which kit to buy?

[wordsandwich]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum, there is a ton of great info on here so thanks to everyone for shring their knowledge. I am looking at buying a starter kit and before i make my purchase i thought i'd try to get some advice from someone with more experience. any tips/advice anyone can offer is greatly appreciated.

I am looking at this for a starter kit:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit-w-better-bottle.html

my questions about this kit are: is there anything else I will have to buy besides a brew pot? also, is the "better bottle" carboy better than the glass option?

and I am looking at this for an ingredient kit:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/hank-s-hefe-weizen.html

my questions about the ingredients are: what is the difference with the yeast type, and which one should I choose? also- is this a good recipe for a beginner?

Thanks for any and all suggestions- also if anyone has a better website for a starter kit/ingredients, please share...I am not set on using midwest supplies for any reason other than it appears to be decent quality and price..

thanks!!

 

[brownsbrews]

Morebeer.com has a good starter kits and they have low shipping cost. For kits brew a beer that you like they are all generally the same. From what I have been told go with dry yeast it cheaper and dose the same thing. Hope that helps

 

[TotemWolf]

I've found that once you figure in shipping and everything Midwest is probablly the best online source overall. See if you can find a local home brew store (LHBS) and might save on some after shipping.

As far as the kits go, you can't go wrong with any of their kits. It just depends on how much you want to spend. Better Bottles are much lighter than glass and they don't break, but you must be careful and clean them correctly because they will scratch.

Hank's Hereweizen seem to be a very popular kit from MW. I've never made myself but I've heard a lot of good things about it.
look hear for more info on that kit
http://www.brew-wineforum.com/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=24&MessageID=150211

 

[rocketman768]

The reason I use a glass carboy is because it doesn't scratch like plastic. Scratches are bad because they create uncleanable crevasses where bacteria can lie and wait to ruin your batch. For that reason, I don't use better bottles or those plastic ale pail things. Just a single 6 gal glass carboy for fermentation. While I'm at it, you will probably read in a book or the recipe instructions to move your beer from the primary to secondary vessel after a week or two. Don't. Just leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks.

For yeast, you really need the liquid yeast for hefes. Wyeast or White Labs doesn't matter. However, you typically need to make a yeast starter when using liquid yeast to raise the cell count to where it needs to be (or pitch 2 vials/packs). You would be better with a kit where you can use the dry yeast US-05 for your first time like this kit.

 

[rcreveli]

I have the same kit with the glass carboy. I bought it at the my LHBS and it has served me very well. I have a 6 gallon better bottle that I am also happy with so, I would have no problem switching out my glass carboy for a BB.

 

[RedGlass]

Welcome to HBT, wordsandwich!

First, take advice you get on here with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own preferences but there is no one "right" way to do things. People use all sorts of fermenters and all sorts of yeasts, and all of it is capable of making good beer.

That said, I agree with rocketman that sticking with dry yeast for the first batch is a good idea. Usually liquid yeasts are used with a starter (although its not always required). Dry yeasts don't require that step, and since you'll have plenty to learn on brew day anyway, I think it's a good idea to keep the yeast simple. In the future, liquid yeasts offer more variety in terms of strain, so that's why many people move onto liquid yeast. You can still make great beer with dry yeast, though.

In terms of the glass vs. better bottle debate, I use both. I think concerns about scratching the better bottle are totally overblown. As long as you take care of your equipment, it will serve you well for a long time. I'm sure you'll develop a preference for one over the other in time, but at this point I think price should guide your decision.

Also, pick up a copy of Palmer's "How To Brew" or another brewing book. It's the best piece of brewing equipment you can own.

Cheers!

 

[TotemWolf]

+1 on 'How to Brew.' I've been brewing for over 4 years with over 100 batches made and I still like reread portions of it from time to time.

I use plastic bucket, Better Bottles, and glass carboys. You just need to be aware of how to clean each of them. They all work great.
Like I said before it just depends on what you want to spend.

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

I bought a starter kit from Midwest when I first started. I went with the better bottle option. I still use the buckets from the kit for fermenting, but now have all upgraded to some more advanced equipment.

In addition to a standard kit I recommend an auto-siphon and a bottle of Star-San for sanitizing.

A hefe is a god choice for a first beer.

 

[Bubba_Mustafa]

I'm just starting out and when I bought from my LHBS, I asked if there would be anything else I needed. He said no.

A few days later I'm out buying more stuff. I grabbed a stand for the hydrometer, wine thief, that bottle tree thingyhttp://www.midwestsupplies.com/45-bottle-drying-tree.html for air drying bottles with the bottle sanitizerhttp://www.americanbrewmaster.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_311&products_id=834 that store on top.

And made a Wort cool from 50 feet of 3/8 copper tubing.

An extra airlock or two ain't a bad idea. Can just swap them put in the event of a overflow. And they are cheap ~$2

(Also grabbed an extra hydrometer. Ok 2. I knocked over the stand with it in it while cleaning up and it broke. And before I got the OG)

 

[wordsandwich]

thanks for the advice everyone...i'm going to go with this kit and brew the hefe w/ dry yeast. my wife likes hefes and i want to warm her up to my new expensive hobby.

thanks redglass for the tip on the book, just ordered it from amazon for $13.

 

[mlyday]

Most of the dry yeast need to be rehydrated for about a half and hour before pitching, I good time to do that is right before you cool your wort. The yeasties should be ready by time the wort is cooled.

 

[SoonerDoc]

The people at Midwest have always been good to me.
I just finished Hank's Hefe and bottled it Saturday. The preliminary taste was excellent. Can't wait to get it carbed and cold. It's probably a good first choice as it's easy to make and has a quick turnaround. Enjoy!

 

[BeerJorge]

(Also grabbed an extra hydrometer. Ok 2. I knocked over the stand with it in it while cleaning up and it broke. And before I got the OG)

I broke my first hydrometer after it's first use, so now I keep two at home. They are as fragile as eggs...

Other than the pot, you'll likely need a thermometer and you'll be good to go...