Debate on what kit!

I am new the the homebrewing world but have been drinking various types of beer for a while. I am looking to start get my own set from the wife for Christmas but I don't like to do anything I do half a**! So I researched various starter kits and I narrowed it down to two:

Austin Homebrew Supply

EVERYTHING + A CARBOY - Complete Brewing Equipment Kit #2
(Along with equp. upgrade 2)

I have about $250 to spend on equipment to start not including my first few batches of ingredients. I just want to go out and by my own set now but the wife always yells at me because I always buy stuff and just cant wait so now I can sit and look up different parts and read up on brewing . Let me know if you any other kits that may be a little better along price or quality, or just tell me LOOK, YOU NEED THIS THIS AND THAT! lol Thanks alot!

Howdy:

Either looks great, but there are some things in each that I've never used and some things I've added already.

I use Grolsch bottles so I've never used the capper. I use a digital thermometer. I haven't used the glass carboy yet.

My biggest suggestion is to get a huge stainless pot. The biggest you can. I did a partial boil only once or twice before I went to a full boil. That means boiling 5+ gallons which means at least a 6 gallon pot. I've done my first all grain brew-in-a-bag in a 9 gallon pot and wished it was bigger. A 20 or 25 gallon pot is in the near future so that I can do.

You really can't go wrong, so get what looks good. Use, learn and enjoy.

Both are good kits for different reasons. I like the AHB kit because it comes with a wort chiller, which is a nice addition you will use for a long time. The Midwest kit is also good because it comes with a nice stainless brew kettle & an ingredient kit. This you will use until you start doing full boils.

If you already have a 4-5 gallon brew kettle, go with the AHB kit. If you don't, go with the Midwest kit. I have only bottled a few batches, but I have always saved bottles from beer I have bought or collected from friends who know I want them; I never buy them.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. Hope this helps.

Neither kit looks good to me. From my perspective with a few years experience they don't have what you will need by next year or they have things you will never use. I'd suggest you instead of going for the "complete kit" you start with the most basic kit and then add what you will need. For instance, I have a plastic carboy so I can secondary. I have used it for secondary exactly twice. I have used it for a primary twice also but it is too small to make a good primary. I feel like I wasted my money on the carboy.

It is nice to have a stainless steel boiling kettle but after a couple years of doing extract kits I found that I'd prefer to go all grain and then my 5 gallon kettle like is included in the kit from Midwest was too small and I bought a larger kettle.

Things I have added to the basic kit are an autosiphon. It's a nice addition but not necessary. I like to brew several beers in quick succession because of my schedule so I added more fermenting buckets and airlocks. You probably should have at least 2 hydrometers since they are fragile and if you use them often you will likely break one at the most inopportune time. I am thinking about an immersion chiller because I brew indoors and it would be nice not to have to carry that big kettle of wort outside to chill in a water bath but my sink is too small for the larger kettle I bought. I have bought bottles but I wouldn't but them as part of a kit as shipping all that glass seems expensive and they are available locally. I could (and sometime do) have friends save me the pop off bottles but they usually bring me the screw off ones instead, not knowing that I can't use them.

The point of homebrewing is to have fun and make good beer, not who has the most equipment. Use the extra money you save from buying equipment kit to buy more ingredients, be they kits, extract for making your own recipes, or grains. You'll find that one of the most important things to making good beer is temperature of the ferment. If you have money to spend, consider this to be one of the priorities.

Big kits don

I am fairly new to this and i started with a basic kit. A few observations.

That kettle will end up being replaced after your first couple brews. You will soon want to do full boils and you cant do that with a 5 gallon kettle. Dont get suckered into buying a carboy. Sure they look nice and expensive but that doesn't make them any better then a bucket. Plus a bucket is MUCH MUCH MUCH (i cant stress this enough) easier to clean and transport when it is full. Good luck handling a full carboy. Plus you do not need to secondary. Just leave your brew in the primary for a month. Bottles are free with any beer purchase. Plus it is the holidays so there will be beer flowing like water. Have people save bottles at parties etc and soon enough you will have a stash.

My simple advice is this.

Basic Kit - Brewing Basics Equipment Kit Midwest Supplies
Bottle Filler - Fermtech Plastic Bottle Filler - Beer Bottling - Brewing Equipment
Starsan - Amazon.com: Copper Coil Immersion Chiller 25 Feet Length: Everything Else
Brew Kettle + Burner (something like this and you can certainly find cheaper ones) - Amazon.com: Bayou Classic 3066A 30-Quart Outdoor Turkey Fryer Kit: Patio, Lawn & Garden
Immersion Chiller (could certainly go with a 50' one) - Amazon.com: Copper Coil Immersion Chiller 25 Feet Length: Everything Else

We just started brewing in Sept of this year using NB's Deluxe Kit...

Deluxe Beer Starter Kit - Brewing : Northern Brewer

They've changed it a bit since then, adding some StarSan and some PBW, which is good.
I also got it on a 40% off sale, which was nice. I got the Better Bottles, instead of the glass carboys...

We've just done our 6th brew and we have used everything that comes in this kit, including the 5 gallon Better Bottle, (for dry hopping).

We did buy the following things very early in the game:
A second 6 gallon Better Bottle, (to make more beer)
An 8 gallon aluminum kettle, (under $50 shipped)
A propane burner from Amazon, (needed with bigger kettle)
A immersion chiller, (very important)
A 6.5 gallon fermenting bucket to hold our StarSan solution
Some odds and ends...three piece airlocks, extra fermometers, a cheap digital thermometer, etc.

Good luck...this is fun stuff!

I just saw today where Midwest has one of their Holiday starter kits that includes a gift certificate for your next purchase and a beer kit included, pretty good deal.

Thanks everyone I am now I am debating on just piecing my own kit together because I was first intrigued with the wort chiller included. I have read that it makes life a whole lot easier with it so it would be a perfect addition but reading that the kit has things that you dont ever use means I DONT WANT TO WASTE MONEY. So I have a lot to think about by Sunday (the wife wants a list). Since I am in PA this weekend I am going to stop at Troegs brewery and debate over it with a mad elf.

One of the cool things about this hobby is that there is no one right way to do it. In fact almost everyone I've talked to about homebrewing does things a bit different than the others. I bought a kit from my local shop that had a fermenting bucket, glass carboy for secondary, a couple brushes, an autosiphon, book, 2 cases of new bottles and an extract kit. I was lucky enough to already have a propane burner and kettle large enough for full boils.

Since then, I've added a second bucket and better bottle for fermenting and a number of spares of things like airlocks, a hydrometer and thermometer because I've had all break at inopportune times (they aren't expensive).

Keep it simple at first. The important thing is to make sure everything is clean, and sanitized. The learning curve is pretty fast. After a couple sessions I was sitting there making a list of things I'd like to add and have gradually. I've only used the secondary twice but it does come in handy for some beers that you would like to age longer or dry hop. Again, to each their own.

Next up, a homemade immersion chiller, and a switch to all grain.

HP,

I would seriously consider this kit. It is nice since you NEVER need to siphon your beer. Both buckets have spigots. This makes transferring beer and taking samples a breeze. Way worth it to me.

BREWERY WITH BROWN ALE @ Williams Brewing

NRS