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Schlenkerla UrBock (smoked Bock), followed by the classic Rauchbier Märzen at the source in Bamberg. Yuengling is the oldest operating brewery in the US at 1829? That’s cute...

I went with the 5mm EVABarrier lines for gas (and 4mm for Bier).

Jockey boxes work best when you still keep the kegs cold. They also have the advantage of long lines, which help with mitigating the overpressurization. You can’t avoid the physics when you have a volume of CO2 increasing in temperature. It expands pretty dramatically and as in my example...

So here is what happens: you put your keg in a bucket of ice because “the dip tube pulls from the bottom so you only need to chill the bottom half of the keg”. The upper half, where your headspace is warms up. Now let’s say you carb’d your beer and has it in equilibrium with 2.4 volumes of...

No, you have to buy them. They are single-use and they’re not cheap. Nor are the mini regulators. And those are fickle and not terribly reliable. All-in-all, it works but getting the gas pressure dialed in can be frustrating. They do hold enough CO2 to push a whole 2.5 gal though. I am...

Yup. Not saying there isn’t a solid history of Märzen at Oktoberfest, just that it’s been a while since they were in.

I think it is very helpful but not critical. Software will usually get you in the ballpark, and if you are okay with ballpark, you probably don't need it. I have been using one for years, and have found that in almost every batch, I was within plus or minus 0.1 pH of my target from the software...

More or less - Festbiers are yellow to gold (often golden). The VAST majority (like 90%+) of what gets served at Oktoberfest are pale or golden Festbiers like those in the article, but for some reason Americans think Oktoberfest is all about the Marzen. Look at pretty much every American...

I made this out of a 5 gallon cooler, but it fit 2.5 gallon kegs (just transfer from a 5 gallon to fill the 2.5 gallon. Recently upgraded to an intertap FC faucet. It is fully enclosed with gas supply and enough room for ice or gel sheets around the keg.

Yes, don't skimp on the lagering. I look forward to seeing it.

And not a Marzen in the bunch - Americans really have to get over their misconception that Oktoberfestbiers are Marzens, or worse yet the Americanized heavy, sweet, amber nonsense that gets sold in this country as an "Oktoberfest".

A 10 gallon coverted cooler mash tun works great and is tall enough to get about 4/5 of the height of the keg in contact with ice as opposed to a bucket or 5 gal cooler, where only the bottom half of the keg will be in contact. I ran into this issue for years at my annual Oktoberfest party...

The awesome and well-stocked on e I referred to above is in Weymouth. I know it's further from you, but if you are in the SOuth Shore area, the Emporium is worth going to. They are affiliated with the one in Cambridge, but I feel better stocked. But I have shopped at both.

It sounds like there are lot of hobbyists running LHBSs and doing it poorly rather than a real. professional retail store dedicated to being a one-stop-shop. Shame. I am fortunate enough to have the latter near me.

I buy all of my grains, all of my yeast, and most of my hops at LHBS. Mine is about 20 minutes away, but only about 10-15 minute detour on my daily commute home. Unlike the experiences of some other posters here, mine is exceptionally well stocked. He has probably 60+ different types of grain...

Well, in all reality, "cheap" and "good" are unrelated metrics and have nothing to do with one another. Now, it is possible that the two could overlap by coincidence (or an individual's taste), but cheap is not good, good is not cheap - good is good, and cheap is cheap (both being subject to...

Quote edited for brevity. You're absolutely right sir! I happen to think I make excellent beer, most of the time, but do I really care what anybody thinks about my beer but me? No. I brew for me. Now, it just so happens that my friends either share a similar palate, or I do make good beer, but...

We are each our own Grand Pubah. And for me, the bar is pretty darn high. As in, 9 out of 10 beers I try from new "craft" micro and nano breweries are either "meh" and completely unremarkable, or poorly made and I wouldn't take home if it were free. Most "craft" beer these days is mediocre at...

No, I agree with you, but my response is in line with the original question of the post - "How cheap can you make 'drinkable' beer?" Pretty darn cheap, but "drinkable" is not good enough for me, so I'll pay more to make better beer (mainly by using top quality, hence more expensive...

Caveat: I'm not saying I think throwing money away needlessly is a good policy. I won't buy the cheapest bulk malt I can get my hands on, but I will buy the malt I want as cheaply as I can get it. For instance, I use Weyermann Barke Munich for my Munich malt. It costs more than many others. But...