Brewing Kit Question

Some friends and myself are going to start brewing. Alot of people here talk about Austin Home Brew so I figured I might give one of their starter brewers kits a try.

What do you guys think of their super delux beer making kit + keggin? It looks like a pretty complete kit in comparison to most others I've looked at.

Go for it--wish I could get a kegging system. If you happen to decide you don't like this hobby, you can mail it to me!

Thanks! Well there are 3 of us pitching in so it won't be so bad. We went to a beer festival here in Baton Rouge and that got them into it. I'd already been semi-researching the hobby but with two people in on it I'm prompted to go ahead and buy now!


While we're at it could someone recommend a good first beer?(easy yet good)

All their kits are top notch, I'd be wary about spending the money on kegging before you know if you are going to like the hobby, but that's just me. If you can afford it I'd say go for it as I am pretty confident you'll be bit by the brew bug just as soon as you start your first batch.

Any of the AHS kits are good for beginners, personally i'd go with an Amber Ale.

I would say if you have the cash and want to do it, do it. I think these kits are a good deal. The only real drawback is that you will probably end up replacing some items with other styles or better quality.

It depends on what beer you like. I love English beers, which are good first beers because they can mask a lot of off-flavors. Try a brown ale, porter, or stout--great beers, easy to make, and the color and flavor will hide a lot of first-time errors.

TheJadedDog said:

All their kits are top notch, I'd be wary about spending the money on kegging before you know if you are going to like the hobby, but that's just me. If you can afford it I'd say go for it as I am pretty confident you'll be bit by the brew bug just as soon as you start your first batch.

Any of the AHS kits are good for beginners, personally i'd go with an Amber Ale.

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And even if you decide brewing isn't for you (perish the thought), you'll have no problem at all selling your kegging (and other) equipment to a bunch of beer infected nut-jobs like us.

I vote you do a nice Belgian Wit. Light and crisp for the summer months.

Welcome to the club.

Great information guys. Thanks!

If you're frugal (and borderline obsessive) you can take that 4 hundo and buy quite a bit more. AHBS is awesome, but if you do some research and fine the best deals on pieces and parts you'll get more for your money. Here's a quick rundown of what I got from where if it helps.

Local home brew store = 6.5 and 5 g glass carboys and one step sanitizer
Morebeer = just about everything in the ahbs kit, including wort chiller, hydrometer, two regulators for dispensing at diff pressures, refrigerator thermostat, etc, etc, minus cornys
lowes = turkey fryer with 30 qt stock pot
brewersdiscount = 2 super cheap cornys
local gas dist = refurb co2 tank

I got all this for about 425. Just something to think about.

x2 on the Belgian wit. I think thats going to be my next one.

Done deal now fellas. Got the kit I linked above + 26qt pot + Belgian Wit. All total being about $516 with shipping included. Split three ways its only running us $170 each. Cool thing is I have a bar fridge I never use that should hold the 1 keg we're starting out with.

Is cooking the wort up outside ok? I have a couple of propane burners that I think would work far better than my electric stove. Also I was thinking about keeping the fermenting process in the side room of my garage. its a 5x10 or so room with a window I can put a little window unit in. It just seems like keeping them in the house might not be a good idea?

jerryodom said:

Done deal now fellas. Got the kit I linked above + 26qt pot + Belgian Wit. All total being about $516 with shipping included. Split three ways its only running us $170 each. Cool thing is I have a bar fridge I never use that should hold the 1 keg we're starting out with.

Is cooking the wort up outside ok? I have a couple of propane burners that I think would work far better than my electric stove. Also I was thinking about keeping the fermenting process in the side room of my garage. its a 5x10 or so room with a window I can put a little window unit in. It just seems like keeping them in the house might not be a good idea?

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Yes most people do cook outside. I personally ferment in my closet. As long as you can keep a constant temp you are ok.

And as long as you can limit light exposure. But yeah, temp control and light control are the two big things. And a mess might happen, so it's good to do it in the garage (as long as it doesn't get too hot/cold).