Ok, time for a wish list post. These are some of the items I would LOVE to have for my brewing going foward and my ETA on getting them. One small caveat before we start is that my absolute priority at the moment is to secure enough for a major down payment on a townhouse somewhere on the water in Northern IL or Wisconsin; I have to feed my kayaking habbit somehow.
So, item one on my list is a wort chiller, but I'm already torn. Do I go with the traditional copper coil or the plate version. I know that I may not have the ability to choose the plate until further down the road, but still, I like to be forward thinking. I am probably leaning towards the coil right now, but we will see what the time & budget fairy have to say. ETA: 6 months
Next, I am going to be exploring some options as far as larger blow off set-ups, like batches of hoses poised into a single blow off bucket. The reason for this is selfish, which I happliy admit, because I won't have to be as attentive to the airlock. The other reason for this is as basic as basic can get: it means I can make more beer, which means I would be able to have seasonal and annual recipes in rotation. ETA: 6-8 months
A small option that I will ALWAYS list as a homebrewer (which I expect to be regardless of reaching the status of brewmaster/owner), is to add more and more carboys. I last posted about 2 extra 5 gallon carboys that I got for a steal (still happy about that). Well, I plan on doing it again, but this time I will add a 6.5 gallon to the order. That will give me approximately 25 gallon secondary fermentation volume and 13 gallon primary volume. The true goal for 2013 is to reach 40 gallon secondary and 32.5 gallon primary volume, or for those keeping count 8 5 gallon carboys and 5 6.5 gallon carboys. ETA: ~ 2 weeks for the next purchase; 2013 for full capactiy
Something that I realized the value of after going through far too much effort to lager via an ice bath is a fridge, or wine cooler. Yeah, I know, but learning by going through this gives me that appreciation for the automated temperature management system a whole new appreciation. So, that is the bad news; the good news is that I am finding that there are quite a few of these on the internet and at really great prices. I'm actually emailing someone about possibly getting one right now, and I may very well be able to get it for less than $50! If I do, watch out, because I will be making lagers like it is going out of style. ETA: 1 month
One of the biggest pieces that I am thinking of right now is an all-grain set up, but this is going to be one serious long-term investment and saving project. The aforementioned fairy will be seriously watching this one for a while, as the cost will be between $2500-3000, so it is going to be taking a back seat for a while. ETA: TBD (Totally budget determined)
The last piece, which is something I keep getting told by other brewers is a way to make life seriously way more worth living, is a kegging system. This one I am really excited becasue this is going to be ramp up my ability to streamline my brewing and racking processes. Cost-wise, this is going to really slim me down to only having to clean/sanitize brewing equipment and the kegs themselves. Here is the real value: NO MORE BOTTLES (unless I draft some beer off for a present). The cost of this one is a bit high, but it pays me back really quickly. At $250, plus the cost of the CO2 charging, it is a small investment that I'm more than happy to explore. ETA: Maybe for my birthday in December (Hint Hint)?
There are tons of little things I would add to this, but this is where my mind is at for the future with larger items.
More updates with Feelin' It Pilsner to follow!
As always, drink well and be merry. Slainte!
Update 1: I got the new 6.5 gal and what was supposed to be a 5 gal. Well, the source ended up sending a 6 gal instead, which I'm not going to complain about. After a nice strong rinse with some PBW and StarSan, these boys are ready to go!
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