Complete Newbie

Hey, i am looking into brewing beer for when my mates come over and play pool and such with me and to get it out of the way before anyone jumps down on me, yes, i am under 18 and i am in Australia where laws allow me to drink in a private area (My home)

Ok, i have done quite a bit of searching online and went back a few pages in this forum and i can't find a complete beginners guide. I'm not really made of money so these $200 books don't appeal to me much as i have another expensive hobby, fish keeping.

I was generally woundering what equipment would i need (Not the bare basics, i read a little on 2 stage fermentation but didn't understand it, bad source). Like i notice you need a hydrometer but would a refractometer work fine? Does anyone know of any cheaper books/sources online which i can do some reading. I want to understand this before i buy equipment so i do it right the first time without the need of wasting money on useless equipment.

Also, is the equipment for brewing cider the same as beer as i quite like the taste of my friends dads home brewed cider he gave me a few weeks ago (He inspired me).

So, if anyone can give me a rough estimate on cost, a good source or if it is not much trouble tell me a little bit about it, the equipment i will need and such i'd really appreciate it!

Thanks, Michael.

Midol said:

Ok, i have done quite a bit of searching online and went back a few pages in this forum and i can't find a complete beginners guide. I'm not really made of money so these $200 books don't appeal to me much as i have another expensive hobby, fish keeping.

Click to expand...

How does free grab you? Try reading How To Brew by John Palmer.

Midol said:

I was generally woundering what equipment would i need (Not the bare basics, i read a little on 2 stage fermentation but didn't understand it, bad source). Like i notice you need a hydrometer but would a refractometer work fine? Does anyone know of any cheaper books/sources online which i can do some reading. I want to understand this before i buy equipment so i do it right the first time without the need of wasting money on useless equipment.

Click to expand...

I believe you'll find a list of items needed in the online book and a refractometer works just fine. Good luck,

Wild

Swear i replied.

Thanks for that, the site is awesome.

How does this sound for a setup to begin with:
http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/category92_1.htm

(The bottom one)

EDIT: Ok, after some browsing and reading i have found spirit brewing things, as far as i can tell they come with all the equipment for beer - the ingredients, would it be wise if i am going to brew some rum in the future to get the spirit brewing equipment and perhaps save money in the long run?

the top one would do you fine, and save a load of money. the only difference is the capper. I have a 2-handed capper and it works fine.
if you're looking to get into it, I'd try the cheaper one and see how it goes, you can always get more if you like it.
K

Seems a bit overpriced from what I've seen in places like Homebrew Heaven or More Beer. The least you should get would be 2 buckets for those kinds of prices. I've always found it necessary to shop around for good deals.

Wild

I believe the prices on that site are in Australian Dollars....so that would explain the appearance of it being overpriced.

Not to mention the international shipping rate.

he's in Oz.

Ohh, yeah, i am in AUS.

I figured i'll just get the top beer kit, i mean, if i get bored of it/don't like it then i can pack it up and store it away without a great loss, though i highly doubt it as i am pretty keen on it.

On a completely irrelevent note, how is Ireland doing in Rugby Union at the moment?

No matches at the moment, we're in preseason (it's summer here see, though sometimes you'd never know by looking out the window ). There's a couple of autumn internationals against the AllBlacks and some others, and the Celtic League and Heineken Cup should be starting up soon....
K

Ummm, what are some good techniques for making it stronger, the less i can drink to get drunk the better.