Trouble picking a starter kit...plz help! :)

Alright, so I apologize if you guy's have answered these numerous times but I couldn't find a thread on it. I am very new to brewing and am looking at buying my boyfriend a brew kit for his upcoming birthday I want to make sure that I start him off with something worth while and am looking at spending probably around $200 give or take.

Currently Ive been looking at the Northwest Brewer Delux starter kit as well as the home brewer outpost beer making plus kit...

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/everything-complete-brewing-package-equipment-kit.html

I've been looking at buying this one as I'm getting into brewing currently. This is a complete kit (i.e. don't need anything else) as far as I know (except maybe some StarSan).

I recently got this one... I didn't need the bottles since I had started saving ones I was drinking. Has almost everything I needed besides a Pot and a couple little things here and there that I thought I should get. (None of which are in any kits... Big spoon, wine thief, bottle rack, starsan etc)

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-intermediate-kit-with-two-5-gallon-better-bottle-carboys.html

Out of the three mentioned I'd go with Suited Up's suggestion but call about upgrading those 5 gal better bottles to 6 gallon ones, they need room or the krausen will make a mess of the airlock and eventually your ceiling. The money saved with this kit as compared to other kits will buy a larger brew kettle than the 4 gal one included in the other midwest kit and boil overs are worse than krausen on the ceiling. A 5 gal pot is perfect for the 2.5-3 gal boils for most extract brews. The package, a pot, an extract kit, and some star san will likely put you around your $200 mark.

Also, you have automatically been entered for best gf of the month.

Dome555 said:

Out of the three mentioned I'd go with Suited Up's suggestion but call about upgrading those 5 gal better bottles to 6 gallon ones, they need room or the krausen will make a mess of the airlock and eventually your ceiling. The money saved with this kit as compared to other kits will buy a larger brew kettle than the 4 gal one included in the other midwest kit and boil overs are worse than krausen on the ceiling. A 5 gal pot is perfect for the 2.5-3 gal boils for most extract brews. The package, a pot, an extract kit, and some star san will likely put you around your $200 mark.

Also, you have automatically been entered for best gf of the month.

Click to expand...

I agree with the gf lol!

I initially had a similar thought about the size of the better bottles, but I think they're meant to be secondaries, and using the bucket for primary. So I'm ok with it at the moment.

Hmmm... I'm new to the hobby so I may be missing something. Why would you want two 5 gallon Better Bottles? Unless the idea is to ferment in the primary, transfer to secondary and (if you're leaving it in the secondary for a long time), being able to ferment and transfer to the other secondary so you can have two brews aging (?).

I just did my first brew with the NB Deluxe kit.. Had everything I needed (minus a big pot, and bottles)

Everything seems to be of good quality, I'm not a huge fan of the thief, but it is at least easy to clean since it breaks down.

The second carboy would be useful to dry hop (add stuff to the brew after its done fermenting and before bottling) or to start pipelining brews.. I have a second carboy and don't see myself using it, but I figured why not since I was buying the equipment.

I hadn't even noticed that you also get the 6.5 gal bucket. That's a really nice little kit there, especially at the price. I'd still see about getting the larger BB's but I've been known to be a little voyeuristic of my yeast. Didn't really think about the bottles as secondaries as I fall into the secondary schmecendary school of thought. Whatever you get him I'm sure he'll love it and he'll also enjoy expanding on the kit as he goes along. I'd really recommend adding some star san to whatever you decide to order though. It makes sanitizing really really easy, and for goodness sake, do not fear the foam.

+1 on the Midwest Intermediate Kit. This is what I started out with and I thought it was a great kit for a great price. Two primaries and two secondaries is nice especially since I like to dry hop in the secondary for IPAs or transfer to secondary to free up a new primary.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-intermediate-kit-with-two-5-gallon-better-bottle-carboys.html

In my opinion, with the hundy that you have left, get a good 10 gallon (40 quart) stainless pot. Full boils contribute greatly to quality and an 8 gallon pot is minimum for making a full boil 5 gallon batch. A 10 gallon pot lets you relax during the boil and not be overly concerned with boil overs during your extract or hop additions. If he gets into more advanced stuff later, he can then use this for a mash tun or HLT later. I really think the 10 gal is the way to go. Search around on here for other opinions. He can also upgrade to a ball valve and thermometer later as well. If you're shopping Midwest, this one looks like a solid choice for the money.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/heavy-duty-stainless-steel-brew-pot-40-quart.html

Since these two would run to about $250 once you add in shipping and I realize it might be tight you could easily get the Basic kit instead. He can always get an extra fermenter bucket ($12), carboy ($20), and funnel later if wanted / needed. I've only had a need for my second carboy once and never used the funnel, but he'll likely want another fermenter later. They're cheap though. You'll have got him a GREAT kit to start without wasting money on things you won't use as well as getting a kettle that he won't need to replace / toss later when he wants to upgrade to more advanced brewing.

Also, +1 on Star San! Get the 4oz bottle if you're looking to save money on the order. Should be plenty for at least 4 batches. IMO, it's the easiest, cleanest way to sanitize and purpose-built for brewing. The foam is your friend!

Outside of this the next thing I got was a hydrometer test jar. Super cheap and much better / safer for your hydrometer than using the tube it came in.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/hydrometer-test-jar-12-plastic.html

For bottles, if your boyfriend likes beer (odds are good here) he can save up the non-screwtop bottles he's already drinking, de-label them by soaking in hot OxyClean for a few hours (or overnight) and rinsing / sanitizing them. It can be a PITA at first, but after you get your bottles done the first time, you're all set. Providing bottles is a nice touch, but if you do, I'd recommend making sure you can get flat-rate shipping for them since it'll be heavy!

Good luck and yes - you win the best girlfriend prize.

Dome555 said:

Out of the three mentioned I'd go with Suited Up's suggestion but call about upgrading those 5 gal better bottles to 6 gallon ones, they need room or the krausen will make a mess of the airlock and eventually your ceiling. The money saved with this kit as compared to other kits will buy a larger brew kettle than the 4 gal one included in the other midwest kit and boil overs are worse than krausen on the ceiling. A 5 gal pot is perfect for the 2.5-3 gal boils for most extract brews. The package, a pot, an extract kit, and some star san will likely put you around your $200 mark.

Also, you have automatically been entered for best gf of the month.

Click to expand...

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/everything-a-carboy-complete-brewing-package-equipment-kit-2.html

This is the one I am actually looking at (I posted the wrong one). This one comes with the 5 gal boil kettle.

Mag,

WAIT A SECOND ! . . . . Did you check out these? The beauty of this system is that it doesn't require a siphon... Everything is gravity feed. The spigots make beer transfer flawless. No leaks. Taking hydrometer samples is a breeze. This kit is well worth the money. Check it out:

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/COMPLETE-BREWERY-WITH-BROWN-ALE-P2346C257.aspx

Or this:

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERY-WITH-BROWN-ALE-P2198C73.aspx

NRS

Is it hard to boil say 5 gal on a home electric stove? How much liquid would you use to make the wort?

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits/better-basic-starter-kit.html w/ better bottle

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/review/product/list/id/256/category/30/ (unless you have one of those flat top electrics)

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/star-san.html (I'd go with 32 oz if you're sure he'll keep brewing as it won't go bad and it's the most economical)

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/ad47-pale-mild-extract-kit.html w/ wyeast 1945 and priming sugar

Figured it was about time I made a suggestion instead of weighing in on the suggestions of others. This comes out to $199.48 + $8 shipping and he can brew the day it arrives. He'll still need to clean up about 50 bottles, as I think was mentioned above oxiclean (UNSCENTED) works great for it and most other beer related cleaning. Also, I obviously don't know what type of beer he likes so I went with what would likely be a crowd pleaser judging by style and the reviews on NB.

C-Rider, it's the bane of my existence but it works. The usual 2.5-3 gal for extract batches fit perfectly in the 5 gal pot and takes a while to boil but it can make some pretty good beer.

C-Rider said:

Is it hard to boil say 5 gal on a home electric stove? How much liquid would you use to make the wort?

Click to expand...

Well in most extract batches you boil 2.5 gal and the ingredients then after you put in fermenter you add enough water to bring to 5 gal. Boiling 2.5gal isn't hard it just takes a little bit to get boiling. If you get a full boil batch I think trying to boil 5 gal would be hard because it would take a while.

I recently purchased a kit basically the same as some listed here. The only issue with my kit I found is that after two extract batches I find I want to do partial and AG brews. So I basically already need to purchase new equipment. If I were to do it again I would make sure I had at least a 40qt Stockpot or buy a kit without the pot and just buy one separately. Also, I found 12oz bottles a pain when I could just bottle into 32oz.... Who drinks 1 beer anyway?


So I plan to purchase a 40qt or more stockpot and a outdoor Burner to get a fast boil. In my second extract boil I tried to boil 3 gallons on my gas stove, it took forever.

Now I am unsure which one I want to get haha. I had my mind made up on the Midwest one, now I do not know.

Question:

Which one would you guys prefer?

1)http://www.williamsbrewing.com/COMPLETE-BREWERY-WITH-BROWN-ALE-P2346.aspx
$219 + $14 shipping

2)http://www.midwestsupplies.com/everything-a-carboy-complete-brewing-package-equipment-kit-2.html

$169 +$55 shipping

Are the spigots on everything that convenient or nice (seems like an auto siphon would work just fine)?

After reading on here, It seems like I wont need a 5 gal better bottle secondary (I would probably buy a 6+ gal better bottle to double as a 2nd primary/secondary.

Any input would be great.

Sorry to somewhat hijack the thread, but I figured it may help the OP as well.

trevor_b said:

Now I am unsure which one I want to get haha. I had my mind made up on the Midwest one, now I do not know.

Question:

Which one would you guys prefer?

1)http://www.williamsbrewing.com/COMPLETE-BREWERY-WITH-BROWN-ALE-P2346.aspx
$219 + $14 shipping

2)http://www.midwestsupplies.com/everything-a-carboy-complete-brewing-package-equipment-kit-2.html

$169 +$55 shipping

Are the spigots on everything that convenient or nice (seems like an auto siphon would work just fine)?

After reading on here, It seems like I wont need a 5 gal better bottle secondary (I would probably buy a 6+ gal better bottle to double as a 2nd primary/secondary.

Any input would be great.

Sorry to somewhat hijack the thread, but I figured it may help the OP as well.

Click to expand...

#1 is the Kit that I wish I would have bought. You get a wort chiller and a 8 gallon stock pot.... only 9 bucks more. Yes the other one you get a glass Carboy, but honestly it was easier to ferment in the Bucket. I purchased a second glass carboy from a friend. It was neat to see but as ease goes to cleaning and pouring into/out of the fermenter.... the bucket won. the goal for me was a great tasting beer, not a neat looking fermenter.

My kit I bought like #2m, localy about 186.00

Just my opinion.

Any of those kits should do. A must is to get him a good book on brewing. Either John Palmer's "How to Brew" or Charlie Papazian's "Complete Joy of Home Brewing" will be great and well worth the money.

AdvGroo said:

#1 is the Kit that I wish I would have bought. You get a wort chiller and a 8 gallon stock pot.... only 9 bucks more. Yes the other one you get a glass Carboy, but honestly it was easier to ferment in the Bucket. I purchased a second glass carboy from a friend. It was neat to see but as ease goes to cleaning and pouring into/out of the fermenter.... the bucket won. the goal for me was a great tasting beer, not a neat looking fermenter.

My kit I bought like #2m, localy about 186.00

Just my opinion.

Click to expand...

I do not plan on doing AG anytime soon. I might consider mini-mash every now and then, but can't you get away with 2 5 gallon brew kettles for that?

Also, will a wort chiller be sufficient during the Texas heat when the tap water doesn't get very cold?

Again I can't tell you how much I love the spigot. It's something else that must be kept clean, etc. But the payback is not having to siphon. I've read many posts about difficulties with siphoning, lost beer, etc. Not for me.

NRS

Sorry I've been away...school has been utterly insane considering graduation is in about a week. Thanks a lot for all the replies! I really appreciate it, I have a lot to think about and review before big ordering day haha but I'm really excited to get this rolling!

Thanks again!

I just purchased the complete brewery without a kit from Williams Brewing, and it's been great. It doesn't come with a secondary, but it does come with an 8 gallon stainless brew pot and a wort chiller so that sealed the deal for me. It also doesn't come with a bottle filler, but those are only about 3 bucks either way so it didn't matter. The whole thing shipped with tax was around $210.

Okay so if I'm understanding this right the secondary isn't necessary just depending on what beer you brew? (say if you want to dry hop or not?)

...and a wort chiller I see that some of the kits come with that and some don't is that important or just helpful?

I hope I'm making sense this is all very new to me

Magaroni said:

Okay so if I'm understanding this right the secondary isn't necessary just depending on what beer you brew? (say if you want to dry hop or not?)

...and a wort chiller I see that some of the kits come with that and some don't is that important or just helpful?

I hope I'm making sense this is all very new to me

Click to expand...

The wort chiller is just to help you cool the wort from 212 degrees to pitching temp. It helps alot but you can just put ice in a sink and cool it like that. The secondary isn't necessary it just helps with clearing the beer so you have less junk when you bottle. Having both is nice but not necessary. If you can I would try to get the secondary and the wort chiller.

Awesome guys! Thanks again for all your help! I've officially placed my order and I'm sure my boyfriend will join this forum quite soon haha

You guys are great

hey also amazon has 5 gal glass carboys on Prime for $26

Hey everyone -
I recently brewed my first batch, a very nice American brown that a local shop hooked me up with. The problem is that I used a friend's equipment and he wants it back. He had the William's Complete Home Brewery that a couple people mentioned, so naturally I'm leaning towards that. The only problem I encountered was the wort (probably 2.5gal) was difficult to boil though on my crappy electric stove.

It seems to be a great deal, especially with the 8gal pot and the wort chiller. And all the spigots seem to save a lot of trouble. Note: I'm hoping to get into AG brewing after another batch or two also - have a class lined up.

Anyone see something this setup is lacking?
Am I going to need a better boiling method?
Also, has anyone found one of William's Brewery kits especially exceptional? (theres no longer a "without kit" option for the complete brewery, so I gotta pick something)

yawp,

I have brewed kits on an electrical stove and a gas stove, and I can say the gas stove solves the problem of heating up wort. If you would ever want to do full boils, gas is just about a necessity.

Also, I have used my Williams Brewing Kit for almost two years without ANY problems. The spigots don't leak and I never have to siphon. For me the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages.

NRS