Hello from Norman!

Hi guys, found this site on google 2 days ago and got a membership after I stayed up until 6 in the morning reading old posts. I'm in east Norman OK and I cook and help in the brewery (read: clean, clean, and clean some more) at a German restaurant. I'm culinary by trade but my dad has homebrewed as long as I can remember and that in conjunction with the recent hours I've spent in the brewery have motivated me finally get off my butt and try it myself.

I just started fermenting my first homebrew ever (a Munton's Gold Docklands Porter 3kg LME kit w/ some chocolate malt added). I'm so new I still haven't gotten an old fridge or kegging setup for my garage yet! I guess I have 2 weeks to figure that part out. I'm trying to do it on a tight budget so I can't just go to Lowes and buy a chest freezer, as much as I'd like to. On deck after that, maybe that tasty looking (and ridiculously simple) Apfelwein I found somewhere on the boards here for SWMBO.

Anyone in the OKC area on here? I'm going to have to figure out what to do with 5 gallons of beer in a month (I hope).

ps: I dropped my thermometer in the wort when I was seeing if it was cool enough to pitch my yeast and I couldn't get it with tongs so I had to sanitize my own arm to get it out. Is my beer ruined?

Welcome
I believe you should be fine.
If not, consider it a learning experience.

Welcome from another OKC brewer. Lots of good information and helpfull people on this site. Be sure to check out the Okie group We of Redman Territory. (I would post the link but have no idea how to do that).



SD

another okie i see. theres a couple more in norman on here. i am over there a couple times a year to visit a friends daughter in college.
you dont need a keg setup right now. but start hitting the bars in town and dumpster dive for bottles.
yes it can get bag but i for one of those remote grabbers and just grab the bottles from the top without digging through the garbage too much. i pulled something like 200 bottles in a weekend. if yuo are looking to buy kegs theres a couple people on here who sell them for pretty good prices. chi companies is a pretty good place to deal with as well. you can pipck up co2 tanks pretty cheap as also at the lbhs in moore. dont need a 20lber a 5 will do. shoot even a paintball canister will do for a keg. oh and keep an eye out for one of those dorm fridges coming up now that the college year is ending quickly. they can fit a keg with a little modification. look for around a 4cuft unit as that will def fit.

and as sdhuck said join the okie group. link in the the siggy.

Welcome!