About to drive 2 hours to purchase...

I always try to buy locally when possible, so I'm extending that effort to brewing/bottling equipment. However, I see this kit on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BSJ2HW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

And quite frankly, it's a good bit more of a value than the kit offered at the place I'm heading to in Columbus.

I guess my question is, is that link above a REALLY good deal, or just okay?

Would you suggest a different kit for a first time bottler?

I'm VERY new to this.

Thanks so much in advance!

This one's even better:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-intermediate-kit-with-two-5-gallon-better-bottle-carboys.html

However, you have to pay for shipping and wait for it to arrive. It also does not come with any advice or hands-on instruction that a good homebrew shop clerk/owner should be able to provide.

Yuri_Rage said:

This one's even better:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-intermediate-kit-with-two-5-gallon-better-bottle-carboys.html

However, you have to pay for shipping and wait for it to arrive. It also does not come with any advice or hands-on instruction that a good homebrew shop clerk/owner should be able to provide.

Click to expand...

I feel like I may have waited to long already, so another couple days might not hurt? (we made this batch on Superbowl weekend and it's been in the same fermenter since). I don't know.

The guy I talked to on the phone was really unimpressive with suggestions/advice, so I'm nervouse about driving all the way up there and getting some clerk who doesn't really care/want to help.

Bah, decisions.

Thank you for the link!

If you are in Columbus, Ohio you need to go to Gentiles on the corner of North Star and King near Grandview. Go during the day and talk with the guy who has the black beard (sorry, i do not know his name). He really knows his stuff.

BrewMoreBeers said:

If you are in Columbus, Ohio you need to go to Gentiles on the corner of North Star and King near Grandview. Go during the day and talk with the guy who has the black beard (sorry, i do not know his name). He really knows his stuff.

Click to expand...

I appreciate that!

I will, for sure.

Print out that kit and see if they can get close to it. You don't need both better bottles, and it sound like you may already have some stuff. There's also a home brew shop in Athens think its called the Do it Yourself shop? Not sure what they have, the memories of my 4 years in Athens are generally foggy.

Since my primary work experience has been in retail management I kind of know what to handle myself in a retail store.

So when I made that big step from a MR Beer kit to "real" equipment I made a list to take with me. I went to some home brew supply websites and copied down what most kits contained and their costs. I wrote down all the recommended add-ons and also browsed the forums here for odds and ends equipment to buy. I had about 500 dollars to invest in equipment so I took my list and all of my newly acquired knowledge to my LHBS.

I handed my list to the guy working there who ended up being such a great help to me that I tipped him 10 dollars. I told him that I had been doing extract kits with a MR Beer kit and I was ready to upgrade. I wanted to be able to brew and bottle any recipe kit beside an all grain kit. It took about an hour to go through the whole store and talk about all of the different pieces of equipment needed through out the process. After it was all said and done I spent about 450 dollars of my allotted 500.

I know that is a fairly high number for most people. I did by an extra 3 gallon carboy because I wanted to start making country wine. I also bought a bunch of airlocks and stopper along with soda extracts and a cheese making kit.

The only thing that I did not get that I feel might have been beneficial was a wort chiller. We talked about it while I was there and he recommended that I wait and just buy a plate chiller when I was ready. As for as any equipment that I was sold that I didn't need, I can not say that I was sold any.

My bottom line advice is to go into the store with some knowledge and a list and you will end up fine!

TwoFortySX said:

The only thing that I did not get that I feel might have been beneficial was a wort chiller.

Click to expand...

Pick one of these up if you can.

wh4tig0t said:

Pick one of these up if you can.

Click to expand...

I have done multiple batches since I bought my equipment. I will say that it can be a pain to get the wort cool and sometimes it takes a while without a wort cooler but I haven't had any problems with the ice bath method. I do agree with you though, a wort cooler is going to be my next purchase! I just want to purchase a large enough plate cooler that I do not have to repurchase one in the future.

5 gallon better bottles are kinda limited to secondary use, which some of us don't bother with...just a heads up.

Gentiles has the basic starter kits...that is where I bought my first kit and it has all the basics one expects to find in a $50ish kit. They also stock Better Bottles, buckets, glass carboys and a bunch of other supplies. The only stuff they do not have are kegging supplies.

I am a STRONG advocate of buying locally, even if that means paying a bit more. Two hour drives are not in my "locally" definition and I would just mail order from one of the well known sites that are members of HBT. I can count on one finger all of the great advice I received over the years from the LHBS, and I have many to choose from. IMO you are better off with a good book and a lot of reading of this and several other internet sites.

One thing I would save some money for would be kegging. I almost stopped brewing because of the effort and pain of bottling. I'm not saying you need it to start out, but start thinking about it. It saved me from quitting. Now I brew a batch every two weeks and am kegging a new batch about every two weeks I have a two corny keg system. I don't drink it all, but I have an absolute ball giving beer away.

Again, you really don't need it to start out. In fact I probably bottled for three or four years before kegging, but make the investment if you can. It's well worth t.