Smoke or Brew? What Say Ye, Brethren?

[MisterChrister]

I scored this puppy for free yesterday. It's a double walled, insulated vessel originally for holding liquid nitrogen. The outer vessel is regular steel, and the inner vessel is stainless (inner dimensions appx 21-3/4" x 40" ID, appx 60 gallons). Due to its age and build specs, it can no longer be retested and certified, and had to be taken out of service, and I saved it from the scrap heap.

The Brethren in me sees a killer insulated smoker. I'll switch the insulation for Roxul/rock wool etc. Basically a simple UDS, top access, no doors etc. It will even take regular Weber kettle grates perfectly! I don't have a UDS anymore, and have been smoking on my kettle, sometimes with my insert for extra capacity (think two rack Cajun Bandit insert). I'd like to have something insulated to save on charcoal, extend burn time, and hold more steady temps; especially during Wisconsin winter months and cold windy days. The capacity would be great for bacon and cold smoking sausage batches etc. I do have another insulated smoker project in my future, but it will be larger, not very portable (I like to smoke out and about with friends/family), and that cooker is longer down the road due to complexity and my limited metal fab abilities. In the meanwhile, this little guy would fill the gap nicely. So what's the problem, you ask?

Brewing. I know that when time is more available I'm going to be interested in brewing. Will I later regret hacking this up to make a smoker once I get into brewing? I've been texting with fantomlord/Matt who does a fair amount of brewing and knows his chit. He pointed out that most home brewers do 5 gallon vessels, with occasional 15s for the big boys, and that this is likely overkill for most people. I think he's right, although a part of me would love to brew huge batches so I'm not constantly having to start a new one (I DO like beer!).

What say ye, brethren?

 

[AussieMatt]

I do both and I'd go with a UDS style smoker TBH.

 

[hachi-roku_fan]

If you don't need a new smoker, wait it out. You also do not want to start making that large of a batch on your first brew. It'll discourage you if it doesn't turn out well.

 

[Woody Butthrie]

Well. You can wait it out. But when I started brewing I used bottles initially. This gives you a chance to learn how to brew and if you want to brew. It is also a less expensive way to start. For a kegerator, you will need 5 gallon kegs and a CO2 dispenser as well as maybe finding a freezer to change the thermostat on. I cook and ferment 6 gallon batches that come out a little under 5 gallons after racking and leaving the sediment behind. And, if you were thinking of storing beer in that, it looks like it would take a fairly large refrigerator to cool it. I would be leaning towards smoker.

 

[Bludawg]

I'd make one heck of a nice steam still boiler

 

[cayenne]

Brew?

I dunno if that would make a really good vessel for brewing.

If you're doing all grain, I found you can be better served, getting 2-3 old full sized kegs, and using a grinder to cut holes in the top. IN one of them you put in a filter hooked to a spigot externally.....use those for mashing, sparking, etc.

You then need a plastic bucket with a spout and an attachment to use as a fill station for filling bottles if you go that way (good way to start)...you add your priming sugar in to that bottling bucket prior to filling, so as to have your beer carbonated when it is finished in bottle.

If you want to 'keg' your beer, get ahold of the old 'corny' kegs, like the fountains keeps soda syrup in...you keg in these and then force carbonate with CO2 tanks....

This thing?

Hmm....it might make for a good still if you wanted to take your brewing activities to the next ...ahem...level.



Of course I'm *wink* joking, since it is illegal even for personal use to distill your own liquor from beer you make without a special license mostly for commercial use from the govt.

 

[SmokinJohn]

Tough call.

Which one is easier to hide from the spouse?

 

[Yendor]

I don't brew but my neighbor does. He is mad when he has to dump a corny keg of bad beer. No, he's not new at it, has a 5 keg freezer set up with his own beers. Occasionally something goes bad and he has to dump it. I could not imagine dumping 60 gals of beer.

Make it into a smoker.

 

[txags2011]

Definitely make a smoker. That is an absurdly large brew implement (be it a kettle, mash/lauter tun, or fermenter) even for the more advanced of home brewers.

 

[legendaryhog]

That is not a standard brew size. 60 gallons is a ton of home brew. Most home brews are either 5 gallons or 15. If you are just starting off homebrewing I'd use that for something else. Just sayin.

 

[kenthanson]

Build a smoker. It's my understanding that there is a lot of great micro brews popping up recently that people hold in high regard, but the opposite seems to be true for bbq. Most brethren complain that there are no good bbq places that are as good as you would be cooking. So when it comes down to it you can always buy great beer but not great q.

 

[ColoradoSmoke]

I brew 10 gallon batches and that's about as big as I will ever go (boil in a 15 gal converted sanke keg). Cleaning and moving something that big will be a royal PIA if you don't have a CIP (clean in place) system. At 60 gallons, you are basically building a 2 barrel system - micro brewpub size.

 

[fantomlord]

with all the mouths you have to feed, I say smoker!

Let me know when it's ready, and I'll be there for dinner :becky:

I'll supply the homebrew :thumb:

 

[MisterChrister]

with all the mouths you have to feed, i say smoker!

Let me know when it's ready, and i'll be there for dinner :becky:

I'll supply the lamb and copious amounts of homebrew :thumb:

ftfy

 

[NickTheGreat]

I don't see how you could use that for brewing, IMO.

 

[pitbossJB]

At best a holding tank, but that's a lot of home brew. Smoker.

 

[Fwismoker]

With the wheels on there I'd have to say smoker. Look at jbounds build by dwfisk.

 

[fantomlord]

ftfy

that can be arranged

I don't see how you could use that for brewing, IMO.

you could do some cutting and welding, etc. and turn it into a fermenter. it'd be awfully big, but it would work