hello. first post. COMPLETE noob here :)

I just recently became interested in home brewing. I searched Google for various "kits" to get me started in this hobby, and found many options from many different companies, and it made me wonder which kit was the "best", and if i even needed to buy a "kit" at all. I remember seeing my father brewing home made wine when i was a kid using a big glass bottle, and a ballon, or a sandwich baggy with a rubber band on it on the top of the bottle. I'm sure brewing beer is different than my dads old ways, but as the title of the thread says, i'm completely new to this game, but hope someone can steer me in the right direction, and i can have a long life of brewing, and bottling my own beer. I haven't even figured out what all i need to get, and i'm already estatic! Thanks in advance for any help/advice you may offer.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good people here with lots of knowledge. Here's my advice... Give this How To Brew by Palmer a thorough read through a few times and you will gain a lot of knowledge yourself really quick. Dont be a stranger!

Midwest has nice kits in all price ranges. If you have nothing yet, a kit is going to save you some money.

Also, read Palmer's online book about the process. The online version is free, but the updated paper copy is nice to have

To really get started probably the best information you'll find on the whole process is www.howtobrew.com. As for starter equipment kits you can spend as much or as little as you like but it's almost always cheaper to get a kit rather than to buy parts individually. austinhomebrew.com and midwestsupplies.com both seem to be highly rated here. If you're from Canada I'd highly recommend paddockwood.com. Welcome to the great hobby (obsession?) of homebrewing!

Edit: wow, 3 replies in 1 minute

yeah, wow. this forum must keep pretty busy, lol. i figured i'd have to wait a day or so for even one reply. thanks for all the help, and so soon! i will give that online book a read, and look into ordering an intermediate kit. *edit-one more question, what/why would i need a 2 stage fermantation kit? i'm honestly not a very picky beer drinker, i just like the thought of putting my time, and work into crafting my own brew, and the pride and satisfaction from bottling it and drinking it.

Brian,

I just bottled my first brew last week. I bought the cheapest beginner kit from Midwest. It is a single stage system.

Depending on what you are making, you might want to go to the two stage. I was making an Irish Red Ale, so clarity really didn't matter to me. But this spring I plan on making a Honey Wheat and maybe something else like a light ale. For those I will do a two stage as they are lighter colored beers and clarity matters.

Also, I want the carboy so I can SEE fermentation in action. With the buckets you only see the airlock bubbling away.

I would say for your first brew, get either the intermediate from Midwest or the Beginner. Either way, for your first brew, just stick with single stage and then jump to two stage for your second batch. Pick up a good book, I grabbed "Joy of Homebrewing Vol. 3" from Barns and Noble for pretty cheap and it is a good read. It also has a lot of recipes in it for when you get more advanced.

Last bit of advice (I swear!), get yourself a sixer of your favorite brew when you plan on making your beer. It takes about 2-2.5 hours and a beer helps pass the time.

mizzoueng said:

. It takes about 2-2.5 hours and a beer helps pass the time.

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A beer? A beer? LOL

My advice? Do the better bottle option!! Oh, and check morebeer.com for their selection, too. Free shipping good!!!

Williams Brewing (google it) is a great source for equipment kits. They have 6 month support on everything they sell, which is great. But any starter set should be fine--welcome and have fun!

Hi Brian, welcome to the forums! I'm new myself and you've found a great place full of helpful folks who really know their stuff.

I've been very happy with the Brewer Starter Kit from Midwest. It's got pretty much everything you need to get going. Then if you decide you need more stuff you can just buy it online after that.

after a day and a half's worth of researching various kits online, i'm thinking i'm gong to be getting http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6351 its the inermediate kit from midwest supplies.
a couple questions i have are, first off, why would i need two carboys, a plastic fermenter, and a filler tank. seems to me, even if i to a two stage fermenttation, that still leaves me with an extra "bucket". also, they are really pushing the "better bottle" carboy's on that site, but to me, i think the glass carboys would be better. i understand they have a chance of breaking, but i just figured they'd have less of a chance of contamination, and/or changing the taste of the beer, like i think plastic/better bottles could do. either way, i'm looking forward to getting going with it soon. i'm hoping to brew myself a beer that has a taste similar to blue moon, that slight orange "twang" to it, which i belive is actually a wheat ale, i'm still trying to read up on all that though!
thanks.

I have done a ton of research as well, and decided on the glass at first, too. After lingering on this site a while, you really understand why getting the better bottles is starting to be preferred. Same benefits as glass, no extra dryer's needed due to weight, no handles needed, easy to drill for spigot or other accessories, blahblahblahblah. It just conmes down to personal preference.

Why the extra fermenter with the Midwest? I am not sure either, but I think it is cool so you can brew an extra batch. I like the idea......it would make me not rush the secondary because I had an extra, or be able to brew 10 gallons if I was having a party.........but no, there is no reason for the standard batch to have the extra bucket.

P.S. If I didn't already have equipment, I'd get this kit as well. It has it all.....except a grain bag. Get a big 24X24 for cheap and that way you can do the specialty grains right away.....most brew kits I've seen don't come with these. Oh yea....and a long plastic or stainless spoon to stir with. I didn't see that included-- wooden spoons are not good.

welcome.

ok, i'm FINALLY about to order. i want to order a recipee kit as well, and i'm looking at midwestsupplies various recipe kits. could i get some suggestions on the best beginner kit to get me started in this, that would aquire to my taste in beer? i'm not a fan of really thick, dark beers. the beers i enjoy, most "true" beer drinkers would probably regard as scum of the earth watered down, sissy girl beers, lol. the beers i drink mostly are dos equis amber, rolling rock, PBR, and blue moon. i drink PBR because it's cheap, if i could afford it, i'd drink blue moon and dos eques (XX) amber all the time. i really enjoy the slight orangness of blue moon, and i love the smoothness of dos equis amber. any suggestions?

Wheat beer are easy to get right, but depending on the yeast might take a bit longer to mature (I've had some 4-6 month battles with some Belgians). I'd say, based upon your comments on your preferred beers, you can't go wrong with a light, pale or amber ale. Avoid lagers (different process, cold fermenting), stouts and porters (not your style off the bat, loger maturation times).

Perhaps the way to go might be to but a colne kit of one of your favorite beers at www.austinhomebrew.com - most of their clones I have done came out great. As said before tho, I'd stick with a plale or amber ale as a good starter beer.

Cheers, and have fun!!!!

Kayos said:

A beer? A beer? LOL

My advice? Do the better bottle option!! Oh, and check morebeer.com for their selection, too. Free shipping good!!!

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Ok, more like the whole dang sixer. I was just trying not to make him an alchy, yet.

dont forget something to boil your beer in, you'll need a large kettle.

The best thing about this hobby is that nothing you buy for home brewing ever goes to the garbage... In my case that is.. Take for example.. I started out with the pale ale kit that I purchased from my home brew shop... Two buckets, capper, some tools and etc.. I have have 6 carboys and still use the pales for sanatizer and storage.. Two stage fermentation is the best way to clear up your brew... As far as kits, I started out using kits... What I did was started buying different hops and yeasts from the LHBS to add or replace within the kit and learned the flavors that they put in or take out... Once you get started, you cannot stop... It's so addictive to sit outside cooking up the wort, and then enjoying natures product once it's ready... ENJOY!

awesome! i just ordered the intermediate kit from midwestsupplies.com with glass carboys, and i ordered the 26qt s.s. stock pot , a carboy hauler, and a blue moon belgium knock off/copy recipee with liquid yeast from austin brewing. i'm excited to get going! hopefully next week i'll be brewing my first batch! woo hoo!

Well on your way to spending all your time here. Congrats

so i took my hyro reading last night. 1.010 i'll check again tomorrow, but i'm pretty sure that fermentation is done. 1.010 is supposed to be the FG according to the instructions, and the airlock has gone to about 1 bubble every minute and a half or so. i drank my sample, it was pretty fermenty tasting, and pretty watered down tasting at the same time, but it DID taste like beer!
looking even more forward to the finished product now.

brian williams said:

so i took my hyro reading last night. 1.010 i'll check again tomorrow, but i'm pretty sure that fermentation is done. 1.010 is supposed to be the FG according to the instructions, and the airlock has gone to about 1 bubble every minute and a half or so. i drank my sample, it was pretty fermenty tasting, and pretty watered down tasting at the same time, but it DID taste like beer!
looking even more forward to the finished product now.

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CONGRATZ!!! You started your second batch yet?!?

seefresh said:

CONGRATZ!!! You started your second batch yet?!?

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actually, as soon as i am certain fermentation is complete, and i rack to secondary, i WILL be starting a second batch. i just have to decide what to brew next. i'm thinking about a rasberry wheat beer. or just a hefeweizen.

Congrats Brian!!,
I'm a new brewer as well. I've only got two brews under my belt (and one fermenting) and I'm hooked!!
I love that I can make my own beer and regardless of it tasting really good or really crappy I still made it

Good luck with your blue moon!!

Cheers Mate

Maxy

I am starting off to and am looking at this kit. I like it because it is the only kit that comes with a wort chiller. Is it important to have a wort chiller to start off with??? http://www.homebrewery.com/beer/beer-gs-deluxe-kit.shtml