Best way to start brewing

[jseyfert3]

Also can check Facebook Marketplace or craigslist for brewing supplies. I was seeing what was on Facebook the other day, tons of starter sets. Not everyone that tries sticks to it.

Here's me making my fourth batch of beer:

That is an extract beer. Basic process of those beers is warm water, steep grains for 20 minutes, bring to boil, add DME and/or LME, add hops, boil, add hops, boil, chill (I put pot in icewater filled sink), transfer to bucket for fermenting, top off with water, take OG reading, pitch yeast, stick in basement for a couple weeks.

I agree with the others, not sure by Christmas you'll have something your completely proud of, but my first two batches of beer were very drinkable for sure (3 & 4 were brewed back to back this weekend and are both fermenting now).

I just ordered the How To Brew book myself as I'm going to start looking at all grain shortly.

 

[NGD]

Thanks for the suggestion on the kit! That actually looks really nice and is about the price range I want to be in.

Edit: That's weird! When I first went there the kit was like 140 bucks or something and then I clicked again and it's $250. I must have gone to the wrong page the first time. Just wanted to throw that out there so everyone knows what my price range is. I'd like to be around $100-150 for my first brew.

I think you may have clicked on the link I provided after kartracer2. Its the same store (morebeer) but the next kit up. It comes with an immersion cooler as well as a larger kettle and a few other odds and ends. The larger kettle and cooler are important if you decide to go all grain.
The link kartracer provided is also a great setup and in your price range I would recommend it. The used route is good, but if you want beer ready by Christmas you won’t want to wait much longer

I started with a midwest kit. It works fine but the morebeer kit is a better deal that has more longevity.

Spoiler: Click to see why its better

This Kit Includes:

• 6 Gallon Fermonster fermenter with spigot, stopper and airlock
• 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Kettle *Great, but need at least 8 gallon if you decide to try all grain.
• Food-Grade Bottling Bucket with spigot
• Mesh Bags for steeping grain and hops on brew day
• Thermometer for easy temperature management *very helpful
• Hydrometer for making key sugar readings *a must have
• Transfer Tubing
• Bottling Wand with shut off valve
• Sturdy Bottle Capper
• Bottle Caps
• Bottle Cleaning Brush
• Star San Sanitizer for true sanitization *most brewers preferred sanitizer
• Large Stainless Steel Spoon for mixing
• Craftmeister Cleaning Tablets for easy cleaning
• Classic American Pale Ale recipe kit with yeast

 

[kartracer2]

@codingmike Midwest supplies and Northern Brewer are pretty much the same outfit. Not 100% but I think they have a common warehouse/shipping location, as far as price difference, I got nothing for why that is. NB a good outfit and I get most of my stuff there and in 2-3 days (UPS) most of the time. I went with Morebeer on the equipment kit because it had just what I was looking for at my price point. One thing I don't like about Morebeer is they ship with FedEx and they (FedEx) have jacked me around a couple of times on timely delivery. Depending on where you live you may have different results.
There is lots of other places to get home brewing stuff too. Have you looked into some place you could call local? I wish I did.
Sorry to be so windy, I get that way sometimes. (LOL)
Oh, @NGD, that spoiler drop down is cute, How you do that?
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[NGD]

PM’d

 

[jseyfert3]

There is lots of other places to get home brewing stuff too. Have you looked into some place you could call local? I wish I did.

Oh yeah, this too. I placed an order from NB for a kegging set, then realized that not only did I have a LHBS, but they sold dual handle 5 gallon kegs new for $80 that NB charged $120 for, and NB charged $80 for single handle kegs, plus shipping. No shipping from a LHBS obviously.

Turns out ALL the prices at the LHBS where cheaper than NB. That may not be the case everywhere, but it was for me, though NB seems to be the most expensive online site. While my LHBS doesn't have everything, he's got most of what I need, including lots of extract kits, tons of grain and hops, and a large selection of yeast.

 

[Bill"sDamnBrewing]

I started with this one
https://www.northernbrewer.com/coll...lectric-brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kitI just started in August and I’m on my 4th 5 gallon batch. I also bought a kegerator and 4 sixtels. (I hated bottling) I love this starter kit.

 

[Nokie]

Just got this email. 20% off starter kits.
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/col...uY29tIiwgImtsX2NvbXBhbnlfaWQiOiAiSHBYeERGIn0=

 

[kartracer2]

NB seems to be the most expensive online site.

Interesting, so I did a little sleuthing.
I shopped for 3 lbs. of Briess Amber LME at three places. Price does not always determine cost.
I used the same shipping method (standard ground) to "my" zip code
Morebeer $13.99/bag + shipping = $24.08
AIH $12.99/bag + shipping = $25.93
NB $14.99/bag + shipping = $23.13
So NB is actually cheaper in this instance.
Now before somebody jumps in and says "I never but just one 3lb. bag. I buy enough to get free shipping" I hear you, same here, so I'll add this.
Free shipping levels: (check for exemptions)
MB = $59.00
AIH = $55.00
NB = $40.00
OK, not picking on you in any way @jseryfert, just using your quote to make a point for the OP. Bottom line is --Shop where you feel comfortable, for what ever reason. Just do your home work if saving $$ is important.
As always YMMV
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[Nokie]

I used to do the same. I would shop all over and try different options with shipping. And it would drive me crazy.
So I got to the point where it was just personal preference and I just usually stick to one place and usually it boils down to customer service.
I find one that treats me good and stick with them. I’d rather have great service for the cost of a few $

 

[jseyfert3]

Interesting, so I did a little sleuthing.
I shopped for 3 lbs. of Briess Amber LME at three places. Price does not always determine cost.
I used the same shipping method (standard ground) to "my" zip code
Morebeer $13.99/bag + shipping = $24.08
AIH $12.99/bag + shipping = $25.93
NB $14.99/bag + shipping = $23.13
So NB is actually cheaper in this instance.
Now before somebody jumps in and says "I never but just one 3lb. bag. I buy enough to get free shipping" I hear you, same here, so I'll add this.
Free shipping levels: (check for exemptions)
MB = $59.00
AIH = $55.00
NB = $40.00
OK, not picking on you in any way @jseryfert, just using your quote to make a point for the OP. Bottom line is --Shop where you feel comfortable, for what ever reason. Just do your home work if saving $$ is important.
As always YMMV
Cheers,
Joel B.

This is a really good point. Specifically I was looking at hardware, such as kegs. I did not compare a lot of items, mostly because it's more convent (and cheaper for the things I've checked) for me to go to my LHBS.

Now, my LHBS is Farmhouse Brewing Supply, which also has online shipping. For for giggles, I wanted to compare. I assume you mean DME, not LME, as you listed 3 lb not 3.3 and "bag" not can, so I will use DME to compare. I don't know your zip so I took a random zip in Des Moines, IA (50315) to compare Farmhouse for someone shopping online to your above numbers. 3 lbs of Briess Sparkling Amber DME is $12.49 + $10.55 shipping = $23.04, which is just a tiny bit cheaper than NB!

Now OTOH Farmhouse does not typically offer free shipping. This is part of why their prices are so low, I would guess. You'd need three bags at NB to get free shipping, at $44.97. At Farmhouse shipping now jumps to $18.08, so the three bags cost $55.55 and NB wins out. I suspect there's a cost/weight ratio here where if you had a really big order, Farmhouse would win out again, but I'm too lazy to do that math.

Now you got me hooked, so let's compare lightweight things, like yeast. A pack of US-05 is $3.29 at Farmhouse, shipping is $3.50, so $6.79 to "your" house (at 50315). NB is $4.99 a pack + $7.99 shipping for a grand total of $12.98! You'd need 9 packs at NB to get free shipping, at $44.91 total, whereas at Farmhouse those 9 packs would be a total cost of $34.11. Looks like Farmhouse wins hands down here.

Anyway, I think the moral of this story is:

I used to do the same. I would shop all over and try different options with shipping. And it would drive me crazy.
So I got to the point where it was just personal preference and I just usually stick to one place and usually it boils down to customer service.
I find one that treats me good and stick with them. I’d rather have great service for the cost of a few $

I do have to say NB has great customer service, I had some reg issues with the CO2 regs they sell (CO2PO), they replaced it free, new one had the same issues, they refunded it completely. Never was asked to send either one back. But since the guy at Farmhouse is really nice, it's my LHBS, AND they are cheaper than just about anyone from what I've seen on most things, it's a no-brainer for me. If they have it and I need/want it, that's where I get it. I do recommend the OP check their own LHBS, if they have one.

 

[kartracer2]

@jseyfert3 Oopps, yes I miss-typed, should have been DME, sorry for that confusion.
Great post! All good points. Got to laugh as I know that there is really no such thing as "free" shipping. Bigger outfits have ppl that get paid just to figure out all the numbers. Sales and such are generally not included on "Free Shipping" offers for that reason.
I'm going to look into Farmhouse, thanks for the link.
I'm not glued to NB or any other biz and my money clip is watched closely. That's not to say I won't spend more to get what I want , and when .
And yes customer service is very important, that ensures/promotes return sales.
I hope the OP isn't thinking this is a thread hijack because it does relate to getting started.
Again, good post and cheers,
Joel B.

 

[codingmike]

Thank you everyone for all the awesome advice. For the sake of time I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger on this.

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kit
It's got a hydrometer, thermometer and everything else I seem to need at the moment and it's 20% off!! If I had more time to decide I would probably do a lot more research but I need to get this done before Christmas and at only 100$ it's worth a shot. If anyone can think of anything else that's a must have (besides bottles and sanitizer) I'd love to hear about it.

I really want to thank everyone for being so welcoming and giving an amazing amount of knowledge. I will let you all know how my first brew turns out!

 

[NSMikeD]

Thank you everyone for all the awesome advice. For the sake of time I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger on this.

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kit
It's got a hydrometer, thermometer and everything else I seem to need at the moment and it's 20% off!! If I had more time to decide I would probably do a lot more research but I need to get this done before Christmas and at only 100$ it's worth a shot. If anyone can think of anything else that's a must have (besides bottles and sanitizer) I'd love to hear about it.

I really want to thank everyone for being so welcoming and giving an amazing amount of knowledge. I will let you all know how my first brew turns out!

the kit comes with sanitizer

pick up a spray bottle for things you can't soak in the sanitizer, like the spigot. the sanitizer cleaner is oxy based. personally, i think that it all you need. Oxy is a great sanitizer and hospitals use it, but it isn't commercially marketed as a sanitizer so some folks think it's not up to the job. It destroys cells, so IMO that's pretty powerful killer. Star San is the hobby go to sanitizer used after cleaning with the oxy based cleaners if you want to follow home brew best practices. I use oxy products and then spray with a food service contact sanitizer (nu-foam) since i have lots of it on hand, but never had an issue with using oxy as my sanitizer.

extract with specialty grains and a starter kit is a great way to start. you may want to get mesh bags for the hops, it cuts down on the sediment. not necessary but an inexpensive convenience. Before getting my hop spider i would weigh out and bag my hops in advance when i laid out my ingredients. (tip: lay out everything in advance and walk though your brew steps before turning on the stove burner)

 

[kartracer2]

@codingmike You should be good to go then.
When you get the kit make sure it has what it says it should. (both equipment and beer kit) Things can get forgotten or broke in shipping. Read the instructions a couple of times and get familiar with the equipment and it's part in the processes. Test the buckets after you install the spigots with water before you commit you wort to them.
Don't be afraid to ask questions if you have them, if you don't know the answer, it's not a dumb question. Take notes too, document timing's, temps, gravity's and quantity's, it makes it easier to trouble shoot "if" something does go wrong.
Good luck, enjoy and let us know how it goes.
Cheers,
Joel B.

 

[NSMikeD]

as mentioned earlier wort chiller is a well appreciated accessory and a cheap DIY project. Adding a spigot to the boil kettle is another DIY project that makes the day easier (transferring the cooled wort to the fermentation bucket without stirring up the sediment.

 

[NSMikeD]

@codingmike You should be good to go then.
When you get the kit make sure it has what it says it should. (both equipment and beer kit) Things can get forgotten or broke in shipping. Read the instructions a couple of times and get familiar with the equipment and it's part in the processes. Test the buckets after you install the spigots with water before you commit you wort to them.
Don't be afraid to ask questions if you have them, if you don't know the answer, it's not a dumb question. Take notes too, document timing's, temps, gravity's and quantity's, it makes it easier to trouble shoot "if" something does go wrong.
Good luck, enjoy and let us know how it goes.
Cheers,
Joel B.

^ this


PS. get a huge sponge to clean up the boil over and spills. keep the mop handy too- it happens to everyone sooner or later

 

[kartracer2]

PS. get a huge sponge to clean up the boil over and spills. keep the mop handy too- it happens to everyone sooner or later

LOL !!! that should be in every starter kit instructions !!!
I have a stack of old bath towels that I lay out on brew and bottling day for that very reason.
Cheers,
Joel B.