xtrace

Recipes 

I want to start making my own beer on a poor mans budget. I can try
free cycle for the buckets and a few other things, but It will be my first
time brewing. What do I need, bare min to get started. What price range
am I looking at.

PintOfBitter

Recipes 

bare minimum: (assuming 5 gallon batches, which is just the most common)

3 gallon pot (enameled is cheapest, just be careful not to bang it around)
malt extract (some is pre-hopped)
yeast (dry is cheap)
hops (if the extract is not hopped)
Fermentation vessel - anything big enough to hold the fermenting beer, plus some headspace to keep it from foaming over

anything on top of this will just add quality to the beer or ease to the process.

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-PoB

Maybe you can use these Grain, Hops, Yeast Reference Charts
Come visit WildHopsPrintShop.com- custom bottle caps, beer glassware, tap handles, and more!

xtrace

Recipes 

where can I get step by step instructions on how to do it.

PintOfBitter

Recipes 

Mix.
Boil.
Cool.
Yeast.
Cover.
Wait.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Introduction is a great resource.

__________________
-PoB

Maybe you can use these Grain, Hops, Yeast Reference Charts
Come visit WildHopsPrintShop.com- custom bottle caps, beer glassware, tap handles, and more!

aidanpryde18

Recipes 

How to Brew - By John Palmer is a great site with general brewing information. Just trade out your cheaper equipment with the equipment that they show on the site.

Also, look into the Mr. Beer kit. You can get it at Amazon for 40 bucks + shipping. It will make 2 gallon batches, and they sell a large assortment of different styles in easy-to-use kits.

Check out the sticky at the top for some help in using the kit effectively.

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7g Primary: Honey Amber Extract Batch
3g Primary: Apfelwein w/ Montrachet yeast & Brown Sugar
Bottled: Apfelwein w/ WB-06, Sweet Stout
TAD: Centennial Blonde, Sweet Stout

HoppyDaze

Recipes 

OK...drunk guy chiming in

Home Depot 5 gallon bucket at the front of the store; they are dirt cheap. This/these will be your primary, and if you get two, and your secondary fermenters. Those are the vessels that make beer so to me they are the most necessary and most awesome. In order for the fermenters to valuable in any sense, you must brew some beer. The kettle I would recommend is the "camping" black, white spotted (I don't don't know what the hell it is made of) 16 qt (four gallon) kettle. I believe I paid $14 for mine at Target.

A damn bottling bucket from the LHBS MUST HAVE! $12

auto siphon ...$15

tubing and bottling wand $15

stoppers and airlocks $7

Bottles (drink/work) free

Hydrometer $6

thick skin to take the **** from your girl who wonders why you make make beer when you can just buy it at store.

She'll eat those words after you make her some good homebrew...

Fermenters and lids (Home Depot) - recommended: find a carboy or better bottle for few more bucks) $0-5
Kettle $14
Bottling Bucket $12
Tubing and bottling wand $15
Stoppers and Airlocks $7
Hydrometer $6 (as important as all the rest)

Total Bill: $59

with the upgraded fermenters $85 (recommended)

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"Dad, Bob broke your beer!"
Primary: air
Primary: Haus Pale Ale
Primary: air
Primary: air
Keg: air
Keg: air
Kegged: LightHaus Wheat, hopBOMB
Bottle: Terry Porter, Jubelale, MyBock, Edwort's Apfelwein, Saison!, ShookAle

Advice for posting

eljefebrewing

Recipes 

I just got my starter setup from williamsbrewing.com. $85 + $6.40 shipping. $91.40 is pretty good, I think. Has siphonless (spigot) primary, plus bottling bucket, hydrometer, capper, caps, sanitizer, tubing, airlock, thermometer, bottle brush, brew spoon... pretty much everything but the kettle and bottles! Didn't come with a bottling wand, but has a short piece of hose to connect to the spigot. Also comes with DVD and book. Pretty good deal, I think!

llazy_llama

Recipes 

No one mentioned bottle caps and a capper, so here's the poor man solution to that: use soda bottles with the screw on caps. They work, just don't use rootbeer bottles. You can never get the rootbeer flavor out.

Knock off the stopper/airlock from CPAle's post. Use tinfoil, loosely placed over your fermenter, and pressed down to seal. It doesn't have to be air tight, nor should it be.

You could get away without a hydrometer if you have the patience of a saint. If not, you want a hydrometer and a turkey baster to take samples. Keep in mind that this is about 2 steps below absolute bare bones as far as I'm concerned. I make crap money, the wife is unemployed, and I still wouldn't brew with this setup.

Assuming you already have a stainless steel, aluminum, or enamel stock pot and a spoon or whisk to stir, just shell out the $60 and buy a kit. Basic :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

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Denny's Evil Concoctions

Recipes 

sanitizer was missed.

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I may not be an expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express........ 6 months ago.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/dennys-quick-dirty-faq-153729/#post1766281

http://groups.homebrewtalk.com/Taproom_Facebook_Repository

llazy_llama

Recipes 

I figured someone would say that. Follow the link I posted.

One-step might have been downgraded by the FDA, but it's still pretty much a sanitizer.

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