Finally ready to begin brewing

[gsxstylee]

Hey everyone,
The time has finally come when I can start brewing my own beer, just bought my own house. I read a fairly good book about general beer brewing Beer - Tap into the art and science of brewing By Charles Bamforth. I was wondering should I buy a kit to start brewing? I was looking at these kits http://www.homebrewers.com/c=czj6CfLzLdzI7Gf4QXf4FlGLn/category/aardvarks. Is there a better one to start with thats cheaper? Or should I just buy all the supplies seperatly? I am new at brewing, never brewed before, but have drank lots and lots of beer before.

 

[jds]

Welcome to HBT.

I'm not familiar with Bamforth, but here's another online resource for brewing: www.howtobrew.com

As far as getting started, just about all homebrew shops sell similar starter kits, and they're a pretty good way to get your feet wet.

 

[tdavisii]

welcome to the obsession. I wold start with a kit.

 

[McGarnigle]

What you linked to looks pretty good. The added kit is created by the store itself, so it's likely to be fresher than some of the "industrial" ones. The price looks pretty good in that you won't have to pay shipping from two spots.

You could even dumb it down a bit and go with a 'no boil' kit. I never wanted to use one, but they let you focus on sanitation and fermentation for your first natch, and they aren't as bad as some people say.

 

[DeathBrewer]

I am new at brewing, never brewed before, but have drank lots and lots of beer before.

lol, nice.

i would go with a kit and i would go with glass if you can get it. a 6.5 gallon carboy is nicer than a bucket, will last longer (if you don't break it) and you get to see all the crazy madball fermentation nonsense.

 

[fat x nub]

kits are always a good idea to start your first brew. It will give you a good idea about the process and procedure. Welcome!

 

[gsxstylee]

Ok, so do you guys think I should buy the very basic kit or get the plus kit? Also, should I buy one of their pots to boil in or should I try for a no boil first?

 

[chiud]

I envy you because the first time is always the most memorable.

I too recently got into brewing. I would say that you can never have too much. Most people buy more stuff anyways as they brew more. I ended up with both glass and better bottle carboy. Seeing the fermentation is pretty cool. I also ended up buying a bench capper. It beats a wing capper any day.

You can pick up a cooking pot anywhere, as well as a spoon. Walmart, Kmart, Target etc.

I have a friend who bought a food grade bucket, drilled a hole, attached a plastic hose, and reused plastic soda bottles for bottling. The whole thing costed him $20-30 and the beer turned out fine. I won't use it for long term storage though.

As a first time, I would go with a kit, but shop around. the prices do vary.

 

[gsxstylee]

I envy you because the first time is always the most memorable.

I too recently got into brewing. I would say that you can never have too much. Most people buy more stuff anyways as they brew more. I ended up with both glass and better bottle carboy. Seeing the fermentation is pretty cool. I also ended up buying a bench capper. It beats a wing capper any day.

You can pick up a cooking pot anywhere, as well as a spoon. Walmart, Kmart, Target etc.

I have a friend who bought a food grade bucket, drilled a hole, attached a plastic hose, and reused plastic soda bottles for bottling. The whole thing costed him $20-30 and the beer turned out fine. I won't use it for long term storage though.

As a first time, I would go with a kit, but shop around. the prices do vary.

So you think I could get a better deal on a kit then the one i found? Any idea where? I know that chances are in five months i'll have to take a break from brewing, and then I can resume, since i'll be out of the country. So i'm not trying to get the nicest gear as it'll probably be in garage storage for those months in between.

 

[carnevoodoo]

So you think I could get a better deal on a kit then the one i found? Any idea where? I know that chances are in five months i'll have to take a break from brewing, and then I can resume, since i'll be out of the country. So i'm not trying to get the nicest gear as it'll probably be in garage storage for those months in between.

It'll be fine in your garage.

Look at northernbrewer.com, morebeer.com, austinhomebrew.com, homebrewmart.com for starters. Those are all good and trusted homebrew sites. Depending on where you live, you could also just walk in to a good store and get what you need.

 

[Amiaji]

This is the kit I started with, has pretty much everything you need.

Two Stage System

 

[6fiddyv]

Midwest supplies . com and northernbrewer.com are 2 great online starting points...

 

[944play]

I bought a "Deluxe Beer Making Kit" from Austin HBS (I am lucky enough to be right in their neighborhood) with a glass carboy, bottle and carboy brushes, and 28qt kettle. Within a few weeks, I also picked up a bottling bucket, a 10gal round cooler (not from AHS) and fittings, immersion chiller and recirculating pump (not from AHS), and a bottle draining tree.

A bench capper would definitely be nice.

28qt is JUST big enough for a full wort boil.

Autosiphon is way cool, I would not want to be stuck with a basic racking cane.

I guess what I'm saying is, I would get all the upgrades you think you could ever want. Especially the kettle.

 

[haynes]

I just started brewing this past month. i bought the deluxe kit from austin HBS and a couple recipe kits and have been very satisfied. You can't beat their flat rate shipping either.

 

[chiud]

Yeah, I've purchased supplies from midwest, northernbrewer, and austin home supply. Got a glass carboy shipped for a flat rate. Pretty good deal. Yes, the prices from any of the above sites are very reasonable. I got a Deluxe equivalent Kit for approx $129 plus shipping. The point is, you can start small, and add as you go. Happy brewing.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Welcome to homebrewing.
The basic kit will be fine, you can buy glass carboys and tons of other items as you grow in homebrewing. "WARNING - IT IS AN ADDICTION" if you like good beer.
I bought my basic kit over a decade ago, I still use the plastic fermentation bucket, and the bottle bucket in a pinch to drain AG sparge wort. I have also used them to store water in hurricanes, etc.
Best of luck and have fun.

 

[mmb]

It's easier to get everything bundled in a kit and if you can get one from a good LHBS you should also have a great source of knowledge to answer any questions you may have.

If you don't have a LHBS, good or otherwise, this forum is going to be your best friend and bane of your existence for the next few months.

Keep everything clean and you'll have drinkable beer. And have FUN!