Lots of newbie questions

First off i am new to the site but have been researching and interested in homebrewing for quite a while.

First off i will start off by saying that i have bought how to brew by john palmer so if you would like to refer to that book that is totally fine by me.

2nd i recently got my first brewing kit for valentines day from my girlfriend (true brew, german light style) and i was looking at the instructions that come with the kit and they are nothing like what i have read in mr. palmer's book as well as on here. So i am wondering where to begin, to i follow the rules that true brew wants me to use, or should i boil for an hour and do things like mr palmer suggests.

3rd i still haven't bought any equipment yet and i am looking for suggestions of good kits, i am not looking to go cheap on this, i am definitely looking to make a good solid investment with the equipment that i will need. I do not really want to have to add on for a little while enough equipment to ferment 2 at once possibly.

all of your input and suggestions are greatly appreciated, i am happy to be joining this great community.

thanks a lot

Kyler

Sorry, I dont really know the kits, but is the extract pre-hopped or not, if it is not pre-hopped follow palmer or this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/beginner-extract-brewing-howto-99139/. I don't know anything about pre-hopped, so the kit instructions would work ok...?

For the kit I would suggest finding a home brew store near you, its invaluable to talk to some one and see what you're buying. Thats how I started and it made me feel so much better talking to the guy at the store. They are really helpful. The only extra thing you need to do 2 at once is another fermenter set up (i.e. carboy and air lock)

Personally, I tend to ignore the instructions that come with kits. They often will tell you to ferment for a week, then go straight to bottles. That, in and of itself, is enough reason for me to toss 'em. I do, however, tend to follow the hopping schedule. If it says to add 2oz at 60 minutes, 1 oz at 15, etc... That much I'll listen to.

As for starter kits, I started with this kit from Midwest Supplies. If you would like to keg your beer as well, you can look at the Master kit. With that, you can even tack on a few extra corny kegs. I will say that I should have also bought 1-3 more primary fermenters (6.5 gal buckets or 6 gal Better Bottles) because the 5 gallon carboys that come with the kit aren't as big as I would like. They tend to have a good amount of blow-off, so I got a couple of 6 gallon carboys and now use the 5 gallons for secondary or Apfelwine.

Oh, and you'll probably want a wort chiller. That's another thing I wished I had starting off.

okay first off this kit is NOT pre hopped and to eliminate further confusion the kit is as follows:

3.3 lbs of light malt extract (liquid)
1 lb of rice sugar solids
1 lb of corn sugar
1 oz of UK first gold hop pellets (alpha 7%)
7g brewing yeast
5 oz priming yeast (dextrose)

that kit on midwest supplies was basically what i was looking at, except i was thinking 6gal better bottles instead of the 5 gal buckets. does that make sense?

i was just going to go the nearest home brew shop (in ann arbor) and talk to them and basically follow what that kit shows, except for like i mentioned the fermenting containers.

i appreciate the help, keep it coming

The buckets that kit comes with (fermenter and bottling bucket) are both at least 6 gallons. Probably closer to 6.5, but I haven't personally measured mine.

You could always get the kit, tack on a few 6g Better Bottles, then just use the 5 gals for secondaries or for brews that don't have much krauzen.

Really though, get a wort chiller too. You'll thank yourself later.

yeah i am looking into getting a starter kit and then adding a couple of 6 gallon better bottles, i will probably use the better bottles as primaries and use the bucket as either a secondary or just will not use it too much at all.

i am still wondering thought whether to use palmers methods or to just use the kit methods, i am leaning hard to useing palmers techniques as they seem like they would produce a much bettter brew than what comes with the kit.

yeah the idea of getting a wort chiller does seem like a good one and if i can find one for a reasonable price i may just invest in one of them now. what am i really looking for when i go to purchase a wort chiller.

and for some of the other equipment, any things i am looking to definitely NOT get? any help you can give is priceless information.... thanks!

I agree get yourself a chiller and spend a few extra bucks and get a large kettle and propane cooker so you can do full boils.

Most people use copper wort chillers that they either bought or made themselves. Personally, I use a stainless steel one because it was much cheaper ($50). Be sure to understand that the ones you buy will generally come with hose fittings that won't fit on your kitchen sink. The adapter for that is a buck or two more if you plan on chilling in your kitchen. Some of them have hose fittings on the input and output ends, some have short lengths of hose attatched to either end. Again, it all comes down to whether you plan on chilling in your kitchen or in your yard.

As for using the buckets as secondaries, you'll get different opinions about this. The general arguement is that you want as little headspace as possible to prevent oxidation. Many people still use 6 gallon containers for 5 gallon batches without a problem. Someone (I believe it was Yooper) suggested that you could always sanatize a bunch of glass marbles and dump them in before you rack to take up that extra space. I've only ever racked into a 6 gallon secondary once, no marbles or anything, and that brew isn't ready to drink yet. I'll know in a few weeks how it turns out, but I'm sure it will be fine.

I can't really think of any equipment you should definitely not get... I guess you don't really want a carboy brush since they can scratch up plastic containers which gives bacteria a nice place to hide. I just soak for 24 hours in PBW and call it clean. I don't own a bottle tree... I know a lot of people love them, but I just couldn't justify the money when I can just use a spray bottle with Star San to sanitize my dishwasher and use that. A bottle/carboy washer is an awesome investment. Just like with the wort chiller though, it's designed for hose fittings, so you'd need that same adapter. Good thing there is that you only need one, and it can run double duty.

There's a million other little things that are nice to have, but aren't 100% necessary. I could go on if you want.

unfortunately doing full boils (with an outside propane burner) isn't really possible in my apartment. what should be the amount of liquid though that i am trying to boil on my stove, becuase that is abuot the only way i am going to be able to do it here.

i would obviously like to do as much of a boil as possible though boiling all 5 finished gallons of wort will be tough on my stove.
thanks for the advice

I would suggest picking up another can of malt extract, or a couple pounds of dry malt extract, and using that instead of the "1 lb of rice sugar solids and 1 lb of corn sugar". What you have will make beer, but if you substitute malt extract for the sugar you will have a better beer. If you follow Palmer's instruction, you will more than likely end up with an excellent first beer, and the beginnings of the obsesi... I mean hobby that is home brewing.
Most starter kits come with a bottling bucket, and a primary bucket. Premium kits may also include a 5 gallon carboy for a secondary. These sets have everything you need to make very good beer. I still primary in the bucket that came with my starter kit, and probably will until it wears out.
A wort chiller would be nice, but isn't dead necessary until you start getting into doing full 5 gallon boils. I made mine from some old copper tubing that was laying around my house.
I would personally buy a turkey fryer and do your boiling outside before I should start buying more fermenters.

You should be able to find a 24-28 qt. kettle pretty easily. Granted, they aren't cheap, but they'll work on your stove. It might take longer to bring it to boil, especially if you have an electric range, but it will still work.

A 20 quart pot works great for most indoor extract batches. I would boil 3 1/2 gallons of water for my wort, and use pre-boiled water to make up the rest of the 5 gallon batch.

edit, llama keeps beating me to it.

is your stove gas or electric?

It's hard to get full boils going on electric stoves without upgrading the element or insulating the pot. If you have a gas stove though you can straddle 2 burners. I use this method and am able to boil 7 gallons of wort without a problem in my apartment. I have a 32qt brew pot.

sterling214 said:

A 20 quart pot works great for most indoor extract batches. I would boil 3 1/2 gallons of water for my wort, and use pre-boiled water to make up the rest of the 5 gallon batch.

edit, llama keeps beating me to it.

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Yup, I'm on point this morning. I like to consider myself a JEEP, as oppsed to a FNG. For those not savvy in Air Force slang, JEEP stands for Just Enough Education to Pass, meaning that you're not brand new anymore, but you still need much more training. FNG is F***ing New Guy, which is about as low as you can get while still technically being classified as human.

Since I decided to promote myself out of FNG status, I'm trying to answer as many FNG questions as I can. Takes a bit of the strain off folks like BierMuncher, Revvy, Yooper, etc... who are probably getting pretty sick of answering the same 5 questions over and over.

i have a gas stove and i can try and use two burners to help achieve a fuller boil, it is really going to depend on the pot that i buy but i will work on getting something that will allow me to get as close as possible to doing a full boil.

so in regards to not using the sugars that came with the kit, what is the reasoning behind that. i mean i know that they will work fine, but what differences will i notice when using what you suggested?

also when looking at pots, should i get aluminum, or ss? i know that their are differences and that some people like different ones for different reasons but what works well and is there a reason i should get one over the other

When you use sugar, as opposed to DME, you're probably going to end up with a less full-bodied beer. Corn or rice sugar will thin out the beer, and result in less flavor in the finished product. You should (just my opinion, take it at face value) especially consider ditching the rice sugar in exchange for some DME, unless you want to end up with Bud Light. If that's what you're shooting for, then more power to ya. It is my opinion that the beer would taste better with 2 lbs. of Golden Light DME, and it would be better still with an extra can of malt extract instead.

Did I mention that that's just my opinion, and I'm by no means an expert?

alright so getting rid of both of my 1 lb bags of sugars and adding some DME sounds like a good idea and will get me a better more flavorful result. so how do i go about buying something like this, what should i be looking for when i am getting either dry malt extract or just another can of malt extract, and how do i impliment them into what i am making, is it just another addition to the wort after i get it to a boil? thanks i appreciate all of you bearing with me, i am a beginner and am absolutely facinated by this.

If you have a local homebrew store, try there. If not, there are several excellent websites. Austin Homebrew, Brewmasters Warehouse, Midwest Supplies, etc...

If you use a can of malt extract, I would say use the same kind you already have. If you go DME, you want a lighter extract that will compliment the style of beer you are making. In this case, Golden Light comes to mind. You can add these at the same time you add your can of extract, which of course should be done with the kettle off of the flame. No need to scorch your extract and get all those funny flavors here.

If you have any more questions about your actual brewing process, a very nice man by the name of John Palmer thought it would be a good idea to post an entire book about homebrewing on the internet for all of us newbies. How to Brew - By John Palmer

The first chapter is designed for the new brewer who is standing in his kitchen staring at a bunch of ingredients from a kit, and wondering how the heck he turns all that into beer. Plus, once you have that batch fermenting happily, you can read the whole rest of the book and be prepared for batch # 2.

Most LHBS sell dry extract in either 3lb bags, or bulk out of a bin. This extract would be added at the same time as the extract you already have, weather you decide to go with DME or LME. I personally prefer brewing with DME, but others prefer LME.
I give up. he's all yours llama.

yeah i actually bought the book and have been reading it, i think my problem is that i just need to get out there and actually start brewing and stop thinking about how exactly i want to do it. haha. i guess i am just over thinking the whole thing.

again any help is greatly appreciated

Hey, it's better to overthink and underdo than to underthink and overdo. If it was me with my first batch, I'd probably be in too much of a rush to do anything other than brew with the ingredients I already have. If you take the advice here, you'll probably end up with better beer. If you ignore it, you'll still end up with beer!

sterling: sorry to keep jumping over you, I'm just on top of my game today.

Hummm... someone who wants to start big...

I know i wouldn't do that unless i really tried my hands on the basic minimalist stuff and know that i really like it before i going on a spending spree, but that's just me.

Been brewing for only two years, and i know i will never aim for the big leagues, i like things that are simple to do and wont cost me an arm and leg.

my equipment consists on:
* A Hydrometer
* 2 primary plastic buckets
* 2 glass carboy (now sitting in their respective foam coated milk crates) along with bubblers
* an auto siphon and a bottling wand.
* a bottle sink adapted reversed sprinkler for bottle rinsing (whatever that thing is supposed to be called)
* a dishwasher
* a big stainless steel pot
* a stove in the kitchen
* a bottle capper
* some stuff i use from the kitchen, strainers, blender for my grains and such...

Do i want to buy anything else?
No, makes beer and mighty good ones at that according to my own personnal set of standards.

No problem llama, I'm just too slow. Your posts are much better than mine anyway. Kyler, just remember to read Palmer's points about cleanliness and sanitation a 3'rd and 4th time. These are the most important parts of brewing. Don't make the same mistake that I did either. I thought that the one-step cleanser that came with my starter kit was a sanitizer, but it isn't. I would suggest you pick up a bottle of san-star and use it according to its instructions.

Oh, just one last thought. You might want to get a bottle of Star San and use it on everything. Sanitization is next to Godliness.

Oh darn, Sterling beat me to it.

Stef1966 said:

Hummm... someone who wants to start big...

I know i wouldn't do that unless i really tried my hands on the basic minimalist stuff and know that i really like it before i going on a spending spree, but that's just me.

Been brewing for only two years, and i know i will never aim for the big leagues, i like things that are simple to do and wont cost me an arm and leg.

my equipment consists on:
* A Hydrometer
* 2 primary plastic buckets
* 2 glass carboy (now sitting in their respective foam coated milk crates) along with bubblers
* an auto siphon and a bottling wand.
* a bottle sink adapted reversed sprinkler for bottle rinsing (whatever that thing is supposed to be called)
* a dishwasher
* a big stainless steel pot
* a stove in the kitchen
* a bottle capper
* some stuff i use from the kitchen, strainers and such...

Do i want to buy anything else?
No, makes beer and mighty good ones at that according to my own personnal set of standards.

Click to expand...

not really starting big, i just am extremely interested in it and i know that i am going to enjoy it. i am just trying to start off as sucessful as i can possibly be, i mean i know that i can only do so well on my first batch but i want it to be at least a decent batch.

not really starting big, i just am extremely interested in it and i know that i am going to enjoy it. i am just trying to start off as sucessful as i can possibly be, i mean i know that i can only do so well on my first batch but i want it to be at least a decent batch.

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No problems man.
Just wanted to add a little reminder that it doesn't have to be complicated to be good.

kylerwilliams19 said:

okay first off this kit is NOT pre hopped and to eliminate further confusion the kit is as follows:

3.3 lbs of light malt extract (liquid)
1 lb of rice sugar solids
1 lb of corn sugar
1 oz of UK first gold hop pellets (alpha 7%)
7g brewing yeast
5 oz priming yeast (dextrose)

that kit on midwest supplies was basically what i was looking at, except i was thinking 6gal better bottles instead of the 5 gal buckets. does that make sense?

i was just going to go the nearest home brew shop (in ann arbor) and talk to them and basically follow what that kit shows, except for like i mentioned the fermenting containers.

i appreciate the help, keep it coming

Click to expand...

Kyler,

I am originally from that area of the state (midland) and there is a closer homebrew store. Check out Opperman's Cork 'N Ale in Saginaw (Oppermann's Cork 'N' Ale). Should save you an hour or two driving.

Good luck!

thanks i was just going to go there because i knew there were a few down there and the gf lives there. thanks tho for the suggestion i will def check it out