Hello from Ireland

[Eirebobo]

Hi all,
Complete newbie, looking forward to reading to some good articles and posts here.
Where i am at the moment -
Want to dive straight in at the deep end, rather than using the plastic bucket sets you get in chain stores.
I have a fair size garage 10 x 5 metres which i can utillise
I have a budget of €1000 for equipment and ingredients for starting off
If any fellow dublin brewers are here would love to see what set up you's have

 

[madscientist451]

Fáilte

Visiting Ireland is on my bucket list, was wondering what it would be like to go to a home brew club meeting there.
For a beginner, one of your first tasks should be looking for a local club:

https://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/
You didn't ask for my 2 cents about how to spend your brewing equipment money, but here it is anyway:
Your usual temperatures are very mild and if you have a spot that stays around 16-17C you can ferment ales without any problems, if you want lagers you'll need a colder spot or brew them in the colder months.
So you can initially get away without a fermentation chamber.
Its my understanding that buying stuff over there is much more expensive than here in the US because of various taxes, finding used brewing gear will be the way to go. Homebrew clubs and Facebook marketplace are a good place to look.

If I were starting from scratch, I'd go with a simple BIAB setup, using either a propane burner or perhaps an electric heating source of some sort, I use my electric kitchen stove. All you really need is a brew pot a BIAB bag and some grain. A smaller cheap side pot for a dunk sparge can be helpful. I'd look for used kegs and a used chest freezer and skip bottling, its a PITA, and pulling your own pint at home is kind of cool. Picnic taps and 5 feet of line per keg work just fine, you can get better tap layouts later. A grain mill will pay for itself since you can buy grain in bulk and avoid trips to the local brew shop if there is one.

 

[Eirebobo]

Fáilte

Visiting Ireland is on my bucket list, was wondering what it would be like to go to a home brew club meeting there.
For a beginner, one of your first tasks should be looking for a local club:

https://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/
You didn't ask for my 2 cents about how to spend your brewing equipment money, but here it is anyway:
Your usual temperatures are very mild and if you have a spot that stays around 16-17C you can ferment ales without any problems, if you want lagers you'll need a colder spot or brew them in the colder months.
So you can initially get away without a fermentation chamber.
Its my understanding that buying stuff over there is much more expensive than here in the US because of various taxes, finding used brewing gear will be the way to go. Homebrew clubs and Facebook marketplace are a good place to look.

If I were starting from scratch, I'd go with a simple BIAB setup, using either a propane burner or perhaps an electric heating source of some sort, I use my electric kitchen stove. All you really need is a brew pot a BIAB bag and some grain. A smaller cheap side pot for a dunk sparge can be helpful. I'd look for used kegs and a used chest freezer and skip bottling, its a PITA, and pulling your own pint at home is kind of cool. Picnic taps and 5 feet of line per keg work just fine, you can get better tap layouts later. A grain mill will pay for itself since you can buy grain in bulk and avoid trips to the local brew shop if there is one.

Thanks for that, yes was looking at the BIAB systems "Hop Cat" over here in europe have a package 50L kettle and 30L fermenter.

Looking at finding some clubs too so we can share some of the spoils

 

[D.B.Moody]

Welcome to HBT, Eirebobo. I can't give you advice, because I brew with extract. Also, if I was in Ireland, I'd be out in a pub waiting for my pint of Guiness. It's just so darn good there where it's poured right. And we did visit Ireland, including Dublin, in 2017.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from Colorado

all in one electric systems are the rage in the us.

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome to HBT.

 

[UncleD]

California brewer here. Spent 2 weeks in Ireland 2 summers ago which included a few nights in Dublin, really loved the breweries I came across!

I'd say get into all grain/BIAB. Most start with extract, but if you're ready to hit the ground running, go that route.

If you have space but don't have the equipment yet, make sure to do your research on the brew setup you want. There are so many options, and the direction you go will drive the equipment purchase. FYI, you can find alot of 2nd hand equipment as well.