Beginner's dilemma (West Lafayette, IN)

Hello everyone!

First of all, its great to be on here and very excited about brewing. I have seen some videos and gone over some information on brewing. I needed some help on deciding where to get my equipment from. I live in West Lafayette, Indiana. I was hoping to buy the equipment form midwest supplies. As I am a student, I am not that high on cash. Also, I would love to meet home brewers from West Lafayette!

Thank you!

Welcome! That excitement is only going to keep growing, so get ready to feel obsessive. Midwest Supplies has pretty solid standard kits and if money is an issue buying the cheapest starter kit is a fine way to go. You'll get all the things you need to make beer and it will give you a chance to see if you really enjoy it and want to invest in other equipment down the line. The real issue though is having a good kettle right off the bat, so if you don't already have one it would be wise to look into something larger than you think you'll need (think in the 8 gal range). If you already have one, like 4 gal or so, you're still good to go!

ksukumar said:

Hello everyone!

First of all, its great to be on here and very excited about brewing. I have seen some videos and gone over some information on brewing. I needed some help on deciding where to get my equipment from. I live in West Lafayette, Indiana. I was hoping to buy the equipment form midwest supplies. As I am a student, I am not that high on cash. Also, I would love to meet home brewers from West Lafayette!

Thank you!

Click to expand...

Midwest is where I got my first kit and stuff from and they are a solid choice and will send you a good free DVD on the process. The other two big online sources are Austin Homebrew Supply and Northern Brewer who I also order from. Then there are other smaller online stores or specialty stores that focus on specific product lines (hops, legging, etc) that you will discover along the way.

For your first equipment, I'd stick with one of the big three. They'll make it easiest for you to figure out what you need. They'll also offer you a fair amount of support if and when you have a question or a problem. With the smaller sellers you get a little less in the way of product grouping and advice baked into the website, which is fine as you learn more.

Best bet is to pick one of the big three and stay with them for what you need for a few months to establish a relationship so there is the best possible help when u need it. Branch out from there. Good luck.

Keep your eye out as Midwest offers a groupon deal frequently for like $65 including a recipe kit, it's the cheapest thing out there for a beginner kit and all you have to add us a kettle and some sanitizer-star San I recommend

Thank you so much for all the invaluable assistance! I am looking forward to my first batch

I checked out the midwest deluxe kit which is for $176, because it offers everything. Another reason for that being is, since I am a beginner more the help the better. As I start brewing I will know what I need. I hope I am on the right track.

My first kit from Midwest after I got their beginner kit were Honey Bee Ale, which was an easy, good, middle of the road ale - perfect beer to start with.

If you go to indianapolis ever there is a nice shop there called great fermentations. Nice folks and its well stocked.

And what the name of the brew pub in lafayette in the old downtown area?

Thanks davcar74!

@Dolomieu Yes, I did check them out. Their kit is a little more expensive than midwest. But, I am sure Ill be getting my ingredients from them later once I'm a better brewer. It's called Lafayette Brewing Co.

I can't speak for Midwest or Austin, but I've used Northern Brewer multiple times with fantastic results. I placed an order this past Sunday and it was sitting on my porch when I got home today, complete with a stout kit, some pint glasses, random yeasts and hops, some new carboy brushes, whirlfloc tablets, and some miscellaneous stickers. I was really surprised how quickly they packaged and shipped my order, and how quickly it arrived from Minnesota to Indy with flat rate shipping.

Also, someone mentioned Great Fermentations, and it's very good. I also really like Tuxedo Park Brewers on the southside of Indy. They've got some awesome kits (their Oatmeal Stout and Belgian Blonde both turned out great for me and I've got their cream ale fermenting now) and they're very helpful and will answer questions for the beginners. They even offered to have me bring in my new kegging set up to show me how to use everything and get it set up properly.

Good luck, it's an addicting hobby!

I like morebeer.com. I could be biased because they have a retail location they I go to but you can get everything online also. I brew from their extract kits and I've have awesome results.

I bought mine through Northern Brewer and have been really happy with my purchases and their great customer service.

Man I miss the Lafayette Brewing Company! I only started appreciating the Brew Pub the last couple years I was finishing my degree there.

Congrats on getting into the hobby, I wish I had started while at Purdue - the Brew Pub employees were always so great, I imagine they would be really helpful for any in-depth questions.

Midwest is great, so is northernbrewer.com or Austin homebrew supply. I also like homebrew.org, good and reliable.

I might have some random stuff I could spare for a fellow Purdue grad (or soon to be) but you'd have to make the drive up here....got a 5 gallon kettle, 5 gallon carboy. PM me if interested.

Morebeer.com is a great one also with fast shipping. They occasionally have their deal of the day, starting at midnite, in which I've seen starter kits more often lately.

Just got this from Austin Homebrew Supply...not sure how it compares and I can only assume most stores will run a similar promo for fathers day. Thought I would pass it on:

Father's Day Brewing Equipment Kit Special



This 2 stage brewing equipment kit is the perfect Father's Day gift. This special beer making equipment kit includes your choice of 1 of 3 recipes, and a $10 coupon code towards your next recipe kit.
This sale will end Tuesday, June 19, at 11:59 PM. Click info for more details.
$99.99

Well, I don't know any brew supplies stores in WL, but I had to post to say Go Boilers!!!

Thumbs up to great fermentations. Sometimes you can get used equipment from them as well (if you ask nicely and if they have anything lying around).

Until you know if you like it, don't sink a lot of cash into the hobby. Try it out, use a bucket for initial fermentations (7 gallon buckets are not too expensive, and work great, and frankly, they are the easiest to transfer in to and out of). Use a 3 gallon canning pot that you can buy at any Indiana hardware store for your brew pot (full boils are great, all I do, but not what I did at first). The biggest thing you need is a bottling wand, some sort of racking cane (either auto siphon or just a bent tube), a bottling bucket, and a capper. Of course I've been doing this forever, so I have quite a bit in terms of equipment, but I acquired it all slowly. Just like the Johnny Cash song, I have a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53..... brew set.

Good luck. I'm sure there are many a boilermaker doing the home brew thing - check out what they have.

Welcome to the hobby. Maybe I'll see you around some time (I don't get to many Indiana events, but I'd like to try this year).

Dave

Unfortunately there are no brew shops in the Lafayette area. You could look into the Tippecanoe Homebrewers' Circle (http://www.tippyhomebrewers.org) if you havent' already. I'm not a member, but according to the website they'll lend equipment if you join. That might be a good way to get access to some of the equipment without a big up front investment.

I've used Midwest for three orders, and just used Austin Homebrew for one. Both seem good so far. I haven't been to any of the Indianapolis brew shops. I wind up in Bloomington fairly often and they have a good one down there, but if you aren't heading down otherwise, it's a bit out of your way.

I think there's also a brew shop in Crown Point if you are heading that direction. Haven't been in, though.

Check out windriverbrew.com as well. I bought their starter kit as well as a couple extract kits and have been very happy with them. Outside of the groupon deal, I don't think you'll find something cheaper.

Thank you everyone for all the invaluable advice. I finally got my brewing kit form Midwest supplies. I think it is a good place to start.

ksukumar said:

Hello everyone!

First of all, its great to be on here and very excited about brewing. I have seen some videos and gone over some information on brewing. I needed some help on deciding where to get my equipment from. I live in West Lafayette, Indiana. I was hoping to buy the equipment form midwest supplies. As I am a student, I am not that high on cash. Also, I would love to meet home brewers from West Lafayette!

Thank you!

Click to expand...

Welcome to the hobby ksu! You're gonna love it.

Being local, Midwest is my go to. They're a great supplier, and the folks who work there are always really helpful. I recently needed to change something on my ale of the month membership (I wanted specific yeast for each kit). The girl who's in charge of that wasn't in the day I was shopping, but she called first thing the next morning and took the time to make note of the yeast I want for the next few kits. They're always very nice and helpful. Northern Brewer and AHS are also great places to shop, they all have great kits, prices and all the equipment and gadgets you want. :rockin:

I live in Indy and get slightly better shipping rates from Northern Brewer than Midwest. Other than that the quality and prices are pretty comparable.