What else do i need?

[Winston_Smith]

I'm looking at buying the Deluxe Kit from Northern Brewers, along with the 7.5G kettle with wort chiller.

Am I missing anything? Like I said in an earlier post I'm looking to start with AG. To be specific I'm looking at starting with the Belgian Dubbel AG from Northern Brewers.

 

[Fingers]

Well, you need a mash tun. Most people convert picnic coolers. If you do a search you should find plenty of information and even a how-to.

Try reading www.howtobrew.com. It will give you a good idea of all the equipment you'll need for AG.

 

[cubbies]

I would honestly go with a larger kettle. Yes you can get by with a 7.5, but it will be close most of the time. I have a 32 quart kettle and I wish I had a larger one. However, since I already bought this one, I dont think I will buy another one. If I had it to do all over again though, I think I would have bought a larger one.

 

[Cheesefood]

Before you buy that kit, take a minute and see if anyone on Craigslist is selling an all-grain set up.

Or (I know this is difficult) take your time and build your own system. For all grain you'll need:

1. A cooler, preferably 10 gallons or larger (MLT)
2. A manifold or false bottom
3. A kettle 10 gallons or larger (consider getting an old keg from a junk yard)
4. A burner
5. A pot 5 gallons or larget (HLT)

There are serious disadvagates to using glass carboys. After reading enough horror stories about slashed tendons and stitches, I think many vets here are sold on buckets / better bottles. Personally, I love buckets because they're cheap, easy to clean, and when they need to be replaced you can still use it as a utility bucket. Plus they have a handle on them for easy transportation and they're opaque so you won't get light damage.

You'll also need a big spoon for stirring, a scale that can do grams and pounds, a hop catcher of sorts (look at Lil' Sparky's), control valves, tubing, an autosophon, etc.

Relax, it's not as bad as it sounds. Look at Craig's List. Look on eBay. Look here to see if anyone in your area is looking to upgrade and will sell you their old gear.

Just my opinion.

 

[malkore]

as stated, you'll need a way to heat 5+ gallons of liquid. turkey fryer burners (propane) are very popular and inexpensive..but they really need to be used outdoors, or in a garage with the garage door opened.

this is a great time of year to find turkey fryer kits, sometimes they even come as a combo burner + stock pot.

the pots are usually a bit thin, but they can make excellent hot liquid tanks (you can't really use your kettle for this since you'll be filling it with wort when you still need hot water for sparging).

Welcome to the addiction....err...hobby!

 

[Winston_Smith]

The better bottles look like water cooler bottles, are they pretty much the same?

 

[Winston_Smith]

Well I decided to just buy what I need for extracts, I'll buy the rest of what I'll need to do AG sometime around spring. So here is what I've picked out so far---

Northern Brewer Deluxe Kit
Northern Brewer 7.5Gal with Wort Chiller
Phat Tyre Amber Ale
Dry Irish Stout

I'm not to worried about the glass, in fact i would rather use glass then plastic.

I already have a decent propane burner (55,000 BTU). I've checked over what i'm buying a few times and don't see anything I'm missing.