how to choose a kit

Hello,

I Love Beer And Want To Get Into Brewing My Own Goods. What Kit Should I Buy.

I Am The Kind Of Guy Who Would Rather Buy The Right Equipment Up Front, Then Buy A Cheap Kit And Then Have To Spend More Later On A Complete Upgrade. Keeping In Mind That I Have Never Home Brewed Before, What Kit Should I Go For. Thanks For Any Help.

I would do as much research as you can before deciding on which kit and from where you intend to purchase. I would also recommend seeing if there's a local homebrewing supply store somewhere near you. It took me a couple weeks, and I had resigned myself to buying online, before I found there was in fact a local store. I believe that the option of buying locally, at least some stuff anyways, is getting in good with someone you might need in the future. You never know when you might need something in a hurry, it's close to quitttin' time, and the guy at your local store offers to stay open for an extra 30 minutes so you can come in and get the right sized rubber stopper for a buck.

Barring that, I would have to say that there are a number of reputable online suppliers. One that springs to mind right away is Austin Homebrewing, as they have a representative, here on the forum, and that should carry some weight. Next I'd say Midwest or Northern homebrew suppliers, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of recommendations to follow mine.

I went with a locally bought Brewer's Best basic kit and added a carboy. You'll get tons of advice on which way to go with kits, and it's going to come down to what you can afford, and what your brewing expectations are.

Let the forum know where you're locate and what you'd like to brew and I'll bet you'll get tons of info.

Have fun!
Matt

I believe that the option of buying locally, at least some stuff anyways, is getting in good with someone you might need in the future. You never know when you might need something in a hurry, it's close to quitttin' time, and the guy at your local store offers to stay open for an extra 30 minutes so you can come in and get the right sized rubber stopper for a buck.


Good advice! There are some great online shippers out there, but it is really great to relationship with a local supplier. I have never called in a favor, but I bet these guys would home deliver if I asked them to in an emergency. Bring them a beer every once in a while!

Rather than suggest a kit I'm going to suggest you do some reading.
John Palmer's "How to Brew" book is excellent he also has a web site where you can read his first edition free. www.howtobrew.com

The "Joy of Brewing" is also a good book but you won't need both.

Another book I enjoyed is "Brew Ware" it tells you how to make your own or find equipment cheap or free. It also helped me make sense of the often confusing array of equipment and what it all does.

Additionally I found a 1 year subscription to Brew Your Own (BYO) magazine and some of the back issues helpful.

Last but certainly not least read this forum, search questions on equipment or post questions if you can't find what your looking for.

After you do some reading you may decide that you want to jump right in to All Grain brewing, or your budget may only allow you to start with an extract. Everything you need to do extract brewing you'll also need for all grain. So I think getting good equipment right from the start is a good idea. But plastic buckets are cheap (or free if you know where to look) and you can alway use them to store grain or for holding your sanitation solution if you upgrade to something better.

Something I did was to gather equipment that would allow me to do 10 gallon brews after I got the process down. You can always do small brews in big equipment but you can't do big brews in small equipment. And by big brews I don't just mean 10 gallons but also high alcohol brews.

And remember that opinions are like nose's most everybody has one. Whether it's formed from their own critical thinking or borrowed from someone they think is a guru. Also don't equate the number of posts from anyone with knowledge some people have a life others need to get one.

I like to support the local home brew store as well but not to the point where I feel like I'm getting Ripped Off. If the local guy is not competive it's his problem not yours.

Best wishes and welcome to the hobby.