New kid on the block - central NJ

[jayaprathap_psg]

Guys

I am kind a new to home brewing and am really interested in it. In Central NJ, where can I get starter's equipment, which is cheap?
Also, for the bottles i am planning to use plastic ones, can i use the regular plastic water bottles?

 

[blowmax10]

For equipment, if you don't have a local store then I would suggest checking out northern brewer

as for the PET bottles, My friends and I have used them BUT, we are getting them straight off the line as they are being made so there is far less worries about possible damage to the bottles that might harbor bacteria

Also, I'm talking about Soda bottles - the water bottles with the 26mm closure are much thinner and I wouldn't trust them to hold pressure

The ones with the 28mm closure like a 2 liter bottle will hold a ton of pressure
If you can get them and are 100% certain about the quality I would say they are ok

Another thing is I would be willing to bet that your beer would have far less of a shelf life but if you plan to keep them around for only a few months you should be ok

 

[AnOldUR]

Welcome! East or west part of the state?

My online brewstore Brewmaster Warehouse. Great personalized service and prices.

I'd pass on the plastic bottles. Buy cheap beer in non-twist off bottles. Drink and wash. Or try a recycling center.

 

[Bobby_M]

Welcome. I've got an old wing capper and a bag of caps you can take for 5 bucks.

 

[twistedbrew]

Welcome on board.

In regards to bottles, are many of you using second hand glass bottles at all?

 

[CFuggles]

Depending where you are either Freehold or Princeton.

The brewers apprentice in Freehold, NJ has a good selection of equipment and ingredients. They are a little bit overpriced for equipment so I'd search around for deals online or go to Princeton Homebrew, in Princeton.

Princeton Homebrew is definitely worth taking a ride for equipment and grains. I know Joe personally and he is a great guy. They have the largest selection of base grains, specialty grains, equipment, hops yeast and whatever else you may need.

Personally I'd say take a trip to Princeton Homebrew well worth the trip. You can't miss the hops growing up the front of his store. And if you go on the right day you may catch Joe solar brewing with his huge lenses. Ive seen him melting concrete and slate with those things :rockin: lol.

 

[jayaprathap_psg]

Welcome! East or west part of the state?

My online brewstore Brewmaster Warehouse. Great personalized service and prices.

I'd pass on the plastic bottles. Buy cheap beer in non-twist off bottles. Drink and wash. Or try a recycling center.

Iam actually on the east side in woodbridge, NJ

 

[android]

In regards to bottles, are many of you using second hand glass bottles at all?

whaddya mean? like re-using bottles beer came in? if so, then absolutely. if not, i'm not sure what you're asking.

 

[jayaprathap_psg]

Depending where you are either Freehold or Princeton.

The brewers apprentice in Freehold, NJ has a good selection of equipment and ingredients. They are a little bit overpriced for equipment so I'd search around for deals online or go to Princeton Homebrew, in Princeton.

Princeton Homebrew is definitely worth taking a ride for equipment and grains. I know Joe personally and he is a great guy. They have the largest selection of base grains, specialty grains, equipment, hops yeast and whatever else you may need.

Personally I'd say take a trip to Princeton Homebrew well worth the trip. You can't miss the hops growing up the front of his store. And if you go on the right day you may catch Joe solar brewing with his huge lenses. Ive seen him melting concrete and slate with those things :rockin: lol.

Thanks. Does he have a online website that i can take a look?

 

[jayaprathap_psg]

Also, any reviews about the U-BREW (Gaslight Brewery) in South Orange, NJ?

 

[nutty_gnome]

I'm a 'Joe at Princeton Homebrew' fan as well. Joe's a good guy and has the brewers best basic and advanced equipment kits at reasonable prices when you factor in shipping and the 'have it now' aspect. I had some questions about the kits/equipment I bought there and it has been my experience that that Joe happily and gladly services the equipment he sells.

Joe has an informational website only (google princeton homebrew). He will ship if you call him, but the site is not an internet shop. Just give him a call and go see the shop. You won't be dissapointed.

I live equidistant from Joe at princeton homebrew and from that other place in Freehold. I choose to go to Joe because he knows his stuff, has it on hand, and is a nice guy to talk beer with.

From past experience, I don't care for the place in Freehold at all.

N_G

 

[Bobby_M]

I don't particularly care for any of the NJ brew shops. They all have their downside. It could have been a fluke, but I've made a smoked porter with 3lbs of Weyermann from Princeton and it had no smoke aroma left. Old malt? Stored poorly? Who knows.

Brewapp caters to their BOP business and if it's packed with brewers, be prepared to wait. They also don't stock enough grain since they brew extract on prem. Carrodos too expensive. Gaslight has no retail space and I've gotten out of date sacks of malt before. All signs point to brewmasterswarehouse.com, northernbrewer.com or austinhomebrew.com

 

[CFuggles]

Well I guess its a trade off. If you are buying specialty malts that people don't use to often I'd purchase them online. However, I've used pale chocolate and kilned coffee from princeton and had no problem.

If you go to princeton homebrew you get to have the grain crushed in front of your eyes and Joe will go over what a good crush should look like, invaluable to see in person if your a noob. I don't think you can guarantee that with an online store. Also for yeast you get the comfort of taking it out the fridge and he will pack if with ice for your ride home. Buying yeast online can have its drawbacks.

So its all a tradeoff I guess. In NJ though princeton homebrew is the best shop out there

 

[Bobby_M]

I guess the real reason I don't shop at any LHBS is that none of them are really local. They are all 45 minutes away in any direction. That's halfway through a brewday for me.

Woodbridge used to have a homebrew store. The owner actually started the Whales club.

 

[brewhymn]

I'm not in your area, and i got a good deal on my kit on craigslist. However, these were the kits i was looking at getting before i found my deal. They were the cheapest i could find.
this is the basic kit
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6873

and if you want secondary fermentation (which is not completely necessary and you can add later)...
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7255

hope that helps.
brandon