How much should I expect to invest?

[Calder]

Take up golf. Just as frustrating.

I spend more on golf, and continue to struggle with it. I like to try and brew 'cost-effective', and make dam good beer!

My advice to the OP would be to do some initial brews and see how they turn out. Extract with specialty grains on the kitchen stove in a 5 gallon pot. Investing in a great system up-front can save a lot of money in the long-term, but if you decide you don't want to brew (as a lot of people have found) it ends up being a waste of money. The cost of a 5 gallon pot and a straining bag is nothing compared to what he plans to spend. The 5 gallon pot can be used for crabs legs if he wants to go bigger. 5 gallon pot (4 gallons of liquid) is probably the max for a stove.

Do you want t go BIAB, 3-Tier, Electric? Just get started and then you will have a 'little' more experience to decide which way you want to go.

Bottle the first brews. That way you will be able to have a reason to keg.

 

[PADave]

My advice, start slow and figure out what you want and what works for you. I started out doing 1 gallon brews. Try BIAB, low equipment cost. Works for me, and I have no intentions of changing. But probably $2k+ in equipment, and another $1k+ in kegging equipment, I still have a want list that will cost several hundred more to buy. It's a dark hole, once you fall in.