Beginner Beer/Wine Kit

[jkruer01]

Hello Everyone,

Recently I met someone that made homemade beer and wine. This is something that I have been interested in for a long time. They said they received a kit for Christmas that was able to make both beer and wine. He told me what it was but unfortunately I don't remember and I have no way of contacting him.

I am looking for a good beginner kit that would make both beer and wine. I am hoping to stick around the $100 price range. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I would really appreciate it. I would prefer something that can be added on to if I decide to get more involved versus something that I would have to buy all new equipment if I want to make more complicated brews.

Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[lady_brewer]

Usually the beginner beer/ wine kits include the basics that you need to make either.

This means:
Bucket
Carboy
Hydrometer
Siphon Hose
Spoon
Thermometer
(maybe a wine thief)
Sometimes cleaner and sanitizer

These kits tend to be the basic equipment. If you move on to more complex brewing (or wine making) you may need to buy additional equipment. You will still use the starter equipment.

I should also mention that you are going to need a capper (for beer) or a corker (for wine). Some of the shops will also rent equipment (for example I can get a floor corker for $3/day)

Hope this helps!

 

[Nurmey]

Welcome to HBT!

Most of the equipment for wine and beer is the same. As Lady Brewer mentioned, the difference is the capper versus corker. The link below is a nice place to look at some equipment kit options from a reputable supplier.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewing-equipment/equipment-kits/compare-all-kits.html

 

[jkruer01]

Thank You both for your help. Ok, so I did some calling around. I called two local brew stores and I called midwest supplies as well.

1 of the local brew stores said that you can't use the same carboy and fermenter for both wine and beer because the wine comes in 6gal kits and the beer comes in 5gal kits. He said if I made beer in the 6gal carboy and fermenter there would be too much head space and it would oxidize the beer.

The other local brew store said to just get a wine kit and it will be able to make both. She said the extra head space wouldn't affect the beer.

Midwest Supplies said that there is some truth to the extra head space but he said that it wouldn't make a big enough difference to really be noticeable to the average person.

Sooo.....who is right? Can I get a 6gal Carboy/Fermenter and make beer in it or will it oxidize the beer and make it tast funny/bad?

Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[BackBayBrewing]

1 of the local brew stores said that you can't use the same carboy and fermenter for both wine and beer because the wine comes in 6gal kits and the beer comes in 5gal kits. He said if I made beer in the 6gal carboy and fermenter there would be too much head space and it would oxidize the beer.

Can I get a 6gal Carboy/Fermenter and make beer in it or will it oxidize the beer and make it tast funny/bad?

This is wrong. You absolutely can, and should make beer in a 6 gallon carboy. Fermentation produces krausen (foam) which needs room to form, and then fall back into the beer. It also produces heavy amounts of CO2, which pushes the oxygen out of the airlock on top of the carboy. This greatly reduces the risk of oxidation of the beer while fermenting. Some kits also come with a 5 gallon carboy for secondary fermentation, but you can read on these boards why secondary is not necessary.

Don't listen to the guy that tells you you can't use a 6 gallon carboy for beer. If you tried to use a 5 gallon carboy for you primary beer fermenting vessel you would have a mess on your hands every time.

 

[jkruer01]

Thanks! I appreciate the advice! So, I am looking at Midwest Supplies and they have a Beer Kit for $89.95 and a wine kit for $87.95 that I am looking at.

The Beer Kit Includes:
• Instructional Homebrewing Video or DVD
• 71 page instructional book
• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
• 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter with Lid
• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot
• 8 Oz. of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser
• Drilled Universal Carboy Bung
• Airlock (Keeps air out of the fermenter)
• Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content)
• Bottle Brush
• Carboy Brush
• Twin Lever Red Baron Bottle Capper
• Bottle Caps
• Liquid Crystal Thermometer
• Bottle Filler
• Fermtech AutoSiphon upgrade
• Siphon Tubing
• Shutoff clamp


The Wine Kit Includes:
• Instructional DVD
• 7.5 gallon plastic fermenter with lid
• 6 gallon glass carboy or 6 gallon Better Bottle
• Stopper
• Airlock
• Bottle brush
• Hydrometer
• 8 ounces of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser
• Double Lever Corker
• 30- #8 X 1 3/4" straight corks
• Racking cane
• 5 feet of siphon tubing
• Bottle filler
• Shut-off clamp
• Equipment instructions

The big difference that I notice is 1)the wine kit comes with a 6gal carboy and 2)The beer kit comes with a Bottleing Bucket with Spikot

Which one would you guys recommend? I'm thinking the wine kit simply because it comes with the 6gal carboy instead of the 5gal.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[BackBayBrewing]

I don't think it really matters. If you are planning on doing both beer and wine, then whichever kit you go with will require a few extra purchases. However, I do like the wine kit because it comes with the carboy instead of the bucket. There is nothing wrong with buckets for fermentation at all, but I really like being able to see through the carboy so that I can watch all the action. It's pretty cool to see the beer when it is really rolling. Also, because I almost never do a secondary, the 5 gallon carboy is pretty much useless for me. I have one and almost never use it.

If you get the wine kit you are going to need to purchase a capper and a bottling bucket.

One more suggestion: go with the better bottle rather than the glass carboy. Glass carboys are great, but they are heavy, and they can break. I have used both and they are both great, but the better bottles are nearly unbreakable and they are light as a feather.

 

[lady_brewer]

Well... the beer kit is set up for you to use the bucket to ferment in and the carboy to secondary in (where the 5gal is fine)

The wine kit has a bigger bucket, so you could do the same as above, but could also make bigger batches (scaling is a pain... but my regular size batches would actually be 6US gal, not 5US gal...since I use the metric system.)

Either will work for you, but you may feel one will suit you better.

Again note that the wine comes with a corker and the beer with a capper. Personally I did not get the type of capper there, but rather got a bench capper, since most of the bottles I have easy access to are twist offs.

I would say it depends on
1. What you plan to brew first
2. How much more equipment to plan on buying down the road
3. What size batches you are going to make
4. If you want to watch your beer. (If this is the case, don't be surprised when it looks scary. If you are worried post pics and then we can tell you it is all normal.)

I am not sure I would have wanted to "watch" my first batch. Now it is cool to see the funky way the yeast acts. On one of my recent batches the foam actually piled up and looked like it was trying to sneak out the airlock (sort of mountain like)... but at first I would have been here in a flash with "is my batch ruined"...

Good luck and happy brewing!!!

 

[jkruer01]

Thanks everyone. I just placed my order at midwest supplies for the Wine Kit w/Better Bottle plus a Red Barron Corker and 144 oxygen absorbing cabs. I plan on making a batch of Apfelwein in the plastic fermenter and a batch of fruit (maybe blackberry or blueberry) wine in the Carboy for my first experiment. My second batch will probably be a wheat beer in the bucket and a Cabernet in the carboy.

Any advice or suggestions?

Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[Wade E]

What are oxygen absorbing cabs?

 

[jkruer01]

OOoops! I meant to say caps not cabs. Sorry about that.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/oxygen-absorbing-caps.html

I have no idea if they actually work or do anything but I thought what the heck I'll give it a try.

Jeremy

 

[Wade E]

Huh, I never heard of those but after bottling once I went straight to kegs so that probably explains that!