How much should I expect to invest?

[High Score]

I'm looking to get into home brew with my income tax check in the coming weeks. I've been looking at videos and set ups and have not found much in the way of associated costs further than kits and recipes.

I live in an apartment with an electric stove, so I will need propane burner and tank and accessories. I've never priced these before so I don't know what's fair or where to begin - further than Walmart/Amazon.

I would like to just go for the tiered set up out of the gate, avoid incurring the cost later. Even building myself, what would an approximate cost estimate be?

I've been looking at the 5 gallon kit from NorthernBrewer.com for $199 and thinking of another recipe for a stout too for another $40.

Then everything else I'd need that doesn't come with the kit. Would a hydrometer be included? I'm sure I'll need to get a boiling pot. Copper tube?

I'm not sure if I even want to worry about bottling and just go straight to kegging. So I'd be looking for a 5 gallon corny keg, regulator, hoses, co2 tank (5# ?).

And then I'm gonna have to get a new fridge since the one in the apartment comes with, so I can't alter it to fit the keg, tank and food. Lol. So I figure I'll just tap the door since I'm already buying it, so I'd need more hose line and tap fittings and tools for the conversion. Probably $100 used fridge on Craigslist.

Would I be far off estimating @ $2000 initial investment?

 

[High Score]

*Edit* meant "Would I be far off estimating @ *$1000* initial investment?

 

[myndflyte]

I think starting off with the Big Mouth Bubbler Deluxe kit is a great place to start. Like you said, might as well get another kit as well. I'd also suggest throwing this in there (https://www.northernbrewer.com/brewery-essentials-gravity-testing-assembly) because you'll at least need a hydrometer.

You'll need a boiling pot but if you're just doing extract brews, you may already have a big enough pot. Otherwise, look for at least a 10 gallon pot. As for burners, the Darkstar 2.0 burner works really well for me (https://www.northernbrewer.com/dark-star-burner-2-0).

As for kegging, that is totally up to you and that's honestly where you'll spend the majority of your money if you go that route. But unless you get a pretty big fridge, I'd expect to only be using it for beer. Kegs take up more space than you'd think. I'd personally just start with bottling but if you want to jump into kegging, more power to you.

 

[grampamark]

I brew on a ghetto quality, three vessel system. Over a period of six years I am getting close to having $1K in my equipment.

I have about $300 in my kettles and MLT, $300 in converting a free, 50-year-old fridge to a keg fridge, $300 in additional kegs and related hardware and $100 in thermometers, hydrometers, immersion chiller and Big Ass Spoon. My burners are a repurposed propane camp stove which I already owned. I ferment in a variety of plastic vessels, two of which were part of a starter kit I received for Xmas seven years ago (which was the impetus to start brewing).

I have the luxury of a lot of space in the semifinished basement of my house, something an apartment dweller wouldn't have.

The OP might want to consider something like the Mash and Boil, at around $300, to get started within his budgetary and space limitations.

Mark

 

[JohnSand]

Some people advocate buying the best up front, and some start right of with a full outfit. I started slow, buying bits and pieces and growing my brewery. You may love this, and go big, and brew for years. But many people go from one hobby to another, and sell their stuff at a big loss. Check the "For Sale" section of this forum. If you go slow, you will buy more than once as you go. I have bought three kettles and two mills over five years, but now have what I need today. I started on the stove with a 20qt pot I already owned, the 16 galloon one I have now cannot fit on the stove.
I suggest you buy a basic kit, start brewing and studying. Put the rest of the return money in a dedicated account for future purchases. Keep your eyes on craigslist for bargains.

 

[WBurba]

If I could do it again I would start with the new small batch setup so I could see what it takes and see if you even have time to devote to this. Then expand as you feel your way into it. It can get expensive but can be very rewarding.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I'm looking to get into home brew with my income tax check in the coming weeks. I've been looking at videos and set ups and have not found much in the way of associated costs further than kits and recipes.

I live in an apartment with an electric stove, so I will need propane burner and tank and accessories. I've never priced these before so I don't know what's fair or where to begin - further than Walmart/Amazon.

I would like to just go for the tiered set up out of the gate, avoid incurring the cost later. Even building myself, what would an approximate cost estimate be?

I've been looking at the 5 gallon kit from NorthernBrewer.com for $199 and thinking of another recipe for a stout too for another $40.

Then everything else I'd need that doesn't come with the kit. Would a hydrometer be included? I'm sure I'll need to get a boiling pot. Copper tube?

I'm not sure if I even want to worry about bottling and just go straight to kegging. So I'd be looking for a 5 gallon corny keg, regulator, hoses, co2 tank (5# ?).

And then I'm gonna have to get a new fridge since the one in the apartment comes with, so I can't alter it to fit the keg, tank and food. Lol. So I figure I'll just tap the door since I'm already buying it, so I'd need more hose line and tap fittings and tools for the conversion. Probably $100 used fridge on Craigslist.

Would I be far off estimating @ $2000 initial investment?

I would take a serious look at BIAB. In retrospect, I wish I had started (and ended) there. Three-vessel tier systems look nice and you can make great beer in them, but they are a lot to store and can get pricey.

With it being all of 5° F outside, my last two batches have been 3g inside on the stove, using a $20 walmart pot, a $10 BIAB, a 5 gallon bucket, a 3g carboy, a thermometer, and a hydrometer. I would suggest starting there and then seeing if you stick with it. You can do all-grain small batch indoors without a major issue. Then, once you've decided that you like it and you have learned a lot more, you will have a better idea of what you want to buy, and then you can start checking Craigslist for used gear from people who jumped in, spent a bunch of money, and decided it wasn't for them. YMMV, of course.

 

[applescrap]

Its like a ball of string. It can be as short or long as you like. You could get somegthing like the grainfather and be done with it. I started making all grain in a $12 pot on my stove. There's no thousand-dollar machine that's going to make beer that much better than the control I had in that little pot, imo. it's the emptiness inside the pot that makes the pot valuable imo. That being said my $20 8 gallon tamale pot, is really thin and not very desirable. The reality is the beer can be made in a $12 pot, imo. The beer can be made in a free keg somebody passes down to you with a turkey fryer. But it can also be made in the $3,000 three vessel setup. Whatever you choose, it should fit your budget, personlity, qnd needs. I have a lot of hobbies and chose equipment that allows me to brew quick and fairly inexpensive with minimal equipment. Others have rooms dedicated to gear and 1k is just scratching the surface. How fast you want to brew, how often, how much, theres a lot goes into it. These all-in-one systems are too sweet to look over I think, specially for the beginner. I'm beginning to not even boil beers now and I'm thinking of selling my system if it continues to work out.

So upon rereading I see you want a 3v setup and kegging. This is what I am talking about. The shanks can cost a little or a lot. New keg vs old keg. Small gas tank vs big gas tank. Party tap vs perlick stainless. Used kegs vs new kegs. Based on your desires and budget some cheaper parts can be done. Ill get a list started hopefully others can help. Since I dont brew 3v could be off a little.

3 15g kettles, 80 to 300(?)+ each or
2 15 g kettles and cooler
Ball valves and hardware if not included on kettle 75
2 pumps 200
Quick disconnects 100 est.. could be wrong
2 or 3 burners or 2 or 3 electric setups
2 burners 150 to 300
2 elements 20 to 50 each plus 150 to 500 for controller and more for wire, plugs, etc. Also more if 220 needs installed
Chiller of some kind 50 to 180
Brew stand ss table 110 custom up to 500

I think maybe could get 3v going for 1000 much cheaper if you forgo pumps, share burners, etc.. i was able to confirm 3 of spikes best quality pots would blow your whole budget.

Kegging

Kegs 45 to 125 used to new
Tank and setup 150
Party taps and tubing 10
Connectors corny gas and beer 20?
Fridge 50 to 1000
Under 300 cheap for cheap start and well over that for quality set up

Hope this helps get the ball rolling

Sorry last edit, I keep coming up with $1,000 for 3 vessel system. That's with cheap burners and a cheap chiller on a stainless table single-tier. You could save some money if you went with cheap pumps. I factored $83 a kettle and it will be hard to beat that. You can save a little money by not going with quick disconnects. It starts to make the grainfather sound good for 600 bucks. Plus the stuff is going to take a lot of room up. Why are you set on three vessel?

 

[myndflyte]

I would take a serious look at BIAB. In retrospect, I wish I had started (and ended) there. Three-vessel tier systems look nice and you can make great beer in them, but they are a lot to store and can get pricey.

Same boat as you. Granted I never got a 3 tier system but I've spent time messing with my mash tun and the best way to mash without investing in a false bottom. I'm now switching to BIAB, still using my cooler as a mash tun because it holds temps like a champ, but it's going to be great to just pull the bag out and be done with it.

 

[Radboud]

I agree with that, (e)BIAB is a relatively easy and cost-effective way to start and can produce great beers.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I live in an apartment too, without a suitable place to keep and use 3 vessels and propane burners/tanks/etc so I went with a 110V electrically heated BIAB setup that I can use in my kitchen based on an 11 gallon kettle. Rain or shine, even this week in the subzero temps I can brew a batch in just about 4 hours and the equipment all stores neatly in a corner of our laundry room. I built my setup over the course of a year as I researched what was needed to do what I want to do, and I would estimate spending less than $450 to get started in electric brewing. I love not having to keep up with propane tanks and electricity is a far cheaper energy source. Some people doubt the speed to boil of 110V setups and that is nonsense. Since I don't have a 220V dryer outlet I went with two 1800W rated (1500W actual) elements powered individually by cords plugged into separate circuits which was easy because electrical codes require at least two separate 20A circuits in a kitchen. Check out the Wort Hog from highgravitybrew.com, it is very similar but costs double what I spent at $899.

For brew bags, you can buy a fancy one for $10-$20 but lots of us use the disposable nylon paint strainer bags from home improvement stores, at about a buck apiece the convenience of not having to dump and clean a bag is totally worth it and they work great. Plenty strong to hold as much grain as will fit in my kettle and I have not yet seen a hole or tear.

As for fermenters, I went with fermonsters vs. BMB because I prefer the smooth walls and screw-on lid, so far I have two and will be adding two more shortly to increase my capacity, they work great!

 

[Garrymcdgll]

Spend $125 at Northern Brewer just now and you get a free Dark Star burner.

 

[jalc6927]

You can check Craig’s list in your area and you may find all you need cheap

There is also a sale page on this site under market

 

[stz]

Very hard to say as all stages can be fluffed considerably. I started out doing extract brews (large saucepan, plastic water jug fermenter) and expanded into steeping grains/mini mash (second saucepan, bucket, mesh bag). As my boil volumes got up chilling was required so I build a copper immersion chiller. At this point I hadn't even spent $50 in total. I was able to get a 60L aluminium pan which I fitted with a 3kW element scavenged from a water heater for only $30 and I'd say after this point my beer was objectively not that bad with full volume BIAB.

Fermentation temperature control was the next biggest upgrade as prior to that I was moving things around the house and outbuildings and brewing seasonally. I got a used chest freezer ($30), greenhouse tube heater ($20) and STC-1000 ($10) along with project box and assorted pieces was all done for under $80.

Eventually I built a 3 vessel stainless system designed for 15gal (3x kegs) batches with a heat exchanger, hop back and pumps. I was in for around $500 at this point, but I'm sure taps, hoses, fittings etc ran me another $100 or so in the end. Kegging can get quite expensive once you build a collection. I've probably another $500 in kegs and associated bumf for a 3 keg dispense system with 6 in total.

If I was starting again I'd either commit to BIAB (and stay there!) or go three vessel (especially if you want volume) right away. As others have probably said you don't know if you'll stick with the hobby, storage can be a drag and time to setup, clean and pack down lessens the spontaneity and fun of the hobby. There is a lot to be said for brewing little and often and always wishing you had a little more of a beer than brewing a lot infrequently and having the same beer (no matter how delicious) on tap for months on end. Brewing frequently will quickly improve your technique.

 

[Br3w4u]

What’s a tax return? Sorry had to do it....anyway I would get the whole set up from the start if I could do it over. I started with a 5 gallon pot. Then an 8 gallon pot and an igloo cooler. Now I’m going to a 15 gallon electric set up. So I’m short it costs less to get it all at first.

 

[Griffin495]

As you've probably already noticed, you can spend as little or as much as you want in this hobby.

Let me make a suggestion. Why not try one of the Brooklyn Brew Shop Kits? You can hop right into all grain batches for $40 shipped from Amazon. Refills are about $15, but you can take any 5 gallon recipe from this site divide by 5 and pick up the ingredients way cheaper at a local homebrew store. Sure, you are only making one gallon kits and can usually expect 8-9 bottles, but it will give you a clear understanding of the hobby and let you see if you want to continue it while only being out about $40.

A benefit of small batch brewing is that you can do it inside any time of the year, do it relatively quick (my day takes under 4 hours start to finish including clean up) and with only 8-9 beers to drink, you'll brew more often and have more variety. When I had a kid, I switched to 1 gallon batches as I just couldn't swing pulling 5 hour brew days. It really honed my skills doing the smaller batches more often and doing it inside so I could help out with the boy and play with him.

I've brewed 1 gallon, 1.5, 2, 3 and 5 gallon batches and I think I've now settled on my sweet spot of 2.5 gallon batches. 5 gallons it turns out is just way too much for me to drink and one gallon goes to fast.

But that's just my suggestion and I wish I would have started with 1 gallon batches knowing what I know now.

 

[SanPancho]

resist the urge to blow all your money and "do it right the first time" as that is total BS. the truth is you have no idea how much beer you are really going to drink every week, how often you will be able to brew, how it all fits into your life/schedule, etc.

you wanna go balls in? hows about you start with half batch. 2.5 gallons. its easy to just cut recipes right in half. a decent concord or bayou kettle for about 50 bucks or so. 25 or so for a brew bag, and about the same for a 3gal carboy. they make 2.5 gallon kegs, and while they arent half the price of 5s they can be reasonable if you get them on sale at Adventures in Homebrewing. (those guys have tons of used kegs for good prices) as for heating, electric is fine for half batches, and can even do full batches if you have separate circuits as noted above. or if your stove is gas you might be in luck. worse case you use the stove with a boil stick for extra power if you insist on full batches.

you can get a dorm size fridge to handle your ferments and keep beer cold if you do half batches.

all of this is much more appropriate for an apartment living setup. believe me, i know. space is at a premium and you will be much better served in the long run by not blowing your load at the get-go. once you've run out of capacity on half batch and need more beer, then you can think about a bigger purchase. and you can think about that purchase with the benefit of experience, which you cant do now. and unless you live in a rent-controlled apartment then this isnt likely to be a permanent situation, which is another reason to go slow.

i cannot stress this enough.

 

[cmac62]

High score, my first three batches were brewed at my LHBS with all of the owner's equipment. I decided I liked brewing and went onto Craig's List and found someone selling their whole setup. I made an offer and got a ferm fridge, keggerator, 10 cornys and everything else I needed for $700. Of course I have a place to store all of the misc junk associated with brewing. In an apartment I think the folks suggesting BIAB setups have the right idea. As stated I would check out your LHBS and see if they would be willing to brew with you for a few times and then you will understand what you need/want much better. Brew on

 

[applescrap]

I live in an apartment too, without a suitable place to keep and use 3 vessels and propane burners/tanks/etc so I went with a 110V electrically heated BIAB setup that I can use in my kitchen based on an 11 gallon kettle. Rain or shine, even this week in the subzero temps I can brew a batch in just about 4 hours and the equipment all stores neatly in a corner of our laundry room. I built my setup over the course of a year as I researched what was needed to do what I want to do, and I would estimate spending less than $450 to get started in electric brewing. I love not having to keep up with propane tanks and electricity is a far cheaper energy source. Some people doubt the speed to boil of 110V setups and that is nonsense. Since I don't have a 220V dryer outlet I went with two 1800W rated (1500W actual) elements powered individually by cords plugged into separate circuits which was easy because electrical codes require at least two separate 20A circuits in a kitchen. Check out the Wort Hog from highgravitybrew.com, it is very similar but costs double what I spent at $899.

For brew bags, you can buy a fancy one for $10-$20 but lots of us use the disposable nylon paint strainer bags from home improvement stores, at about a buck apiece the convenience of not having to dump and clean a bag is totally worth it and they work great. Plenty strong to hold as much grain as will fit in my kettle and I have not yet seen a hole or tear.

As for fermenters, I went with fermonsters vs. BMB because I prefer the smooth walls and screw-on lid, so far I have two and will be adding two more shortly to increase my capacity, they work great!

Awesome!

 

[mj1angier]

I live in an apartment with an electric stove,

This might be the biggest factor that you have to deal with. If using gas, will you be on your balcony? Is that cool with apt manager?
If electric, can you get to 240 power or just 120?
If you go with a 3 pot set up, do you have room to do it?
Serving by keg is nice, if you have room to set up for it. You can get small kegs ( 1.6 or 2.6) but if filling them you may not need a full 5 gallon finish batch set-up

 

[schematix]

10k is a good place to start.

if you consider the real estate costs associated with my setup i should just have scheduled deliveries of commercial kegs right to my house. i'd have more free time and more money!

 

[brewcat]

I keg now, but I'd recommend bottling first. Even when kegging extra bottles are handy. Not starting with kegs also lowers your initial investment drastically. I probably spent more on my regulator than initial brewing setup.

In an apartment it is probably easier to start with extract brews. The big thing is buying to allow growth. I bought a brew pot big enough to later handle full boils. I first started brewing extract on the stovetop. I now brew all-grain on a propane burner but still use the same brew pot after 10+ years.

From my initial purchase the only thing (other than hoses, airlocks) I'm not using now is a glass carboy and secondary. The glass carboy is still around. The secondary cracked. Besides those I have just added equipment. I'm only now thinking about upgrading my burner and chiller.

 

[Jayjay1976]

If electric, can you get to 240 power or just 120?

You don't need 240. Running two 110v elements on separate circuits gives you the same power plus the freedom to use your setup wherever you want. Even if your current place has a 220v dryer outlet, what happens if your next apartment doesn't? Our place has a gas dryer and stove, so no use for 220 or 240. I like knowing I can brew just about anywhere without the need for a special outlet.

The controller I built has an Auber ezboil dspr310 that modulated both elements via separate SSR. The primary plug goes into a gfci outlet on the backsplash and powers the controller, pump, and element 1, while a second cord plugs into an outlet on the kitchen island literally 4 feet away, and passes through the control box to power the second element via an SSR. So easy to use, and plenty of power to get a very vigorous boil. So far I have brewed 6 batches of beer, half of them high gravity belgian ales, all have turned out well and I couldn't be happier with my setup, I regularly hit my numbers with 75-80% efficiency. Check out the ezboil, it makes executing perfectly timed stepped mash schedules as easy as pushing a button. Can't do that with a propane burner and a plastic cooler.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Take up golf. Just as frustrating.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I priced out using google about how much it would cost to go all in from the start. It was $2100, with kegging. People who responded to the thread suggested bigger vessels all around. I never bought the gear. It was just an exercise. The cost was about split between the brewing equipment and the kegging equipment. Someone said that you could easily cut the cost in half by buying used and putting things together yourself. I think they are probably right. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/just-for-fun-gear-whore-list.568002/. This is the thread if you are interested. Since it was on the old forum software it has formatting symbols, but it can give you an idea.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Golf is ridiculously more frustrating than brewing.

 

[Br3w4u]

Resist the urge to buy in to people saying that other people’s OPINIONS are BS as if they were fact. This hobby really is a never ending rabbit hole and if you get hooked it’s hard not to want to upgrade. My only point is that if you start with the smallest option available like a 2.5 gallon set up you may end up wanting to go bigger later and then you have to spend more money on something like a bigger kettle that wouldn’t have been that much more to start out. You can always brew small batches in a big kettle. It’s much more difficult to brew larger batches in a small kettle. It’s all just an opinion anyway and it’s up to the reader to decide what is best for their situation.

 

[applescrap]

I priced out using google about how much it would cost to go all in from the start. It was $2100, with kegging. People who responded to the thread suggested bigger vessels all around. I never bought the gear. It was just an exercise. The cost was about split between the brewing equipment and the kegging equipment. Someone said that you could easily cut the cost in half by buying used and putting things together yourself. I think they are probably right. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/just-for-fun-gear-whore-list.568002/. This is the thread if you are interested. Since it was on the old forum software it has formatting symbols, but it can give you an idea.

Just curious, what was the breakdown for 1000 dollars worth of kegging equipment.

 

[mongoose33]

I'm looking to get into home brew with my income tax check in the coming weeks. I've been looking at videos and set ups and have not found much in the way of associated costs further than kits and recipes.

I live in an apartment with an electric stove, so I will need propane burner and tank and accessories. I've never priced these before so I don't know what's fair or where to begin - further than Walmart/Amazon.

I would like to just go for the tiered set up out of the gate, avoid incurring the cost later. Even building myself, what would an approximate cost estimate be?

I've been looking at the 5 gallon kit from NorthernBrewer.com for $199 and thinking of another recipe for a stout too for another $40.

Then everything else I'd need that doesn't come with the kit. Would a hydrometer be included? I'm sure I'll need to get a boiling pot. Copper tube?

I'm not sure if I even want to worry about bottling and just go straight to kegging. So I'd be looking for a 5 gallon corny keg, regulator, hoses, co2 tank (5# ?).

And then I'm gonna have to get a new fridge since the one in the apartment comes with, so I can't alter it to fit the keg, tank and food. Lol. So I figure I'll just tap the door since I'm already buying it, so I'd need more hose line and tap fittings and tools for the conversion. Probably $100 used fridge on Craigslist.

Would I be far off estimating @ $2000 initial investment?

That....actually...isn't a bad estimate. There's a thread on here about equipment upgrades people wish they'd had from the start, might be worth a look to confuse you further.

I bought the Northern Brewer kit when I started in December of 2015. I have five Bigmouth Bubbler fermenters, and I've come a long way in those 2+ years. You might think I'm devoted to the Northern Brewer kits since I have/had one.

Well, I'm not. IMO, THE best starter kit you can buy is this: https://www.morebeer.com/products/premium-homebrew-starter-kit.html

It costs $229, but includes an extract kit. Take that out, and see what you get for what is essentially $200 for equipment; and especially compare what you get with the Northern Brewer kit: You get a hydrometer, a spoon, a kettle w/ a ball valve (!), Star-San sanitizer, a copper immersion chiller--all of those would cost you extra if you bought the NB kit.

The Bigmouth Bubblers are good fermenters; there was an issue w/ the lid, but it's resolved. They've been effective for me at brewing very good beer.

But the Fermonster is a good fermenter too, and it's cheaper. You can get it with a spigot (I'd endorse that; mine have them and I even retrofit a spigot to the original one I bought without it). It's clear, so you can see what's going on, the wide mouth makes it easy to clean....

If I were starting over, knowing what I know now, there's no way I'd buy the Northern Brewer kit. It's just too expensive for what you get.

All you need to add to the MoreBeer kit is a heat source and beer bottles.

*************

If you're going to go all-grain eventually, then a tiered system can make sense. IMO, you might also consider doing the Brew-in-a-Bag method. It obviates the need for three vessels as the hot liquor tun, the mash tun, and the boil kettle are all the same. It's a single-vessel system. In a 3-vessel system, you remove the wort from the grain in the mash tun; in BIAB, you remove the grain from the wort.

The only considerations are this: you'd want some way to hoist the bag, and you'd need a 10-gallon kettle, not the 8.5-gallon kettle MoreBeer offers.

I started out w/ a 2-vessel all-grain system (cooler as a mash tun), tried BIAB, and have done about the last 18 or 20 batches that way. There are reasons why you might want to go to 3-vessel at some point, but that can be added to a BIAB system and convert over from that.

*************

The best upgrades I've made: upgraded from an 8-gallon Northern Brewer megapot to a 10-gallon Spike Kettle; upgraded from a 54,000 BTU propane burner to a 140,000 BTU Hellfire burner; upgraded from a Barley Crusher mill to a Monster Mill 3-roller mill w/ motor; upgraded from a swamp cooler fermentation temp approach to refrigerators; added a keezer to serve kegged beer.

*************

Anyway, good luck, and you're thinking ahead in a way I wish I'd done when I started.

 

[madscientist451]

I brew on my electric stove in the kitchen, I have an out door keggle set up, but I mostly brew in the winter and lately its been between 0-15F out there so I usually just do the stovetop thing.
An alternative to stovetop and propane (outdoors) is a either a 110v or 220 v electric rig, but you'll blow a lot of cash on that.
$1000 seems like a lot to spend if you are just starting out.
You can do it way cheaper than that.
Do you have room in your apt for a small chest freezer?
A 5.5 cu ft freezer is less than $200 brand new. Add a temp control and you can use it as a fermentation chamber and it will also hold kegs.
Having temperature controlled fermentation will greatly improve your brew more than a fancy (expensive) rig to make wort.
To make wort, get a $20, 5 gallon cooler, add a BIAB and a spigot, and a brew pot.
If your stove won't do a full 5 gallon boil, you can do 3 or 4 gallon brews.
Smaller 2.5/3 gallon kegs will fit into your regular fridge, but you can put them in your freezer in between fermentations. A picnic tap is all you need, no fancy faucets and other stuff is required to pour beer.
You can do everything above for about $500-$600 brand new, and less if you can find used stuff.
So to summarize, a cheaper "brewing" rig will give you plenty a $ in your budget to get both temperature control and a kegging setup.

 

[wallyLOZ]

I'm brand new to this addiction myself, so my experience is VERY limited compared to most on this forum. I started with one gallon extract batches, and see this as an inexpensive way to start. You'll quickly find out if you've been bitten by the bug. You can try different style's to see which you prefer and not have five gallons of beer you're not crazy about. After you move up to larger volumes the one gallon system can still be used to run a test batch of a new recipe. MTCW. Good luck and let us know of your progress.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Take up golf. Just as frustrating.

Just curious, what was the breakdown for 1000 dollars worth of kegging equipment.

I was like $400 for the freezer, $300 for 2 kegs and a CO2 canister. $300 for the tubes and faucets, but like I said, I was just looking stuff up on google, I’m sure to do it in real life would be different.

 

[applescrap]

Ok thanks. Here is the total other end of the spectrum. This and a fifty dollar craigslist fridge and one can begin for under 200. By a bigger tank and for under 250 pretty well set up. The webstaurant setup is cheap too.

 

[hawkbox]

I've personally put about $300 into brewing equipment and about $600 into the keezer. I have a 16gallon brew pot, a bayou burner, a $20 coleman cooler mash tun and a corona mill I modded with a 5 gallon pail. It's probably all sorts of ghetto as it were but it works and works well. It doesn't have to be a huge investment unless you choose to.

Cause I could easily spend a few thousand on this if I wanted to.

 

[beernutz]

At least try BIAB before investing in a lot of other equipment. You can probably do BIAB on your kitchen stove and then you would need a bag (~$20) and a pot (~$50). You can make an immersion cooler inexpensively or buy one for ~$50. Get a fermenting bucket and some way to control its temperature (~$70 for bucket and brewbag) and you are good to go for under $200. You'd be bottling so you need bottles, caps, and a capper and likely a bottling wand which if you are frugal might be scrounged for another $50. So $250-$300 plus the cost of ingredients for your first batch but after than you are just amortizing the cost of the equipment and buying more ingredients. Like others have

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I was sort of kidding about my golf statement earlier...haha. I think part of the fun (since brewing the beer is mostly DIY) is putting together your systems DIY. I bought the absolute necessities early on, and things I don't *need* (copper immersion chiller, chest freezer fermentation chamber, mash tun) I either sourced and built myself or found on CL for cheap (ie. two ball lock cornies for $50 that just needed a cleaning and new seals). Personally, I know I can brew decent beer with the initial brew buckets I purchased, and everything else after that is an upgrade. I'm not on a budget, but my wife has me on a beer budget (she prefers tequila). I wait for holidays, b-days, etc., for the bigger purchases (propane burner, kegging supplies, ingredients for extra brew days).

If you are patient and do your research, this hobby does not have to sink you or force you to take out a second mortgage. I have a blast and now all I basically have to buy are beer ingredients. I try not to get too envious or splurge on new toys...although the whole BIAB thing is pretty intriguing to me. Ten months till my next bday!

 

[kylevester]

All of the equipment you can buy varies in price significantly based on size, quality, name brand, new/used, etc. You could easily get the same stuff for under $500 or spend north of $3000.

For a 3-tier set-up you need the minimum (and I'm likely forgetting some things):

Equipment:
Space to store and use the equipment
Heat source(s) -- my 3 vessel system had 2 burners
Hot lauter tun
Mash tun
Boil kettle
Chiller
Fermenter
Serving vessels (kegs or bottles)

Accessories:
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Fittings
Hoses (not actually required, but very useful)
Cleaning and sanitizing chemicals
Spoon/mash paddle/huge whisk
Bottle capper
Kegs
Valves
O-rings
Brewing salts for water treatment
Table/cart to put things on during the brew day

Options:
Sparge arm
Pump(s)
RIMS or HERMS
Kegerator & all associated accessories
Grain mill

Tools needed:
Drill
Step bit
Screwdriver(s)

Nearly everything can be DIY or purchased complete.

All you need to make beer (all-grain): One pot big enough for your batch size, a nylon bag, and a heat source. And ingredients, of course. You could easily do a BIAB set-up for under $300 with all new equipment.

Having brewed for over 10 years now, I gotta say that I wish BIAB was around when I started, or even the Grainfather (or something like it). I've gone from small to big to bigger to RIMS and back down to small and simple in that time. I've spent more money than I want to think about. Keep it small, simple, and easy to use and you'll find you brew more often and enjoy it more. When you have to move things around a lot and spend nearly as much time cleaning as you do brewing, it can suck the fun out of it in a hurry. Just my two cents from an old guy whose back hurts for days after brewing on his 3 vessel system. (Which is why I just recently bought a Grainfather)

 

[jlinz]

I second the Grainfather or Robobrew recommendation. If I would have done this in the beginning, I would have saved a lot of money finally getting here. Also, you can't beat those units for an apartment. So, with one of these units, you could be up an running for a bit more than a grand, which could probably include a keg and regulator, and a couple fermenters.

 

[mikeschmidt69]

I restarted the hobby after +20 year break. From my past experience I wanted to improve.
* Mash temperature control
* Fermentation temperature control
* Kegging rather than bottles

I went with a 20L Braumeister, fermentation fridge+connical and keg setup.

For kegging, I bought a basic single head regulator and shortly after decided to upgrade to a dual-head regulator so I could force carbonate and serve beer with different pressures at the same. time. On Braumeister forum I see people upgrading from 20L to 50L system.

My point is... you never know what your going to want.

 

[Toejam792]

I recommend a 10 gallon pot from the start. Also I think propane costs way more in the long run, propane is expensive and getting tanks filled is an inconvenience. You can go electric for not that much more than a burner and have great temperature control. I brewed for 6 months and decided i wanted to control my temperatures easier than sitting around a pot and checking the temperature every ten minutes, now my burners just sit rusting.