newbie here

[royalbrew]

hello, first off great site and glad i found it!!

im lookin to brew my own beer and thought i could get some good advice coming here. i have a local brew store in my town and they have a basic and delux kit. im looking at getting the delux. here is a link: http://www.jimshomebrew.com/cgi-bin...&act=&aff=&pg=prod&ref=dbeer_kit&cat=&catstr=

what do you think of this kit? will it work? only thing is doesnt come w/ is the brew kettle as far as he told me. are there better kits i can get? i can spend more than the 140. im just looking to get started proper and dont want to buy more things down the road.

are there any good dvd's to buy that will take me through everything i need to know to get me knowledge on brewing? the kit comes w/ a book not sure of the name but i think its this one but volume 3 http://www.jimshomebrew.com/cgi-bin...u&cat=beer_books&catstr=HOME:books:beer_books

thanks in advance.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Welcome!

Congrats! That kit will be fine (for now). I think the write-up also mentioned that there are no bottles...now is the time to ask your friends to save their longnecks or whatever other beer they drink...remember no twist off cap bottles (they don't work).

There will ALWAYS be something else to buy....your choice of products though. If I were to recommend any item it would be an auto-syphon.

The book is great for the beginner. Read it! Highlight it!
Vol 3 is better than the previous ones.

Depending on how enthused you are about your new hobby, there will ALWAYS be SOMETHING you'll want.

I also recommend going through a bunch of the posts on this site for questions (like you'll have) that have already been asked and answered. (Some people have been known to attack newbies for their simple inquiries (present company included) when the answers are already here).

We are not really mean, just a bit aggravated at the questioners lack of research on their own part, as well as aggravated that as much as we want to help, we know how loooong it will take to re-type a good solid reply to you (and others). Hint. Hint!!

We do enjoy most of our time here helping you guys...and yes, there will be debates, sometimes heated, most at about 155F (because we don't want too many tannins in the conversation...if it comes to a boilover). A bit of "Brew Humor". It's a "time joke"...you'll understand it later.

Read your book and research your question are good tips for you now.

Later.

 

[royalbrew]

thanks alot, i also heard the i should get a 6 or 6 1/2 gallon for the first bucket/carboy. do they make 6 gallon carboys?

 

[DyerNeedOfBeer]

Yes they do have 6 and 6.5 gal carboys.

I would also highly recommend the auto syphon right off the bat.

dont want to buy more things down the road

You will always buy more toys down the road if you continue in the hobby!!!

The price on this one seems high to me... you may want to look around a bit more. If I remember correctly, I got my kit for about 80 bucks and the only difference was it had a plastic pail for primary / bottling and a glass for secondary. The pail is a must for bottling (in my opinion).
If you find a kit with a bucket for 80 bucks then get a 6.5 glass carboy and an auto siphon, you should be at about 120 bucks...

Oh wait, that comes with an ingredient kit too... but that is around a 30 dollar value (typical price) so it is still just a bit high.

This one is 100 bucks and this is a great site all around!
http://www.morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=15910

Also, consider shipping charges. This site I linked has free shipping over 50 or 60 dollar orders...

 

[royalbrew]

so i got the delux kit i linked above along w/ a auto-siphon. came w/ a detailed manual for how to brew the first batch.

i dont have any local brewers around...the nearest one is 5 hours away.

from the manual it seems pretty self explanitory.......seems like the biggest thing is sanitation.

only thing it didnt come w/ is a brew kettle. i want stainless steel like 6 gallons.....that sound right? any idea where to get these? the homebrew store i bought the kit has them but they are 50 plus tax.

thanks for all the replies

 

[92greenyj]

welcome royal.

my advice for finding your kettle

try your local restaurant supply store. If you're lucky, they will have used ones for a good price. We payed 80 bucks for a 30 gallon pot that we use as a brew kettle.

of course, we are brewing all grain and brew on a propane turkey fryer, burner, thing.

 

[homebrewer_99]

You can go cheaper.

I only brew 1 1/5 - 2 gals in a 4 gal pot that I picked up for $15. If you brew liquid or dry malts that will suffice.

You can top off to 5 -6 gals in the primary.