Equipment list help.

[Jasper18]

Allow myself to introduce......myself. Names Mark, I'm 25 I think and I work on airplanes as a paid hobby. I like to have some wine and brandy once in a while, but always come back to Beer. I'm German by birth so good Beer was/is sort of a birth right. I'll be upfront in saying that I despise overly hopped beers. I can not stand the bitterness and almost "pepper" taste that most IPA's have. Get that "hoppology" crap out of my face. I typically enjoy a beer along the lines of Sam Adams Cold Snap, Summer Ale, and Oktoberfest. Malty caramel is my go to type of beer. That said if anyone has a good recipe for an Oktoberfest beer that I don't have to wait months for it would be appreciated. The main reason I came on here is to ask you grand old wizards for help in selecting equipment to get started in a Medium sized apartment with a Wife and a dog to work around. Our apartment is climate controlled to a constant 68 degrees +/- 2 degrees in case that matters. I've seen a lot of fermentation temperature talk. I would start off with extract brewing just to get my feet wet as it were, and would like a good starting point for a shopping list. There seems to be a really well outfitted brewing supply store just down the road (I live in Richmond VA which is turning into a craft brewery haven. 5 Breweries open or soon to be open by end of this year) and I'm sure they will help me out as well, but would like to go there with some ideas in hand.

Thanks

Mark

 

[kev211]

First off, welcome to the hobby and HBT!

Now onto your list...

For apartment brewing I think the KISS method works best due to spatial limitations. For that I would recommend BIAB (Brew in a Bag). With that being said, I know you said you'll be starting with extract batches, as most people do, but you may/probably will want to switch to AG (all grain).

Assuming you will be doing 5 gallon batches
Most HB stores have starter kits, which I suggest buying cuz they include the basics.

Here is the kit I started with from HomebrewMart (aka Ballast Point) and have since added to



6 gal. glass (or plastic) fermentor
6 gal. bottling bucket with spigot
Hydrometer
Airlock and stopper
Bottle filler (spring loaded)
3/8" auto siphon
3/8" tubing (6 feet)
Bottle brush
Plain gold bottle caps (144 count)
One pound of bottling sugar
Double wing bottle capper
Bi Metal dial thermometer
Wine thief
8" funnel with screen
Fermentor brush
Io-Star sanitizer 4 oz.
Adhesive thermometer

A few notes beyond the kits...

-Kettle (I use a 16 gal kettle, but anything of 8 should be fine)
-Hydrometer and hydrometer tube/jar (take gravity readings before adding yeast and when you are getting ready to bottle. This lets you know if fermentation is complete and your alcohol content, among other things.
-Sanitizer... Starsan!

People can add onto this, I just think this is some of the very basics.

Another thing to note.. You mentioned that you have a dog. Keep the hops away from your pooch, they are extremely poisonous to dogs. Good luck and brew on!

P.S. 68 is probably a little too warm of an ambient temp for most yeasts. Fermentation is exothermic and therefore generates heat. A good, inexpensive way to maintain proper temps is the swamp cooler method. Basically, fill a tub (the clear plastic ones from Target work well) with water and set your fermenter in it.



Edit: Get something to take notes on. A Pad of paper, brewing "diary", brewday worksheets (I made mine in word and keep them in a binder), or similar. Something to take and keep notes on. Notes are your friend and will help you improve your brewing process

 

[mongoose33]

Kev hit the thing I was going to note, i.e., Star-San as your sanitizer.

Getting a kit is, IMO, a pretty good idea. Perhaps your LHBS can help you put one together, or you can find them online pretty easily.

I bought the Northern Brewer Big Mouth Bubbler Deluxe Starter Kit and then added the Mad Brewer Beer Testing Kit as well as the Raise Your Game Spoon and Strainer Kit.

To that I added an 8-gallon Megapot 1.2 with thermometer and ball valve, and bought some bottles.

The first kit above comes with an extract kit included so you don't even have to buy ingredients to brew your first one.

To the above I'd add a bottle of Star-San sanitizer (they include 1-step cleaner but it's not really a sanitizer) and a long thermometer.

**************************

I dithered about getting glass carboys or the plastic Bigmouth Bubblers. There are horror stories about people dropping or worse, smashing glass carboys while carrying them and having severe injuries. They're heavy and hard to deal with, harder to clean....and the plastic ones are great. Light as a feather, you can reach inside to clean them, I like them so much I bought a second one and am considering a third, because when they're fermenting.....you can't brew!

If you were going to do really long-term aging of beer, glass is the way to go, but for the time frames we're interested in with basic ales, the plastic is fine.

BTW, I'm with you about the hops. I can enjoy a hoppy-flavored brew but the ones that are extremely bitter....well, that's a nice experience but I want a beer I can quaff. I like the more malt-forward beers generally.

So you can see what it looks like once you get it into the fermenter:

 

[Jasper18]

Hey thanks for the responses! Real quick question: I read that aluminum pots can be used to boil in as long as you don't use oxidizing cleaners. True? I would really like to not invest in a SS pot if this whole escapade doesn't work out.

 

[unviewtiful]

Hey thanks for the responses! Real quick question: I read that aluminum pots can be used to boil in as long as you don't use oxidizing cleaners. True? I would really like to not invest in a SS pot if this whole escapade doesn't work out.

[thread=49449]Check out this thread for more information about aluminum pots.[/thread]

Long story short: you should be fine with an aluminum pot as long as you take care of it.

 

[freisste]

Slightly away from your actual question... Oktoberfests are lagers and, in general, take longer than ales. However, you can search this forum for OktoberFAST which I believe is an ale approximation of an Oktoberfest.

Also, while I'm a definite hop-head, I like the malt-forward beers as well. In fact, it was my desire to brew an Oktoberfest that lead me to AG brewing (couldn't find Vienna and Munich extracts).

 

[kev211]

Hey thanks for the responses! Real quick question: I read that aluminum pots can be used to boil in as long as you don't use oxidizing cleaners. True? I would really like to not invest in a SS pot if this whole escapade doesn't work out.

[thread=49449]Check out this thread for more information about aluminum pots.[/thread]

Long story short: you should be fine with an aluminum pot as long as you take care of it.

Also, keep in mind, you dont need to go super fancy with a SS kettle. I have a tri-clad one that I spent way too much (~$250 IIRC) on that works the same as my $130 Bayou kettle.

And, if this whole"escapade" doesnt work out, you can always use it for something else, like frying a turkey

 

[Jasper18]

I like how fast i can get responses here haha. Mark of a good forum. I figure I'll try extracts once or twice and then switch to all grains.


I found a starter kit by Midwest supplies. It's $99 right now and includes:
6.5 gallon fermentor w/ lid & airlock
Bottling Bucket
Spigot
Bottle Filler
5 Gallon Stainless Kettle
Long-Handled Stainless Spoon
Racking Cane, Tubing & Holder
Oxywash Cleanser
Bottle Capper & Caps

Would that be a good one to get?

I would of course get a hydrometer as well, I have two thermometers. One a BBQ type with a metal probe and braided stainless cable that can be inserted and left in that goes to 350 degrees and an instant read that goes to 400. Would those suffice? I would get a stick on thermometer for the fermenter.
I would get star-san like you guys mentioned.

 

[user 205607]

Yes, also check Northern Brewing they have the same special, their shipping is usually less than Midwest.

 

[Jasper18]

Just checked out northern brewing. It's the same kit lol. Shipping is actually slightly more. Thanks for the tip. I might still go with Northern Brewing. I'll vet each site.

 

[Jasper18]

What's the smallest batch that can be brewed? I know everyone keeps saying 5 gallon batches but I'm making this beer for just myself. Is 5 gallons too much? How long can it be stored?

 

[freisste]

Kit looks pretty useful. I got one with a mash paddle that I never use (I use a piece of copper pipe that I marked gallon marks on) and I wouldn't personally use the cleanser. But in general, it doesn't have much I wouldn't use. That's a positive. Some kits contain stuff that stores don't sell much of just to move product.

The thermometers sound like they would work fine.

 

[Jasper18]

Kit looks pretty useful. I got one with a mash paddle that I never use (I use a piece of copper pipe that I marked gallon marks on) and I wouldn't personally use the cleanser. But in general, it doesn't have much I wouldn't use. That's a positive. Some kits contain stuff that stores don't sell much of just to move product.

The thermometers sound like they would work fine.

Thanks for the feedback! I might pull the trigger on these kits soon. Gotta finalize with the boss (wife )
I'm reading more and more on here and it keeps getting more and more confusing if I'm honest.
For extract brewing what is the step by step process? I can only find bits and pieces here and there. Wish it was all laid out in a step by step thread.

 

[kev211]

Thanks for the feedback! I might pull the trigger on these kits soon. Gotta finalize with the boss (wife )
I'm reading more and more on here and it keeps getting more and more confusing if I'm honest.
For extract brewing what is the step by step process? I can only find bits and pieces here and there. Wish it was all laid out in a step by step thread.

Most kits come with a step by step process, but the basic process is as follows.
-Heat water (required amount depending on batch size) to a boil.
-Turn off stove to add extract (to avoid scorching).
-Add extract and restart stove
When the wort is brought to a boil, start your timer (time varies depending on beer).
-Add hops at time indicated/desired.
-At the end of timer, chill beer to ~70 (can be a little warmer or cooler).
-Add to fermentor
-Add yeast and airlock.
-Wait for 2+ weeks

These are your general guidelines YMMV. Northern Brewer, Midwest, more beer, etc have great step by step tutorials as does YouTube as well

 

[MaryB]

As far as recipes, maybe the Belgium ales that are lower in hop flavor... And you can adjust bitterness and hop aroma by adding less or adding later...

 

[mongoose33]

Consider an 8-gallon kettle. If, as you say, you're going to try a couple extract brews (good strategy, IMO), and then move to all-grain, you'll be collecting in the area of 6.5 gallons of wort. Hard to fit all that in a 5-gallon kettle...

That said, I have a 5-gallon kettle I picked up with some other equipment I bought, and I use that to catch the first and second runnings from my mash tun, so it's not like it will be completely useless. It won't be.

One of the hardest things when you start a hobby like this is deciding whether to put money into something you may not want to continue with. I get that, and everyone here does, I'm sure.

What I HATE is buying cheap stuff at the start and then having to upgrade later and seeing all that money spent up front as a waste. If you can afford it, buy quality now. If you have to sell off equipment later because you don't like it, you'll take somewhat of a loss, but if you view that as the cost of an exciting learning experience, it's not much different than what you have to show for your money after going to a movie.

I once bought a Hi Point pistol just to see if i could get it to run reliably. Wouldn't work properly with my reloads, and eventually I sold it for $40 less than I paid. I considered it a good deal because I had way more than $40 of fun learning about it, trying to get it to work right, and so on.

 

[Jasper18]

Most kits come with a step by step process, but the basic process is as follows.
-Heat water (required amount depending on batch size) to a boil.
-Turn off stove to add extract (to avoid scorching).
-Add extract and restart stove
When the wort is brought to a boil, start your timer (time varies depending on beer).
-Add hops at time indicated/desired.
-At the end of timer, chill beer to ~70 (can be a little warmer or cooler).
-Add to fermentor
-Add yeast and airlock.
-Wait for 2+ weeks

These are your general guidelines YMMV. Northern Brewer, Midwest, more beer, etc have great step by step tutorials as does YouTube as well

Hey thanks! Thats what I was hoping for

As far as recipes, maybe the Belgium ales that are lower in hop flavor... And you can adjust bitterness and hop aroma by adding less or adding later...

I do like a nice Belgian Ale so it will be on my list.

Consider an 8-gallon kettle. If, as you say, you're going to try a couple extract brews (good strategy, IMO), and then move to all-grain, you'll be collecting in the area of 6.5 gallons of wort. Hard to fit all that in a 5-gallon kettle...

That said, I have a 5-gallon kettle I picked up with some other equipment I bought, and I use that to catch the first and second runnings from my mash tun, so it's not like it will be completely useless. It won't be.

One of the hardest things when you start a hobby like this is deciding whether to put money into something you may not want to continue with. I get that, and everyone here does, I'm sure.

What I HATE is buying cheap stuff at the start and then having to upgrade later and seeing all that money spent up front as a waste. If you can afford it, buy quality now. If you have to sell off equipment later because you don't like it, you'll take somewhat of a loss, but if you view that as the cost of an exciting learning experience, it's not much different than what you have to show for your money after going to a movie.

I once bought a Hi Point pistol just to see if i could get it to run reliably. Wouldn't work properly with my reloads, and eventually I sold it for $40 less than I paid. I considered it a good deal because I had way more than $40 of fun learning about it, trying to get it to work right, and so on.

I like these kits I've found that come with everything and I guess 5 gallon is good enough to get started. Once or if I go to AG I will just go pick up a nice aluminum 32 qt pot. They're relatively cheap.



Thanks for helping me parse this information everyone. Brewing seems to be a hobby I can very much get behind.

 

[PlexVector]

Welcome to HBT. There are stickies in the beginners forum that should help. Cant stress enough 2 major points: Sanitizer and fermentation temperature! There use to be three and the third was quality ingredients, but these days that's not as big an issue.

 

[GrogNerd]

What's the smallest batch that can be brewed? I know everyone keeps saying 5 gallon batches but I'm making this beer for just myself. Is 5 gallons too much? How long can it be stored?

5 gallons = 2 cases

There are many who brew 1 gallon batches = 9 or 10 bottles

How long it can be stored depends on the beer. Hop character fades over time & stronger beers take longer to condition.

 

[mongoose33]

What's the smallest batch that can be brewed? I know everyone keeps saying 5 gallon batches but I'm making this beer for just myself. Is 5 gallons too much? How long can it be stored?

5 gallons = 2 cases

There are many who brew 1 gallon batches = 9 or 10 bottles

How long it can be stored depends on the beer. Hop character fades over time & stronger beers take longer to condition.

My son brews 1-gallon batches.

One advantage to 5-gallon batches (other than the volume) is that most recipes seem to default to 5-gallon.

A disadvantage my son has discovered has to do with his hydrometer. I sent him a spare, but he is loathe to use it because he only has, well, a gallon of beer, and testing gravity at the start of fermentation, maybe once or twice during or after fermentation....well, he's losing a lot of beer to testing out of his total.

He could get around that with a refractometer for the early tests, and using the hydrometer only to check post-fermentation. Seems a hassle to me.

Another issue with 1-gallon is that it seems a lot of time spent for...9 or 10 bottles of beer.

As for me, 5-gallon batches fit kegs very nicely, they're manageable, a nice middle point between not much (1 gallon) and very large batches which, if they go south, waste a lot of ingredients, and for which you need storage.

My 2 cents.

 

[ncbrewer]

One issue is how much volume you can boil (I'm thinking you will be boiling on the stove). My electric stove can't boil a full volume 5 gallon batch. With extract or partial mash you can do partial boils and top off with water in the fermenter. Since you don't like hop bombs, the limitation on IBU's shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Aristotelian]

I started with 1 gallon just to get a feel for brewing and to dial in my process. I agree, 9 beers is not enough for the effort that you put in, but it was good to try some batches with no risk of a bad batch (and yes, I had two dumpers due to infection, which would have been $40+ in ingredients down the drain if they had been 5 gallon). Also keeps the equipment investment to a minimum (I use my pasta/stock pot for my boil and brew in my kitchen).

Once I dialed in my process, I simply doubled it by adding another jug.

I started with a Brooklyn Brew Shop kit (plus bottling stuff) but I would recommend piecing together your setup to make sure you have everything.

If you go with 1 gallon jugs, make sure that your siphon and racking stuff is the correct size. Homebrewsupply has an autosiphon that fits perfectly.
http://www.homebrewsupply.com/mini-auto-siphon-3-8-inch.html

Someone should do a Wiki post with a complete basic setup item list for 1 and 5 gallon sizes.

 

[Jasper18]

Alright I feel the best would be just to do the standard 5 gallon batches.
Makes it easier to use the right amount of ingredients.
So I read that fermentation temperatures vary by styles of beer correct? Which sort of beer would do alright in 68 degrees ambient? Worst comes to worst I have a mini fridge here at the office that I never use that I could turn down to warmest setting just to get a few degrees cooler. But usually whats the rule of thumb?

Thanks so much everyone. Means a lot to me!

 

[kev211]

Alright I feel the best would be just to do the standard 5 gallon batches.
Makes it easier to use the right amount of ingredients.
So I read that fermentation temperatures vary by styles of beer correct? Which sort of beer would do alright in 68 degrees ambient? Worst comes to worst I have a mini fridge here at the office that I never use that I could turn down to warmest setting just to get a few degrees cooler. But usually whats the rule of thumb?

Thanks so much everyone. Means a lot to me!

Yes fermentation temperatures are based on style of beer... Kinda. Ferm temps are dependent on the yeast used (which kinda dictates the style, so its symantics. But I guess you could do an IPA with a belgian yeast so...)

For instance (we're gonna use White Labs in our discussion here since thats what I use), White Labs WLP001 ferments best at 68-73 (although I find 73 to be a bit high). BUt thats 68 degrees ferm temps. Again, fermentation generates heat so its usually a few degree warmer than ambient temps.

So, your question, what style is best suited for 68 ambient? I would say, some wits and most belgians and belgian saisons like to ferment a little higher. So I would start there.

The problem with using a minifridge is A. fitting your carboy in there. and B. Controlling the temp of the fridge. Even at the warmest setting itll still be too cold. For using a fridge you would want to look into a temperature controller. I use this one to control temps in my chest freezer.

 

[Jasper18]

Yes fermentation temperatures are based on style of beer... Kinda. Ferm temps are dependent on the yeast used (which kinda dictates the style, so its symantics. But I guess you could do an IPA with a belgian yeast so...)

For instance (we're gonna use White Labs in our discussion here since thats what I use), White Labs WLP001 ferments best at 68-73 (although I find 73 to be a bit high). BUt thats 68 degrees ferm temps. Again, fermentation generates heat so its usually a few degree warmer than ambient temps.

So, your question, what style is best suited for 68 ambient? I would say, some wits and most belgians and belgian saisons like to ferment a little higher. So I would start there.

The problem with using a minifridge is A. fitting your carboy in there. and B. Controlling the temp of the fridge. Even at the warmest setting itll still be too cold. For using a fridge you would want to look into a temperature controller. I use this one to control temps in my chest freezer.

Ok the fridge is out! And sounds like the beers that are well suited for my temps are the ones I want to brew. Wrapping in a wet towel should help out too a little. If it matters: we have concrete floors in our place. Not sure if that would help, but concrete is one heck of a heat sink.

 

[kev211]

Ok the fridge is out! And sounds like the beers that are well suited for my temps are the ones I want to brew. Wrapping in a wet towel should help out too a little. If it matters: we have concrete floors in our place. Not sure if that would help, but concrete is one heck of a heat sink.

Concrete could help, but probably wont do a ton. You're on the right track with the wet towel though. But this is what I would do...

Buy one of these for 5 dollars. Fill with water. Plunk your carboy (gently) down into the sucker and then wrap with a towel or t-shirt. Doesnt really take up too much more space than your carboy and will keep your temperatures in check

 

[Jasper18]

Hey we actually have one or two of those totes.
Well im getting more and more excited about this as I learn!

 

[Aristotelian]

You can brew plenty of good beers at room temp. At 68F, you should be fine for most Belgian ales and some American ale yeasts (US-05 is the dry version of WLP-001). If your place gets a little colder in the winter you can pretty much brew other English or American ale yeasts that do better cooler. If your place gets warmer than 70 in the summertime, you can make saisons.

 

[popsicleian]

Alright I feel the best would be just to do the standard 5 gallon batches.
Makes it easier to use the right amount of ingredients.
So I read that fermentation temperatures vary by styles of beer correct? Which sort of beer would do alright in 68 degrees ambient? Worst comes to worst I have a mini fridge here at the office that I never use that I could turn down to warmest setting just to get a few degrees cooler. But usually whats the rule of thumb?

Thanks so much everyone. Means a lot to me!

There's nothing wrong with 5 gallon batches, but don't let recipe size conversion scare you away from smaller batches--I was really intimidated by the brewing software at first, but it's actually super easy (I use the free Brewer's Friend), and once you input your ingredients and amounts it can scale everything to any recipe size you want.

I started with 1 gallon batches, and did two of those on mostly borrowed equipment, but I concluded that they were way too much work for the output (I was only getting 8 or 9 bottles). My last few batches have been 3 gallon BIAB (with a mix of borrowed and purchased equipment), and I'm finding that size to be a good compromise--enough final product to make it worth it, but not so much that I'm getting really sick of any one beer.

I should add that I did buy an 8 gallon kettle so that I can do up to 5 gallon batches in the future.

 

[whovous]

One gallon all grain was my starting point. It did not call for much special equipment (gallon glass jug as a fermenter!) or spending much money, either. The problem is the waste factor. Between trub at the bottom of the pot, beer drawn for hydrometer samples, and a bottle or two opened early to check carbonation, it is easy to waste at least 25% of your work product.

When I got a little more serious, I decided to throw money at the problem and I wound up at the 2.5 gallon level. Now, if I lose a quart, it is 10% and not 25% of my total brew. I typically wind up with about a case instead of little more than a six pack.