Newbee here

[adamkin]

Just wanted say hey to everyone! I am new to brewing and have been studying up from this site and books. I am currently in Iraq with the Air Force and can't wait to get back to try out my first batch. I was thinking about starting off with Mr Beer but am up in the air on it. what do you guys think should I just go with a basic setup and skip the mr beer route?

 

[Clann]

Mr beer is a great stepping stone to get the ball rolling. If you are serious about making yur own beer skip it and get set up to brew 5 gallons. it is just as easy and makes twice the beer.

 

[commonsenseman]

I went with a starter kit rather than go the Mr Beer route. Not that there's anything wrong with it, a lot of people start out there. I believe you can make better beer in the long run if you buy a nice 5 gal kit. Despite what some say, you can make excellent beer with extract kits. I've made 5 batches so far & they've all turned out quite well (aside from one sanitation issue).

One thing I would recommend buying right away is some StarSan to keep all the nasties out of your beer, check out this thread.

Welcome to HBT!

 

[Kegcowboy]

Welcome. I lean more towards the 5 gallon batch kit as well. Either way just keep at it - most of us have a bad batch along the way and if that happens to be your first batch (for me it was the third - I still drank it though) I could see how it would frustrate a new brewer.

 

[adamkin]

have any of you had a bad enough batch that you couldn't drink it?

 

[1234]

Welcome to the forum! I spent 2 years at Nellis learning how to be a Fitness Center Director. I have made several 5 gallon batches that I wouldn't drink, but I fed it to folks to came over who really didn't like good beer. I started with Mr Beer and I think it would be worth the investment for a new brewer. You can brew some good beer as long as you go beyond just the LME that comes with it. I did Mr Beer for a year or so and I have been doing All-Grain for the better part of 18 months. Good luck either way!

 

[Bithead]

I started with Mr Beer a little over a year ago and moved on from that very quickly into 5 gallon extract and partial mash.I'm doing AG since the beginning of this year. I've done 25 batches now, some have been better than others but all have been very drinkable.
I'd say get yourself a basic 5 gallon equipment kit and start with kitted recipes till you get comfortable the processes.