zraeee

Recipes 

Just looking for some advice on which kit would be a better buy for the same price... I'm looking to buy something that won't need to be entirely upgraded in a year or two so hopefully one of these will be a good base to start with.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-All-Grain-Kit-Upgrade-6_p_1709.html

With this one I would also be purchasing a 6.5 gal glass carboy to use for fermentation instead of the included bucket.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/15912/102142/Personal_Home_Brewery_Kit_%234_-_Bottling_Super_Deluxe

For this one I have a cooler that would be converted into a mash tun, and I'd have to figure out what to use for sparge water/HLT.

Any advice at all would be extremely helpful!

Cheers,

Zach

dneubeck85

Recipes 

I like home brewing.org. But I'm a little biased as they r my lhbs. : D

pellis007

Recipes 

Have you ever brewed before? Do you already have extract brew equipment? If so, you may not need a complete kit. You can buy a cooler and turn it into a mash/lauter tun yourself and batch sparge. If you need a bigger kettle, get at least a 10 gal. You can use your exisiting pot for sparge water heating. If just starting out, then I like the Adventures in Homebrew kit since it comes with a hard copy of John Palmers book.

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Primary#1: Steroid #8 APA
Primary#2: Janet's Brown Ale
Primary #3: Honey Cream Ale
Bottle Conditioning: Spotted Dog Brown Ale, I'm a Hoppy IPA
Kegged: Denny's Golden Monkey Homage
Drinking: BierMunchers Cream of 3 Crops, Amarillo APA, Belgian Saison, Janet's Brown Ale, Steriod #8 APA, Honey Cream Ale, Caribou Slobber,Oatmeal Vanilla Stout
On Deck: Up in the Air

unionrdr

Recipes 

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metanoia

Recipes 

I'm partial to AIH as well, since they're 5 minutes down the road, but unionrdr also has good points.

Do you have any equipment already? Most people start with extract, so buying a lot of the same things again doesn't much much sense. If you already have a cooler to convert to a MLT, then all you really need is a larger pot for sparge water (if an old extract kettle is too small), a brew kettle (most will suggest a 7.5-9 gallon pot with propane burner (a turkey fryer will suffice for most brews)), and maybe a few other odds and ends (immersion chiller, etc.).

I myself started with extract and even then I built up my equipment as cheap as possible: food grade buckets from work, cheap siphon, borrowed brew kettle from mother-in-law, lots of household items (strainer, measuring cup, spoon, etc.). While those $335 kits might provide some savings over buying individually, I've enjoyed slowly building up my inventory as my skills increased. Plus, I've never had equipment lying around that I didn't need yet, which is what I'd have been afraid with buying a kit like those.

Hope you can find the right equipment for your needs and price range!

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Primary: SMaSHing Bitters [ESB], Hefeweizen
Bottled: Gingerbread Brown Ale, Two Hearted Ale clone
On Deck:

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