Greetings from Philly!

[ScotBrew]

Hey guys,

Been wanting to home brew my own beer for quite a while now but didn't ever get around to looking into it properly. The Mrs. bought me a homebrew kit from Homesweet Homebrew in Philly for my Christmas and random internet searches led me to here!

I've just ordered a brewpot from Amazon. After tons of reading on here I went for a SS 35 quart pot which is 8.75 gallons. Got free shipping on it also so I'm awaiting that arriving. I thought I'd get the biggest one I could reasonably put up with now instead of just doing an upgrade later. Plus I thought full boils and not partial boils would be better.

The guys at HSHB also delivered the kit themselves. Nancy, the co-owner also gave me a $35 gift card as my other half had paid for the shipping online which I thought was a pretty nice gesture. I plan to get a vinator before I get anything else. I've already figured out how to use the racking cane siphon effectively with no mess before I do my first brew. My kit also came with the glass 5gal carboy which I plan on using for after 2 weeks in the primary and then keeping it there til it's ready to bottle.

Right now, I'm just reading up on some info to help me along, I plan on doing around 4 or 5 extract brews to help me figure out the best ways to do things. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to collect some bottles!

Cheers,
Lee

PS. My username comes from the fact I'm from Scotland(moved over in May). And FYI, by day I'm a soccer coach working out of West Chester around 45mins from Philly!

 

[hungry4hops]

Welcome to the obsession! Its a great hobby, let us know how your first beer turns out of if you have any questions!

 

[passedpawn]

Hey guys,

Been wanting to home brew my own beer for quite a while now but didn't ever get around to looking into it properly. The Mrs. bought me a homebrew kit from Homesweet Homebrew in Philly for my Christmas and random internet searches led me to here!

I've just ordered a brewpot from Amazon. After tons of reading on here I went for a SS 35 quart pot which is 8.75 gallons. Got free shipping on it also so I'm awaiting that arriving. I thought I'd get the biggest one I could reasonably put up with now instead of just doing an upgrade later. Plus I thought full boils and not partial boils would be better.

The guys at HSHB also delivered the kit themselves. Nancy, the co-owner also gave me a $35 gift card as my other half had paid for the shipping online which I thought was a pretty nice gesture. I plan to get a vinator before I get anything else. I've already figured out how to use the racking cane siphon effectively with no mess before I do my first brew. My kit also came with the glass 5gal carboy which I plan on using for after 2 weeks in the primary and then keeping it there til it's ready to bottle.

Right now, I'm just reading up on some info to help me along, I plan on doing around 4 or 5 extract brews to help me figure out the best ways to do things. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to collect some bottles!

Cheers,
Lee

PS. My username comes from the fact I'm from Scotland(moved over in May). And FYI, by day I'm a soccer coach working out of West Chester around 45mins from Philly!

A friend of mine (Gerry Lucey, irish guy) coached the girls soccer there a couple of years ago. Small world. I used to live in Chadds Ford, just down the road from you. Cheers!

[woops, I assumed the college, but maybe you're talking about club/academy soccer]

 

[HeadyKilowatt]

Welcome to the hobby and to the forum!

I used to live in Philly myself and it's where I really got into homebrewing. Home Sweet Homebrew is a great shop, and George is not only extremely knowledgeable, but is a super-nice guy and always willing to share his knowledge about beer and brewing- he'll always take the time to answer questions and give advice.

If you ever find yourself in the North Philly/Temple U. area, Barry's on American and Jefferson is also a good shop.

 

[ScotBrew]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I'm on the hunt for bottles at the moment. A facebook post telling everyone I need them is all I've been able to think of/do so far!

The biggest worry of mine is the actual brew itself and keeping the temps right. Everything else I'm pretty sure I've read/studied enough to 'sort of' know what I'm doing!

I'm planning on going down to HSHB in the New Year to see what's like and have a chat with George which should be cool.

I actually coach club/academy down in WC. Got a few kids in our program that practice with Philly Union etc so it's pretty good down there.