My first HomeBrew Setup Questions

Hi All!!! So I'm getting my first homebrew setup from Austin Homebrew Supply. I am getting their Deluxe Brewing Equipment Kit (2 Stage Glass Secondary). It seems like a great beginners kit. Has anyone used this kit before? any strengths/weaknesses? It might be cool to see a thread/forum for comparing/contrasting beginner brew kits from different vendors.

Anywho, What size boiling pot should I be getting for the 7.9 gal primary fermenter? Should I get the 5 gallon(20qt)? or should I be getting a larger 30-40qt boiling pot?

Cheers!

Upon further review, I have found the 'review' section and am reading up a bit.

That is a solid setup. I just started a month ago and I got mine from my LHBS. The only thing I didn't get is the wort chiller which I am looking to buy. My primary is a 5.5 gal bucket and secondary is a 5 gal glass carboy. The only thing I would suggest is to buy StarSan sanitizer. It is very much worth it. When it comes to the brew pot, out of the three I have brewed, you need 2 1/2 -3 1/2 gal in the brew pot. So don't go crazy and get a 10 gal one. Best of luck man.

Are you planning on jumping right into All Grain brewing, or do you plan to do a bunch of extract and partial mash brews first?

And even if you are planning on doing extract, do you want to get into all grain right away?

I'm asking because, honestly, this kit seems up there in price, mainly because they include a lot of stuff you may not need when first starting out. I got my starter kit for $60, but it doesn't have a wort chiller, glass carboy, wine thief, and a couple other little things. But then, I don't *need* that stuff yet.

I started with the cheaper kit because I wasn't sure if I'd want to keep brewing. If you *know* you're going to keep doing this and you *know* you want to go all grain soon, then this looks like a great kit.

The pot size again has a lot to do with if you're going to eventually go all grain. Assuming you are, the absolute smallest you'd want is 7.5 gallons, but most recommend something larger, up to 10 gallons, for enough head space for possible biol overs.

But then, if you're doing extract kits with partial boils, you only need something up to 5 gallons for that.

Hope this helps.

Just for comparison's sake, here are the starter kits from Northern Brewer. Keep in mind, they also have a flat rate shipping of $7.99. http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits

Thanks for the great feedback!

I definitely plan on doing All-Grain Brewing at some point. But will work my way through a few extracts first. Even if I don't 'need' to use all the equipment that comes with this kit I will still probably use it all for the experience of it. I may not with my first or second batches of extract pale ale's but I know I will eventually.

I think I'll go with a 20qt pot to start with and may upgrade to a 35qt down the road when I start doing all-grain batches.

No problem. Yeah, i use a 20 quart pot at the moment (I only do extract for now), and it's more than enough. Most extract brews are 1.5-2.5 gallons to boil, then topping off to 5 gallons in the fermentor.

If you're definitely going all grain, yes, you'll need that wort chiller, and a glass carboy is nice to have at any time. That way you can do a secondary to dry hop, or add fruit, or lager.

Make sure you do some more comparisons though. For instance, check out this kit for $159.99: http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits/deluxe-beer-starter-kit.html

It has most of what comes with the one you're looking at. The most significant thing missing is the wort chiller, and you can get one for like $35-$70 depending on where and what kind. Plus shipping is only $7.99.

Again, just so you have an idea of what's out there.

I think I may end up getting the Deluxe Brewer's Best Equipment Kit with Glass Carboy. It has most of everything the Austin Kit did, minus the Wort Chiller. I'll have to nab some Star San too. When i move on to All-Grain brews I can pick one up. Does anyone see anything glaring that this kit is missing? looks like a pretty solid beginners kit to me.

All this for 124.99:

• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Primary Fermenter with Grommeted Lid
• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Bottling Bucket with Spigot
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
• "Home Beermaking" Book
• Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser
• Twin Lever Capper
• Triple Scale Hydrometer
• Siphon Hose and Shut-Off Clamp
• Drilled Universal Carboy Bung
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Lab Thermometer
• Brew Paddle
• Airlock
• Fermtech Auto Siphon
• Bottle Filler
• Bottle Brush
• Carboy Brush
• Equipment Instructions

You might want that wort chiller. I know that wasn't in the kit I bought at the LHBS, but I am looking to get one.

The deluxe kit is a great kit and excellent value.

whiskeytango said:

I think I may end up getting the Deluxe Brewer's Best Equipment Kit with Glass Carboy. It has most of everything the Austin Kit did, minus the Wort Chiller. I'll have to nab some Star San too. When i move on to All-Grain brews I can pick one up. Does anyone see anything glaring that this kit is missing? looks like a pretty solid beginners kit to me.

All this for 124.99:

• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Primary Fermenter with Grommeted Lid
• 6.5 Gallon "Ale Pail" Bottling Bucket with Spigot
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
• "Home Beermaking" Book
• Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser
• Twin Lever Capper
• Triple Scale Hydrometer
• Siphon Hose and Shut-Off Clamp
• Drilled Universal Carboy Bung
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Lab Thermometer
• Brew Paddle
• Airlock
• Fermtech Auto Siphon
• Bottle Filler
• Bottle Brush
• Carboy Brush
• Equipment Instructions

Click to expand...

This is the one I have and it has been great. I did buy a chiller about 6 month later, but the ice in the sink works well too. You could brew for years with this kit and make some awesome beers.

If you check Groupon.com, they VERY frequently have a great deal from Midwest for a starter kit. I think they actually have one right now, but YMMV. It's not a fantastic kit, but it's a great starter and you can get that and buy whatever else you need and get in cheap and easy.

All of those are very good kits and will do well for you. Depends on what you want to do. You didn't say much about how or were you are going to brew. Are you using a stove top or doing it outside? A couple of things: You WILL want a chiller. I did a few with out and it sucked. You can make one though - just look around here. I started with a solid 22qt pot and did several extract batches them. Worked great but had to watch like a hawk for boil overs. Get yourself some fermcap to reduce the boil overs. I would go with the largest pot you can fit. The best you can do with a small pot is partial boils. If you want full boils them a turkey fryer type set up is the minimum. I don't regret my small pot at all cause I use it to heat sparge water or make big soups etc! Like I said, it depends what kind of brewing you want to do and where you'll do it. The best rule of thumb is - always go as big as you can.

Get a Wort Chiller and a bigger pot (around 30q should work well for AG).

Primary #1 - Apfelwein
Primary #2 - Smoked Chocolate Porter
Primary #3 - Honey Ale
Primary #4 - Orange Wheat
Primary #5 - Summer Ale

A 30q is all I need for 5gal batches of AG brew? And i definitely plan on getting a wort chiller