Best Equipment for new brewers

[Brewer Mike]

Lol !! Listening to advice is what made my list so long in the first place !
Actually, I have learned much more from this thread than all of my other research. It has really put things into perspective and let’s me differentiate between needs and wants. I need temp control before a “Tilt” hydrometer. Not that the Tilt is bad - just going to take my beer from an 8 to an 8.5 - whereas cooling the wort quickly and fermenting at the proper temp will take my beer from a 5 to an 8. I’m going to probably get the premium starter kit from More Beer due to the 8.5gal kettle and an immersion chiller, and a 7 gal wide mouth plastic carboy. Then add bells and whistles as I go. Eventually I will get to kegs, but can’t afford all the equipment required right now (kegs, taps, co2 tank, and a keezer to keep them cold)

Thank you again for all of your posts. I am really looking forward to this

Sounds like you've got a good plan. No need to rush into extras.

I'm looking for a kegging setup now. But, no rush. Bottling still works, and I can afford to wait until I catch a great deal. Black Friday's around the corner (or here at a lot of places).

 

[DuncB]

The wife thinking it’s gonna be hers !! Brew-ha-ha-ha !! Actually. We’re gonna empty my other freezers into it and defrost them. The we will move the food back and the freezer will be my brew-toy !!!

I bought a dented freezer for conversion to a keezer, just before lockdown. Got filled with food and I've never got it back. But have claimed a 1/4 for hops.
Picked up a display fridge and converted that for the kegs soon after so all was not lost, nice and easy as no lines in the side and it takes 8 kegs for minimal floor space.

 

[Merz69]

I bought a dented freezer for conversion to a keezer, just before lockdown. Got filled with food and I've never got it back. But have claimed a 1/4 for hops.
Picked up a display fridge and converted that for the kegs soon after so all was not lost, nice and easy as no lines in the side and it takes 8 kegs for minimal floor space.

We already got 2 others, and our trip to the meat store was last week . Got 30 lbs chicken, 10 lb ground beef, 10 lb bacon, and a 15 lb NY strip loin cut into 15 steaks . All BEFORE the new freezer

 

[Civilian]

Thanks everyone, lots of good info in here.

 

[IslandLizard]

I’m going to probably get the premium starter kit from More Beer due to the 8.5gal kettle and an immersion chiller, and a 7 gal wide mouth plastic carboy.

The only issue you may hit later on, when you go all-grain, is that the 8.5 gallon kettle is a bit small for full volume 5 gallon BIAB mashes. For doing those, the kettle needs to hold about 7.5-8 gallons for the (strike) water and milled grain. That doesn't leave enough (merely 1/2 inch) of headspace to stir, etc.
You could get around that by using somewhat less water for the mash, then doing a small sparge (=rinse) after the mash by dunking the dripped/squeezed-out grain bag in a large bucket or other spare vessel with a gallon or 2 of sparge water. You then add the reclaimed wort from the sparge to your boil kettle.
Or use a converted cooler as a mash tun.

An 8.5 gallon boil kettle is sort of the bare minimum for boiling 5-5.5 gallon batches.
Mine is 8 gallons and it's quite FULL! I don't do BIAB, I use a converted cooler for mashing and lautering (=draining).

 

[Homebrew Harry]

If the OP is using dry yeast, which I urgently recommend him to do, there's no need to get involved with liquid yeast and thus yeast starters and related paraphernalia at this point. There's an excellent selection of dry yeast available now. Keep it simple.


The OP doesn't even know yet if he likes spending 2-4 hours of brewing a batch (using extract and steeping grains), keeping an eye on fermentation for 2 weeks, then bottling the batch, and wait 3 weeks to taste the results.

Most extract brews can be done, and very well so, using one or two large kitchen pots on the stove. 2-3 gallon batches:

1. You'd only boil about half of the wort (1.5-2 gallons). The balance will be made up with cold top-up water in the fermenter, later.
2. After the boil is done, chill the covered pot(s) in the sink or in a tub with cold water.
3. When chilled enough, transfer the wort to the fermenter that already contains the cold top-up water. Stir well, measure the temp and gravity (for the record). Most likely it's cool enough to pitch the yeast: sprinkle it over the wort's surface. Now it's beer!
4. Place airlock, and put the fermenter in a cool enough, dark area, or a fermentation fridge/freezer, if you have one.

After the basic equipment this is what I would choose. It was his list and he asked, "if you could only choose one". I'm kind of confused as to why you quoted my post when giving the OP a tutorial on brewing malt extract ? Not upset or anything, just confused

 

[hout17]

Lots of good info here. I'm sure it's been mentioned but grab a copy of 'How To Brew' by John Palmer (4th Edition). This a great book and will teach you everything you need to know. Good Luck.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

The only issue you may hit later on, when you go all-grain, is that the 8.5 gallon kettle is a bit small for full volume 5 gallon BIAB mashes. For doing those, the kettle needs to hold about 7.5-8 gallons for the (strike) water and milled grain. That doesn't leave enough headspace (like 1/2 inch) to stir, etc.

I agree. To me that is the fatal flaw of that kit. A lot of the money is on a nice kettle that is an awkward size. It is a great size for full volume extract brewing, and might work okay if you moved to a 3-vessel all-grain setup. I use a 10 gallon kettle for BIAB and I often wish I had an extra gallon or two of space. If I purchased a replacement, I would get a 15 gallon one (12 gallons would fit my needs well, but that is not a popular size).

 

[jrgtr42]

Thanks !! There are 2 chest freezers in my area for $50. Seems like I’ll be looking at them soon ! Can these be used with an inkbird for fermentation temp control ?

|Sheesh, where are you? I troll Craigslist and FB marketplace almost every day, and I never (OK, exceedingly rarely) see chest freezers for less than what they cost brand new in a store. There's one that's been hanging around for a couple weeks, a 5cf, no name, and really beat up, they're asking $200 for it, new ones are $175 at the big boxes. I suppose I could contact with an offer, but they'd probably be insulted by the $75 or so that thing is actually worth.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

|Sheesh, where are you? I troll Craigslist and FB marketplace almost every day, and I never (OK, exceedingly rarely) see chest freezers for less than what they cost brand new in a store. There's one that's been hanging around for a couple weeks, a 5cf, no name, and really beat up, they're asking $200 for it, new ones are $175 at the big boxes. I suppose I could contact with an offer, but they'd probably be insulted by the $75 or so that thing is actually worth.

I just saw a keezer ready to go with tap and co2 for $200 on FB. When I asked them a question, they offered to throw in a Sanke adapter ! There are so many good deals on FB. Usually the best deals are the farthest away from me tho

 

[IslandLizard]

After the basic equipment this is what I would choose. It was his list and he asked, "if you could only choose one". I'm kind of confused as to why you quoted my post when giving the OP a tutorial on brewing malt extract ? Not upset or anything, just confused

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you or knock your choices, they are good ones and totally legit.

I was merely commenting on your 2 top choices in general, not because they were yours, but because I feel they are a bit premature on the OP's homebrewing timeline. At this point he doesn't know if he likes homebrewing (enough). Hence my "tutorial" on starting simple, using a partial boil extract method with equipment he may already have.

I guess I should have made the extract tutorial a separate post.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you or knock your choices, they are good ones and totally legit.

I was merely commenting on your 2 top choices in general, not because they were yours, but because I feel they are a bit premature on the OP's homebrewing timeline. At this point he doesn't know if he likes homebrewing (enough). Hence my "tutorial" on starting simple, using a partial boil extract method with equipment he may already have.

I guess I should have made the extract tutorial a separate post.

Ok. I was confused because there are a lot of LONG replies in this thread where folks go on and on and never really answer the OP's original question. I noticed you did not quote most of them.
I tried to keep my reply short and to the point while answering Merz's question.
Still kinda confused, but that's OK ✌

 

[IslandLizard]

Ok. I was confused because there are a lot of LONG replies in this thread where folks go on and on and never really answer the OP's original question. I noticed you did not quote most of them.
I tried to keep my reply short and to the point while answering Merz's question.
Still kinda confused, but that's OK ✌

The long replies are par for the course on this homebrew forum. We all try to help getting him started, and answering his questions. That entices replies and discussions about those answers...

Another reason for the long replies may be due to the OP's original question.
Why would he care what equipment on his list someone else would buy? Everyone has their own unique situation, and they may not match his, without further information.
Obviously he's (indirectly) looking for input on those listed items he's thinking of buying, in addition to a starter kit he's eying up to buy.

Mind, he has never brewed before, and I'm not the only one who thinks he should start simple(r), until he knows he actually likes homebrewing.

 

[Merz69]

Don’t sweat it guys !! I’ve read every reply, and absorbed a ton of relevant and useful information. My equipment priorities seem much better now - leaving options for later.

thanks for all the great advice

 

[bracconiere]

I like bottling day

and people ALWAYS give me a hard time for saying i find washing the dishes relaxing!

 

[jrgtr42]

I just saw a keezer ready to go with tap and co2 for $200 on FB. When I asked them a question, they offered to throw in a Sanke adapter ! There are so many good deals on FB. Usually the best deals are the farthest away from me tho

yeah, something like that around here is $400 or more....

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Nevermind

 

[Soulshine2]

Ok. I was confused because there are a lot of LONG replies in this thread where folks go on and on and never really answer the OP's original question. I noticed you did not quote most of them.
I tried to keep my reply short and to the point while answering Merz's question.
Still kinda confused, but that's OK ✌

it wasnt quite the simple yes or no answer. the guy is reaching out for some help getting started...which im sure thats the entire purpose of this site.

 

[bracconiere]

which im sure thats the entire purpose of this site.

i don't know about 'entire'? i just come here to goof off with other people that brew...and toss in my two cents every once in a while about brewing, and the way i do it.....pick up a few tricks along the way, just being exposed to other people that brew too....

 

[camonick]

If the OP is using dry yeast, which I urgently recommend him to do, there's no need to get involved with liquid yeast and thus yeast starters and related paraphernalia at this point. There's an excellent selection of dry yeast available now. Keep it simple.

I have only skimmed this thread, but I totally agree with this^^^.
As a beginner (or seasoned veteran), there is nothing more simple than sprinkling a packet of dry yeast on your wort before you seal your fermenter. Excellent beer can be made with dry yeast and in my opinion, there are many more things to get proficient at before worrying about liquid yeast. I’ve been brewing off and on for nearly 20 years and I’m still intimidated by liquid yeast and don’t like the hassle quite frankly.
Chose a simple kit, be it extract or all grain from a reputable online supplier, follow and pay attention to each step, and enjoy your first beer in 4-6 weeks.
Sláinte

 

[DuncB]

Down here you have to pay to dispose of a fridge or freezer so it's often cheaper to give it away than chuck it. But just the right fridge or freezer is difficult to track down but worth it if you have the time.

 

[Merz69]

Pulled the trigger and ordered the premium starter kit from more beer . I’m going to stick with extract brewing and tinkering until I figure out what I’m doing. The kit has some things I had wanted - a smooth plastic carboy 7 gal, a wort chiller, and an 8.5 gal stainless pot.
their starter recipes seemed odd - a hazy that was out of stock, a double ipa 8%ABV with a couple dry hops, an ale with a fermentation temp of 55-63, and the American Ale (I’m thinking they are steering everyone towards this one.
wish me luck !!!
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize and keep away from oxygen

 

[IslandLizard]

Pulled the trigger and ordered the premium starter kit from more beer .

Congrats, you're now ready to join the obsession! Chances are you won't even regret it.

I just checked the kit order, "Pliny" is available too, and is an awesome clone from what I've heard.
Perhaps you can still change the order if you want?

Hazy is the only one that's OOS...

 

[Merz69]

Congrats, you're now ready to join the obsession! Chances are you won't even regret it.

I just checked the kit order, "Pliny" is available too, and is an awesome clone from what I've heard.
Perhaps you can still change the order if you want?

Hazy is the only one that's OOS...

Than Pliny looks pretty complex for a first brew !! Lots going on there ! Seems pretty strong also @8% ABV. Don’t you need a temp control for fermentation - or a secondary for high ABV beers ?

 

[camonick]

MoreBeer has very good recipe kits. I’ve made a lot of them. Good luck, your journey has just begun.

 

[camonick]

Pulled the trigger and ordered the premium starter kit from more beer . I’m going to stick with extract brewing and tinkering until I figure out what I’m doing. The kit has some things I had wanted - a smooth plastic carboy 7 gal, a wort chiller, and an 8.5 gal stainless pot.
their starter recipes seemed odd - a hazy that was out of stock, a double ipa 8%ABV with a couple dry hops, an ale with a fermentation temp of 55-63, and the American Ale (I’m thinking they are steering everyone towards this one.
wish me luck !!!
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize and keep away from oxygen

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned above, but what do you plan to use for a heat source? Full volume boils with a kettle that big might be a workout for a standard kitchen stove.

 

[IslandLizard]

Starsan:
You don't need to make a 5 or 6 gallon bucket full of it. Making as little as a quart (or 2) is enough for a brew session. Or a gallon if you must. Put in a small bucket or other plastic container. Cover (with a lid) when done for the day.

The standard working solution is 1 oz (28ml) od concentrate per 5 gallons, but you rarely need that much sanitizer around...
Use 6 ml of concentrate* per gallon to make a working solution. It's thick and syrupy, so pour very slowly and carefully!

A standard measure teaspoon is 5 ml.
A quarter teaspoon is 1.25 ml.
So use one of each* to make a gallon of working solution. Stir to mix it.
* Relax, using a little (little!) more concentrate is not gonna harm anything.

Put some in a spray bottle, easy for ad-hoc spot sanitation.

The working solution is easily "mopped" onto most surfaces with a small, clean, dedicated soft wash cloth. Or dump some into your fermonster, and swirl it around, wetting all surfaces well for a minute, then recover it by pouring it back into your storage container.

Make the Starsan solution with RO or distilled water, or if your tap water is soft you can use that instead. It can last for weeks or longer as long as you keep it clean and only use it on things that are already clean and rinsed off. It may get a little cloudy over time, but should still be fine. If it looks grimey, gray, or dirty, toss it and make fresh.

Water:
Unless you know for 100% certain that your tap water is soft (very low hardness and low minerals), use RO or distilled water for brewing (with a few exceptions). Buy jugs of distilled or RO water (Supermarket, Walmart, etc.). Some stores have RO machines, fill your own for $0.39 a gallon if you bring your own jugs.

Tap Water treatment:
All municipal tap water if used in beer needs to be treated with a crushed 1/4 Campden tablet per 5 gallons, to remove every trace of chlorine or chloramines, which kills your beer. Seriously!

Well Water:
If you're on your own well, there won't be chlorine/chloramines, but you need to know the mineral composition to make an educated judgment on its suitability for brewing, depending on beer style.

 

[IslandLizard]

Than Pliny looks pretty complex for a first brew !! Lots going on there ! Seems pretty strong also @8% ABV. Don’t you need a temp control for fermentation - or a secondary for high ABV beers ?

You always need to control your fermentation temps, low and high gravity beers alike. The yeast determines what the optimal range is, we like to keep it at the lower end of it. You have a cool place somewhere, low 60s, and fairly constant?

Secondaries are out, been out for about a decade. There are some exceptions, none in the beginning brewer's realm.

I was steering you toward the Pliny since it's included in your kit price, and a phenomenal beer!
The kit runs $55 normally.
Sure, Pliny is a little more involved, but you're just adding more hops, and more frequently. Plus a dry hop at the end of fermentation.
It's very doable if you can follow instructions.

 

[IslandLizard]

Do you have bottles? Or can you scrounge them up (friends)? You're gonna need 48-50 (12 oz) of them 3 weeks after brewing.

Do you have a local homebrew store?
There may be a few other (smaller) things you're gonna need.

One thing is missing from the kit (description): A siphon or racking cane to transfer your finished beer from the fermenter to your bottling bucket. I'd prefer a racking cane, stainless if possible, over an auto-siphon (due air intrusion).

 

[PCABrewing]

Do you have bottles? Or can you scrounge them up (friends)? You're gonna need 48-50 (12 oz) of them 3 weeks after brewing.

Do you have a local homebrew store?
There may be a few other (smaller) things you're gonna need.

One thing is missing from the kit (description): A siphon or racking cane to transfer your finished beer from the fermenter to your bottling bucket. I'd prefer a racking cane, stainless if possible, over an auto-siphon (due air intrusion).

You could also use a growler or two and the balance in 12 oz.
Provided you can finish a growler in one sitting, friends make that easier.