help me with Pros & cons...

[Bobby_M]

It's also nice to bottle into at least one 1-liter soda bottle so you can feel how firm the bottle is. This will prevent the inevitable waste of at least a six-pack of undercarbonated top popping that will occur with beginners "just to see how it's coming along".

 

[jdubb75]

Awesome that kit is $60. which the mr brew kits ar about $35-$80 depending on what you want.. So seems right in line...

One prolly dumb question, if you buy bottle tops that pop on how do you get them on? is that a special machine. cause they dont pop off all that easy sometimes so i figure they are not just pushed on???

So I buy this kit today Ill have it here in maybe a week. Roughly.. Hubbys birthday is June 4th so should be in time hopefully. Do I just do a search on Home brew sites to find the 5 gallon recipe kit. Cause I will just start saving bottles (we do drink lots of beer)... and use those... Does anyone have a good suggestion? I havent looked all around the site. I am sure the answer to that is everhwere! I would like to start out CHEAP We like most beers. Eh i have issues witht he smells of IPAs.. but other then that I <3 beer.

ok one more dumb question... the kit includes EVERYTHING that i need to make the beer or it would tell me if i needed something else. I would like to have it all RIGHT there for Scott to start making as soon as he gets it. Almost like not getting the batteriest for some cool toy for a kid at Christmas!

Thanks again! You guys are awesome!

I started (a few weeks ago) with the Intermediate Kit from Midwest Supplies. Its the same as the basic kit except it includes two 5 gallon Better bottles. It's a great kit at a great price, in my opinion. As other have said, if you haven't already bought the kit, add a small bottle of Star San to your cart for sanitizing.

Here's a few things I've since picked up that made things a lot easier for my second brew last weekend.

-Star San
-$.96 spray bottle from Home Depot for Star San
-$.96 spray bottle from Home Depot for water to fight the massive foam that can erupt after adding hops (to help prevent boil overs - spray foam with water, foam disappears)
-Fermtech wine thief (for taking samples for hydrometer readings)
-reusable nylon grain bags (also works for hops and dry hopping)
-dial thermometer that will clip onto the side of your stock pot w/12" probe

As for recipe kits, there are tons of them available from several sites. Here are a few that I know of.

www.midwestsupplies.com
www.northernbrewer.com
www.brewmasterswarehouse.com
www.austinhomebrew.com

Also, check out the "Vendor's Showcase" forum on here. A lot of times one of the above mentioned sites will have a special on recipe kits. I think there are a couple in there right now that are running specials.



And last, but not least...HAVE FUN BREWING!

Oh, and tell your hubby happy birthday. Mine is June 3rd and I'm hoping to sample my first carbed brew on that day. It might still be a little green, but it'll me one I made myself. :rockin:

 

[Homercidal]

+1 on the kit and STARSAN for a sanitizer. Super easy. Just dilute as per instructions, and then pour into a cheap Walmart spritz bottle for easy application!

Also, unless you have a pot large enough for boil wort, I recommend getting a very large one right off the bat. 8 gallons or more is not too much! This way you can do full boils, which can improve your beer, and make it easier to prevent boilovers.

In fact, consider buying a turkey fryer setup on sale somewhere as it will also include the large burner that would allow you to boil outside and prevent your stovetop from being damaged by the weight of the wort (if you do full boils).

if you have a pot large enough (4 gallons I think) then you can do a partial boil on the stove and add topoff water after the boil.

Definitely read the stickies at the top of the beginners page for more useful tips!

 

[jsweet]

-$.96 spray bottle from Home Depot for Star San

Major +1 on this one. I forgot to mention it, because I happened to have already had a free spray bottle lying around.

Starsan in a spray bottle is the most awesome thing ever.

 

[unionrdr]

I hope you're still reading at this point. I know it may seem like info overload,but all good advice. By the way,I forgot to mention that I use a 5 gallon stock pot with lid. I do 2.5 gallon boils & top off in the fermenter after the covered pot goes into an ice water bath to get down to pitch temp.

 

[OBDA1stLady]

Jdubb! That was awesome of you!! Thanks so much

and luckily.. and chances are once i see this whole kit, I bet i sell 3/4 of the supplies. I work for United States plastic. So I have all kinds of bottles, buckets, jugs, and everything else hanging out. Because of this I am just going with the cheapo one. I have faith.. Ill make sure we have a beer tasting before our batch is ready to make sure i have bottles

Since I have no idea what we are talking about with the littler bottle, ill make sure i have something like that on hand too I am sure once i watch the video and read more on here I should get a grasp of all this.

Im printing all of this!! Thanks everyone!!

now off to find the vendor specials

 

[kyle6286]

I started (a few weeks ago) with the Intermediate Kit from Midwest Supplies. Its the same as the basic kit except it includes two 5 gallon Better bottles. It's a great kit at a great price, in my opinion. As other have said, if you haven't already bought the kit, add a small bottle of Star San to your cart for sanitizing.

Here's a few things I've since picked up that made things a lot easier for my second brew last weekend.

-Star San
-$.96 spray bottle from Home Depot for Star San
-$.96 spray bottle from Home Depot for water to fight the massive foam that can erupt after adding hops (to help prevent boil overs - spray foam with water, foam disappears)
-Fermtech wine thief (for taking samples for hydrometer readings)
-reusable nylon grain bags (also works for hops and dry hopping)
-dial thermometer that will clip onto the side of your stock pot w/12" probe

As for recipe kits, there are tons of them available from several sites. Here are a few that I know of.

www.midwestsupplies.com
www.northernbrewer.com
www.brewmasterswarehouse.com
www.austinhomebrew.com

Also, check out the "Vendor's Showcase" forum on here. A lot of times one of the above mentioned sites will have a special on recipe kits. I think there are a couple in there right now that are running specials.

And last, but not least...HAVE FUN BREWING!

Oh, and tell your hubby happy birthday. Mine is June 3rd and I'm hoping to sample my first carbed brew on that day. It might still be a little green, but it'll me one I made myself. :rockin:

Nice, mine is the 2nd. Gotta think of a nice beer to brew in the next week or so. This will be my gift to myself. I'm hoping my wife gets me a better.bottle. Sure as hell beats a sweater!

 

[jdubb75]

One more thing I forgot to add:

Do not trust the gallon markings on the side of the buckets. I just used those on my first brew, but wondered if they were correct. The problem is, I already had my wort boiled when the thought hit so it was full steam ahead to yeast pitching ville. Before I started my second brew I measured out the quantities with a 2qt measuring cup and marked where the gallon marks should actually be. I was suprised how much they were actually off. It seems like my first 5 gallon batch is going to be more like 5.75 gallons. That also could be another reason my Original Gravity (O.G.) came in at 1.052 instead of the 1.065 predicted. Anyway, I've got two different fermenting buckets from different companies and neither had accurate gallon markings. I would measure and mark all buckets before getting started.

 

[jsweet]

Before I started my second brew I measured out the quantities with a 2qt measuring cup and marked where the gallon marks should actually be. I was suprised how much they were actually off.

Do you trust your measuring cup? I have a 1-cup measuring cup that is off by nearly 15%

(If I had to bet, I'd put money on the measuring cup for accuracy over the bucket, but still...)

 

[jdubb75]

Jdubb! That was awesome of you!! Thanks so much

and luckily.. and chances are once i see this whole kit, I bet i sell 3/4 of the supplies. I work for United States plastic. So I have all kinds of bottles, buckets, jugs, and everything else hanging out. Because of this I am just going with the cheapo one. I have faith.. Ill make sure we have a beer tasting before our batch is ready to make sure i have bottles

Since I have no idea what we are talking about with the littler bottle, ill make sure i have something like that on hand too I am sure once i watch the video and read more on here I should get a grasp of all this.

Im printing all of this!! Thanks everyone!!

now off to find the vendor specials

Don't let the price fool you. It's a nice kit. Are there things that could be upgraded? Sure, but it includes some quality equipment that will last a long time. I wouldn't consider it a low grade kit. It just doesn't have the Better Bottles or carboys included. And, depending on what type of beer you want to make, you may never need a better bottle or carboy for secondary fermentation. It's seems like a lot of people just leave the beer in the primary (fermenting bucket) for 3-4 weeks instead of racking (transferring) to a secondary after a couple weeks. If you are going to be getting into beers that will need to ferment and age for several months, it will be a great idea to pick up a secondary to transfer it to for aging to get it off the yeast cake. That can be added at a later date though.

If you get a basic extract kit, it seems like most of the instructions included will tell you to rack to the secondary after 10-14 days (give or take depending on the type of beer brewed), but you can just let it set in the primary like I mentioned above. So, if you are looking at recipe kits and reading the directions, don't let that step worry you.

 

[JonM]

Wow, I think you win the award for most responses in he shortest amount of time!

 

[jdubb75]

Do you trust your measuring cup? I have a 1-cup measuring cup that is off by nearly 15%

(If I had to bet, I'd put money on the measuring cup for accuracy over the bucket, but still...)

Yeah, I know...I thought about the cup being off, but I trust it more than some printing on the side of a bucket. Plus, I measured out two different buckets and they were off by different amounts. If/when I find a more precise way to measure the water, I'm going to. Until then, I plan to use my newly marked buckets.

 

[jsweet]

If you have a kitchen scale that you trust, you can calibrate your measuring cups pretty accurately by weighing a given volume of water. A pint's a pound the world around, as they say.

 

[jdubb75]

If you have a kitchen scale that you trust, you can calibrate your measuring cups pretty accurately by weighing a given volume of water. A pint's a pound the world around, as they say.

True, and I never really thought of that. I have a postal scale that goes up to 75lbs. I could just put the bucket on the scale, zero it, weigh out 8.34lbs of water and so on and so forth. Maybe I'll do that in the future...

 

[63belair]

Definitely go with the starter kit over the Mr. Beer!

That was the route I went, so I am biased. I had another friend start brewing around the same time as me, and he went the Mr. Beer route. A couple months/batches later he was just as hooked as I was and was regretting not spending a little more for a full kit right from the get go. The best part about a full kit is that it is expandable and won't get outdated very quickly as you move deeper into the hobby (obsession?)

 

[wildwest450]

You'll never see a guy's post get 44 responses in 3.5 hours.


_

 

[malkore]

If you go the 5 gallon route and hate it, its pretty easy to get rid of the gear on craigslist.

Mr Beer is such a cheaply made item to start with, it has no resale value.

Get the 5 gallon kit...you'll more easily make better beer with less effort, and won't have to relearn things vs 'the mr beer way'.

 

[OBDA1stLady]

Don't let the price fool you. It's a nice kit. Are there things that could be upgraded? Sure, but it includes some quality equipment that will last a long time. I wouldn't consider it a low grade kit. It just doesn't have the Better Bottles or carboys included. And, depending on what type of beer you want to make, you may never need a better bottle or carboy for secondary fermentation. It's seems like a lot of people just leave the beer in the primary (fermenting bucket) for 3-4 weeks instead of racking (transferring) to a secondary after a couple weeks. If you are going to be getting into beers that will need to ferment and age for several months, it will be a great idea to pick up a secondary to transfer it to for aging to get it off the yeast cake. That can be added at a later date though.

If you get a basic extract kit, it seems like most of the instructions included will tell you to rack to the secondary after 10-14 days (give or take depending on the type of beer brewed), but you can just let it set in the primary like I mentioned above. So, if you are looking at recipe kits and reading the directions, don't let that step worry you.

I think we will be alright.. shoot if we go bigger, i sell the tanks half of these vendors suggest when making 100-500 gallons I sell them to people daily saying they are looking to make beer! perks of working in a plastics store

You'll never see a guy's post get 44 responses in 3.5 hours.

this was the 2nd post i saw mentioning that. I find it very odd... Its not like i came in here hitting on people. I stated right from the get go who I & hubby were and that this was for his birthday? I sort of plan on him joining me in here once he figures stuff out, but chances are he will send me on for questions anyways i wasnt stepping on anyones toes. Im beyond happy i got all this info!! I cant wait to get it all here & start!

Sad to see I missed a $20 kit sale... have to keep looking for good deals on here & everywhere.. need to find a place locally. there has to be something... i would think!

 

[Atvar]

With a 1/2 inch hole punch and a 50c grommet, you can turn any clean food grade plastic bucket with lid into a fermenter. Just realize for a 5 gallon batch you'll want a 6.5-8 gallon size bucket. If there's not enough room, the yeast can clog up your airlock and build pressure until the bucket explodes.

 

[wildwest450]

this was the 2nd post i saw mentioning that. I find it very odd... Its not like i came in here hitting on people.

Ha, it's not you at all, ladies tend to get more than their fair share of attention around here. What do you expect from a bunch of grown men who make alcohol as their hobby?



-

 

[unionrdr]

I think what they mean by most posts in a short time is this page on here that shows who got the record for most posts in a short time. I found it in the red strip all the way at the top of the page.

 

[TrainSafe]

We would be delinquent in our duties if we didn't direct you to John Palmer's book that is entirely online and free. It contains step by step guidance and explains the 'why's' of each step.

www.howtobrew.com

Did I mention that it is free?

 

[OBDA1stLady]

shew. Thought I did something wrong

 

[remilard]

You'll never see a guy's post get 44 responses in 3.5 hours.


_

Apparently you don't follow my trolling work.

 

[Homercidal]

It happens to all the women over here. You'd think all the guys here were stuck on a desert island or something...

 

[unionrdr]

Hey,it's only an island if you look at it from the water.

 

[wildwest450]

Apparently you don't follow my trolling work.

You mean all the post's where you pretend to know how to brew and judge beer? I'm familiar.



_

 

[beerkrump]

You mean all the post's where you pretend to know how to brew and judge beer? I'm familiar.

_

No, the ones where he pretends to be witty and clever.

 

[OBDA1stLady]

for anyone who is looking for a kit from Midwest!!! this deal is good till Nov 11th I think...

Make alcohol the easy way with today's Groupon: for $64, you get a brewing essentials equipment kit (a $56.95 value), a steel bottle opener (a $14.95 value), your choice of either an Irish red ale, an autumn amber ale, or an Irish stout ingredient kit (up to a $25.95 value), an instructional DVD (a $4.95 value), and a $25 gift certificate for your second batch shipped from Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies (up to a $127.80 total value). A $12 shipping fee is not included in the price of this Groupon.

 

[kyle6286]

for anyone who is looking for a kit from Midwest!!! this deal is good till Nov 11th I think...

Make alcohol the easy way with today's Groupon: for $64, you get a brewing essentials equipment kit (a $56.95 value), a steel bottle opener (a $14.95 value), your choice of either an Irish red ale, an autumn amber ale, or an Irish stout ingredient kit (up to a $25.95 value), an instructional DVD (a $4.95 value), and a $25 gift certificate for your second batch shipped from Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies (up to a $127.80 total value). A $12 shipping fee is not included in the price of this Groupon.

Just got this kit not too long ago. I love it. I highly recommend getting the amber ale it's delicious! Just need some additional things like star san, spray bottles, wine thief, brew pot and maybe an auto siphon. Oh yea, and of course bottles.