beginner, what equipment for a good setup ?

Hello,
just starting to get into this hobby,

My objective is to be able to make about 15 gallons a month.
I don't want to buy equipment I will want to upgrade later,
I would like to do it right the first time.
I would like to have the technology to put it into some type of keg,
I hear bottles are kindof a pain and I don't want to have to deal with that.
I have a small room for the equipment so compact is kind of important.
any equipment I should avoid?? Any ideas for an ideal setup ??

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks,
Ryan

Welcome. Tough calls on your questions.

I defense of EVERYONE HERE let me say that you will ALWAYS want to buy something...

Let's start off with one of the basic or deluxe kits available. Judging from their contrets you will get a bunch of little stuff.

Bottling bucket (if not already in the kit).

For 15 gal (3 batches) a month I would get a 2-3 more promary buckets and maybe 2 carboys, and enough airlocks to keep 3 brews and 2 carboys going.

Definitely get a thief.

The remainder will surround the kegging aspect, which I can't help you with as I do prefer my bottles.

Good luck.

Oh, welcome!
Most of the rest is supplies for brews.

can you guys link a primo starter kit that will be good for the duration of my brewing career?

Anyone comment on Kegs and equipment ?

ryanc said:

Hello,
just starting to get into this hobby,

My objective is to be able to make about 15 gallons a month.
I don't want to buy equipment I will want to upgrade later,
I would like to do it right the first time.
I would like to have the technology to put it into some type of keg,
I hear bottles are kindof a pain and I don't want to have to deal with that.
I have a small room for the equipment so compact is kind of important.
any equipment I should avoid?? Any ideas for an ideal setup ??

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks,
Ryan

Click to expand...

You are going to get tons of advice, but it all boils down to what you want/can afford.

Personally, I recommend:

Basic two-stage kit
Thief
Auto-siphon
Turkey fryer, propane driven (or a propane burner with at least an 8 gallon kettle)

If you really want to get into kegging, be aware you'll need a dedicated refrigerator or chest freezer with an external thermostat controller, a CO2 cylinder and all the necessary hardware.

it all depends on how cheap you can find you're keg stuff - i bought mine of a friend at work that no longer used any of it so i got a great deal
the kegerator itself is only about half your cost, and thats if you only run one/two lines, if you're talkin about running a nice tower and such with two or more beers, the kegerator could cost you more than your CO2 canister & all the corny kegs you'd want, so - approximate $200 for a DIY kegerator with lines or alomst double that if you go and get a new(er) mini fridge.
I'd concentrate on the beer *making* equiptment first, a brew kit with primary and bottling bucket, hydrometer & maybe a secondary carboy. you can bottle with any bottles, you just need some caps from the store (though it can be a pain sanitizing enough bottles)
if you're really worried about space, just do a primary fermenter for now and build on it later - i do about 20 gallons a month here by myself in an apartment, but with no roomates its easy to spread out and make a mess for a while without repurcussions
HTH

I honestly suggest not going crazy and spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars until you know that you SERIOUSLY want to pursue this hobby.

Buy a very BASIC and SIMPLE kit and brew your first batch with it and BOTTLE IT. You should not have to spend more than $50 for the whole setup. EVERYTHING you get in this beginner's kit will be of use to you, even if you end up brewing 300 gallons a month and kegging it all. (You can always use those bottles to give 6-packs of your best batches away as gifts).

Bottles can be a pain, but until you know you want to REALLY go nuts with this, avoid spending the money on the kegging equipment.

You might find that you hate homebrewing. I have seen it happen.

You might also find that you simply don't have "IT". My best friend has tried over a dozen times and has completly and totally failed to produce a single drinkable batch of beer. He has given up.

Seriously... just buy the cheapest equipment kit the store has and work from there.



-walker

The other question do you or anyone else have kids. I have a son who is 14 whose freinds come to the house it is eaiser to count bottles then to try and figure how much is left in a keg.Also a lot cheaper to clean up empties.

Walker said:

I honestly suggest not going crazy and spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars until you know that you SERIOUSLY want to pursue this hobby. You might find that you hate homebrewing. I have seen it happen.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have benefited from a failed brewer in the past and got my extra equipment very inexpensively....