Getting into Brewing - Few Questions

I am looking to start brewing in the next month or two and I had a few questions.

I am looking at the products/kits on Midwest Supplies site which I read on here has some good quality brewing equipment.

I am unsure which kit would be best for a beginner, and if I should use glass or better bottles for the carboys. The one I planned on buying was Intermediate Kit for $149.99. From what I can tell the kit includes practically everything I need to brew besides the ingredients?

I was also wondering about my heat source, I have a large 5 gallon stainless steel pot I planned to use, but my stove at home is a glass-top and I am not sure if this would provide enough heat or not? If not, what are some better options, I was thinking a butane table-top stove?

What about the ingredients, do you guys buy the pre-made kits that have everything you need, or do you experiment with different things to come up with your own custom recipes? I plan on making mostly brown ales and some other varieties of ales, no lagers.

Sorry for the multiple questions, I am just a little lost right now.

Thanks!

That could should cover most. In my opinion, get the Better Bottles. Shipping is cheaper, Better bottles are comparable in usability and it's safer(no shattered glass). There are die hard glass guys, but I still prefer plastic, but that's personal opinion. You can certainly get a kit, and many places have great kits. Take a look over at Northern Brewer(northernbrewer.com) before committing to Midwest. Both are great, but I like the kits from NB better. Again, just personal prefernce there.

I've helped a friend brew on a glass top stove, and it should be fine, but won't heat terribly fast. You have to be sure to be uber careful, due to the weight of 5 gallons of wort on that surface. Just getting started out you should be fine, but I'd definitely look into a propane burner, depending on if you can use/can afford it.

Hope it helps, and welcome to my obsession Cheers!

Note: When I said "You can certainly get a kit...", from there on in that thought I'm referring to Recipe kits....of course you can price their equipment kits as well, as they're great as well.

HopsJunkie just about hit it on the head with regards to the equipment kits, so I can't add much there...

But on the subject of your stove: I've also got a glass top electric stove, that I've brewed on once. I had to insulate the heck out of the pot (wrapped the pot up with reflectix), leave the lid halfway on for most of the boil, and I positioned my pot to saddle two burners, in order to keep 3 gallons or so boiling - and it took forever to actually hit the boil.

That beer turned out great, but make sure you understand the limits of trying to brew on an electric stovetop, and at least consider investing in a turkey fryer or similar propane-fired outdoor burner.

FWIW, I have glass and Better Bottles. I prefer working with the BB's.

Thanks for the replies so far. I am reading into the better bottles currently, I think that may be a better option for me.

I really appreciate the input on the glass-top stove, I might give it a whirl for my first brew and see what I can do for heat management. If that doesn't workout I will invest in a propane burner for the next batch.

For recipes, say I wanted to recreate one of my favorite beers, Moose Drool. Would that be possible with a kit, or would I need to look into custom recipes? I don't plan on attempting it right away, but that is the style of beer I plan to brew eventually.

Do you guys have any recommendations for books/websites where I can follow some step-by-step guides and learn more about the brewing process? I want make sure I am not jumping into brewing without the right knowledge.

AZJ0SH said:

For recipes, say I wanted to recreate one of my favorite beers, Moose Drool. Would that be possible with a kit, or would I need to look into custom recipes? I don't plan on attempting it right away, but that is the style of beer I plan to brew eventually.

Click to expand...

moose drool clone: Caribou Slobber Extract Kit w/ Specialty Grains : Northern Brewer

planning to bottle this one this weekend.

Yea, as far as recipes go- I would definitely suggest doing an extract+specialty grains recipes for your first few batches. That way you can get all the basics down- sanitation, heat control, hop additions, using your hydrometer, racking, wort chilling, starters, pitching, bottling etc.

Once you have a few of those under your belt, you should have your process down to a tee, and be itching for something more involved like a PM, AG, or BIAB (OMG WTF BBQ). If you don't yet, you will at least know where you need to improve before you move on up the ladder (or not! this hobby is as involved as you want it to be).

As long as you read the forums religiously, you'll pick up on all the jargon and acronyms (see above), and read that all the mistakes you're making are avoidable, and that you should be much less worried about your beer than you are. Read a ton before your first batch, and don't stop.

Good luck, and welcome to the obsession!

AZJ0SH said:

Do you guys have any recommendations for books/websites where I can follow some step-by-step guides and learn more about the brewing process? I want make sure I am not jumping into brewing without the right knowledge.

Click to expand...

There are books-a-plenty. Getting started, though, I'd first get John Palmer's How to Brew. It's quite easily the best book on brewing for the beginner. There are others, of course, but that's the first one I'd hand you off my shelf.

Also, I'd go see if your LHBS has a beginner's class, as most certainly do. Frankly, you don't need it, but it does carry the benefit of being there for a brew, so you can feel more comfortable. You're bound to pick up little pointers or see something you didn't quite know as well. That's optional, though.

Try the caribou slobber from northern brewer if your looking for a moose drool clone. I brewed it a couple of months ago and boy is it good!!!

IN my opinion that kit is alot for a newbie, it is a good kit if you are going to brew two beers a one time. all i had when i started was a fermenting bucket and a bottling bucket, hydrometer, siphon, capper, and a bottle filler. Just my two cents.

lstewartff said:

IN my opinion that kit is alot for a newbie, it is a good kit if you are going to brew two beers a one time. all i had when i started was a fermenting bucket and a bottling bucket, hydrometer, siphon, capper, and a bottle filler. Just my two cents.

Click to expand...

But, the beauty of the kit is that it sets him up for success and expandability. Frankly, I wouldn't start with less, not that you need it all at the beginning. Bottom line is that, as a brewer, more equipment makes me happier.

Just for a quick thought, can you tell me what you will be using the carboys for?

Another thought, suppose you had wet hands and picked up the empty carboy and it slipped and dropped to the concrete floor from 2 inches up. What will happen?

Suppose you had your better bottle carboy full of beer and went to set it on the counter to rack it to the bottling bucket and it dropped out of your hands and fell a foot. What will happen?

How about a plastic bucket fermenter? Oh, it has a handle so it won't slip so easy and if it did it would probably spill beer.

RM-MN said:

Another thought, suppose you had wet hands and picked up the empty carboy and it slipped and dropped to the concrete floor from 2 inches up. What will happen?

Click to expand...

This just happened to me a few weeks ago, with my nice big 7.5 gallon glass carboy, but it was more like 8 inches. I was amazed it didn't shatter, since it weighs about 15 lbs. I have lots of buckets and they are all full at the moment, but I still love my glass. For me its beauty not function... don't judge me

Whether you go with a Better Bottle or glass carboy (I have glass myself but would have no problem using a BB as well), be sure to cover the carboy with something dark while fermenting. I use two black garbage bags with a hole cut out for the airlock to go through but I have read that old t-shirts work well too. This prevents the wort from reacting with light which can create off flavors. Also be sure to get a Fermometer (only a few bucks at my LHBS). It makes it incredibly convenient for you to keep an eye on your carboy temps at all times, which is very important for proper fermentation.

I Have only used buckets... And I dont really see the point of carboys, in my opinion. just my 2cents.

So I don't really need carboys? I wasn't sure exactly what they were for since I thought the fermenting was done in the locked bucket.

AZJ0SH said:

I am unsure which kit would be best for a beginner, and if I should use glass or better bottles for the carboys. The one I planned on buying was Intermediate Kit for $149.99. From what I can tell the kit includes practically everything I need to brew besides the ingredients?

Click to expand...

Looking at that kit: Those are 5 gallon glass carboys. Not really suitable for fermenting because you will need headspace for the krauzen. And why they include 2-5 gal carboys and then a 6.5 gallon fermenter I don't know. You don't need anything but the 1 fermeting bucket. You could use the glass carboy's for a secondary but a secondary would only be needed for.....well...nothing. I would not use the "Easy Clean No rinse cleanser"

AZJ0SH said:

So I don't really need carboys? I wasn't sure exactly what they were for since I thought the fermenting was done in the locked bucket.

Click to expand...

Yes, you don't need a carboy. You can ferment in a bucket no problem. But, it will become scratched on the inside and those scratches will allow bacteria to hide. So you need to occasionally get a new bucket.

daksin said:

Yea, as far as recipes go- I would definitely suggest doing an extract+specialty grains recipes for your first few batches. That way you can get all the basics down- sanitation, heat control, hop additions, using your hydrometer, racking, wort chilling, starters, pitching, bottling etc.

Click to expand...

I have to dissagree. I jumped right in and started with all-grain. No problems with getting the basics down. Very simple process.

jetmac said:

Yes, you don't need a carboy. You can ferment in a bucket no problem. But, it will become scratched on the inside and those scratches will allow bacteria to hide. So you need to occasionally get a new bucket.

Click to expand...

That's not a problem at all, thanks for the reply.

I picked up a few books this weekend, I am going to get started on research and hopefully get my equipment next month once I feel I am ready!

So after some more research I think this is all I need, right?

Brewing Basics Equipment Kit Midwest Supplies

I think that adding a wine thief or test jar for the hydrometer might be a good idea. You can sorta use the packaging the hydrometer comes in, but I'm pretty sure it's not made for that. The good thing about getting at least one 5 gallon carboy is that you can start up a batch of apfelwein from the get-go. I'm getting ready to bottle my second beer, but haven't used the carboy for anything else. From what I've read, long-term aging in a bucket is not good because of oxygen permeability, so the carboy is a good way to put back some apfelwein for the few months it needs to mature.

For most beer I'd go with plastic. BB's are nice, but I use buckets. I think that they work well, all things considered, for beer. For most recipes you will not have the beer in the fermenter long enough for O2 to be a problem. But buckets are easier to handle IMO, and are thicker, so theoretically, let in less O2 (I don't consider either to be a problem) The amount that could leach through is miniscule compared to the amount you introduce through even a very careful racking.

I would even throw in a second fermenter, cause you KNOW you're going to want to brew again just about the time your airlock starts to bubble.

Also, an autosiphon is a nice gadget to have.

Buckets certainly work, but I think there is something to be said for seeing fermentation take place. I still get caught in a daze staring at my carboy when things are really kicking. It's almost therapeutic.

We have some resources for beginners you might want to check out here: The Homebrew Academy | Thinking about homebrewing? Start here.

Welcome to the hobby

Why dont you look at the "Everything kit" from Midwest, no carboy but you do get bottles and a beer kit.