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fuzzyguy1978

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I'm looking at start for the 1st time. I've read about the Mr beer and extract brewing. Some of my coworker have done it the other way( don't know what it called ). There doing it all from scratch. What is better and were should I start?
 
How to Brew by John Palmer. Read section 1, brewing your first batch, several times. Ignore the rest. Then go to the LHBW and get an ingredients kit plus a starter equipment kit. Lay out the equipment kit and make sure you know what each component if for. Then use it. Good lock.
 
Read, read, read. That's where you should start. Then go pick up an extract kit from the LHBS (local home brew store). You'll need a good sized pot (3-4 gallons), and if you can swing it, get a good brewing starter kit that'll come with fermentation pail, airlock, sanitizer, bottling bucket, capper, etc. They are usually about $100 total and you can brew great beer, really great beer, for a long time with this setup.

Extract brewing (from the kits) usually involves bringing water up to temp, throwing some grains in a bag and letting them sit in the water like tea, then removing them, bringing water to a boil, adding the syrup or dry extract (or both) to the water, stirring often, adding hops as instructions detail, then cooling, pouring or siphoning into a fermenter and "pitching" yeast in it. Throw the lid on and wait...3 weeks later or so (be patient) you'll move the beer (siphon) into a bottling bucket with some boiled water/sugar solution and bottle it up.

3 weeks after that...BEER! :mug:
 
Yep... get some extract brews under your belt first. Nothin' wrong with extract brews. Then you can switch to "partial-mash" brews before "all grain" brews. Partial mash brews don't require near as much special equipment as an all grain brew.

Also "The Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian is another good read. The first 3 sections are dedicated to nothing but the beginner homebrewer.

Gary
 
I started with an Ale Pail, airlock, Brewer's Best kit, and some friends who knew what they were doing. I borrowed a propane burner (always use outside) and a kettle, thermometer...I was on my way.
 
I got started recently with the Coopers DIY kit. Very nice fermentor IMO.
Not bad for getting everything all in one box.

I would go with a straight up extract batch for starters (Coopers kit comes with the OG Lager), then look into doing a couple partial mashes (Extract and Grain mash) before going AG. Well, that's the path I am taking. Some people can go right to AG.
 
Also "The Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian is another good read. The first 3 sections are dedicated to nothing but the beginner homebrewer.

Gary

+1. I read this and still go back to get further explanation on things at times. Plus there are recipes if you start to desire to create things not found in kits. I'd just exchange the word "bleach" with "Star San", though.
 
The Joy of Homebrewing was def the best book for me. I recently picked up the companion. Some very good info and charts ect.
 
Some advice I wish I had when I started my first batch: brew an ale, not a lager. Its easier, faster, and there are fewer things that can go wrong.
 
Some advice I wish I had when I started my first batch: brew an ale, not a lager. Its easier, faster, and there are fewer things that can go wrong.

This. My latest batch was just a simple ale. Next will be a wheat. I have done one lager and currently in the middle of fermenting one. But I like to have a couple batches easy drinking ales on the go. I run 4 fermenters here. 1 for Lager 2 for Ales and 1 to experiment with. I will be tossing a couple 2 gallon fermentors into the mix shortly for smaller batches..
 
I won't be original - read and learn, then make an informed decision. I only did one extract kit, but some people stick with them permanantly.
For me, I don't want any anonymous collaborators - I brew with grain.
 
I received a Mr Beer kit for Christmas and if I knew what was coming, I would have told my wife to save the money for a "real" 5 gallon kit. Nothing wrong with the equipment really but their ingredients and instructions are not very good and 2.4 gallons per batch isn't enough for me. You can google John Palmer's "How to Brew" and it is full of great information to get you started.
 
A basic no-boil pre-hopped kit (e.g. Coopers kits) is a great place to start if you just want to get going right away but haven't read up on the process because it's dead simple, you don't even have to read/learn much before starting. Then while that is in the fermenter, you can read the first part of John Palmer's How To Brew and plan your second batch (if you are ready), with plain extract and hops. Some people like to jump in the deep end right away, some like to study and research for ages before getting started, but I like the staged approach. Plus if you start this way you learn about home brewing at it's very simplest. I started just over a year ago and have learned a lot in that time and love the beer that I brew. Check out my blog for my experiences as a new brewer. This forum is a great resource.
 
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