Brewing kits for the beginner. Where should I start

Hello all . Ive been wanting to try home brewing for some time , but before I start buying kits and mixs and going over board I want to be smart about things. Ive searched the internet and came to realize my best bet is to join a forum. Theres so many kits out the I have no idea where to start . And I do not know how to brew so im the ultimate noob.
I would love some advice on what would be a good kit to start brewing. I dont even know what kits will allow what brews, i have alot to learn. so Im gonna give some info on me and hopefully that will help. I know it takes time to learn a art. Im a tattoo artist so I have patients. (kinda)
-I dont need a large volume kit, be happy with 2 gallon batchs but more than 5 would be to much.
-would love a kit with how to dvd. and possible all needed tools/equip.
-Beers I like black lagars,porters,scottish ales,pale ales if not to overpowering.love honey wheats. to much wheat i dont care for.
-What ive learned so far is it might be best to start with pales, seen alot of danger warnings for glass.
-For bottling Can i use all the sam adams bottle i have if cleaned and buy some caps and capper? Should I use growlers from local brewer?
- INFO on how to learn. Knowlodge is king. opinions on how to learn how to brew. Theres a wrong and right way to do everything. any info would be much appriciated. I would like to keep start up total around $100
Ive read alot in my search that many people have started like this , "im gonna just brew little batchs" and end up converting there garage into a brewery.

BrutalBrew said:

Hello all . Ive been wanting to try home brewing for some time , but before I start buying kits and mixs and going over board I want to be smart about things. Ive searched the internet and came to realize my best bet is to join a forum. Theres so many kits out the I have no idea where to start . And I do not know how to brew so im the ultimate noob.
I would love some advice on what would be a good kit to start brewing. I dont even know what kits will allow what brews, i have alot to learn. so Im gonna give some info on me and hopefully that will help. I know it takes time to learn a art. Im a tattoo artist so I have patients. (kinda)
-I dont need a large volume kit, be happy with 2 gallon batchs but more than 5 would be to much.
-would love a kit with how to dvd. and possible all needed tools/equip.
-Beers I like black lagars,porters,scottish ales,pale ales if not to overpowering.love honey wheats. to much wheat i dont care for.
-What ive learned so far is it might be best to start with pales, seen alot of danger warnings for glass.
-For bottling Can i use all the sam adams bottle i have if cleaned and buy some caps and capper? Should I use growlers from local brewer?
- INFO on how to learn. Knowlodge is king. opinions on how to learn how to brew. Theres a wrong and right way to do everything. any info would be much appriciated.
Ive read alot in my search that many people have started like this , "im gonna just brew little batchs" and end up converting there garage into a brewery.

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Hey, and welcome! You've found a great community.

Read John Palmer's "How To Brew". The third edition is in book form but the first edition is free at www.howtobrew.com.

Do you have an LHBS (local homebrew store) near by? That'd be a great place to get a kit and talk to someone in person. If not, www.midwestsupplies.com has a good basic kit and if you check the box, you get a free dvd too. They also have great ingredient kits that come with everything you need and instructions. Stick with ales first, as those can ferment at or below room temperature. Lagers need to ferment much colder and that may require additional equipment.

The "standard" homebrew batch seems to be about 5 gallons. That doesn't take up that much space. I couldn't imagine doing less, i already drink my batches fast as it is! Sam Adams bottles are fine, and any basic kit should come with a capper.

I think i covered everything.....

You're in luck! This Groupon just popped up:

http://touch.groupon.com/deals/midw...db74c3616bdd7f8741abac352dcf3093c&mobile=true

It includes literally everything you need except bottles and a big pot!

Also, sorry about the crazy link...posting from my phone.

That groupon is a great deal! That kit would have everything that you'd need to get started. The kits also include step by step instructions on the brewing process. You'll just need to get a large boiling kettle!

I started with mr. Beer and loved it! Its pretty cheep and super easy! It planted the seed for me! Now i brew 5 gallon batches but use the mr. Beer for experamental and fun batches! So if you are looking to dip your toes and see how you like it check out mrbeer.com

That's a crazy good deal. Makes me wish I waited. Of course today is my first brew day, so maybe not...

i have to second Rifraf's suggestion. Midwest has some great starter kit's that'll get you just about everything you need to start making beer. they also have some great ingredient kits, for all styles of beer, i actually just brewed one of their kits last night. they always turn out very nice.
also, do a lot of reading and research. Palmer's How to Brew is great, as is Papazian's ......Complete Joy of Homebrewing. these forums are one of the best resources for home brewing info, so feel confident that you've found the right forum. check out all the 'stickies' at the top of each forum, there's lots of useful info.
as far as bottles, you can re cap most any pop top bottle you save. just make sure you wash and sanitize very well. FWIW, i think it makes much more sense to buy your bottles with beer included from the liquor store than to pay almost the same price for empty bottles at the HBS shop.
lastly, welcome to the forums, and to the hobby! you're gonna love it!

Nevermind about the mr. Beer! Go with the groupon! Pretty good deal! Super cheap! Go to target or walmart for.a boil pot! I got mine for 20 bucks! Works great. The bottles at mid west.supply arw pretty cheap aswell! Good luck man! Once you start there is no stopping! Lol

I'm on my phone so I didn't look at the groupin, but you could get started with the following for extract batches:

6.5 gallon bucket with grommeted lid for around $15
Airlock $3
Bottling bucket $12-15
Hydrometer
2 gallon stock pot from wal mart $10 or less
Siphon and hose $15 or so

Like I said, I didn't see the groupon so it may be a better deal than piecing together your own.

Also, don't bottle in growlers. They can't stand up to the pressure of the fermentation and carbonation.

Do the groupon kit, it is a great deal if it's the same Midwest one I started with. You get two ingredient kits. Do yourself a huge favor and spring for a 3/8 inch autosiphon. I'm probably 10 batches in and still use everything that was in the kit except the plastic racking cane.

Akron/canton has the midwest groupon today too

crazyseany said:

Akron/canton has the midwest groupon today too

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Yeah doesnt matter what city you're in, it's a national deal

rifraf said:

Yeah doesnt matter what city you're in, it's a national deal

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ya gotta love Midwest. they do those groupons fairly often. i'm pretty sure you can add on or upgrade items in those starter kits, too.

a few extra things that are helpful to get started:

an auto siphon instead of the racking cane
a couple extra bungs and airlocks (trust me)
tubing for a blowoff tube (search HBT, they're important)
StarSan
and that DVD is nice, but grab a copy of How to Brew or The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

oh yeah, and another ingredient kit so you have something to do while you wait for the first to bottle condition. (again, trust me)

NordeastBrewer77 said:

ya gotta love Midwest. they do those groupons fairly often. i'm pretty sure you can add on or upgrade items in those starter kits, too.

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Unfortunately not with the groupon. There is a separate item on their site now that is the "Groupon Kit". Tried calling and asking but said couldnt sub recipes or even swap out for the carboy kit and pay retail difference.

First time i ever got shut down trying to upsale myself.

mpenn35 said:

Also, don't bottle in growlers. They can't stand up to the pressure of the fermentation and carbonation.

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Im not going to use the growler to ferment in , just to store in after the witchs brew is complete. Just thinking it might be cheaper to use them , im thinking bottles might keep longer. I dont even know the shelf life of home brewed beer is. I have alot to learn. The local brewery in plainfield IN here has great beer at 7.50 a growler. 4 bucks for a growler. Every beer has a different self life. 6 weeks seems to be the max. but im going by taste and no knowledge.

Im going to check out the group on thing , hopefully group on is free to sign up for. Im suprised on how much help ive received in such a short amount of time from the post. Thanks ...

It will take over your garage!!! I know it has for me. Best of luck! It's a great and rewarding hobby.

BrutalBrew said:

Im not going to use the growler to ferment in , just to store in after the witchs brew is complete. Just thinking it might be cheaper to use them , im thinking bottles might keep longer. I dont even know the shelf life of home brewed beer is. I have alot to learn. The local brewery in plainfield IN here has great beer at 7.50 a growler. 4 bucks for a growler. Every beer has a different self life. 6 weeks seems to be the max. but im going by taste and no knowledge.

Im going to check out the group on think , hopefully group on is free to sign up for. Im suprised on how much help ive received in such a short amount of time from the post. Thanks ...

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What I meant was this: when you bottle your beer, you will add a certain amount of sugar to it so that it carbonates. That happens by the yeast in suspension in your beer fermenting that sugar and producing co2. A growler isn't made for that, much like a wine bottle, and you're essentially creating a glass bomb that could explode at any time during aging and carbonating.

And I actually live in Plainfield, IN, so I'm assuming you mean growlers from Black Swan? You can't bottle on those, unfortunately.

I see. great info. I didn't realize part of the process was after bottling ,i have much to learn. makes sense. I go to 3 pints off 267 close to 70 . Black swan , there's another brewer out here????

The group on seems to be a great deal ,for the cost of the kit you also get a mix, dvd , $25 gift card for next purchase, and a bottle opener for the wallet lol.

BrutalBrew said:

The group on seems to be a great deal ,for the cost of the kit you also get a mix, dvd , $25 gift card for next purchase, and a bottle opener for the wallet lol.

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FYI the gift card is only good on ingredient kits, couldn't use it on something like a carboy. It's still a great deal....i actually *just* used the wallet opener, it's great!

BrutalBrew said:

I see. great info. I didn't realize part of the process was after bottling ,i have much to learn. makes sense. I go to 3 pints off 267 close to 70 . Black swan , there's another brewer out here????

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Oh ok, haven't been to Three Pints in a while, didn't know they sold growlers. Yeah Black Swan is across from BP and Burger King on Hadley right off 267. Their cream stout is excellent, and they've generally got about 8-10 of their own beers on tap. Go there and get a flight so you can sample all of their stuff.

And as for brewing, read as much as you can both in the books and on this forum. Figure out the process for your first brew, and give it a try. And take notes, they'll help you troubleshoot if something is wrong, and they'll help you learn a lot.

rifraf said:

...i actually *just* used the wallet opener, it's great!

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My wallet seems to open automatically whenever I see beer or brewing stuff.

MrBeer has been great, just follow the forum members suggestion and it's a quick cheap way to start, you're not doing much else then making smaller batches of anything you'd be doing extract wise anyways.

1. Never use booster
2. Buy the better kits off the website
3. ignore all directions and ferment 2-3 weeks and bottle and carb/condition 4 weeks (You'll hear this referred to as 2/2/2)

My wife happens to be a group on member and had a $10 off coupon that I used with the deal at Midwest brewing. So I ordered the kit and got it all for $55 bucks. plus $12 more for shipping but im happy with the deal i got, cant finalize the deal until Monday for some reason (have to wait for the time of the deal to expire. I don't know why, not familiar with groupon but i will gladly wait a few day to get this great deal. So I guess while I wait for the delivery its time to read and learn. Note , most you tube videos are not much help. Thanks for all the help and look forward to brewing and being apart of this community.

How much beer do those kits from midwest make

I believe 5 gallons. Group on you can get $160 worth of stuff for $65 . Great deal. Only 1 day left.

mpenn35 said:

Oh ok, haven't been to Three Pints in a while, didn't know they sold growlers. Yeah Black Swan is across from BP and Burger King on Hadley right off 267. Their cream stout is excellent, and they've generally got about 8-10 of their own beers on tap. Go there and get a flight so you can sample all of their stuff.

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I just got back from black swan and got a growler of Scottish ale,it is very good. Thanks for the tip. Ive been going to 3 pints for a year now and didnt know black swan was right across the street.It was a bbq place last I knew. 2 brewers in this small town is great...

BrutalBrew said:

I just got back from black swan and got a growler of Scottish ale,it is very good. Thanks for the tip. Ive been going to 3 pints for a year now and didnt know black swan was right across the street.It was a bbq place last I knew. 2 brewers in this small town is great...

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Yeah, they both opened probably within a month of each other too. Went from like two dive bars and a BW3s to having two brew pubs all of the sudden. I'll take it.

BrutalBrew said:

The local brewery in plainfield IN here has great beer at 7.50 a growler. 4 bucks for a growler. Every beer has a different self life. 6 weeks seems to be the max. but im going by taste and no knowledge.
...

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How can you make a growler last 6 weeks?!? Mine barely last 6 hours... Haha.

lol , filling to many at once.

@Brutal - As the old Shane company syaing goes: "You have a friend in the brewing business!" Tuxedo Park Brewers is your answer!

We are downtown Indy's only dedicated home brew supply shop. We opened a year ago February. We also have the Brew Cube, a 1.5 gallon all grain starter kit so you can get going with advanced brewing without spending a fortune. We also have plenty of samples on the shop kegerator.

You will not regret stopping by during business hours: Tues-Fri 11am - 6:30pm or Saturdays from 11 to 5. Hope to see you soon!

lindenboy said:

@Brutal - As the old Shane company syaing goes: "You have a friend in the brewing business!" Tuxedo Park Brewers is your answer!

We are downtown Indy's only dedicated home brew supply shop. We opened a year ago February. We also have the Brew Cube, a 1.5 gallon all grain starter kit so you can get going with advanced brewing without spending a fortune. We also have plenty of samples on the shop kegerator.

You will not regret stopping by during business hours: Tues-Fri 11am - 6:30pm or Saturdays from 11 to 5. Hope to see you soon!

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Stopped by today and got some bottles and other items. Great shop , good prices, helpful people. Tryed the PA on tap , very good.. I will see you guys Saturday for the free brew shop....... I recommend anyone in the indy area to at least stop by there once. I drove from plainfield and well worth it.

I just tried the group on deal and web site stated that the deal has ended site stated that 330 coupons were sold, looked like a great set up. I just purchased a similar kit 2 weeks ago and currently have an coopers IPA in the secondary fermenter waiting to start bottling this Saturday. :rockin: