gleemonger
Active Member
Hey folks of the brewing world...
I'm a brand new brewer. I just got my first kit of equipment a few weeks ago and my first brew is still sitting in primary... an IPA kit that came with my set.
My goal is probably like most people - I want to get really good at brewing (and fast), so I'm not super interested in shortcuts. I hope to learn something on every single batch. I've already spent a good chunk of time becoming pretty good at TASTING beer, and have tried most of the styles out there... and now I'm finally ready to try brewing my favorites.
I bought my kit from Williams Brewing - it's a pretty nice kit with what seems to be most of what I need for now (actually recommended by a friend who's been brewing for a while) - here's the kit I got: COMPLETE BREWERY WITHOUT A KIT @ Williams Brewing
I got the set with their American IPA kit, since I love IPA's and wanted to start with something easy that didn't have any specialty grains or anything, so I could just see how the basic boiling, cooling, sanitizing, fermenting and bottling process works.
So far the kit seems pretty great, but I really don't like how it doesn't list any ingredients. I definitely learned about the initial process, but beyond this first brew, I wouldn't want to brew any kits that don't list the ingredients, since I wouldn't really learn much as far as ingredients and their combinations go. I plan to order my next kit from Austin Homebrew Supply, since they have a bunch of great clones of some of my favorite beers, they say they list all of the ingredients, and they offer extract, mini-mash or all-grain versions of all their kits.
Like I said, I want to learn something from every batch, and I can already tell that I'm not going to be super psyched on extract malts. SO HERE'S MY QUESTION (finally, sorry I'm so long winded, it's a problem): I want complete control over the whole process, which of course (to me) means going all grain, or at least partial grain. But I don't have a huge budget - I'm hoping to get by mostly with what I already have: ie, almost a nil budget. As you can see from the link of the kit I got above, it came with a 32 quart kettle with a KettleValve already installed, which has a thread on the inside for installing a KettleScreen, which they say can turn the pot into a mash tun. It sounds like all I need to get is their KettleScreen and I can use the pot as a mash tun. Given my small budget, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS FOR GOING ALL GRAIN? I don't plan on doing batches any larger than 5 gallons any time soon, so I'm hoping the 32 quart kettle will be large enough for everything - but is one kettle also enough for the whole process including boiling the wort? Other than the screen, would I just need a grain mill? Anything else?
I want to go as cheap as I can, but I also want to be sure I'm set up for at least a good chunk of batches, to brew 5 gallon or less batches and also learn things every time.......
I appreciate any help!!
I'm a brand new brewer. I just got my first kit of equipment a few weeks ago and my first brew is still sitting in primary... an IPA kit that came with my set.
My goal is probably like most people - I want to get really good at brewing (and fast), so I'm not super interested in shortcuts. I hope to learn something on every single batch. I've already spent a good chunk of time becoming pretty good at TASTING beer, and have tried most of the styles out there... and now I'm finally ready to try brewing my favorites.
I bought my kit from Williams Brewing - it's a pretty nice kit with what seems to be most of what I need for now (actually recommended by a friend who's been brewing for a while) - here's the kit I got: COMPLETE BREWERY WITHOUT A KIT @ Williams Brewing
I got the set with their American IPA kit, since I love IPA's and wanted to start with something easy that didn't have any specialty grains or anything, so I could just see how the basic boiling, cooling, sanitizing, fermenting and bottling process works.
So far the kit seems pretty great, but I really don't like how it doesn't list any ingredients. I definitely learned about the initial process, but beyond this first brew, I wouldn't want to brew any kits that don't list the ingredients, since I wouldn't really learn much as far as ingredients and their combinations go. I plan to order my next kit from Austin Homebrew Supply, since they have a bunch of great clones of some of my favorite beers, they say they list all of the ingredients, and they offer extract, mini-mash or all-grain versions of all their kits.
Like I said, I want to learn something from every batch, and I can already tell that I'm not going to be super psyched on extract malts. SO HERE'S MY QUESTION (finally, sorry I'm so long winded, it's a problem): I want complete control over the whole process, which of course (to me) means going all grain, or at least partial grain. But I don't have a huge budget - I'm hoping to get by mostly with what I already have: ie, almost a nil budget. As you can see from the link of the kit I got above, it came with a 32 quart kettle with a KettleValve already installed, which has a thread on the inside for installing a KettleScreen, which they say can turn the pot into a mash tun. It sounds like all I need to get is their KettleScreen and I can use the pot as a mash tun. Given my small budget, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS FOR GOING ALL GRAIN? I don't plan on doing batches any larger than 5 gallons any time soon, so I'm hoping the 32 quart kettle will be large enough for everything - but is one kettle also enough for the whole process including boiling the wort? Other than the screen, would I just need a grain mill? Anything else?
I want to go as cheap as I can, but I also want to be sure I'm set up for at least a good chunk of batches, to brew 5 gallon or less batches and also learn things every time.......
I appreciate any help!!