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JLHockeyKnight · 05-14-2009, 02:00 AM

So I'm still new, but I've been doing my budget as I just started a new job. I still am learning, but want to get into homebrewing. How much would you expect me to spend on all the necessary equipment, and what are general prices in all the supplies?

Thanks!

HillbillyDeluxe · 05-14-2009, 02:16 AM

Weeeell, i do mostly partial mash recipes and here is what i use and the costs:

Ale pale, i have three of these with spigots. I use them as primaries, secondaries and bottling. 13 bucks each

Turkey fryer, big aluminum pot and burner. I get about 4 batches per tank of gas; 35 bucks

Propane tank(not included with fryer) 30 bucks full

5 gallon bucket, general use, transporting water, washing utencils etc... 5bucks

Big stainless spoon, bought it at local HBS for 14 bucks

Thats all you need for partial mashing.

Now that gets you to the bottling/kegging phase.

If your bottling i reccomend you go on a bender with a couple of buddies and drink grolsh all weekend. This is expensive and the beer aint great but the got good bottles for homebrewing. And its almost as cheap as the bottles empty if you buy them.

You could also drink alot of recappables. I started on bud american ale. I got about 6 cases now.

I reccomend however that you start kegging. Get you an old fridge and the single tap conversion kit from the beverage factory. this option is about 350 bucks but you wont regret it. Your gonna end up there anyway, i swear to god. I dont know antone that makes more than a few gallons who doesnt.

If you dont though you need a bottle capper(14bucks) caps usually come with the kits(brewers best are my fav).

Lotsa star san(18 bucks for 32 oz)

Racking cane, bottling wand and plenty of tubing(15 bucks

Auto siphon

And the rest is kinda up to you.

I know it seemslike alot but it aint.

People are gonna tell you to get carboys, better bottles and a bunch of other stuff you dont need though. Just use the ale pales for now. I make 10 15 gal a month in them without issue and have for 2 years now. Good luck and welcome to the obsession.

HillbillyDeluxe · 05-14-2009, 02:18 AM

ohh yea, a damn hydrometer, get a damn hydrometer, and use it!

**Bobby_M** · 05-14-2009, 02:49 AM

I agree. A pair of ale pails (6.5 gallon buckets) with lids is about all you need for fermenting/bottling. I've got quite a bit of 16oz swingtop bottles I'll sell you really cheap. I also have an old wing capper.

You can get by plenty with a cheap 20qt aluminum pot whether you go with extract, extract plus steeping grain or even partial mash.

Edit: woah this was my 11k post!!

mnadamn · 05-14-2009, 03:02 AM

I have many friends that want to get started but the inital cost freaks them out. There are 2 recomendations that I have.

1 apfelwien - This will get you started off with the bare min you can build from there

5 gal juice
fermenter
airlock
yeast
sugar if you wanna get more alc.
funnel (depending on fermenter)

2 Extract beer kits. This is what I recomend as a min

5gal pot
spoon
fermenter
airlock
beer kit
funnel (depending on fermenter)
Hydrometer

Like I said this is the min that I recommend to people. There are many things out there that you can add to the list but you can and will make good brew with just this. Plus, it helps to spread out the cost. I still don't have all the equipment for the way I brew (all grain) but I have half and so does a friend of mine, we just split it and it saves us money. I will eventually go out and make a great brew rig and have all the gadgets but thats the future.

HillbillyDeluxe · 05-14-2009, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

I agree. A pair of ale pails (6.5 gallon buckets) with lids is about all you need for fermenting/bottling. I've got quite a bit of 16oz swingtop bottles I'll sell you really cheap. I also have an old wing capper.

You can get by plenty with a cheap 20qt aluminum pot whether you go with extract, extract plus steeping grain or even partial mash.

Edit: woah this was my 11k post!!

Conghats on the 11k post. How many swing tops? How much?

Focal · 05-14-2009, 11:13 AM

As someone who just got into brewing, and is getting ready to bottle my first beer tonight, I would tell you to get one of the kits from someone like Midwest Supplies. Their basic kit will get you most of the tools and things you'll need (and would likely be least familiar with).

You can get one of those for ~$60 plus shipping (unless you have a local shop, in which case you get to save shipping, but pay a little more with taxes), I paid for the $90 kit with the auto-siphon and the glass carboy (ore shipping, but more nice things to have eventually), but this is completely up to you and your budget.

You'll also need a pot to brew in, the bigger the better, and stainless is nicer than aluminum, but get what you can afford, I bought one from Wal-mart for $50 that is just over 5 gallons, so you can boil about 3.5-4 gallons in it very well.

Other little things that were not in my kit, but I ended up buying (or wishing I did):
A Thermometer (~$10)
More sanitizer (~$10)
Cleaner (Oxi-Clean ~$7)
A plastic trash can to use for sanitizing tubing and bottles (~$5)

Last but not least, you need something to brew! I would recommend an extract kit for the ease and low initial cost, and that will set you back ~$30 depending on what you get.

If you get a kit it'll give you most of what you need, and you can add to it later with more buckets and bottles, but it's a good way to start!

Welcome to the joy of home brewing!

BobOscarBob · 05-14-2009, 11:21 AM

Just a note on the pot - aluminum is just fine. My 40qt cost me $24 (plus a weld-free bulkhead/ball valve).

+1 on getting a kit to start with. After you brew a few you'll have an idea of what you want to upgrade (if anything) or try out.

**lurker18** · 05-14-2009, 11:41 AM

Go with a kit. And if you can get one of the wort kits (Brewhouse, Fiesta Brew). No need to boil, so the big pot is not needed. I got a kit, and extra glass carboy, a Brewhouse box, and a few other extras thrown in for just over $100. Had the empty swing tops already, so I'm not counting them in the price. Now I know what the very basics are, I don't think you could possibly mess up a wort kit, I am going to have to expand a bit for the other kind of extract and move on from there. I think it was best to go with the LHBS kits and the wort kit first just to see if I liked it, not to much money or time put out, and you have a starting point to expand from when it is time to move on.

SmugMug · 05-14-2009, 11:42 AM

I went with the basic kit from MWS and I'm liking it. It's perfect for me right now since I'm still trying to establish an area of the house that's going to be mine permanently. But I'm already looking at setting up a kegging system. I've talking with my local poison vendor and she's gonna hook me up with a couple of 5gal kegs for $10-15. Schweet!

Good luck and welcome.