New brewer

[palmer23]

I just started making my own beer, any suggestions?

 

[Jphillips13]

Read Palmer's book 'how to brew'. Expect mistakes. Don't forget to have fun.
Any specific questions? There is a wealth of information and fantastic people here. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[cannman]

So tell us about your first batch and process/equipment!

 

[BigDog007]

Read everything you can on these forums, check out all the awesome videos on youtube and buy a couple books. I suggest "The complete joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian and "How to Brew" by John Palmer.

Don't waste money on expensive items until you know you are going to like the hobby, just my opinion. And most of all.... Relax, don't worry, have a home brew...

 

[NYShooterGuy]

Rwad John Palmer's "How to brew". It's free online! Google it and you can read at your lesure and get great advice for your first step into this great hobby.

 

[Nagorg]

When looking to by a kettle, think BIGGER! You will most likely need/want more head space than you think for both boilover prevention and that bigger batch you haven't thought you'd make yet....

Don't be afraid of diving headfirst into All Grain brewing. At first it sounds harder than it really is. Dont feel like you have to do AG either; lots of great extract and partial mash brews being made out there!

 

[mfgann]

I'll second the John Palmer "How To Brew" book. It gets you up on your feet quickly, gives you plenty of guidance for where to go in the future, and answers a lot of the "Oh no.. is this ruined?" questions. You can read it free online, but I went ahead and bought it, as I wanted to be able to bookmark pages, highlight things, and have a good reference at my side.

The only other thing I would highly recommend is buying Star San, and using it. Keep a spray bottle full of it on hand as well. Good sanitization is a must.. my first batch got an infection because what I thought was a sanitizer was just a cleaner.

Have fun!

 

[Tinpanharry]

Read Palmer's book 'how to brew'. Expect mistakes. Don't forget to have fun.
Any specific questions? There is a wealth of information and fantastic people here. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

+1.
Also check out the Basic Brewing Video and Audio podcasts. Also check out Craigtube and Northern Brewer videos on youtube.

For fun, listen to The Sunday Session podcast or radio show on The Brewing Network.

 

[eadavis80]

Have fun - experiment. IF you ask a question and you'll get a variety of answers - most of which conflict with each other. Experiment for YOURSELF and see WHAT YOU LIKE. Take notes. I wish I had done this from the start, but now I note anything I do to any beer for future reference.

 

[unionrdr]

The Palmer book online is the first addition & has some outdated information in it. But still a good basic read. You can search amazon for later additions & more books on all things brewing. Search on here to in the stickies. Lots of good stuff here too.

 

[mcbar]

My top three pieces of advice for a new brewer:

1) A little extra care goes a long way.
2) Be patient.
3) Relax.

Apply to life in general as desired