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unclesonny

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I'm about to purchase a home brew kit and start brewing my own suds. I have a kit in mind but would like some imput on the best kits out there ( under $200 ) that will give me the best chance to succeed.
Thanks
 

I bought Midwest's intermediate "everything" kit. I haven't used the carboy that came with it yet and I'm beginning to think I might not ever.

That said, it was a good price AND Midwest has really good customer service. The kit I ordered came with the wrong size pot. I called and they sent the right one immediately.
 
Grapestompers, in Laurel Springs, NC has a really good kit that has some things most other kits don't, like a bottle tree...
http://www.grapestompers.com/product_details.asp?SubcatID=33&ProductID=489&internal_index=0

I don't see a bottling bucket with that package (might be there, I just don't see it). Also note that the beer kits are a no-boil variety. I'm assuming that means pre-hopped canned beer.

Neither of these things are deal breakers, but they do mean that their kits differ substantially from Midwest or Northern Brewers setups.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by OHIOSTEVE
and more and more.......

and more and more........


.....and more and more and kegerator and more kegs and more and more carboys and more taps.......WELCOME & best of luck! :mug:

IMO, I would buy the kit containing the most componets you can get for your initial $200 budget, because - I want / I need will become repetitive phrases once you get the ball rollin' & become hooked.
 
Whichever kit comes with a wort chiller. It's one of, if not the, first thing you'll need to make your beer the best it can be.
 
They are no-boil beer kits. That's the only thing they offer. Grapestompers is more of a winery but they have a lot of equipment for brewing beer.

It does come with a 6 gallon bottling bucket that is tapped & comes with the spiggot. On the web site they call it a fermenting bucket but I use the carboy for fermentation and the bucket for bottling. I don't rack to a secondary.

The jet cleaner for bottles is really good as well as the vinator cleaner & bottle tree.

You are right on about their kit having different stuff. That's what appealed to me the most.

On a side note: If you don't want the beer kit, they will take it off & not charge for it. I didn't need the bottles so my kit cost about $160-$170. BTW the no-boil kit turned out pretty good! It comes in a big box full of wort kinda like a wine kit if you've ever seen one of those. I chose the honey blonde. They have several styles to choose from.

Good luck & happy brewing
 
Whichever kit comes with a wort chiller. It's one of, if not the, first thing you'll need to make your beer the best it can be.

I went through the process of searching for beginner's kits a couple months back and I did not see any that came with a wort chiller. If you want one you'll have to buy one separately, and it will add 50-70 dollars to the final price.

That said, I do not have one and am not planning on buying one anytime soon. You may or may not want one, depending on your brewing preferences.
 
Much depends on your tap water as well. Where I live, the cold tap is 80-85 degrees in the summer, so a wort chiller (unless it is run through a pre-chiller first) is not very effective. There are several threads on other ways to cool the wort very quickly that may be a better fit for your budget and brewing conditions. $70 would also buy two kits = 10 gallons = 80 pints of brew, or enough for a month :)
 
Much depends on your tap water as well. Where I live, the cold tap is 80-85 degrees in the summer, so a wort chiller (unless it is run through a pre-chiller first) is not very effective. There are several threads on other ways to cool the wort very quickly that may be a better fit for your budget and brewing conditions. $70 would also buy two kits = 10 gallons = 80 pints of brew, or enough for a month :)

I have the same problem here.

Also, I'm still new at brewing and I get overwhelmed with folks talking about "you must have gadget x." I get worked up about finding a budget to buy "gadget x" and then find out that I either don't need or won't use "gadget x." A good example is the 5 gallon carboy I bought for a secondary.
 
When is started, I just checked craigslist for people selling off their brewing gear. I found two ads within a week of each other for $20 and $25. Between the two I got everything I needed to get started doing beer and wine. Even had a spare hydrometer right from the start which has guaranteed that I would never break the one I'm using. Those things only break if they're lonely... if you have back up, they're indestructible.

If you have the money to spend and like having all new stuff, go for one of the kits. Most of them have all the basics you need to get started. If you're like me and don't like used and want more bang for your buck, then craigslist is great.
 
Hey thanks for all the info and so fast! I was looking at the Northern Kit and probably go with that. For my first brew I would like to brew something that resembles Bass Ale as that is my favorite beer. Which of the kits would most closely get me in the ballpark.
 
I like my $100 kit,
Well designed plastic fermenter (7 gallons?), no sharp edges to hold bacteria, no glass to break, no opaque plastic to hide what's going on inside, semi transparent plastic, with see through lid.
Ferment and bottle from the primary with spigot and bottler. air lock, sticker thermometer, hydrometer, and 30 750ml PET bottles included. Bottle caps, and even a can of extract brewing sugar and carbonation drops.
Just buy sanitizer and give it a go....
Fermenter gets high marks on this forum in the equipment review section.:mug:
 
Morebeer.com has good starter kits and shipping is free over $59.00. If you want to get a kit also try Austinhomebrew.com They have stater kits and a clone kit of Bass ale also. Austin home brew has a flat rate for shipping 7.99.

good luck and welcome to the madness
Craigbrew
 
When is started, I just checked craigslist for people selling off their brewing gear. I found two ads within a week of each other for $20 and $25. Between the two I got everything I needed to get started doing beer and wine. Even had a spare hydrometer right from the start which has guaranteed that I would never break the one I'm using. Those things only break if they're lonely... if you have back up, they're indestructible.

If you have the money to spend and like having all new stuff, go for one of the kits. Most of them have all the basics you need to get started. If you're like me and don't like used and want more bang for your buck, then craigslist is great.

+1 on this. I searched for about a week or two until I found my initial kit on craigslist. As long as you are patient, careful, and willing to drive a bit then I would certainly not discount craigslist.

I am also one to make or convert what I need, not that I am cheap per say but I just like the feeling that my beer was made by own equipment.

Just my humble opinon:)
 
Whatever you do, for the love of god, make sure you have a hydrometer. Most kits come with it, but nearly every question you'll ever ask will be answered with "what is the hydrometer reading?" "did you take a reading?" and so forth.

Congrats!:mug:
 
I got the better basic kit from Northern Brewer. The kit, an extract recipe kit, and a few odds and ends ended up costing me around $150 including shipping. Everything worked great, and the shipping was quick too. Bear in mind that shipping prices can be astronomical if you are shipping glass carboys or cases of bottles.
 
Bear in mind that shipping prices can be astronomical if you are shipping glass carboys or cases of bottles.

Yeah the cost of bottles are EXPENSIVE. 12 22oz bombers with shipping is roughly 25 dollars. 2.10 a bottle. I can buy them with beer in them for 3.09. So for 99 cents you can get 22oz of pretty good brew. :mug:
 
Just buy bottles when you have other things to buy, and the shipping will feel less painful spread out over a larger area.
 
Not sure where the OP has a LHBS (Local Home Brew Store) or not but they should find out if they do. If they do, take the information suggested here and head to a LHBS. Ask the fine people at the LHBS what they would suggest as a beginner kit for a beginner brewer. If they give similar advice, then shop there and build a relationship with them. If you don't have a local place or they are far off from the advice here or they have poor service, then shop online. I am a big fan of supporting smaller businesses and it sometimes lead to some real deals!
 
If they give similar advice, then shop there and build a relationship with them. If you don't have a local place or they are far off from the advice here or they have poor service, then shop online. I am a big fan of supporting smaller businesses and it sometimes lead to some real deals!

Good point here. Online suppliers are great, but like we say in sales, you shouldn't buy anything until you kick the tires! There's a lot to be said for finding a good LHBS and checking out the equipment before you buy it.
 
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