Equipment Advice?

[wdchandlersmith]

Hey guys, my names Chandler and in a few short weeks, upon my return to the US, I will be starting to produce my own witch's brew. I was wondering what the easiest way to get into this is... I have a good friend who also brews (and got me into this website) so I can turn to him for advice during the process, but getting there is what interests me most, and currently is more important.

I've been doing some reading on kits, and they all pretty much seem the same, but does anyone know of one that sticks out more than the others? And how do you think I should choose my first kit to brew? Is one easier, or at least simpler, than the others?

Right now I have no idea what I would be doing. I'm doing a lot of reading, and want to have the equipment side of this process ready to go when I get home. I also live in Kalamazoo, so I can get ingredients right down the road, which might be better. But kits! Tell me about them!

 

[bradleypariah]

I promise I'm not pawning you off on others, but let me just say that if you have a local home brew store (LHBS), you should speak to them in person.

Equipment need not be expensive.
My essentials so far have been:
5-gallon bucket - $10
Air lock - $1
Racking cane with clip and siphon hose - $5
Siphon wand - $4
Long whisk - $4
Sanitizer - $3
Stock pot - under $20

As far as brewing "kits" go, it's an awesome place to start. They typically come with absolutely every ingredient you need, and come with easy-to-understand directions. After only one batch, you'll be getting ideas about what you would change if you were in charge... which you are!

You'll be swapping out this ingredient for that ingredient, changing ratios, etc.

Seriously, go inside your LHBS and let their employees geek out on you.
Chances are, they're dying to share their knowledge. If they're not, shop elsewhere.

What you need to do now is see if you are allowed to taste-test the grains the local store offers. Seriously. Chew some up and see what you like.
They most likely will not let you eat their hops for free (bags are already sealed), but if you register at ratebeer.com, and you drink a beer you like, the strand of hops used are typically listed in the description section of a beer's page.

Once you've identified what hops/grains you think are tasty, ask the brew store for a kit/recipe suggestion based on your preferences!
If you want to clone a pre-existing beer, most stores typically sell clone kits/recipes as well.

Hope that helps. Cheers.

 

[enkamania]

Scout Craigslist for stuff as well

 

[johnnybrew]

+1 on both prev posts.

I've seen tons of homebrew stuff on Craig's list.

I would also recommend getting a starter equipment kit from the local brew shop. The Brewers Best one is OK and is how I kicked off my brewing addiction. I'm pretty sure the price for everything in the kit is cheaper than if you assemble it yourself.

If you're going to invest in something more than what comes in most equipment kits, I would recommend a 7.5 gal (30 qt) pot for full boils and a wort chiller.

Later on down the road the most important thing to consider (aside from sanitation) is fermentation temp control. Keep that one in your back pocket till you've brewed a bunch of batches.

Good luck.

 

[Jsuds]

I dig watching videos for both process and gear.
Here is a great thread with a bunch of videos on it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/homebrew-internet-video-channels-241647/

BobbyM is a member on this forum and Don Osborn has great videos as well.

 

[unionrdr]

You could also go to midwestsupplies.com,& check out their basic brewing kit for some $65. Then get at least a 20qt (5G) ss stock pot to start with partial boils. Most kits work off a partial boil anyway.
I think a pale ale kit would be the best one for a beginner to get the hang of things.

 

[venquessa]

I started at xmas with the following:

* Young's Tin Kit
* 1Kg Bag of sugar
* 25 litre fermentation bin
* 24 1 litre PET bottles with caps.
* Hydrometer
* Siphon pipe with sediment guard and tap.
* Sanitizer

Your LHBS (or not so local) will do similar all-you-need first brew kits. Prolly $60-80

I just mixed it with kettles of water direct in the bin using a large kitchen spoon.

I have since bought other stuff, but the first kit was brewed entirely from what is above (+ a bit of sugar from the kitchen sugar jar for priming).

I was fairly happy I didn't brew dog pee and could actually drink it. In fact once it had been in the bottles for 2 weeks it was surprisingly nice! Honestly.

From those simple bits of kit a liquid style can kit is dead easy and you can build it up slowly as I am doing, buying a peice or two of equipment with each recipe order.

You will need the stock pot if you go for a grain or dry extract kit.

 

[rifraf]

If you're patient and keep your eye on Groupon, Midwest Supplies periodically puts up a pretty sweet Beginner's Kit. It's the equipment you need + a beer ingredient kit + $25 gift card for next purchase and the cost of the Groupon is usually $64. The package is a $127 value.

Other than that, go to your LHBS (local homebrew store). They should have beginner's kits and will talk you through what everything is and what it does etc. I just started but having a person to talk to was nice for my first purchases.

 

[wdchandlersmith]

Thanks for responding so quickly, you guys! I'm going to Bell's as soon as I get back to take care off all this. I've also spent hours trolling this site for recipes and techniques... I'll let you know if it pays off!