home brewing beer

[Hawkney911]

Anyone have a good suggestions for a small home beer brewing set up?

I would like to give it a shot but beyond the basic mr brew beer set ups. I have had several friends use this kit with good results but I am looking for something that produce a little more beer.

Any good sites to order kits or ingredients from?

This is along the lines of what I am looking for
Beer Making Starter Plus Kit with Ingredients

Thanks for the help!

[krichard]

You know once you get started it is a slippery slope that becomes a serious hobby! To get started with extract and mini mash recipe kits here are the basics you'll need:
Boil kettle
Wort Chiller
Fermentation bucket
Bottling bucket
Siphon
Bottles
Caps
Capper
and some other misc items like grain / hop bags, fermenter air lock...

The links below should cover what you'd need to get started. You should search to see if there is a local homebrew shop in your area and go talk to them, I have found that folks that like to brew beer love to talk about it and share info.

Austin Homebrew Supply
Austin Homebrew Supply
Academy - Outdoor Gourmet 30 qt. Aluminum Pot Kit

As a brewer I love to talk shop also..... Here is the brew setup I'm currently working on to replace my three tier.

[Shuie]

Before you spend a dime on any of this stuff you should read John Palmer's "How To Brew", IMO. I think there is enough of the book posted at the link below to get you started:

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Introduction

Get some basic equipment and get your process down. Once you have a feel for the recipes you like and the overall process you can upgrade your system, move to all grain, or build a full blown gas or electric brewery in your garage.

Try your local homebrew shop first. The owner will probably be a homebrewer and will more than likely provide a lot of support through your first few batches. If you don't have a decent local homebrew shop you will have to order something online.

I buy most of my supplies from the following:

Austin Homebrew Supply
Midwest Supplies - Homebrewing and Winemaking
Northern Brewer - Home Brewing Supplies and Winemaking Supplies

You are probably going to want to start with extracts and a kettle on your stovetop. A 5 gallon thin wall kettle for your stove will probably cost $30. Next, expect to spend $100-$150 on a decent 5 gallon starter equipment kit. The kit that will look something like the pic below. Your ingredients will run $25-$40 minimum per 5 gallon batch. You can buy ingredient kits for the style of beer you want to brew. You will also need to start saving bottles.



Have fun. It's a great hobby.

[Hawkney911]

thank you very much for the info. I will spend some time reading up on everything and then start shopping around.

[Shuie]

You don't have to read everything. Just read the intro to Palmer's book posted in that link above and visit your local homebrew supply shop.

People have been making beer for over 10,000 years. It isn't hard. Just have fun with it. Homebrewing really can turn into a pretty serious hobby. And when you get good at it it is going to make your neighbors and friends really happy. There are several serious homebrewers on this forum who can help you along the way.

[TimT]

This was my brew set up for years...





I have since regressed to brewing 5 gal partial mash batches....

[mjohnson]

Go for it!

Remember though - homebrewing makes beer cheaper like reloading makes shooting cheaper...

I bought the "deluxe" kit from Northern Brewer. Picked up a 7-gal turkey fryer so that I can do full 5gal boils. Seems to be a big improvement for extract brews.

Ferment at the bottom of the temp range if possible and be patient.

You'll get hooked and will be yeast ranching in 6 months.

[Uber-fanatic]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

You'll...be yeast ranching in 6 months.

That is one of the most curious statements I've read today. 'Beer' isn't the first thing that pops to mind when the phrase 'yeast ranching' get bandied about.

[aigel]

I want to start brewing badly. But it is another hobby where you need a lot of stuff that uses up a lot of space. Last time I moved we already filled a whole semi (including an SUV in the last 1/4 of the trailer).

Also, having a keg of beer sitting around (I'd skip bottles) isn't a good idea either every day if you try to stay lean and away from carbs ...

G

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by Uber-fanatic

That is one of the most curious statements I've read today. 'Beer' isn't the first thing that pops to mind when the phrase 'yeast ranching' get bandied about.

Ha!

It's a casual term for storing and propagating the various yeasts that you'll use for beer.

(worst case) If you get a lower gravity/lower alcohol kit for an ale, like a british mild and choose one of the fancy Wyeast or White Labs liquid yeasts the yeast will be ~25% the total cost.

Funny thing is that, unlike the malt/grain and the hops, you finish each batch with far more yeast than you started. Just wash that yeast from the trub/hops/other crap with some sterile water and you're in business!

[reality isn't quite _so_ easy but it isn't rocket science]

[recycled sixtie]

More to the point is how does homemade beer taste? It seems like an awful lot of work to make something that is so readily available in the store. I can understand wine making. The last homemade beer I tasted was pretty bad. Any comments on the taste? But it is a hobby though

[Shuie]

Homebrew can be exceptionally good, exceptionally bad, or exceptionally mediocre. It is not hard to make a really good beer, IMO.

I started brewing because I could not buy really great beer in my home state. Depending on where you live and what you have access to, homebrewing may be pointless if you are just looking for really good beer. If I lived in a state that distributed beer from the Bell's or Founders breweries, I would have never started brewing.

[azasadny]

My brewing setup...

Tons of info out on the web to get you started, it's a great hobby!

[mjohnson]

Homebrew is another hobby to geek out on. If you're careful you really can do it cheaper than you can buy the finished product.

Good people in that community - a great scene in person and online.

Umm, beer is good! How many other hobbies outside of gardening and cooking/baking can you consume the product?

[aigel]

I have had some terrible home brews. I think the reason you run into those is because people bring their failed batches out to the party instead of dumping them down the drain. It took a buddy who was good at it and shared his good stash to really appreciate a well done beer. It is just as good or better than store bought.

G

[TimT]

Any comments on the taste?

I have made some amazing tasting brews.... I have also made some craptastic tasting brews..

As you learn you what each yeast brings to the game, same with combinations of malts and hops...you can really craft some nice drinking beers

You can grow yeast from any beer sold... who the eff would want to culture the Coors Light yeast... A yeast from a Belgian Abbey brew would be worth culturing...

People don't home brew to make Coors Lights... that crap is cheap and nasty...

[Shuie]

Here's my rig.

240 Volts, 10 gallons of boiling liquid, and big stainless steel spoon. What could possibly go wrong?

[azasadny]

Nice setup there!!!

[mjohnson]

Looks like you've got more than a few more than casual brewers here on pelicanparts. Now I know where to go trolling for cast-off and outgrown brewing equipment!

Homebrewtalk is a good, and pretty friendly, forum. From the rank beginner to the semi-pro.

[BernieP]

You can get started with the basics for less than $100. I have made some great beers from extract kits. If yo enjoy it the sky is the limit. Check if there are any brew on premises places near you.

Bernie P