Did Someone Say Beer? Newb Here

[MuNchiezz]

First off HELLO EVERYONE!! I'm new blood here. I came to where the professional people are. I'm looking to get into the hobby but of course have a couple questions....

I'm currently looking at the Deluxe Homebrew Starter Kit from Northern Brewer. I was going to do the cheaper one but I'm guessing glass is better than plastic buckets.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/coll...brew-kits/products/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit

After doing some research I also came to the conclusion that the kit is only part of what I need? So other than adding a brew pot and gravity meter what else should I plan on ordering? And should I go 5gal or 8gal?

 

[Kent88]

Hello, welcome to the site.

Plastic vs glass is a debatable subject. I certainly prefer glass, and I only use plastic for primary fermentation of wine or mead (just my personal preference) but I think there is a thread around here somewhere of horror stories of people who had glass fermenters fall down and break, some ended up with some bad cuts, I bet there are some who had stitches, and still have scars. I like glass, but I'm always careful with it.

What volume you go with really depends on how much you drink and how frequently you want to brew. I started off with 1-gallon batches because I wanted to brew a bunch and try a variety of styles of beer, and it takes me a while to drink even a gallon. I've settled on 3-gallon batches these days, enough to drink some myself and share a little. I will say that there are a lot of recipes online that are geared for 5-gallon batches.

One of my first kits was a lot like this one. The only issue I can remember from that was the bottle filler leaked, so I'd recommend a spring-tip filler. Besides that, a couple of kettles and a hydrometer or refractometer should get you where you need to go. You can't go wrong with some extra sanitizer as well. I believe that seller has a youtube channel where they demonstrate how to use a kit like that, I'd recommend you check that out, it might highlight any extra equipment that you might find useful.

Edit: Looking back at it, I think you meant 8 or 5 gallon kettle rather than what volume you'll be making. I'd recommend the 8. Boilovers are nasty. I actually just got an 8-gallon unit myself, because even though I only end up with 3 gallons I still prefer to start by boiling 4 or 4.5 gallons, and trying to do that in a 5 gallon kettle can be a bit stressful.

 

[RM-MN]

A high percentage of us make great beer in plastic buckets. No fear of being impaled by a shard of glass when you need to move the fermenter and the buckets have nice handles for carrying. Unless you intend to make beers that require long term (6 months to two years) aging forget the glass. It's heavy and slippery when wet.

 

[McKnuckle]

First of all, this is a topic that comes up all the time, so do yourself a favor and read through HomeBrewTalk's archive for opinions, of which there will be many.

Here's another vote to skip glass. In fact, skip anything billed as more expensive if you're entering the hobby with a classic starter kit. If you end up hooked, you will likely seek to upgrade several pieces, including your fermenter. And if you do, you'll find many options that are more practical than both buckets and glass carboys.

Glass carboys are a thing of the past. They work great as a fermenter, but they're heavy, hard to clean, slippery, and dangerous. If they were the only solution available, then fine; be extra careful, man up, yadda yadda. But they're not.

Plastic buckets, on the other hand, are useful no matter what. Practical as a primary fermenter, but then they will serve as a utility vessel for 101 things if/when you upgrade to another type of fermenter.

The NB kit gives you not one, but two big glass carboys, which reflects another largely passé assumption - that we need to use both a primary and a secondary vessel. This is now widely discouraged. Also, if you have a bucket, there's your primary - you don't need TWO glass carboys even if you did opt for a secondary.

Another assumption the classic kits make is that you MUST brew 5 gallons of beer. Fifty plus bottles is a lot of beer when you're starting out making the worst homebrew of your life. What is hopefully clear in that statement is that you'll eventually be making far better homebrew if you stick with this!

If you do wish to brew that much beer, then know that an 8 gallon pot is barely passable for 5 gallon batches. The general rule is to have a kettle twice the batch size.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

After doing some research I also came to the conclusion that the kit is only part of what I need? So other than adding a brew pot and gravity meter what else should I plan on ordering? And should I go 5gal or 8gal?

Consider buying a copy of How to Brew (4e). The book contains "getting started" chapters for

• exact+steep partial boils (Chapter 1),
  
• extract+steep full boils (chapter 8),
  
• and all-grain (chapter 20).

Information on equipment and proper sizing is included.

 

[Jag75]

Welcome to the HBT forum and hobby! Like the others say beware of glass carboys. I have a plastic one and almost dropped it when it was full. If you do decide to got that route get a milk crate to carry them. The reason why they say a 5 to 8 gallon kettle is because they're assuming your doing extract kits . Those are where you put approximately 2.5 gallons of water , steep then boil add LME/DME hops ect.....then you top off in the fermenter to get you 5 gallons. I'd look at morebeer also. They have nice starter kits as well. They even come with pot and beer kit.

 

[grampamark]

This kit from Morebeer is about the most complete starter kit for the least $ you will find. It’s designed for 5 gal extract batches; the 8.5 gal kettle is big enough for full volume boils if you don’t try to use a volcanic rate of boil. The kettle is also big enough for 2.5-3 gal, full volume, BIAB if you want to try all grain. Just add a bag. If you ever want to go to 5 gal three vessel brewing you could add a 10 gal kettle for boiling, a cooler for a mash tun, and use the kit kettle for a hot liquor tank.

 

[ravhawk2000]

Welcome and good luck man.
First off, never spend any more than the minimum you need to make sure you're all in before you spend too much. If you end up not committing, you didn't spend too much. I wouldn't recommend the glass version for all the reasons above and also back to point 1, its too expensive right out the gate. You can always upgrade as you go along, piece by piece. You can find some good starter kits to get you going. The primary thing to consider is your heat source. The first time I did it was on a stove top. Def. NOT a great heat source, but it didn't require spending more than I needed. I've been doing this now for almost 10 years and grew my hobby & craft as I went. Below are a few kits that I think would serve you well to start. Some of these have some nice extras you usually need to get later or separately, like the morebeer.com & austinhomebrew.com kits. Personally, I started down the midwestsupplies.com route, but ended up falling in love with austinhomebrew.com boys. Those guys know what they are doing and have nearly everything you need, w/ great customer support.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/coll...roducts/brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kit

https://www.morebeer.com/products/deluxe-home-brewing-kit.html

https://www.austinhomebrew.com/The-AHS-Beginner-Homebrew-Kit-Upgrade-2_p_5598.html

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kit

Good luck again and don't hestitate to ask if you get stuck...

 

[OnePlate]

Welcome to the obsession!

The kit grampamark linked to from morebeer.com is probably the perfect kit to get started with. It has the cool stuff you would eventually upgrade to (kettle with spigot, Fermonster, wort chiller, it even comes with some Star San!) over the Northern Brewer kits without wasting the money and time monkeying around doing things the hard way.

That said, there are some more things to consider when choosing your starting setup. Do you plan on boiling on a stove or propane burner? If boiling on a stove, does your stove crank out enough heat to bring a large kettle to at least a low boil?

Also, as mentioned above, get a copy of How to Brew by John Palmer.

 

[Jmspears]

Consider buying a copy of How to Brew (4e). The book contains "getting started" chapters for

• exact+steep partial boils (Chapter 1),
  
• extract+steep full boils (chapter 8),
  
• and all-grain (chapter 20).

Information on equipment and proper sizing is included.

I agree with this. Definitely buy this book. It goes from beginner to advanced and is really easy to follow. Plus you can find the 1st edition online for free. Not near as much info but useful in a pinch.

 

[madscientist451]

Here's where you can find the free version of How to Brew:
http://www.howtobrew.com/

Also check you tube for how to brew videos, and look through the Basic Brewing audio/video podcasts.

I've been brewing for years and I use a 7.5 gallon pot, I also have a 15 gallon pot, but I mostly brew smaller batches, so I seldom get it out. You need to consider what your heat source. If you are using a kitchen stove, some are more powerful than others. My old Kenmore smooth top range can boil 6.5 gallons, while my G/F's Jenn-Aire can only boil about 2 gallons.
For brewing larger batches you need to get a propane burner, an electric brew system or run multiple batches on your stove.
I can brew 5 gallon batches on my stove top, but to avoid watching the pot for boil-overs, I use a second, smaller 3 gallon side pot at the beginning of the brew and then combine the 2 pots after about 20 minutes.
I use plastic carboys for primary, but buckets are fine. I use glass for aging cider and wine, but am transitioning to just using 5 gallon kegs for that.
I would recommend this 8 gallon pot:
https://www.northernbrewer.com/collections/megapot-1-2/products/megapot-1-2-kettle-8-gal
They are having a sale this weekend.
You don't need a spigot or a thermometer built into the pot.
If you want to brew smaller batches, you can get a 16 or 20 Qt pot at Walmart.
Walmart also has food safe buckets for $2-3, just drill a hole in the lid for your stopper/airlock.
Depending on your budget, there are some really nice electric brewing options available these days, either 110 or 220V. If you have an electric dryer, you can plug a 220V system into that.
You basically need 9 things to get started:
Brew pot
Brew in a bag, (BIAB) bag
Brewing Thermometer
Hydrometer for measuring gravity
Big spoon or mash paddle to stir the mash
Bucket w/airlock or Carboy (you'll need a big funnel to dump the wort in)
Auto siphon for bottling or transfer to keg
Bottles
Capper & caps
Look on your local craigslist or Facebook marketplace for used stuff, there's usually something available. Like always, check prices, some people are trying to sell stuff for way more than what its really worth.

They've got the cheaper kit on sale for $99, don't know if you can take an extra 15% off that price, but its still pretty cheap for what you get:
https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kit
It comes with an extract kit so you can start brewing the day it gets there.

Its really nice to have a brewing scale (about $20) to weigh your grain and hops.

There's nothing wrong with starting small, you can brew 1.5-2 gallon batches in a 16 qt pot, and see if you like the process without spending a lot of cash.

Avoid brewing IPA's when just starting out, oxygen exposure seems to affect hoppy beers more than other styles, so get some experience and kegging equipment before you go for that.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

And so the cycle begins again:

• Recommend howtobrew.com (written in 1999) to a new brewer.

• New brewer follows the advice, adopts a process that includes transfer to secondary.

• New brewers asks a question about dry yeast (and include a description of their process).

• Many people reply with don't use secondary.

• Some people reply with don't use "howtobrew.com", suggest spending a few dollars 4th edition of the book.

• Others mention googling for utube videos (they some some good ones somewhere in the past).

​

 

[CodeSection]

This kit from Morebeer is about the most complete starter kit for the least $ you will find. It’s designed for 5 gal extract batches; the 8.5 gal kettle is big enough for full volume boils if you don’t try to use a volcanic rate of boil. The kettle is also big enough for 2.5-3 gal, full volume, BIAB if you want to try all grain. Just add a bag. If you ever want to go to 5 gal three vessel brewing you could add a 10 gal kettle for boiling, a cooler for a mash tun, and use the kit kettle for a hot liquor tank.

+1 on that kit recommendation. That is the same kit I bought for my SIL and myself years ago.

 

[MuNchiezz]

i am so thankful for everyones input. im gonna get reading and go from there

 

[Hoakster]

Not a bad idea either to google your location for a Home Brew club. Many meet once a month at a local brew pub or home brew supply shop. Meetings are a social event with folks occasionally bringing home brew to share, share recipes, and discuss brewing techniques. The folks who regularly attend these things are usually fantastic people and would love to have you over for their next brew day to work through the process hands-on and learn from them. My Brew Sensei taught me a ton before I ever bought my first piece of equipment.

 

[MuNchiezz]

Not a bad idea either to google your location for a Home Brew club. Many meet once a month at a local brew pub or home brew supply shop. Meetings are a social event with folks occasionally bringing home brew to share, share recipes, and discuss brewing techniques. The folks who regularly attend these things are usually fantastic people and would love to have you over for their next brew day to work through the process hands-on and learn from them. My Brew Sensei taught me a ton before I ever bought my first piece of equipment.

thats a great idea however i live in a pretty small town. the closest city is vegas but thats 1 1/2 hours away. ill see what i can find though

 

[Kent88]

If your local homebrew supplier is closer than Vegas, maybe start hanging around there and see if you can find some people who are part of a club, or who knows, maybe you can start getting people to meet up for brew days.