Hello from ohio northern!

[polarbearbrewing]

Hey guys! im am in pharmacy school at ohio northern university and one of my good friends and I decided to give homebrewing a try next year at school. As is the case with any college student, we were first attracted to the idea of making our own beer so we dont have to pay $17 for a case all the time. Also, we find regular domestic beers boring and nowhere near as good as the imported, dark ales and lagers. Ive been lurking around here for awhile as well as the wiki page and I think it is definitely doable for us. Obviously we will start with extract kits and it is my hope to move to all grain and possibly start growing our own hops.

As for equipment, I plan to purchase one of the basic starter kits from midwest and slowing adding to it. our setup needs to be very economical and easily moved because we share our house with 10 other guys.

i look forward to seeing what information you all have for me

-cory

 

[CBBaron]

Welcome and good luck with your endeavors.
Beaware that you won't likely save any money over buying domestic beers by the case. However you should be able to brew some good ales for much less than most micros.
And once you start brewing watch out for moochers that think beer you brew is free without realizing the effort that goes into each batch.

Craig

 

[polarbearbrewing]

yes we already predicted all the moochers and like i said living in a house with 10 other guys wont help matters but we're considering charging a buck a beer for our close friends which i think is a steal considering the quality of beer we'll be able to brew and also it will help us pay for the supplies and upgrade our equipment as we need to

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Good luck getting college guys to pay $1 a beer.

It sounds like you've got things pretty well planned out. Let us know when you start brewing.

 

[Big Piggy's Brewery]

Hello Fellow Polar Bear! Good to see that the Pharmacy Degree is being put to good use! I am a 97 graduate from ONU. I have been home brewing now for two months. I have an American Pale Ale (5 gallons) in my Carboy Secondary, which I am going to bottle tomorrow night. I also have an American Red Ale (5 gallons) in my Primary. I would like to shed some light on the Starter Kit dilemma. I to got wrapped up with Midwest’s starter kits but found out that the shipping cost will rack you a lot!
I would recommend the following materials and website:
http://www.listermann.com

Listermann’s is a neat shop here in Cincinnati, OH near Xavier University right off of Dana Avenue. Good Prices, knowledgeable people, and brew beers daily.

1 – Turkey Fryer, I picked mined up from Home Depot for $36. The fryer comes with a 6” burner, thermometer, and a 35 quart pot (Brew Kettle). You are going to need to purchase a Brew Kettle, if you do not get one with Midwest’s Starter Kit. Brew Kettles can run at least $35 - $50 alone. I strongly recommend the Turkey Fryer from Home Depot, Lowes, or Menard’s. You are going to need a propane tank as well with the Turkey Fryer. You can pick one up at any of these stores for around $40.

1 – Listermann’s Starter Kit $55. There kits comes with everything you need to start brewing except your beer kit. I now if you purchase the Midwest Kit for $134 it comes with a choice of three different kits. You need to consider the freshness of the beer kits. Freshness is the key to making good home brew!

55 – 12 ounce “pop off” beer bottles. I think a couple of college kids could knock off this feat in a good weekend. Go ahead and buy bottles if you need to, but knocking back a few cold ones on a long hot weekend is more enjoyable! Bottles can be a little expensive, but if you buy different beers to try and save your bottles it shouldn’t be too much of an investment.

1 - Beer Kit, which is going to run you anywhere from $28 - $40 depending on the kit.

So, you’re looking at about a $160 - $170 investment for the Turkey Fryer, Propane tank, Starter Kit, and Beer Kit. Not too bad.

Hope this helps!

Big Piggy’s Brewery

Hey guys! im am in pharmacy school at ohio northern university and one of my good friends and I decided to give homebrewing a try next year at school. As is the case with any college student, we were first attracted to the idea of making our own beer so we dont have to pay $17 for a case all the time. Also, we find regular domestic beers boring and nowhere near as good as the imported, dark ales and lagers. Ive been lurking around here for awhile as well as the wiki page and I think it is definitely doable for us. Obviously we will start with extract kits and it is my hope to move to all grain and possibly start growing our own hops.

As for equipment, I plan to purchase one of the basic starter kits from midwest and slowing adding to it. our setup needs to be very economical and easily moved because we share our house with 10 other guys.

i look forward to seeing what information you all have for me

-cory

 

[polarbearbrewing]

thanks for all the help so far guys
Piggy: what a coincidence! small world i guess. my friend im referring to lives in cincy so that would be an awesome way to get started for us and save some $ on shipping