Know of any brew kits with wort chiller under $200?

[WCrane]

Yeah they are great, but not if you want to use them as primary fermenters for 5 gallon batches. They're just too small.

They work well for sub-4 gallon batches, My stove wont push a full 5 gal batches, So I improvised (split boils/ smaller batches) and I had a great first couple brews I paid like 8 bucks for two buckets, two lids and a pack of grommets at Lowe's.

So many things factor in when deciding what to do. It gave me headaches. For me I do/plan to do smaller batches more often. That way I can have more variety more frequently for a bit less $$. I also wanted a small foot print for storage and for brewing to appease the SWMBO. It's just me drinking them and my FIL and a a few friends on rare occasion. SWMBO doesn't drink beer but once in a while.

What ever floats you boats or finds your lost remote...

 

[SumnerH]

dang after reading that forum about broken carboys it makes me nervous working with them. I guess i will have to buy some carrying straps or something...

Plastic carboys are lighter, too. Even without the safety issues I'd prefer them.

They can scratch more easily; I find that's not a big deal in real life, since I never scrub them with anything (rinse well, soak in oxiclean for an hour, rinse well again). Others disagree and prefer glass.

 

[dcHokie]

One thing, and it really doesn't matter, is that if you decide to step up to full boils, you'll need a bigger pot than that. It's not a big deal because you can find them online for cheap (Aluminum pots especially. Don't worry, Al won't kill you).

+1 on the bigger kettle if you plan on doing full 5 gal boils, wolfe. you won't regret going bigger to start. the classified section here, and occasionally craigslist if you are patient, can be gold mines for good deals on kettles and extraneous brew gear.

and welcome to the hobby/obsession wolfe

 

[malkore]

I never primary beer in a carboy. too messy, pain to clean, yada yada. bucket primary, and if I secondary, it goes in glass.

you definitely don't need one, let alone two glass carboys to make outstanding beer. its cool to see your beer ferment, sure, but that's not the point of this endeavor

 

[Scubbastv]

While looking for a kit myself I stumbled accross this kit for $189.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/COMPLETE_BREWERY_WITHOUT_A_KIT_P2355C257.cfm

It has everything, including a 8 gal pot with valve and an immersion cooler. It doesn't have any glass carboys, but looks like a great starter kit.

 

[dfc]

SMARTEST RESPONSE THUS FAR IN THIS THREAD... ^^^^^^^^^^

I was going to say check out Home Depot but he beat me to it... If I had done more research in DIY projects for brewing I would have totally bought one of their 5 gallon jugs (currently on sale for 18.95) these ARE FOOD RATED a.k.a BEER RATED and are perfect for a primary. Sure saves some serious coin with a 200.00 budget... use that towards recipies and a worth chiller/ stockpot for making your wort...

I can get 6.5 gallon buckets for $13 from my LHBS. Sounds like a better deal to me.

 

[MetallHed]

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-with-lid.html

 

[dcHokie]

also, http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_464&products_id=261

a few more bucks, but a 7.9 gal bucket gives a good amount of headspace for wheats, etc....