Anybody get any good deals lately?

[swampdog 2]

got me a15.5 gallon stainless keg today swapped a case of natural light beer and a pack of Marlboro. been seeing it set in his yard for awhile saw him outside today on my way home from work decided to stop so I turned around asked him what he would take for it ,he said twelve pack and a pack of cigs shit I bought him a case ,I kinda felt guilty but oh well he got more than he asked for it.Iwas happy as hell my last one cost me a hundred bucks

[Jasonr]

I'll add to this...

[ Mod Edit: Link to deleted page removed. ]

Just grabbed this stuff of a local guy. Wanted the wort and carboy but figured why not grab it all at that price. Can never have too many buckets.

Also picket up 2 15.5g kegs from my cousin who got them for a cookout but never returned them on time so they charged her and she gave me both to me for free.

[jholmz]

went to rural king today and checked theirt clearance isle. pint mason jars normally 7.99 a case got 3 cases for 3.00 each because one of there stockboys got carless and broke 1 jar in each of the 3.

[S-Cackalacky]

Saw an ole boy sittin' in his pickup truck in the parking lot of an old abandoned restaurant. He had a couple tables and I saw a lot of glass. Made a quick U turn and went back to check it out. I got 2 one gallon jugs, 5 half gallon jugs and a half gallon jar for $6.00.

He also had an old muzzle loader/percussion cap musket that I got for $45.00. It's in pretty sad condition - missing the ram rod and a lot of broken metal and wooden parts. But, it'll make a nice wall hanger. I plan to get a metal rod from Lowes to fashion a new ram rod.

S-C

[S-Cackalacky]

Did I miss a good deal?

I was at the outdoor flea market today and stopped to look at a 5 or 6 gallon glass carboy. While I was looking, the lady shouted over and said $20. I shook my head and walked away - didn't even try to haggle. I already have a half dozen or so plastic 5 gallon jugs, but I'm thinking I could have maybe at least turned a little profit on it at that price.

S-C

[Bushman]

Did I miss a good deal?

I was at the outdoor flea market today and stopped to look at a 5 or 6 gallon glass carboy. While I was looking, the lady shouted over and said $20. I shook my head and walked away - didn't even try to haggle. I already have a half dozen or so plastic 5 gallon jugs, but I'm thinking I could have maybe at least turned a little profit on it at that price.

S-C

Check out the first post on this thread!

[woodshed]

58 Willys Wagon all original and complete. No rust, interior damn near mint. $600.00.
Just happen to have a Ford 289 built and ready to go in. My neighbor at the distillery did some service work and took the Willys as payment. He lost interest in his big plans so just wanted what he was owed in the first place. Sweet.
Thinkin I'll paint it up flat black, have some bullet holes painted up on it, Woodshed Distilling on the side and use it for local deliveries.

[S-Cackalacky]

Did I miss a good deal?

I was at the outdoor flea market today and stopped to look at a 5 or 6 gallon glass carboy. While I was looking, the lady shouted over and said $20. I shook my head and walked away - didn't even try to haggle. I already have a half dozen or so plastic 5 gallon jugs, but I'm thinking I could have maybe at least turned a little profit on it at that price.

S-C

Check out the first post on this thread!

Well, I don't feel so bad now.

S-C

[googe]

Got 1.4m of 4" copper, metre of 1/2" and a keg for $70

[corene1]

I got all this stuff today, I was driving to my sons house and saw a guy cleaning his garage and noticed the tall carboy so I stopped and asked him if he wanted to sell it? He said no but if I wanted to haul it and the rest of the junk off I could have it , that way he wouldn't have to haul it off. Works for me. I don't know what 1/2 of it is , looks to be wine making stuff. There are 2 carboys, the small one is 3 gallons and the big one looks to be 5 gallons but the molding in the glass is bad and doesn't show it well. There are two thermometers , 2 hydrometers and a vinometer? A big 6 gallon brew bucket with a spigot, some siphon stuff , air locks, a big box of bottles and corks with a corking tool, some cleaning brushes and a bunch of other smaller stuff. There is a bag of Campden tablets also , don't know what they are for but I will research it and find out. Must be for wine.

[bonehead]

campden tablets are for sterilizing your must or cider to kill off wild yeast and bacteria. basicly sulfides.

[S-Cackalacky]

No good deals this weekend - just wanted to vent my frustration. Me and the old woman went to 2 different indoor flea markets. I found no less than 6 different 5 to 6 gallon carboys - the cheapest being $25 and one antique looking one with embossed writing for $85. Also lots of 1 gallon vinegar/juice jugs - cheapest being $10. Funny how when a flea market vendor moves inside, the prices go up - must be to cover the booth rental.

I must say Corene1 - you got the deal of the week. Can't get much better than free, unless they deliver it to your door and carry it into the house. Looks like some very useful stuff too.

S-C

[corene1]

No good deals this weekend - just wanted to vent my frustration. Me and the old woman went to 2 different indoor flea markets. I found no less than 6 different 5 to 6 gallon carboys - the cheapest being $25 and one antique looking one with embossed writing for $85. Also lots of 1 gallon vinegar/juice jugs - cheapest being $10. Funny how when a flea market vendor moves inside, the prices go up - must be to cover the booth rental.

I must say Corene1 - you got the deal of the week. Can't get much better than free, unless they deliver it to your door and carry it into the house. Looks like some very useful stuff too.

S-C

Thanks! I got it all cleaned up last night . It must have been setting for quite some time , the price tag on the hydrometers said $2.95.

[Aussiedownunder01]

Went to look at a keg on ebay dident buy it but got 30 bottles of still spirits essence a 20 litre demijohn and 2 buckets and a z filter for $50.00

[rad14701]

Went to look at a keg on ebay dident buy it but got 30 bottles of still spirits essence a 20 litre demijohn and 2 buckets and a z filter for $50.00

So you go to all the effort of keeping synthetics out of your still and then want to run you pristine high proof spirits through synthetics...??? Really...???

[OldtimeDistiller]

I recently got 3 5 gallon oak barrels for 20 bucks each and a 30 gallon barrel for 50 bucks at a garage sale.

[Michaeln416]

How is this for an incredible deal: a brand new, 60 gallon propane fired, hot water heater in an unopened box for only $15.

At that ridiculous of a price I couldn't pass it up; so I decided to buy it and then figure out what to do with it. I have several potential use cases both in the house or in the garage, however my favourite idea is to use it solely for preparing the strike water for my AG mash.

Prior to getting this I was looking for a 50 gallon pot, a new propane burner and a way to insulate that pot once it got up to temperature. And here I find all of that combined in one nice neat package. Is it too good to be true?

The pros: it has a well insulated tank with a fuel efficient burner that it is thermostat controlled. I can literally dial in my strike temp and hold it there.
The cons: nothing inside this tank can be assumed or trusted as food grade

I already know that I should never directly use its output to make something for human consumption, such as a hot cup of tea. However, my thoughts are that this just might be perfectly safe and suitable to prepare the strike water for my AG mash. Please note that I do not make beer to drink, I only make wash for my still. My theory is that any of the nasties potentially absorbed by the water inside this tank will stay in the boiler of my still and not come through in the distillate. Additionally, the collected low wines will be diluted down to 40% with fresh clean water and then redistilled a second time.

I am still researching the following and would love some input from this community:
1) Are there any water-tank nasties soluble in hot water that could potentially come through in the distillate?
2) Any recommendations on cleaning the insides other than flushing with vinegar and water?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks;
Mike

[Odin]

Just bought two 10 liter barrels, made out of European oak. With spigot, bung and ... how do you call that system where a barrel rests upon so it can't role around? For under EUR 100,-, shipping included. Made in Slovenia.

Odin.

[midwest shinner]

Good find Odin, i would just call the piece that stops the barrel from rolling around"the stand". Probably the simplest way to put it. Anyway i found aldi has sugar for $1.64(U.S) for a 4lb bag. Or in other words 50 lbs of sugar for about $22 U.S. Couldn't pass it up, especially considering i usually pay about $14 for a 25lb bag at costco...

[corene1]

How is this for an incredible deal: a brand new, 60 gallon propane fired, hot water heater in an unopened box for only $15.

At that ridiculous of a price I couldn't pass it up; so I decided to buy it and then figure out what to do with it. I have several potential use cases both in the house or in the garage, however my favourite idea is to use it solely for preparing the strike water for my AG mash.

Prior to getting this I was looking for a 50 gallon pot, a new propane burner and a way to insulate that pot once it got up to temperature. And here I find all of that combined in one nice neat package. Is it too good to be true?

The pros: it has a well insulated tank with a fuel efficient burner that it is thermostat controlled. I can literally dial in my strike temp and hold it there.
The cons: nothing inside this tank can be assumed or trusted as food grade

I already know that I should never directly use its output to make something for human consumption, such as a hot cup of tea. However, my thoughts are that this just might be perfectly safe and suitable to prepare the strike water for my AG mash. Please note that I do not make beer to drink, I only make wash for my still. My theory is that any of the nasties potentially absorbed by the water inside this tank will stay in the boiler of my still and not come through in the distillate. Additionally, the collected low wines will be diluted down to 40% with fresh clean water and then redistilled a second time.

I am still researching the following and would love some input from this community:
1) Are there any water-tank nasties soluble in hot water that could potentially come through in the distillate?
2) Any recommendations on cleaning the insides other than flushing with vinegar and water?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks;
Mike

I hate to sound dumb here , but why would the hot water coming out of it not be good for consumption? It is a regular water heater that provides water for a house isn't it? That should make it food grade compatible I would think. My water heater hooks up straight to the house plumbing . I wash with it, I clean with it, and I use it to cook with . Should be fine to use for your mash. I would worry more about the chlorine coming from the water district unless you are going to plumb it to a flowing water source , like a stream, and if you can drink that water the heater shouldn't hurt the quality of it either. Just my thoughts

[Halfbaked]

The last 2 books I read said to use it as a stripper. The book also says take out the sacrificial anode if possible. Most around here don't use or suggest because the lining inside them can come off and could have rust in it. The acidic levels of backset or dunder are not what water is and it causes rust really quick. Some of the inside of the tanks are glass lined and some old ones were galvanized or copper (lead) and some are stainless also. IMHO it really depends on whether or not you can figure out what the tank is made of whether I would use it. Now a person could use it as a steam generator and I would be all over that. Heat to mash and run your still and could cook on grain. Just my opinion. Could be stupid.

I bought a 15.5 gal keg and a slim 1/4 for $50 this week end.

[Jimbo]

Sounds like youre gearing up baked. Nice deal on them 2. Same setup I have. Slim I use for spirit runs or really small experimental runs. I even did a gallon of wine in it once, turned out great.

[Michaeln416]

why would the hot water coming out of it not be good for consumption? It is a regular water heater that provides water for a house isn't it?

I am now convinced that this is going to work perfectly for heating the strike water for my mash.

To add to this great deal, my neighbor just gave me a 65 gallon water container that he was using to collect rain water. I'll clean this up spotless and use it to transport my spring water. It is the perfect size for filling that hot water tank.

For now I'm going to try and get by using one of those drill pumps to move the water around. Eventually I'll invest in a high-temp March pump.

[Jimbo]

Michael, that water heater will make a fantastic water heater I would make 1 tweak to it. You should be able to crank the thermostat and get 170F (76C) that you'll need at roughly 2 lbs malt per gallon ratio for mashing malt. But for doing other All Grains, Bourbon or mixed grain, youll want water at 200 or 205F (94C) to gelatinize the grain. Id put a bypass switch on the thermostat, but be sure you leave the top pipe open at all times (in case you forget and it boils, you dont need a bomb exploding scalding water on ya). This week Ive been chewing through red wheat (80%) and wheat malt (20%) doing wheat whiskey. At 200F I put 13 gallons on 25 lbs ground wheat and it gelatinizes beautifully in about an hour with periodic stirring. I do corn same way for bourbon but it takes longer to gelatinize so I wrap the cooker in a blanket and let it sit for 3 hours. Dont forget to stir every 30 minutes or youll have a solid ass brick in the bottom thats not fun to stir back up Dont ask me how I know.

Regarding pumps, there's a lower cost food grade high temp pump thats catching on with the brewers. These babies are nice at almost half the price. Here's the pump, http://www.ussolarpumps.com/index.php?m ... cts_id=105" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow and here's a review from a brewer. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/us-solar-pump-421140/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Edit: Sorry, bad memory, you only need 156F to mash in at 2 lbs/gallon to get in the high 140's mash temp. I rarely do a straight 2lbs/gal, and just fire up the Android strike calculator on my phone to get my temps

[Michaeln416]

- that water heater will make a fantastic water heater...
- but be sure you leave the top pipe open at all times (in case you forget and it boils....
- This week Ive been chewing through red wheat (80%) and wheat malt (20%)... I do corn same way for bourbon
- Dont forget to stir every 30 minutes or youll have a solid ass brick in the bottom...
- Regarding pumps... These babies are nice at almost half the price: http://www.ussolarpumps.com/index.php?m ... cts_id=105" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
- just fire up the Android strike calculator on my phone to get my temps

Thanks Jimbo. One of these days I'm going to have to try making bourbon. I can get corn from the same feed store that I get my barley from; though I'll most likely start off with flaked maize to keep things simple. They have lots of other grains that I can play with too; I'll add wheat to my 'Must Try This' list, along with some millet.

Typically I strike at 69C (156F) and mash at 63C (145F) for my all barley malt. I'll have to see what the upper limit is for the temperature setting on that water tank; it is always easier for me to cool the strike water than it is to raise it (using the garden hose). For sure I'll be keeping the top pipe open at all times to release pressure. In fact I was thinking about extending the pipe for a visible overflow into a pail; so that when I'm filling it I can easily tell when its full.

Many, many thanks for the pump suggestion, that looks like it is exactly what I need; those reviews were also very helpful & convincing. I'll be ordering one later tonight. I'm so done with gravity + siphoning + hoisting buckets of hot water.

I'm anxious to see how long this hot water tank will take to heat up. I envision taking full advantage of the fact that its so well insulated. I plan to fill it up the day before I need it then fire up the burner later that night so that it will be ready to mash first thing in the morning. Sure, it will use up some propane keeping the tank warm overnight; but probably not enough to be concerned about. If I do end up using it this way I'll need the thermostat intact and won't be able to bypass it. At the moment I'm thinking that thermostat is luxury item.

I just picked up an ice chipper from a hardware store to use as a mash paddle. I had been using some cheap, flimsy plastic spoon from a brew store that was practically useless. I'm about to ferment on the grain for the first time and in the process of insulating my Brute trash can to use as a combined mash tun and primary fermenter. That ice chipper is solidly built and easily reaches down to the bottom.

I also have an Android phone and will be looking for that strike calculator you mentioned. While I'm at it I'll take a peek for any other apps that would be useful in this hobby. I LOVE the Google Now voice commands: "Ok Google... tell me how to... convert x gallons into litres... show me pictures of copper..."

[Jimbo]

sounds good. Calculator is called Brewzor

[S-Cackalacky]

A friend told me about this place and I was finally in the area to check it out. In Kernstown, VA off exit 310 on I-81 near Winchester, VA, there's a huge place called "Gander Mountain". They sell outdoor merchandise - guns/hunting, fishing, camping, outdoor clothing, outdoor cooking, etc. I bought 3 bags of wood chips - apple, pecan, and cherry. All the bags were 20% off regular price. They also had JD chips, maple, mesquite, alder(?), oak and possibly others. Most of these were available in fine shredded, regular chips, and blocks. They also had a good selection of gas burners, dehydrators, smokers, and all manner of outdoor cooking stuff.

S-C

[Bushman]

Sounds like a candy store to me!

[Prairiepiss]

Isn't gander mountain like bass pro shops and cabelas?

We have 2 bass pro shops and a cabelas here. I like going in the bargain caves. Almost always find a single burner in there cheap. The last one I got was $10.

[S-Cackalacky]

Isn't gander mountain like bass pro shops and cabelas?

We have 2 bass pro shops and a cabelas here. I like going in the bargain caves. Almost always find a single burner in there cheap. The last one I got was $10.

Never been to either of those. Gander Mountain is like an outdoorsman's super store- 'bout the size of a super Walmart inside. The gun display ran almost the full length of the back wall - looked like some kind of arsenal. A lot of the stuff seemed kind of expensive. The smokin' chips were normally $4.99 per bag, but on sale today for $3.99. The bags were about the same size as the JD chips sold at Walmart.

S-C