New Home Brewer, MD USA

[OClockHomeBrew]

Hello,

I've spent a lot of time reading up on threads in these forums the past few months, as I've started to homebrew. I figured it was time to finally take the dive and join and start actively participating.

I'm still new to Homebrewing. I started with a startup kit from Craft-A-Brew that my wife got me several years ago. I brewed a few batches, but then got distracted by graduate school and real life. Over the past six months I've really started to get back into it.

My brewery setup includes a 7-gallon unported kettle, a burner, two 3-gallon fast fermenters (although I've had both union valves break and I'm awaiting replacements), two 7-gallon bottling buckets, and two 2-gallon buckets for small batches. I have an unmodified 5-gallon igloo cooler that I use for steeping grains with BIAB.

I've got my eye on the Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil with Pump, and I'd eventually like to get two 5CF Spikes. I was also recently gifted a 5 gallon ball keg, but I don't have any of the other gear.

There does not seem to be any homebrew clubs near me, unfortunately. So I'm hoping to learn here.

Cheers!

 

[BrewingAroundtheRrealm]

Welcome to the hobby! That is a very functional setup for small 2 - 3 Gallon batches.

I probably wouldn't be too concerned with kegging smaller batches. Bottling smaller batches is easy. It's when you get in to bottling 5 gallon or larger batches that things get tedious. I bottled for almost a year before I took the leap. The kegging startup cost was high but it's worth it.

Feel free to ask questions. We're here to help.

 

[acarr160]

Also in md. Frederick area north. Great hobby. Enjoy.

 

[MaxStout]

Welcome to the group, and the obsession, from Minnesota!

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from Colorado

 

[Rhaop]

Also in MD there are several great homebrew shops in the area, Welcome

 

[madscientist451]

There does not seem to be any homebrew clubs near me, unfortunately. So I'm hoping to learn here.

Where in Maryland? There are several very active clubs around and there are several summer home brewer camp-outs, sort of like a home brewer festival, in the region.
My beer improved when I got a small chest freezer and a temperature control for fermenting and also started kegging. I disagree with the comment that said its easier to bottle small batches. (I guess it depends on how small?) Its way easier to use kegs.
I use both the 5 gallon and 2.5 gallon kegs.