My local homebrew shop sells pretty clean used bottles for about $2.50 a case, but they are also a bottle return center. I assume any bottle return center would be willing to sell you a couple cases, they've usually got them sorted out already.
I checked Lowes this past weekend, $30 for 25 feet of 3/8 copper tubing. Not worth it when you can get a professionally built and welded unit for under $50, unless you really like to build things.
Just last night I drank the first finished beer from the clone kit from highgravitybrew.com.
I've never had Fat Tire since it's not available locally, but the clone is quite good.
Used a smack pack for the first time this weekend. I believe it was the American that I got in a High Gravity Brew kit.
I smacked it when I woke up, and about four hours later it was puffed up to the point that I thought it would burst. I assumed that the package was designed to handle the...
I am in the same boat Evan, right down to the basement temp, auto thermostat, and down comforter.
Last night I put my beers in a big rubbermaid tub with my old iguanas heating pad and a thermometer. As of this morning the tub was at about 64 degrees. I'm going to mess around with placement...