absolute newbie with a few questions

[mrkite6]

Hello. Total newbie here, I've been interested in home brewing for some time now and thinking of buying a starter kit in the next few days.
I found an intermediate kit on the Midwest Supplies site that has two 5 gallon glass carboys and most of the expected supplies for $160. I realize I'm not an intermediate brewer but from all accounts having the extra carboy is an eventuality so why not get it up front? The kit doesn't come with a thermometer though and I'm wondering which kind of thermometer I would need to buy; the kit includes a hydrometer and a liquid crystal thermometer. Any recommendations on a decent thermometer?

Also, I've seen beginner kits with 6 gallon glass carboys and I'm wondering if having the 6 or 6.5 gallon is preferred. I imagine it might be helpful to have the overhead space but wondering if there's a major difference.

OK I think that's all for now. I really appreciate any feedback or advice you may have for a beginner. Thanks.

 

[Greenbasterd]

you might want to think about a plastic bucket.. as for a thermometer, i use a digi meat thermometer. there like 15 bucks. you can also get floating thermometers that look just like a hydrometer.

even if your against fermenting in plastic. it will be usefull for mixing sanitizers and bottling and things of that nature

 

[runitis]

If you are planning on doing 5 gallon batches, you will need at least a 6 gallon carboy. I use 6.5 and will probably never use anything less than that. The 5 gallon carboys are used for smaller batches and secondary fermenters.

 

[ScottSingleton]

The starter kits are an awesome way to get into brewing man! And Midwest is a pretty decent establishment.

Expect it to be like crack though -- as soon as you brew a couple of batches and spend some time reading the forums you'll be buying craploads of equipment.

Everyone here does it differently.. from buckets to carboys from only doing primary fermenters (the first container the wort goes into to ferment) to elaborate schemes of racking from one container to another.

Best thing to do IMHO is get the starter kit and gear and use it as instructed for at least two to three batches until you figure out how YOU want to brew.. There's nothing in the starter kit that you would end up throwing away anyway.

-S

 

[runitis]

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

This kit here is very similar to what I started with. Like Scott said, you will never throw any of it away, only add to it. Make sure you get a hydrometer also.

 

[bschoenb]

6 1/2 Gallon Carboy min/ or a bucket; your choice... nothing smaller

 

[Brew-ta-sauraus]

6 1/2 Gallon Carboy min/ or a bucket; your choice... nothing smaller

Agree with the above. Alos you can get a thermometer from Harbor Freight cheap $5 I think. Thats what I used when i started brewing.

 

[mrkite6]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it.

Here's a link to the starter kit:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-intermediate-kit-w-two-5-gallon-glass-carboys.html


I think I'd like to just start skip the absolute newbie phase of fermenting in a bucket and go straight to glass. From what I'm reading a glass fermenter seems a better choice. The kit does include buckets for sanitizing and general use though.

I had a feeling the 5 gallon carboy would be too small. I'll keep looking...would it be cheaper to head to a store and buy a kit and just add another carboy? This seems much easier and I would guess cheaper than assembling everything piece-meal.

Thanks again.

 

[ScottSingleton]

6 1/2 Gallon Carboy min/ or a bucket; your choice... nothing smaller

I had taken a look at the 160$ kit from midwest he was talking about. It seems to come with two (2) 6.5 gallon fermenting buckets and two 5 gallon carboys. Seems like the perfect starter kit to do multiple batches simultaneously.

The 5's are in there as secondaries.

This is the kit I believed the OP to be referring to: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/home...mediate-kit-w-two-5-gallon-glass-carboys.html