If you were a new brewer and had to do it all over again...

Yakima 728
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Spend more money up front to get the better more complete kit (i.e. wort chiller, better capper, etc).

The joy of making your own recipe or using one from this site instead of using a "pre-made" kit. More joy of actually creating something of your own design than someone else's kit.
 
Start with all grain, you'll end up there anyway. Also, purchase equipment for 10 gallon batches you'll end up there too. Something I wish I had done up front is make a keggle, I bought a B315 pot from morebeer.com, and although it is a great pot it is too wide in diameter. I am currently trying to source kegs off of craigslist. Wort chiller is a must make your own, it will be better, and cheaper. Invest in a pump it will come in handy. Get a subscription to BYO, and Zymurgy they are great publications. Ask, ask, and ask more here on HBT because there are some brewing geniuses on this site.
 
I would have moved into AG sooner. I had in my head that a proper mash tun, HLT and a propane burner were absolutely necessary.

When it came down to it, I did my first AG on my stove. I employed a used, uninsulated $15 HDPE drum for the mash tun and my bottling bucket (5 gal pail) for the HLT. I used reinforced PVC tubing for the manifold and a water bottle with holes poked in the bottom for the sparge arm.

It made beer. Wasn't great but it was drinkable. Had I known this worked, I would have switched to AG after my 3rd or 4th extract batch.
 
I probably would have liked to have a wort chiller up front, but most of my knowledge I'm glad I didn't know up front. It was all a part of the "quest" we love so much. Every time you learn something new, you want to do more. Some of that may have been spoiled if I knew up front.
 
Pay attention to fermentation temp. Don't secondary. Make starters.

All cheap stuff that would have made my beer a lot better and saved me time.

Eric
 
If I were to do it again, i would still start extract. The only thing I would do different about that is get a 10gal pot to do full-boils and then not have to buy another one for AG. And like someone said above, go directly to kegging instead of bottling.
 
I think I would buy one of those one kettle brewing systems, fully automated. I know you don't get the kick out of building your own, but since I've done that I would like a clean indoor system that takes up very little space.

Someone posted a link recently to the company and fortunately I can't find it now!
 
I would build my equipment rather then buy it. I'll never forget when i ordered my first IC and was amazed at how simple the design was and what the hell was i thinking Paying 50 bucks for this thing when i could have easily built it for 20 (copper prices were a lot cheaper then).

And I would have gone AG a lot sooner. It's so easy a caveman could do it...........
 
+1 on kegging. I can say this is exactly what I did differently than when I brewed 10+ years ago and quit after a few batches. Bottling beer was a pita and the main reason I gave up the hobby. Kegging is simple, quick, and easy to get the proper carbonation. It sucks making a good/great beer and missing on the carbonation.
 
As a matter of fact, I am doing it all over again.

I picked up brewing in the early nineties only to give it up after brewing lots of horrible beer. This time around I'm doing things differently.

+1 Read this forum. What Schnitzengiggle said, "There are some brewing geniuses on this site," is an understatement.

Join 1 or 2 LHBCs. Folks in your area will also be a tremendous resource. Chances are you'll find someone upgrading (aren't we all?) and will be happy to pass along their old gear to a fellow brewer for cheap. Also, find someone with a more advanced rig that will let you tag along on brew day. Its important to see first hand the difference between your kitchen and someone’s developed rig in a garage.

+1 Kegging: It's a big expense up front but it does save you from the most tedious task of brewing. Keep and eye on craigslist.

+1 fermentation temp: No, not everything can be fermented at 85 degrees.

Last, for me on brew day, I don't have a beer until everything is completely finished. I know I’m probably in the minority here but when I started in the early nineties following Papazian's instructions, it seemed like every other step was followed by RDWHAHB. It was fun when I was younger but made for some damn sloppy work. And sloppy work is a precursor to bad beer, guaranteed
 
If I had it to do over again, I echo the sentiment of getting into kegging much sooner for nothing other than carbonation control. I personally still bottle everything out of the kegs 1) because it lasts longer as it's just too easy to pour a beer from the tap and 2) because I like variety and to have the variety available like I have in bottles off kegs I would need a 15 tap kegerator.

But, kegging itself is wonderful. It's so much more sanitary and consistent to use the keg and force carbonation method than the PITA bottling bucket and corn sugar. 2 corney kegs, 1 co2 tank, and a beer gun is worth its weight in gold.
 
wildwest450 said:
I can't hear you, my ears are plugged.
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I know, it's infuriating isn't it. Want to hear the real kicker?

I have all this **** for brewing, 400 pounds of grain in stock, 28 kegs in my collection, and I brew maybe 1 or twice every 3 months. I have had full kegs for over a year before I tap them.

In addition to being an accomplished slow drinker, i have precious little time for brewing.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Cheaper to buy it all up front than to "buy up to" it. I'd have saved a snmall fortune had I just cut through all the builds and steps.
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Agreed, I just went through my stuff and was able to put together two basic homebrewing startup kits. Probably will just end up giving them away.

If it were me, I would have gone AG, bought a bigger Kettle and MLT and researched more before starting my first batch.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
I know, it's infuriating isn't it. Want to hear the real kicker?

I have all this **** for brewing, 400 pounds of grain in stock, 28 kegs in my collection, and I brew maybe 1 or twice every 3 months. I have had full kegs for over a year before I tap them.

In addition to being an accomplished slow drinker, i have precious little time for brewing.
Click to expand...

If you lived closer, you would have a foot in your ass. And a lot more beer, because I have TONS of time to brew. Me wanna brew on a BM.
 
wildwest450 said:
Me wanna brew on a BM.
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TRUST ME it has it's own set of frustrations. A very expensive set of frustrations. I love it and I'd get it again but, sometime I miss the simplicity of cooler tun infusions or extract brewing.

Heck, I don't even use the automated repeat functions. Just not practical for a brewer that like to make up new recipes.

Plus, you'd have to remove my wifes foot to get yours in.
 
I'm only 6 months in, but with seveal batches under my belt, and having made the switch to all grain, I think I can register a few points.

1) Build an immersion cooler ASAP (They're easy to make). This should be considered basic equipment. Cooling a boil in a sink is a royal PITA and it takes forever. I've got a little 25' ribcage cooler, and I can go from 212*F to 70*F in 8-10min.
2) Bottling sucks. I don't have enough space for a kegerator yet, so I'm stuck. If this is the way you have to go, keep a supply of clean bottles on hand. Bottling only take an hour or two if you're prepared. It takes way longer if you have to clean 50 bottles at the last minute.
3) Do lots of reading. This place is a gold mine. The more you know, the fewer mistakes you make, and the more time you save.
4) Get organized and prepare before brewing. Hunting for stuff you need RIGHT NOW isn't fun.
5) MILK CRATES for carboys. Don't move these things around without them. They're heavy, awkward, slippery, and dangerous when full.
6) Oxiclean and starsan is all you need to keep your brewery clean and sanitary.
7) Don't waste time with open fermentation vessels, If your bucket won't seal, just use a carboy with a blow off tube.
 
On a somewhat related note:

I have only brewed about a half dozen extract batches and am making the jump to all grain. I have two 10 gallon rubbermaid coolers in my garage ready to be converted to a hlt and mlt and I already have a turkey fryer set up for my kettle.

So, with that said, would all you experienced brewers go ahead and build this basic system now, or, would you put a little more time/money into it up front and buy bigger pots/kegs for more capacity later? (I still have the receipt for the coolers).

I was hoping to end up with a single tier set up with at least an electric HLT, if not all electric. I hope to brew 5 gallon batches now, but I am not afraid of 10 gallons batches later down the road.
 
I would have paid more attention to the fermentation temperature. I would have identified a place in the house that is cool and constant in temperature and found a yeast that ferments well at that temperature. I did this and my beer improved significantly.

I woudl have used a clean fairly neutral yeast that ferments well over a wide range of temperatures like SafAle 05. I would have replaced the yeast in the kit with this or another yeast.

I would cool the wort down to 75 F or lower before pitching the yeast. A wort chiller is a good investment and will do this quickly, otherwise you will sit around for a long time waiting for it to cool. Brew day got a lot more fun and shorter after I got a wort chiller.

These steps helped my beer immensely. I would also add, brew something simple and brew it until it is right. You will learn a lot from this and when you change something in the brewing process, you will know that changes in the taste are the result of changes you made in the brewing process and not the recipe.
 
I would have started with all grain. And I would have used my hydrometer a lot more. I can't tell you how many beers I have made but had no idea how potent they were or should I say weren't.
 
To all of you that said you would have started with all grain:

Were you that convinced that you love this hobby before you even brewed a batch? Were you ready to fork over all the money for all grain before even figuring out if you could make good beer?

Sure, I wish I would have bought my 15 gallon pot first, but that pot cost more than my kit and first three batches combined! I could not have justified spending that much money when I didn't even know if it would be worth it.

Hindsight it 20/20, but I doubt that most of you would have put forth all of the money and effort to go AG on your first batch.

Also, I would never recommend that someone use AG for their first batch. Get your process down and really understand what is going on first. Once you have a process down, it is easy to add the AG steps. Of course, if you are brewing with someone much more experienced and they can show you the ropes, that changes everything.

Not trying to stir the pot, I just think that going AG from the start is unrealistic.

Eric
 
BrewBarron said:
On a somewhat related note:

I have only brewed about a half dozen extract batches and am making the jump to all grain. I have two 10 gallon rubbermaid coolers in my garage ready to be converted to a hlt and mlt and I already have a turkey fryer set up for my kettle.

So, with that said, would all you experienced brewers go ahead and build this basic system now, or, would you put a little more time/money into it up front and buy bigger pots/kegs for more capacity later? (I still have the receipt for the coolers).

I was hoping to end up with a single tier set up with at least an electric HLT, if not all electric. I hope to brew 5 gallon batches now, but I am not afraid of 10 gallons batches later down the road.
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Everyone is different, but I would start with 5 G batches now and see how it goes. I coudl never see myself brewing 10 gallons at a time. I'm the only one drinking my beer, so it lasts a long time. I actually recently built a 2 gallon MLT so I could brew smaller batches. (A 5 G MLT would be best though.)

If you go Single Tier, then you will need a pump.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go buy a turkey fryer right away, and start doing full boils. As it is, I wish I had a larger kettle now.

Also, I would pay closer attention to fermentation temps. They REALLY matter!

Otherwise, I have had fun building all of my stuff and probably would not change a thing.
 
Homercidal said:
Everyone is different, but I would start with 5 G batches now and see how it goes. I coudl never see myself brewing 10 gallons at a time. I'm the only one drinking my beer, so it lasts a long time. I actually recently built a 2 gallon MLT so I could brew smaller batches. (A 5 G MLT would be best though.)

If you go Single Tier, then you will need a pump.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go buy a turkey fryer right away, and start doing full boils. As it is, I wish I had a larger kettle now.

Also, I would pay closer attention to fermentation temps. They REALLY matter!

Otherwise, I have had fun building all of my stuff and probably would not change a thing.
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Thanks,

I'm going to have to watch myself so I don't go overboard at the start. Its hard not to dream big after reading all these great build threads. I agree that 5 gallon batches should be just fine for now. My investment will be "relatively" small if I just stick with the coolers and my turkey pot.

thanks for the practical advice.
 
Great info guys. Besides going to AG and kegging which is my likely path after my first few extracts and funds replenish, any tips and tricks regardless of going AG and kegging? You guys rock!
 
I can't really think of anything I would change. I bought an intermediate kit two and a half years ago that included an 8 gallon pot and wort chiller. I moved into all grain within six months, and buy 50# bags of base malt as well as leaf hops by the pound to make custom recipes. I have brewed and bottled over 50 batches now. I'm still happy with my equipment and my system. I don't plan to move into kegging yet. I don't mind bottling.
 
EricCSU said:
To all of you that said you would have started with all grain:

Were you that convinced that you love this hobby before you even brewed a batch? Were you ready to fork over all the money for all grain before even figuring out if you could make good beer?

Sure, I wish I would have bought my 15 gallon pot first, but that pot cost more than my kit and first three batches combined! I could not have justified spending that much money when I didn't even know if it would be worth it.

Hindsight it 20/20, but I doubt that most of you would have put forth all of the money and effort to go AG on your first batch.

Also, I would never recommend that someone use AG for their first batch. Get your process down and really understand what is going on first. Once you have a process down, it is easy to add the AG steps. Of course, if you are brewing with someone much more experienced and they can show you the ropes, that changes everything.

Not trying to stir the pot, I just think that going AG from the start is unrealistic.

Eric
Click to expand...

Agreed. I mean starting extract has really made me understand just what the hell goes into making beer. Going all grain has made me understand how to make good beer. I feel that I did learn a lot in recipe formulation and process by starting out doing extract.

I will retract my statement and say that I should have gone all grain a lot sooner than 18 mos. into brewing.

Also this was mentioned but I will reiterate this: keeping it simple when starting out will make for better beer sooner than later. Take for example my second batch. I made a brown ale (too watery because I didn't bother to take readings). I racked that beer onto a lb of vanilla coffee beans and about 5 lbs of wild blackberries. Too much stuff going on with that beer. Sure it was good, because it was the second batch.

My 4th batch consisted of me taking a regular 5 gallon batch of around 6% abv. and trying to stretch that recipe to fit 10 gallons. I ended up with carbonated hop water. It was awful. I had to dump some. I have never dumped another beer after that in my life. I remember going around and telling people to try it. Oh how I feel for those people who just had to amuse me.
 
I have never understood why so many people think AG is such a massive undertaking. It can be incredibly simple, and inexpensive. I did a lot of reading then went for it, and I don't regret anything. I don't think I missed out on learning any fundamentals. Sure I made some mistakes in those first few batches (and still do), but I made excellent beer every time. For real, its just cooking not rocket surgery.
If I could go back, I would have washed and saved more yeast strains rather than using them just once. I would have done a little research before ordering kegging equipment from that scammer in Huntsville, AL too.
 

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