help me with Pros & cons...

[OBDA1stLady]

auto siphon, this is a new one

for record the groupon ended yest

 

[ThePearsonFam]

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.

and carboys, kegs, CO2 tank, faucets, line, sculpture, keggles, false bottoms, pumps, temp controller, temp chambers, caps, mash paddle, stainless spoon, stir plate, flasks, quick disconnects, etc...

I love this hobby... get's darn expensive though!

 

[OBDA1stLady]

woah... just starting out do i need all this????

the kit said it came with everything but the pot, the beer kit & something else.. all of which i will have now..

 

[jsweet]

ThePearsonFarm is joking... that's if you're obsessive.

You say you already have an adequate brew pot. You don't strictly need a wine thief if you have a turkey baster or equivalent, though you'll probably find it handy. The kit comes with sanitizer, but you'll be happier using StarSan with a spray bottle. That's it really, the kit has everything else that you absolutely need. There's a bunch more stuff that you may decide you want, but start there and decide what you need.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

woah... just starting out do i need all this????

the kit said it came with everything but the pot, the beer kit & something else.. all of which i will have now..

totally and emphatically NO!!!

I was just kidding and expressing (as many here will) that you'll quickly get sucked into the hobby. I started with a simple True Brew kit and have slowly progressed from there. I have no idea how much I've bought/spent over the years, but how many addicts ever know how much they've spent???

 

[kyle6286]

auto siphon, this is a new one

for record the groupon ended yest

Keep checking. Groupon has run this deal about 3 or 4 times in the past two months.

 

[Homercidal]

That's a great deal and even though I've obsessed myself into a fair selection of equipment, even I considered buying one of those kits, or at least telling some people about it.

You don't "need" all that stuff to start. But if you really enjoy the hobby, i bet you will constantly find little things to make it even easier. I like to play with tools and make things, so there is always another project to put together for me!

 

[ThePearsonFam]

That's a great deal and even though I've obsessed myself into a fair selection of equipment, even I considered buying one of those kits, or at least telling some people about it.

You don't "need" all that stuff to start. But if you really enjoy the hobby, i bet you will constantly find little things to make it even easier. I like to play with tools and make things, so there is always another project to put together for me!

amen!

 

[wildwest450]

and carboys, kegs, CO2 tank, faucets, line, sculpture, keggles, false bottoms, pumps, temp controller, temp chambers, caps, mash paddle, stainless spoon, stir plate, flasks, quick disconnects, etc...

I love this hobby... get's darn expensive though!

Don't forget the 8-10 g's for a place to brew in!


_

 

[Homercidal]

Don't forget the 8-10 g's for a place to brew in!


_

I think the new garage cost 14G. But don't tell the wife is was for brewing. As far as she knows, it was so that we could expand the old attached garage as living space!

 

[Boru]

If you're looking to upgrade your brew pot: http://www.target.com/IMUSA-32-qt-A...om_size-bin,target_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0

I've been using that. It cost 20 dollars plus 10 for shipping so for 30 dollars I got a pot big enough to do full boils for a 5 gallon batch. Just need to oxidize the inside first and you're good to go.

But yeah that kit comes with just about everything you will need but bottles.

 

[edie]

my 2 cents. we've had really good luck with the brewers best kits that we've purchased. they'll come with everything (ingredients) to make 5 gallons. i find their instructions easy to understand and follow.

i'd go ahead and buy an extra 6.5 gallon bucket and get a second batch going right away. you'll taste test your first batch to death! when we first started brewing i found that brewing a batch a weekend kept me busy enough that i didn't feel the need to constantly be checking on the previous batch.

another suggestion would be to go easy on collecting too many bottles. we bought a 2 cases worth for our first batch and then started getting bottles from friends and everyone else. by our 3rd batch we had decided to go with a keezer. bought a used freezer and 3 kegs and haven't looked back. have added another keg and i now have 4cases worth of 12oz and another case of 22oz bottles gathering dust in another room.

cheers!

 

[unionrdr]

I just found that the bottling wand designed to fit my cooper's micro brew fermenter won't fit inside my wife's Brewer's Best ale pale. Is there a particular brand that does fit BB's "hose style" spigot? I need one by Sunday. Her BB summer ale kit brew looks like it'll be ready to bottle by then.

 

[itsme6582]

I vote no on Mr Beer. You should do a little reading first. Check out How to Brew. At least take a look at section 1. That'll get you pointed in the right direction.

The advertisers on HBT that have great homebrew websites. Check out the vendors forum and banner ads. A kit is a good way to start out. Plan to spend anywhere from 100-200 once you figure out what you want. You'll also need a large pot. 5 gallons is the normal starting size but you'll more than likely upgrade that to 10 or 15 gallons if you find out you really like making beer.

 

[JonM]

And if you have a restaurant supply house in your area, they can often be gold mines for brewpots.

 

[markymarx]

I started brewing 8 weeks ago and skipped the Mr. Beer. I personally wouldn't waste my money as if you like making the beer then everything is garbage when you go to upgrade to the 5 gallon setup.

8 weeks in and I have 5 batches under my belt and I'm already looking to go to 10 gallon batches and keg half of every batch.

Also I very highly recommend the first bit of How to Brew:
How to Brew
Read the couple chapters on brewing. Don't get into yeast, grains, hop etc yet. That will come in time.

Again like was suggested, go to a local homebrew store. Most have good people that will make sure you have everything you need AND if you have prolems will (or think you have problems) they will be more than happy to answer your questions.

 

[johnnybrew]

One more vote to skip Mr Beer. I've never read one post from someone saying that a batch of beer from one of those things came out well. Read Palmer's book and start with a simple pale ale kit. Have fun and enjoy the obsession, I mean hobby!