Starter Kit

I want to get my husband a starter kit for brewing beer... I don't want to spend more than $100, because I have no idea if he'll enjoy it. There are so many little kits out there, can anyone recommend one? THANK YOU!!

Here's one from a reputable company. After you get the kit you still need bottles and ingredients. That should take it right to the $100 you are thinking about. http://www.northernbrewer.com/starterkits.html


hth, loop

That one looks good, pretty similar to what I have. The other thing I added before brewing my first batch was a 5 gallon carboy to be a secondary fermenter. As almost anyone here will testify, being able to let the beer condition in a secondary fermenter for a couple weeks makes a huge difference in the quality of the beer. That kit, plus a carboy, keeps you still under $100. The bottles can be bought at home brew stores or online, or you can just save all your crown-top (not twist-off) bottles. You might end up a touch more than $100 - but trust me, he'll enjoy the hobby

Do you have a big stockpot or something to brew in? He'll start out doing partial boils of 2-3 gallons, but you need something that will hold more than that because wort has a strong tendancy to boil over (and you do NOT want that on your stovetop).

Thanks! Sadly, I know absolutely nothing about this and am already confused. Are there any kits that just have EVERYTHING I need to get started? I figure we can buy any extras later on...

So basically, I just want something that will be pretty simple (so he doesn't get frustrated with it right away) and something that isn't way out of my price range. Would you just recommend getting that kit and then getting the bottles, ingredients, secondary fermenter, and carboy separate??

Well, let me ask; do you know if there is a homebrew store in your vacinity? Where do you live? The starter kit will certainly get him going, the carboy can be added later on, the bottles, though, you will need before very long.

lmvantassel said:

Thanks! Sadly, I know absolutely nothing about this and am already confused. Are there any kits that just have EVERYTHING I need to get started? I figure we can buy any extras later on...

So basically, I just want something that will be pretty simple (so he doesn't get frustrated with it right away) and something that isn't way out of my price range. Would you just recommend getting that kit and then getting the bottles, ingredients, secondary fermenter, and carboy separate??

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Do you live somewhere that might have a Local Home Brew Store? If so it'd be worth your time to take a trip out there and see what they can offer you in your price range.

Also, you can either purchase the book or bookmark the website www.howtobrew.com that is very simple to follow and understand.

Many local stores sell kits of ingredients with basic instructions that are easy to brew when paired with the above book/knowledge.

Of course, you can always come back here and ask more questions too after you've gotten the equipment

Jason

I think Midwest has pretty good kits. The Intermediate one has everything he could ever want to get started.

I'm in St. Paul, Minnesota -- anyone know of any local stores??

Okay nevermind...just did a quick search and there are a few places around - including Northern Brewer. Maybe I'll just stop by there. Thanks for all your help!!

lmvantassel said:

I'm in St. Paul, Minnesota -- anyone know of any local stores??

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Midwest is in Minneapolis. Is that close?

lmvantassel said:

Okay nevermind...just did a quick search and there are a few places around - including Northern Brewer. Maybe I'll just stop by there. Thanks for all your help!!

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I'm interested in your experience when you go, and what you end up with. If it isn't too much trouble please come back and let us know how it went.

Who knew that Minneapolis - St. Paul was a brewing headquarters? Thanks again!

Hopefully someone in the area can pipe in, I'm sure there has to be one in the area. I think someone posted the other day that people from Minneapolis were most likely to google "homebrewing," so there seems to be interest in your area!

Anyway, if the HBS is any good they'll be able to hook you up with a kit like that shown. A 5 gallon batch of beer will require about 50 bottles or so. You might buy a couple cases of empties from the HBS and get a few others by drinking Sam Adams or another beer you like that comes in brown or amber bottles and is not twist-off. Personally, I like the bigger, 22oz "bomber" bottles, basically half as many that I need to bottle; I ended up buying a case of those, a case of regular 12 oz bottles, plus I had a few extras kicking around the house.

As to ingredients, most good HBSs will either hook you up with a good recipe and help you fill it, or they sell pre-packaged kits. I've had good luck with Brewer's Best kits. They come with extract (dry, liquid, or a combination), specialty grains, hops, yeast, priming sugar, bottle caps, grain bags, instructions, and something else I'm probably forgetting. Good beer, and a good selection of styles.

You can also buy pre-hopped, no-boil beer "kits," but I would avoid them; the quality is simply not as good.

A copy of Charlie Papazian "Complete Joy of Homebrewing" makes great reading...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060531053/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

And make sure your husband becomes a member of this site so he can ask questions like you. Or at least read the posts to get the information.

Hell, why should HE have all the fun?

I think you should buy him a card for his birthday and a beermaking kit for yourself. If he promised to clean the kitchen after, you'll let him help out.

Minneapolis and St. Paul are basically the same large city.

the_bird said:

As to ingredients, most good HBSs will either hook you up with a good recipe and help you fill it, or they sell pre-packaged kits. I've had good luck with Brewer's Best kits. They come with extract (dry, liquid, or a combination), specialty grains, hops, yeast, priming sugar, bottle caps, grain bags, instructions, and something else I'm probably forgetting. Good beer, and a good selection of styles.

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Both Midwest and Northern have really good ingredient kits that they design themselves-a good variety, great tasting, high quality ingredients, and easy-to-follow directions. I prefer Midwest a bit over Northern (prices generally a little cheaper and their location is bigger), but that's just my opinion. They are both very good places to go.

If you are in St. Paul, I highly recommend Midwest. I purchase almost everything from Midwest, and I am in Michigan. They have several starter kits as well. There is a like to their web page up top. Call them as well. Their contact info is on their site, and they are all happy to help.

Good Luck

Hey everyone... Just thought I would let you know I stopped by Northern Brewer on Saturday and ended up with one of the mid-priced kits (it was about $100). They were incredibly helpful. Thank you all for your help too...I'll make sure to direct him to this site!

Good to hear! I'm sure he'll love it.

Speaking from experience, having a wife who encourages this hobby is very nice. You better make damn sure he appreciates it!

lmvantassel said:

Hey everyone... Just thought I would let you know I stopped by Northern Brewer on Saturday and ended up with one of the mid-priced kits (it was about $100). They were incredibly helpful. Thank you all for your help too...I'll make sure to direct him to this site!

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Hey, you got a sister?!? :rockin: