Im New Please help.

[Datgreenstuff]

Ok so im a beer lover like everyone else on here. I love stouts porters ipa ales etc I love all beer.. well my awesome girlfriend bought me the mr beer kit. She didnt know better I guess. Well since this is my first time I figured I use it for 2 or 3 batches then upgrade. The thing is I dont know where to begin. Please help. A list of equipment that I would need would be awesome. I use hme for now but would like to move up to all grain eventually. If that makes a differance.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

My honest advice? Do your Mr. Beers and then upgrade up a Brooklyn Brew Shop kit. I think that will give you a nice water-birth into growing your equiptment, and you'll make some nice beer in the meantime. Just my $0.02, but remember Im still a noob myself.

 

[freisste]

Have you used the mr beer at all? I will admit I am a little biased (made two poor batches with mr beer - although that is probably because of mistakes - then moved to a 5 gal setup and have had much better luck), but if it hasn't been used, be as nice as possible in asking her to return it and use the credit to get a 5 gal setup. Just my thoughts.

 

[cessick7]

Not sure where you are located, but if you have a local home brew shop near you, that would be a great place to start. They can set you up with what you need and some even have beginner classes that can be a great education for those in your position.

 

[Ostomo517]

My honest advice? Do your Mr. Beers and then upgrade up a Brooklyn Brew Shop kit. I think that will give you a nice water-birth into growing your equiptment, and you'll make some nice beer in the meantime. Just my $0.02, but remember Im still a noob myself.

This!^^^^ just keep in mind Mr. Beer is a teaching tool, your not going to make groundbreaking beer with it (dont understand why ppl stick with it for so long) but you will learn critical basics. Even more so with Brooklyn Brewshop. Dont jump into the deep end if you dont know how to swim that leads to frustration and you shouldnt be frustrated because we have the greatest hobby known to man! (Trying to get that water birth thought outta my mind ugh , thanks Creamy)

 

[Datgreenstuff]

I really appreciate your $0.02. Lol I will definitely look into that kit. I AM in the process of using it the first time. I bottle tomorrow. I was very gentle and careful making it. Ive read the reviews and know that its basically a cheap bud light. But I figured it was expirence. Any suggestions of what to brew next? I want to make a good summertime beer that is light n crisp. Also where to get recipes and other useful knowledge. Lol thanks again

 

[Datgreenstuff]

I live in the 2nd greatest craft beer city in the world... Philadelphia!!!!

 

[Datgreenstuff]

This!^^^^ just keep in mind Mr. Beer is a teaching tool, your not going to make groundbreaking beer with it (dont understand why ppl stick with it for so long) but you will learn critical basics. Even more so with Brooklyn Brewshop. Dont jump into the deep end if you dont know how to swim that leads to frustration and you shouldnt be frustrated because we have the greatest hobby known to man! (Trying to get that water birth thought outta my mind ugh , thanks Creamy)

Thanks

 

[CityOChampBrew]

start with your mr beer and then IF you enjoy the process and want to expand, buy something like this:
http://compare.ebay.com/like/261150032632?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

 

[Datgreenstuff]

Not sure where you are located, but if you have a local home brew shop near you, that would be a great place to start. They can set you up with what you need and some even have beginner classes that can be a great education for those in your position.

Philadelphia. . And thanks.. im still learning how to use this app.

 

[peanasky]

Do you have a local homebrew shop? If you do, check out their kits for something that looks appetizing. Good summer-time beers (for me anyways) tend to be cream ales, pale ales, and wheat beers. Others to think about would be IPA's and maybe an Irish Red or American Amber. If you don't have a local homebrew shop, Austin Hombrew Supply (http://www.austinhomebrew.com/), Midwest Supplies (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/), and Northern Brewer (http://www.northernbrewer.com/) are all big-er name homebrew supply shops that have a wide varity of kits.

Once you get familiar with the kits and brewing process, then I suggest you venture down to the recipe section on the forums (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f82/) and take a look there.

Cheers!

 

[Ostomo517]

Heres some good reading https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/mr-beer-read-all-about-ask-questions-46360/

Keep your eyes peeled around HBT, a lot of great knowledgeable brewers at your fingertips.

 

[Puddlethumper]

+1 to most of the advice you've gotten so far. I started with a Mr Beer also, and made a couple pretty decent batches of beer with it. When you decide you're ready to move to the next level get yourself a decent 7 - 8 gallon stainless brew kettle and a 6 - 6 1/2 gal fermenter bucket with an airlock. A bottle filler and racking cane are handy and cheap along with a little more hose for those items. I assume you have a bottle capper? Aside from that, you probably have most everything else you need already. With these you can do 5 gallon extract brews with steeping grains. You'll really notice the difference in the quality of the beer.

If you shop it you can probably get set up for $125 -$150 and have equipment you will continue to use for years to come. If you get tired of brewing you'll still have a good bucket and a nice big kettle to do a crab boil or make chili. Don't make the mistakes I made in trying to find a cheap way through it as you'll end up getting junk. Then you'll spend even more money as you find you have to replace the junk.

 

[Schol-R-LEA]

As my first step, I would pick up a copy of How to Brew by John Palmer, and maybe The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian as well. Palmer's book is rather better technically, IMO, and a good deal more concise, but Papazian's book is still worth a look (it's what got me into homebrewing, so I am biased here), being breezy and a fun and a surprisingly quick read. Both books will give you a good idea of what to get, and what to do with it when you get it.

BTW, if you do find a LHBS in Philly, please add it to the brew shop list on the wiki for the sake of others in your area. I went to see if there were any listed for Philadelphia to suggest to you, and came up empty, quite to my surprise. Fortunately, there are many online stores one can order from, if there aren't any local stores, but most people prefer the face to face aspect of a local shop.

As for equipment, I tried to be comprehensive in this thread, but there are always more things you can get; for example, I have since then developed a greater understanding of the need for a proper yeast starter and control of the fermentation temperatures, and would place getting a stir plate and a fermentation cooler up there with the wort chiller as a must have if you want to make good beer. For a beginner, this thread probably is a bit more pragmatic.

And whatever else you do, stick around HBT and don't be afraid to ask questions, even if they sound silly. Often, it's the silly questions that you need answered the most.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention BeerSmith. It's a program for planning and tracking your brewing, and is well worth the $28 price tag.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Just an afterthought to my earlier post, if you really want to ease into this without spending a lot of bucks, you can just go to a 6 - 6 1/2 gal plastic fermenter bucket with an airlock (probably less than $25). If you have a couple stock pots in the house that total 20-24 qts between them you can do extract brews with steeping grains.

Having a dedicated bottling bucket (another $25 is handy) but not absolutely necessary. If you stay with this hobby you'll eventually want the nice brew kettle but that can wait for a while.