You are the pro, tell me what to buy!

[amandabab]

we can buy filled no deposit kegs. no theft at all
same thing with gas bottles, no deposit/lease. actually own it and swap for full to keep the certs up to date or have Oxarc come to the house and refill.

 

[sudsmcgee]

So you paid for the beer, but not the keg, and kept the keg and somehow it's not theft?

Once again, I'm not criticizing you at all. But unless you paid like $200 for a half barrel you stole the keg if you kept it.

As long as it's an Anheuser Busch keg it's OK though.

 

[TDIBrewer]

Well, its certainly not illegal, you put a deposit down on that keg. The brewery could sue you, but they won't. And economics dictate the cost of the deposit so that they recover the cost of unreturned kegs.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Well, its certainly not illegal, you put a deposit down on that keg. The brewery could sue you, but they won't. And economics dictate the cost of the deposit so that they recover the cost of unreturned kegs.

Your thought process would work it the law didn't mandate the maximum deposit charges they can bill you, and those charges are typically 1/4 the cost of a replacement keg.

Fact: You pay a $35-$65 deposit on a $120 keg when empty. If you keep the keg you stole the remainder.

It's OK man. Just admit it and move on with life. Many people do the same thing.

 

[kellanv]

Well, its certainly not illegal, you put a deposit down on that keg. The brewery could sue you, but they won't. And economics dictate the cost of the deposit so that they recover the cost of unreturned kegs.

No, rising costs of beer to mitigate the cost of purposely stolen kegs is more like it. They cant feasibly charge 120 bucks for a deposit without damaging sales. There is a huge difference between accidentally destroying a keg than purposely destroying three...

 

[gmcastil]

Seriously appreciate all the information! I want to get started RIGHT AWAY, but you all are FORCING me to do my research, which I'm sure will save me a lot of headaches in the future.

At the very least, you should read through Palmer's book on brewing.

As far as gear goes, I personally feel that an extract batch or two is really important for learning in the beginning. Also, as we are headed into the summer season now and high temps all over the place, give some serious thought to temperature control for your fermenters. In my opinion, this should be a higher priority for you than jumping to all-grain or growing your own hops.

 

[TBaGZ]

woah.... off track

 

[grouperdude]

y'all are gonna get this mans thread locked. Take it some where else.

 

[kellanv]

I don't think steering a new brewer in the right direction is OT.

As far as answering the question, there are a lot of ways to go. I also agree with going with an extract or mini-mash option at first to allow you to focus on the very basics. My biggest complaint from my original kit was not having a large enough kettle to do full boils and needing an extra fermenter or two. I use buckets because I would rather not cover my fermenter to keep hops from being skunked. It is hot enough in Texas. I don't want to insulate an exothermic fermentation

Things that are great to have as a first kit:
2-3 fermenters
Bottle capper
Bottles (recycle)
hydrometer
Autosiphon
Hoses
Bottling wand
Sanitizer etc.
Stoppers for blowoff tubes (usually better than airlocks)

Nice upgrades to have:
Small propane burner to get full rolling boils and make your brew time much faster
kegging equipment

Other than that its just a matter of getting your hands dirty and figure out which way to go. Best of luck!

 

[the75]

Sweet! All excellent information! Now not only do I have a better idea of what my options are, I also know people's opinions on what could or could not be keg theft.

 

[gmcastil]

Sanitizer in a spray bottle. Every brewer should have one of these.

 

[the75]

OK, here is my shopping list (please let me know if I am buying something I don't need or forgetting something that I should have):
Primary fermentor bucket
Secondary fermentor carboy bottle
sanitizer
hydrometer
autosiphon
siphon hose
liquid crystal thermometer
carboy brush (if I get glass carboy)
Rubber stopper
airlock
bottling bucket with spigot
bottle filler
bottle capper
caps
extract kit
thermometer
wort chiller
funnel with strainer
blow off hose for carboy
thief
yeast starter
jet bottle washer
carboy dryer
one step sanitizer

Tell me how the list looks, please.

 

[mredge73]

Good start.
For sanitizing; get star san instead of 1-step.
For cleaning; pickup oxyclean and TSP (hardware store, paint department).
If you mix these 60/40 it will clean anything.

I would still add a immersion cooler, bottle tree, and bottle rinser/sanitizer.
But you can wait on these if you like.

And pick up "How to Brew" and read it cover to cover.
(or read if for free http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html)

 

[sweetcell]

You could also skip the secondary.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Agreed. Buy two primaries and skip the secondary. You will rarely need it and as a beginner it's not necessary at all.

 

[brian74]

Before you ever fire up the burner, read John Palmer's "How to Brew" and/or Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing", maybe twice. They will teach you the principles of the brewing process and you'll know why you're doing what you're doing.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Before you ever fire up the burner, read John Palmer's "How to Brew" and/or Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing", maybe twice. They will teach you the principles of the brewing process and you'll know why you're doing what you're doing.

John Palmer's book may be the MOST IMPORTANT brewing tool I have at my disposal. It seems like I refer to it for something nearly every time I brew. A good reference book is probably more important than any carboy, fermenter, airlock, or autosiphon.

 

[firebirdude]

Wow. A lot of responses. I'm not reading them all, so pardon if I repeat something said.

I guess I just want to add that it doesn't take much to brew good beer. For example, you don't need a secondary....at all. Also, TONS of people on here ferment in food grade buckets with an airlock. Exact same results as the more expensive carboys. (This isn't the time or place to argue the minuscule differences, my statement is true for 99% of brews) I guess I'm just saying don't go over board and buy the most expensive "kit" available. It will likely contain things you won't need.

Must haves:
A large stockpot. Future proof yourself here and get something in the ~8 gallon size or larger.

A way to boil that much water. Turkey fryer for most people. I'm able to do it on a gas stove, but it takes awhile.

Fermenting vessel.

Hydrometer. But I would opt for a refractometer right out of the gate. More accurate. Far smaller sample is needed. Cost is only ~$25 shipped off eBay. No reason not to get it.

Bottling bucket with bottling wand.

Bottles and caps. Plastic. Glass. It's your call.

Starsan and a spray bottle.

just about it.....

And the kits posted at the HomeBrewMart that you linked to look overpriced.

 

[IanPC]

John Palmer's book may be the MOST IMPORTANT brewing tool I have at my disposal. It seems like I refer to it for something nearly every time I brew. A good reference book is probably more important than any carboy, fermenter, airlock, or autosiphon.

Couldn't agree more. I have designing great beers as well l, but it reads like a math book. A little too advanced for where I'm at.

 

[quadmx08]

I disagree with the refractometer statement. More $$ and doesn't accurately measure fg. Refractometers only measure the bending of light. Which from what I have read is good when you only have a few main components in your solution, such as sugar and water. But not very good when you add alcohol. They do well at looking for changes in gravity, hence stopped or stuck fermentation, but not a final gravity. This is only what I have read from some of the format that discuss this. Can anyone prove or disprove this from experience, or facts. Please add in.

 

[amandabab]

They do well at looking for changes in gravity, hence stopped or stuck fermentation, but not a final gravity. This is only what I have read from some of the format that discuss this. Can anyone prove or disprove this from experience, or facts. Please add in.

Can't prove it but I noticed the same.
Great for checking big changes quick. mine started sitting more than being used and I traded it for a wide scale bottling hydrometer.

Now that being said, the new owner loves it and claims its a must have tool.

 

[mredge73]

The refractometer is a great tool for AG brewers and wine makers but not so much for an extract brewer. It is used to get a quick idea on how well your mash is working and how much sugar is in the fruit you are using for wine.
It isn't very useful once fermentation starts. It cannot give you the FG because the alcohol will mess up the reading. It can give you an idea of what is happening but the numbers cannot be trusted. A $8 hydrometer is like the honey badger, it don't care.

 

[quadmx08]

Now this may be a little off topic, and deserve a new thread. Maybe someone has a quick answer to this side question.


How do you cool down your hodrometer samples to measure preboil gravity. I generally get it down to say 110F quickly and take a reading and use a chart to compensate, but this is always off. I've tried setting the sample in the freezer, and in an ice bath in a milk jug. Which happens to be just the right height and diameter opening. But still these methods are slow and makes it hard to account for in your boil after its half over. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[j1laskey]

..... but I'm so impatient right now!

The most important tool for making great beer is priceless...PATIENCE

Being eager now is great, but be ready to let those beers ride for weeks/months before you drink them

 

[mredge73]

wide scale bottling hydrometer.

I just saw this; what is it and where can I get one?
Can you read it from a beer bottle or am I reading it wrong.
I need to break the one I have and get a better one; if anyone has any suggestions let me know. I just have the common triple scale one that is sold everywhere; it isn't that easy for me to read.

 

[amandabab]

I just saw this; what is it and where can I get one?
Can you read it from a beer bottle or am I reading it wrong.
I need to break the one I have and get a better one; if anyone has any suggestions let me know. I just have the common triple scale one that is sold everywhere; it isn't that easy for me to read.

any wine shop should carry them, I think Williamsbrewing.com has them.

its a taller scale, more space between the graduations and a thinner stem for less meniscus.
couldn't use them in a bottle, some have a bigger bulb to make up for the taller stem.

 

[the75]

The most important tool for making great beer is priceless...PATIENCE

Being eager now is great, but be ready to let those beers ride for weeks/months before you drink them

Well, thanks to this forum and all of your responses, I have tempered my eager drive. Not to mention, my wife just blew through some of our cash (botox is a bitch). That's fine though, gives me plenty of time for reading up! These are all great bits of information, I especially dig the notion of reading up to understand what I'm doing instead of just doing what I'm told. THAT'S WHAT I WANT, TO UNDERSTAND! Thanks again!

 

[the75]

If you are thinking about buying a kit I would also recommend checking out northern brewer. Here's a link: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits

I have the deluxe kit from them and havent really needed anything else other than the brew kettle and bottles. I would also highly recommend that you consider buying a wort chiller, or making one. I am sure that there are posts on here about how to do that. Northern Brewer also has great recipe kits as well. The best part about them is that almost everything there will ship for $7.99. I find that if I need to buy a good amount it is cheaper to use them than my LHBS.

Thank you sir! I just ordered my kit! Great prices!