Nube nube nube

[elbastardo]

So Im thinking about brewing my own beer (asif that were not obvious).

Let me start by saying that for the last 15 years i have been an industrial mechanic, and weld allot with SS, and currently i work at a milk plant, where i do some sanitary welding. I have looked around at some DIY kits on the interweb and cant see the 500$ for the "delux" kits bieng offered.

My question...s? Broken down to laymans level, What do i need to brew dark beers with a restricted budget? I know there is no magic to this, but i need the basics before i get started. What do i need?

Thanks

 

[Lunarpancake]

dark beers as in stouts?

 

[elbastardo]

I suppose. Guiness would put me over the moon. I also enjoy IPAs. And my wife likes porters. Ill brew whatever I can

Thanks

 

[Daparish]

Do some reading on HowtoBrew.com. It's a free resource by John Palmer. I read it cover to cover before I brewed my first batch. I think I started off with $200 in equipment and $45 in ingredients and made a pallatable amber beer.

 

[LVBen]

So Im thinking about brewing my own beer (asif that were not obvious).

Let me start by saying that for the last 15 years i have been an industrial mechanic, and weld allot with SS, and currently i work at a milk plant, where i do some sanitary welding. I have looked around at some DIY kits on the interweb and cant see the 500$ for the "delux" kits bieng offered.

My question...s? Broken down to laymans level, What do i need to brew dark beers with a restricted budget? I know there is no magic to this, but i need the basics before i get started. What do i need?

Thanks

If you can brew a light beer with your equipment, you are most certainly able to brew a dark beer. Buy a basic kit brewing kit. Rebel brewer has them for $60 plus maybe a small shipping fee:

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Basic-Brewing-Equipment-Kit.html

To make a dark beer, you just need dark malts, toasted barley, and/or other steeping grains. You can get a 5-gallon stout kit for as little as $30. Just look around.

 

[BendBrewer]

A food grade welder? You are going to dig this hobby!

 

[billvon]

What do i need to brew dark beers with a restricted budget?

I'm no expert, but I've done a few dark beers (both extract and all-grain) and seems like the minimum hardware would be:

-a pot big enough to fit your boil (for extract at least 3-4 gal)
-a mesh bag to hold steeping grains (paint filter bag from Home Depot works)
-a sink full of ice to cool everything down after the boil
-a fermentor, can be a 6+ gal plastic bucket with a lid and an airlock ($3.00) and stopper ($2.00)
-a bottling bucket, can be the same kind of bucket, but this one will need a spigot in the side and doesn't need a hole in the lid
-bottles

That's the absolute minimum I think. There are a great many bits of hardware that will make your life easier (racking cane or autosiphon, bottle filler, funnel, thermometer, hydrometer etc) but you can live without these things if your #1 priority is cheap.

Consumables:
Steeping grains
Malt extract (dry or liquid)
Hops (pellets most likely)
Yeast
Water
Cleaner (Oxyclean etc)
Sanitizer (Iodophor etc)

 

[slowbie]

It does depend on whether you start with extract or all grain. Again, howtobrew.com is probably your best bet to learn about this, but starting with extract tends to have lower equipment costs, although your ingredients will be slightly more. When I made my first beer I had spent $140 total. $105 of that went to equipment and $35 to an extract w/ steeping grains kit. That did not include the 5 gallon stockpot I got for my birthday.

 

[mr_bell]

Certainly you don't need to spend $500 to get started-- look at some of the beginner's brewing equipment kits offered at these sites below. In terms of darker vs. lighter beers there really isn't a difference in the brewing process as long as we're talking about ales--of course the ingredients will differ. (Lagers are different as they are fermented at much cooler temps).

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-basics-equipment-kit.html
www.northernbrewer.com
www.morebeer.com

As you can see, the basic kit can be picked up from Midwest for $60, not including shipping. Beside the kit, you will need a kettle (3-5 gallons), 48-52 non-twist off glass beer bottles and an ingredients kit. I am talking about starting with extract brewing (which is what I still do after 2 years) vs. all-grain. All grain is more time and equipment intensive.

I would strongly suggest reading "How to Brew" by John Palmer, available free (an older edition) online at www.howtobrew.com

Cheers!

 

[Lunarpancake]

Stouts are a little more complicated to brew and need some special equip to get the "perfect pour". Plus some require weird brewing processes such as adding some sour beer into the brew (Guinness)

You would be much better off starting off with an IPA. You may also want to check out trying a winter ale. My Brewers Best Winter Ale turned out very dark and heavy...plus the boosted ABV % doesnt hurt.



With all of that said you really dont need too much to start brewing. I would not recommend doing an all-grain session till you have a few mini-mash sessions under your belt. (I skipped full extract kits myself).



The basic kits really are pretty good. Most of them include bottling stuff and siphons..etc. Really no need to spend over $300 id say at most.

 

[KCMOHophead]

A food grade welder? You are going to dig this hobby!

Yeah, no joke! Give him a few years and he will post pictures of his homemade 50 gallon stainless steel fermenters!!!

 

[elbastardo]

Very good input thanks Is it better to brew with a keg over the bottles? That looks like a good deal for the price, But the pic of the drowning kid on the side of the bucket kinda creeped me out LOL.

 

[Chuck_Swillery]

Broken down to laymans level, What do i need to brew dark beers with a restricted budget? I know there is no magic to this, but i need the basics before i get started. What do i need?

Thanks

A 5 gallon bucket w/a lid. Water. Appropriate beer ingredient kit (available at any brew shop and online). Some sanitation chemicals (bleach, StarSan). 50-60 12 oz bottles. Bottle caps and a capper. A brew pot/stock pot/soup pot that will boil no less than 3 gal of water. Some tubing to get the beer from the 5 gallon bucket into the bottles. Time and instructions from the brew kit. It won't make things the easiest but that's a basic list. The place I have bought most of my stuff can get you into a bare bones - making decent beer - kit for $60. That doesn't include an ingredient kit or bottles.

That is assuming you already have a stove/heat source strong enough to get the water boiling. If you can mix water and sugar together and bring it all to boil you're already 1/2 through the battle. The rest of the stuff you read about will serve to improve the beer you make but does add steps and some difficulty to it. All depends on how far into the hobby you want to go. I mean, you can fish with a single piece of line, a hook, and a tree branch but you can fish better with more gear.

 

[springer]

I started off with a kit from Homebrew heaven . 5 gallon carboy ,6.5 gallon bucket with lid and airlock ,wort chiller ,capper,racking cane, hydrometer and iodopher. My boil pot was a well used turkey fryer. I think the whole setup was under 250$.

 

[jtlawlor]

I think first you are going to have to figure out Extract vs. Partial vs. All Grain brewing - again read Palmers HowToBrew.com, and visit https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ -- read and re-read all the stickys. And then go read some more - see some YouTube vid's (search is your friend)

Then you have to figure out how much is your max spend. I started out for under $100 and went all grain - but EVERYONE is different.

Min. essentials:
1-2 brew buckets (or carboys)
1 brew pot (min. 3-4gal for extract, 7gal+ for PM and AG)
thermometers (digital preferred)
hydrometer (not 100% necessary - but helps)
mash paddle (can be a long spoon or in my case a grill spatula)
food grade plastic tubing - for siphoning. (I highly recommend an auto-siphon)
capper (wing capper is fine - bench capper better)

IF you go all grain - you would need extra equipment in most cases:
Mash Tun - see DIY Cooler mash tun - I had one sitting around and spend ~$20 on parts
Propane Burner (I bought a Turkey fryer kit for $39)

THEN worry about what to brew - many many many options.

Wiki Homebrew Equipment:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Beer_equipment

 

[elbastardo]

I have a couple of heat sources, a stove, and a propane burner i use for my turkey deep fryer. Im thinking the 60$ kit is the way to start.

If i can brew ANY drinkable beer Ill be happy

Thanks for the input This is allot of help.

 

[BendBrewer]

I have a couple of heat sources, a stove, and a propane burner i use for my turkey deep fryer. Im thinking the 60$ kit is the way to start.

If i can brew ANY drinkable beer Ill be happy

Thanks for the input This is allot of help.

Don't forget bottling supplies.

I spent 280 bucks, that was with a 75 dollar kettle, and walked out with everything I needed from steep to bottle.

But it only gets more expensive from there.

With you welding skills, you will be dreaming up your own Stainless Steel system in no time.

Ball valves, false bottoms, gravity systems..........it's going to bite you hard. Have fun!!!

 

[calbrew]

morebeer.com has good starter kits. I would recomend getting a 10 gallon brew kettle. If you want to upgrade to all grain your not stuck having to buy another pot. happy brewing

 

[joex444]

Get started with bottles. You can add kegs later on when you realize that bottles are a total pain. A single keg setup should cost about $100 + CO2. Used kegs are about $30 and you can make your own distributor to keg more than one at a time.

IPAs are actually one of the easier styles as the malts can be covered almost entirely by extract and still make a very good beer. Its tougher to do extract and make a very good malty beer, say a Scotch ale, as you generally need grains that cannot be steeped. But for IPAs, its usually just 2-row and some crystal malt, which can be steeped and the 2-row can be replaced with extract -- simple!

 

[meddin]

If i can brew ANY drinkable beer Ill be happy

You will easily be able to do that. And more. I agree on reading 'How To Brew' either online for free, or buy a hard copy (I like to keep one on my nightstand ). Also, as others have mentioned a basic $60-70 starer kit is enough to get going.

Be patient, you will make mistakes, but it is not that hard, and sooo worth it!

 

[skidkid267]

#1. Are you good at washing dishes?

#2. Can you follow a very basic recipe?


If you answered yes to one of these questions you can make beer.

If you answered yes to both of these questions you can make good/great beer:rockin: