Beginner Brewing Kit

First off I just want to say that I am a noob when it comes to brewing. I am looking to get a kit that has pretty much everything I need to do a couple extract brews and then move to AG. I know I will have to buy some more equipment to move to AG down the road but that is fine. I also want to keg my brews. Does this kit looks good for the price and what it comes with?

http://morebeer.com/view_product/15915/102142/Personal_Home_Brewery_#5_-_Kegging_Super_Deluxe

Or do you think I will be better off getting everything separately? I also have a propane set up that I am going to use to boil.

Thanks in advance!

I'm inclined to think that you can get those things seperately for a much better price.

Basic kit w/ ale pail, bottling bucket, autosiphon, hydrometer, airlock etc-$70
10gal aluminum pot-$50 shipped
Immersion chiller - $40 if you build it
Corny kegs are on craigslist for like $25 all the time

These are just rough estimates and I know I didnt include everything but you get the point.

That's one deluxe kit there!

It doesn't seem to be a huge deal as a package compared to buying individually, so imho I would opt for a simpler kit until you do a few brews & really know you like it & how big of a hobby you want to make of it. Do you plan on kegging right off the bat? That kit definitely has everything you need though if you know that's what you really want to do

Edit: The post above mine seems right on pricing... plus you may want to consider larger brew pots for AG... at least if you buy individually you can customize a bit more too

if you have never brewed before, start off cheaper.
brewpot (walmart has 16-20qt for $35 or less)
alepail
bottleing bucket
autosiphon
siphon hose
wing capper
bottles (2x 24packs of 12 oz bottles and a couple swingtops if you need a little more room)

all that should be just over $100. If you like the results, then spend more money.

Thanks for the quick replies! I feel better starting off small and working my way up. My father in-law used to do it (years ago) with some buddies of his, so he will be helping me out. And I like the idea of kegging it right off the bat rather than bottling. It seems easier.

Do you guys have any recommendations of places to buy offline?

I have to agree with gtpro, ndhoffma, and Arkador! Getting a basic kit then buying the boil pot seperate good idea.

There are always great deals on Craigslist for kegging stuff and if not in your area, you may be able to ask around here on HBT if someone can get stuff for you too!

Read, read, read, then brew, brew, brew! You will be hooked!

I was looking at going the same route as you before I bought my set up last week & from what I've found you can definitely beat that kit. I was also thinking about going right into kegging & getting a pretty complete setup right of the bat, but just decided to go simpler to start with at the last minute.

For comparison sake though: My ideal setup I had picked out before "down grading" until later & picking up the basics from my LHBS, was two kits from midwest supply:
Their intermediate kit(primary, 2 secondaries, bottling bucket & all your basics) http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdBySubCat.aspx?SubCat=530&fd=1
And then their dual kegging set up (rather than going with a starter kit with kegs, so I would also have bottling set up):http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7739
That, $429.00, prior to taxes & shipping. Now there's not a wort chiller or brew pot but you're set up with 2 secondaries & a primary (or 3primaries) along with the ability to go right into having 2 kegs on deck.
At this point, I'm in the same school as the other posters, start out simpler & add. It's easier on your pocket book up front & you have close to a month before bottling or kegging is even gonna come into play since you're just starting out.

BUT - if your heart is set on going in head first, I suggest doing as much research as you can on pricing & what you are getting out of the kits you may be buying. Compare as many websites as you can find. Also - just because you want to keg, don't right off bottling completely because there's likely going to be batches you want to bottle for convenience sake.

You should check out the complete brewing kit that Williams Brewing has on their site...comes with all the necessary tools, plus it has a 32 quart pot with spigot so you can do full boils, and a wort chiller...very well priced too! Their pots are coming back in stock as of 02/17/2010 so the complete kit will not be on the site until then. Cheers!

Id suggest something like this: http://new.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-basics-equipment-kit.html and finding a large brewpot at a local store (target, walmart etc), but shop around online, Im not sure what would be the cheapest for what you want

Thanks all for the links and advice! Morebeer.com seems like it is expensive compared to the others.

FallsDamBrewery said:

You should check out the complete brewing kit that Williams Brewing has on their site...comes with all the necessary tools, plus it has a 32 quart pot with spigot so you can do full boils, and a wort chiller...very well priced too! Their pots are coming back in stock as of 02/17/2010 so the complete kit will not be on the site until then. Cheers!

Click to expand...

Do you have a direct link to the kit? I can not find anything but a basic kit on the site.

Keep 'em coming!