Best Beginner Starter Kit?

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The contamination I was refering to was from the air outside or in the garage - dust, tree dirt, anything floating around outside or in the garage. Once the wort gets down below sanitization temps if anything "falls in" you could end up with a contamination problem. You can cover it up with aluminum foil for added protection.

Ahh, Okay! So Water Hose -> Wort Chiller is fine. I was ready to be super anal about sanitation but that totally makes sense. Thanks!

 

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This is pretty accurate… the only significant difference between extract brewing and all grain is that the process of mashing has already been done for you (LME or DME). A good extract kit will include a pale base extract and specialty grains to steep to get a suitable wort for the style you’re brewing. Hops and other boil additions are the same no matter which method you choose. You can definitely create good recipes for extract brewing if you want to. Most of the big online suppliers offer great kits that don’t need much adjustment. Take MoreBeer for example (they list the ingredients for all their kits)… look up one of their extract kits, then look at the same all grain kit… usually the only difference you’ll see is the substitution of about 6 pounds of extract for around 10 pounds of base malt grain. Everything else is typically the same, including the specialty grains.
I will point out now that sometimes MoreBeer’s crush is less than ideal (especially for BIAB) if you choose to have them do it.

Yeah, I just did exactly as you said and I totally see what you mean. Another dumb question: how do folks make their own recipes then?

 

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When I did extract, I used Morebeer's already done recipes. I am sure you can tweak with Extract as well, as the hops are where most of the flavor and bitterness come from and you can play around with the specialty grains to add malty flavor, color and sweetness I am guessing. I will let the pro's answer it for sure, but I am sure you can buy the extract and add whatever hops and other grains you want to get a distinct recipe.

Ahhh, okay. I just asked @camonick how you would customize or create your own recipes... but this makes sense. @redrocker652002 since you're still a pretty new brewer when do you think you'll venture into unknown territories regarding recipes?

 

[camonick]

Yeah, I just did exactly as you said and I totally see what you mean. Another dumb question: how do folks make their own recipes then?

It comes with a LOT of experience, style knowledge and the understanding of how each ingredient contributes to the overall product. I would consider recipe formulation an advanced skill. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting and playing with ingredients, but to be successful, it helps to understand the flavors and characteristics each one can impart. I’ve been brewing for about 20 years and I have only personally created a handful of my own unique recipes… some good and others not so much. There are so many proven recipes available, I just don’t see the need to reinvent the wheel so to speak. I do a lot of internet research if I want to brew a new style, will review multiple recipes for that style, then decide if they “look” right for what I expect the beer to taste like.

There are a lot of brewing programs available (some free, some not) and I think it’s helpful to use one whether you’re brewing with kits or creating your own recipes. Once you get a good handle on all the steps and how ingredients “play” with each other, then you can begin manipulating recipes.

As a very new beginner, I guess I would say that this is probably one of the least important things to worry about now.

 

[redrocker652002]

Ahhh, okay. I just asked @camonick how you would customize or create your own recipes... but this makes sense. @redrocker652002 since you're still a pretty new brewer when do you think you'll venture into unknown territories regarding recipes?

I did about a year into it. I am still messing around with my process so I am sticking with either Morebeer or recipes I find here. My next is going to be a recipe I saw here of a Pale Ale that is closely related to Russian River Brewing company Pale that they sell at their tap room. I would say, play around with the Morebeer stuff first. Get your process and procedures down, that way you know the ingredients are right. Look at the Recipe tab and see what you can find. I am sure there are plenty of extract beers there. I have done a few Morebeer Single hop brews to get an idea of what each hop brings to the party. But, I have gotten about 4 or 5, including a loosely clone of 805 by Firestone Walker that I have liked. I will let the pro's answer up, but my way was to get my process and stuff down first.