Seven Bridges Deluxe 2 Stage Brewery?

[FrayedKnotBeer]

Hey guys,

First off, HBT is great. I've been lurking for a while and it is truly one of the finest uses of the Interwebs that I have encountered.

So my question is, does anyone have any experience with or opinions about this kit? I already searched the review section, nothing there.

http://www.breworganic.com/deluxe2stagebrewery2glasswithorganicbeerkit.aspx

It's fairly pricey, but I love nice things, I love creating things, but most of all I love good beer, so I'm not afraid to spend a little extra coin to be able to jump in with both feet and brew a lot of good beer right away. I'm really not afraid that I'm not going to like brewing. What I am afraid of is starting out with some inferior kit, and not being able to afford to upgrade later when I need something. (I'm young and self employed. Money comes in big chunks when I get a project, but that can be a bit unpredictable.)

Anyway, it seems to have everything I will need to get started and then some. But other than reading Mr Palmers fine book and spending already a little too much time here, I'm a complete ignorant noob. So, I appreciate all your help!

 

[pjcampbell]

This is just what I would do but you will spend a little more $$$ ... I'd go for a used conical fermenter on eBay and a plate chiller. I don't have a conical yet, but feel like the ease of use would be worth the extra money. Plus taking up less room, easier to clean, looks nicer, won't shatter.

 

[IXVolt]

I don't have any experience with that specific kit, but the parts included I still use all the time. One additional item I would get is an auto siphon. Look them up, they are cheap and AWESOME.

 

[geer537]

I live near Seven Bridges and I am all for supporting them but the kit looks like most starter kits that you could find any LHBS. I would suggest finding a shop closer to you so you could save on shipping and then ordering an organic kit from them. The organic stuff is a bit harder to find and they are a one stop shop for it- plus they are a great group of people.

 

[FrayedKnotBeer]

Auto siphon, copy. Thanks.

As for a conical, I am drooling, but when I said "a little extra coin," little was the operative word. This Seven Bridges kit is pretty much the high end of my budget for this right now, if I want to be able to get ingredients, etc. Someday, someday....

Doing some more research, I keep finding bad reviews for the Fermtech Springless bottle filler that this comes with. Is it really that bad? What are my options to replace it?

 

[FrayedKnotBeer]

I live near Seven Bridges and I am all for supporting them but the kit looks like most starter kits that you could find any LHBS. I would suggest finding a shop closer to you so you could save on shipping and then ordering an organic kit from them. The organic stuff is a bit harder to find and they are a one stop shop for it- plus they are a great group of people.

Unfortunately, I live nowhere near a LHBS, and I don't currently own a car. Pretty much stuck shipping this in from somewhere, and this seems to be the nicest kit I can find online. Shipping from Santa Cruz is expensive though....

 

[geer537]

Depending on what they charge for shipping, then it is a pretty competitive price. I checked Austin Homebrew's similar kit. While it is cheaper you would have to upgrade in order to get a smaller stainless pot. You'd save about 30 bucks plus shipping costs:

Austin Homebrew Supply


I like the 7.5 gl pot that Seven Bridges comes with. It leaves you room to grow into All Grain.

Sorry-I don't have any info on the bottling wand because I currently keg.

 

[FrayedKnotBeer]

Thanks Geer537, I saw that kit on Austin homebrew too. No offense to all the people who do it, but something about brewing in plastic just doesn't sit right with me. I'll definitely spend the extra to go all glass.

They quoted me about $50 for shipping, I would spend that much on gas and time to get to my nearest LHBS, so if the consensus is that this is a good place to start, I think I'm going to pull the trigger.

So the next question, which ingredient kit should I start with? I'm leaning towards an IPA or maybe the Irish Stout. Probably just get both....

 

[unionrdr]

I have the Fermtech springless bottling wand,& never one single problem. But the sprung one...some fear the spring rusting & getting into the beer. The IPa or pale ale kit(s) would be my first choices.

 

[IXVolt]

There's a lot of vendors out there that sell these kits.

Northern Brewer - Home Brewing Supplies and Winemaking Supplies

COMPLETE HOME BREWERY

Here's one in RI:
Brew Horizons Homebrew - Rhode Island Home Brew & Wine Making

 

[unionrdr]

I thought $320 with a small ss BK was a bit steep. Williams is $100 cheaper. Midwest,NB,& amazon are def cheaper yet. And you can find a 5 gallon SS stock pot for cheap as well. Just look at the local stores like Walmart,Giant Eagle,Target,the flea market,etc. I got the set of 4 nested stock pots up to 5G with lids & steamer trays in polished stainless steel for $25 on sale at Giant Eagle.
I got my Cooper's micro Brew kit minus BK but with everything else including bottles & caps for $128 at makebeer.net. They have the DIY version out now,though. But it's spigot comes out & apart for even easier cleaning.

 

[FrayedKnotBeer]

Thanks 9Volt, but like I said, I'm not interested in cheap plastic kits.

Also, I was driving by that hardware store in Chepachet once and stopped in. The kit they sell seems to be about one step above Mr Beer, and is in the aisle next to the home gardening equipment. Not exactly a Home Brew Store. There is actually a good one in Providence, where I will probably end up buying a lot of my ingredients, but their prices for a kit like this would be closer to $600 because I would be buying everything individually.

 

[unionrdr]

I wouldn't say the plastic ale pales,etc are cheap junk. They're cheaper,lighter,& safer than heavy glass jugs to me. Take care of them,& they'll do just fine. You can't drop & shatter a plastic FV & get impaled by it. Just my opinion.

 

[atom]

I wouldn't say the plastic ale pales,etc are cheap junk. They're cheaper,lighter,& safer than heavy glass jugs to me. Take care of them,& they'll do just fine. You can't drop & shatter a plastic FV & get impaled by it. Just my opinion.

exactly. who cares what the bucket/carboy your beer ferments in looks like? it's gonna be in a dark basement/closet/fridge anyway...not sitting on your dining room table like a decorative centerpiece.

 

[IXVolt]

not sitting on your dining room table like a decorative centerpiece.

You don't sit down at the dinner table and eat around your carboy's ???





Also, you'll find a lot of people have moved to better bottles over the glass carboy's.

I personally have several buckets and 2 glass carboy's. I use the buckets for everything except the things I want to sit for a very long time. Also, you can upgrade those kits I listed to include glass items for a small additional charge.

The other thing I would make sure to spend the money on is a good boil kettle. That's something you won't regret.

just my 2c

 

[FrayedKnotBeer]

Hey whoa easy. I never called anything "junk."

To each their own, I just happen to be intrigued by both the look and longevity of glass.

And to be honest with you, I will probably spend a few hours a day just sitting and watching my beer brew. Can't do that in a plastic bucket.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,some folks do think of plastic as cheap,junk,etc. I just assumed you were of that line of thought. But,you know what happens when we "assume" things. And it was just my opinion,so take it with a grain of salt. I just feel safer with pales. Cats,dogs,kids,& carboys might not be such a good idea for me. That dog's tail is like a furry baseball bat.
I'm just satisfied that I now the yeasties are doing their job...

 

[Kealia]

I live near these guys and I will second the fact that they are a good bunch of people working there. It's a co-op and they all are very helpful an invested in making sure that you are happy and you get good results.

That being said....money is money. Have you tried looking on Craigslist in your area? Lots of people dump their brewing equipment because they don't have the time anymore, are moving and don't have room, lost interest, etc. You could likely get some, if not all of this locally from CL and then spend the extra $$ on more kits = more beer.

 

[unionrdr]

Or the classifieds forum below...one guy just listed all his stuff,many different brewing items there.

 

[FlatcapBrew]

I wouldnt buy that kit personally... You still will want an auto siphon and a bottling bucket for sure. I think that the chiller is a little small for all grain or full boils, and it doesnt give any info on the pot. Northern Brewer sells their deluxe kit, which looks better than that one, for 170 bucks, make a 50 foot chiller for 60 bucks and add a ten gallon pot, if you go aluminum between 25 - 40 bucks... plus northern brewers shipping will be cheaper.. your decision but thats my .02

 

[pjcampbell]

I know this sounds crazy, but what about starting with whatever is in your kitchen plus 2 growlers, 2 air locks and 2 stoppers and a funnel and a hydrometer and some plastic tubing to bottle. This 1 gal batch will bottle into about 5 22oz bottles.

I feel like it is interesting that we start with 5 gallons but you really might not pick up all of the nuances for a few tries. You can experiment and get the feel of things without getting overwhelmed by relatively large volumes (compared to what we normally deal with in the kitchen).

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,but most wind up buying the "big boy" stuff anyway. So just buy it now & be done with it.

 

[ZamaMan]

7.5 gal pot is kinda small. For full boils you will be boiling about 6.5-7.0 gallons depending on if its a 60 or 90 min boil. Ive lost over a gallon on hoppy ipas due to hops.

Also chiller is small. Learn to brew has 60 ft ones for cheap.

 

[Pappers_]

For what its worth, I've bought organic grains and hops from Seven Bridges and have always been pleased and satisfied. Never had a problem with them or their service.