't designed for big batches but Steve Sluder uses one for his smaller batches.

If you use some kinda motor drive,you can grind all you want.I saw a similar mill to mine set up in a HBS for grinding unlimited amounts using a corded drill for drive.I hated mine until I learned how to adjust it and got it set up to use w/my drill.It's kinda slow in comparison,but was cheap at the time.

Just my too sents.

I plan to get a roller mill later.Much easier to use,and faster.