Beginner Kit for Those That Plan on Kegging

[darm0v]

I purchased a beginner kit from MidWest in January. I bought the intermediate one with two 5 gallon glass carboys. I ended up buying quite a few additional parts and pieces from my LHBS and overpaying quite a bit in the process. I bottled my first batch, and really disliked the entire process. I immediately switched to kegging for my second batch.

I borrowed a wort chiller from a friend for my first three batches and that was inconvenient. After reading about glass carboys breaking and hurting people I decided not to use them for secondary fermentation. My fourth batch (Deception Cream Stout, extract version) has been in a 6.5 gallon bucket for two weeks. I plan on transferring that to an empty keg for further conditioning. I won't be using a carboy for secondary. I'm also going to attempt washing the yeast to save some money for future batches.

Here's a list for beginners that want to skip bottling:
(all Midwest prices unless noted otherwise, feel free to shop around for the best price)

Fermentation
6.5 gallon plastic bucket with grommeted lid $14.99
3 piece airlock $1.25

Kettle
Large aluminum brew kettle ~8 gallons $37.80 (Sam's Club)

Aeration
21" stainless steel spoon $7.99

Siphon
Autosiphon $9.99
24" Stainless Steel Racking Cane $12.99
Racking Cane Holder $2.19

Temperature Control
Floating Thermometer $6.29

Measuring Specific Gravity
Hydrometer (for beer only) $12.99
Wine thief $7.99

Serving
Double Dual Draft System with two regulators $255

Wort Chilling
Immersion wort chiller, garden hose hookups, 25' copper $53 (NY Brew Supply)
two short garden hoses (4') $8 (Amazon)
kitchen faucet hose adapter $7 (Amazon, Ace Hardware)

Sanitization
8 oz One Step $5.29


Approximately $468 total with a $25 shipping estimate in there

I spent about $660.00 acquiring this stuff from different places and buying stuff that I don't use now. I have two 5 gallon glass carboys, a bottle capper, a bottling wand, a triple scale hydrometer that is more difficult to read for beer specific gravity because it has a wine scale on it, a carboy funnel, a bottling bucket and spigot, and a plastic racking cane. I also have a double keg system with a single pressure regulator and oddball diameter gas tubing thanks to my LHBS using 1/4" instead of 5/16".

Hopefully this helps someone that is going to start. I don't think pre-assembled kits are a great deal. The components aren't individually selected for quality. I believe I am avoiding the pre-assembled pitfall on my kegerator build by purchasing individual parts instead of a draft tower with faucets, shanks, etc. It's going to cost a little more in the end but it's going to be all stainless steel instead of a chrome-plated brass. It's also going to have 525SS Perlick faucets.

 

[duboman]

As a side note, it is important to figure shipping costs in your purchases. I used to buy quite a bit from Midwest as well as other sites until I located a LHBS. While my LHBS is sightly more expensive than on line I found that once I figured in the shipping the costs were about the same, plus I know that I am supporting my LHBS and developing a relationship with a local brewer/shop owner.

In addition I receive a discount for being an AHA member and get invited to different events that the LHBS holds like tastings and brew days, etc!

 

[brockettbrews]

i think you can find a cheaper wort chiller on amazon. I saw one for like forty.

 

[helibrewer]

Northern Brewer has $7.99 flat rate shipping so if you order a couple recipe kits at a time the shipping is pretty cheap.

 

[darm0v]

i think you can find a cheaper wort chiller on amazon. I saw one for like forty.

Mine was $34 before shipping. They charged $16-$18 for shipping as I recall. At my LHBS, a similar one is $68 + sales tax.

I'm not advocating a boycott of your LHBS. I'm suggesting that perhaps big ticket purchases such as a draft tower, a keg system, or a starter kit are probably cheaper online. I'm also trying to make the case that assembling your own supplies allows you to be more selective than purchasing a pre-packaged assembly of parts. Perhaps I didn't do a very good job. I think buying your grains, extracts, yeast, and hops at your LHBS is a great plan.

 

[BigBlueDog]

Keep in mind that the price (and efficiency) of immersion chillers varies depending on the diameter and length of tubing used. 3/8 inch copper should be cheaper than 1/2 inch; 25 foot cheaper than 50. When you shop around, just make sure you're doing an apples-to-apples comparison. It's a pretty easy DIY project as well.