Noob Debating on Purchase

So I've been wanting to get into homebrewing for a while now (I currently do mead and wine), but there being so many methods to brewing, I've held off from being confused on what to do.

However, I stumbled upon a recent post selling the following equipment for $750.

10G Blichmann Stainless Steel Brew Kettle (SS Fittings)
10G Blichmann Stainless Steel Brew Kettle (Ballvalve Fittings)
10G Blichmann BoilerMaker Brew Pot With False Bottom, AutoSparge
Blichmann Therminator Wort Chiller
Barley Crusher with 7 Pound Hopper
Magnetic Stir Plate
5G Carboy
6G Carboy
2 Corney Kegs
CO2 Tank
4CF Freezer
Aeration Pump and Stone.
Aquarium Pump
Banjo Propane Burner
5000ml Conical Flask.
Johnson Temperature Controller

Being new and still unsure of the entire process, I'm debating if I should pull the plug on this great deal or go for a cheaper setup.

That's a hell of a deal. No offense, but you'd be a fool to let that slip by. Just the kettles alone are worth that.

bottlebomber said:

That's a hell of a deal. No offense, but you'd be a fool to let that slip by. Just the kettles alone are worth that.

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True!

BUT..........if you're unsure if you really want to brew you may just want to spend $100 on a basic kit and then brew on your stove.

It's really up to you, but I don't think you'll lose any money at all if brewing doesn't work out for you, assuming all that stuff is in great shape. You can always try it, and re-sell if you decide not to continue brewing.

I'd be all over that if i came across it, great deal

I guess the flip side is if you end up not wanting to brew, you should be able to sell it again for the same price. Providing you have the outlay for it right now, buy it.

Was debating cause I had other stuff to buy (need to buy some house stuff). Said screw it and sent the guy an email see if he still has it lol.

xilosen said:

So I've been wanting to get into homebrewing for a while now (I currently do mead and wine), but there being so many methods to brewing, I've held off from being confused on what to do.

However, I stumbled upon a recent post selling the following equipment for $750.

10G Blichmann Stainless Steel Brew Kettle (SS Fittings)
10G Blichmann Stainless Steel Brew Kettle (Ballvalve Fittings)
10G Blichmann BoilerMaker Brew Pot With False Bottom, AutoSparge
Blichmann Therminator Wort Chiller
Barley Crusher with 7 Pound Hopper
Magnetic Stir Plate
5G Carboy
6G Carboy
2 Corney Kegs
CO2 Tank
4CF Freezer
Aeration Pump and Stone.
Aquarium Pump
Banjo Propane Burner
5000ml Conical Flask.
Johnson Temperature Controller

Click to expand...

I'm super cheap when buying used equipment. go buy it. even if the 3 blickmans need new o-rings its a hell of a package deal.

So I went ahead and picked up everything. He included some stuff not listed like a bottling bucket w/ spigot, prechiller, and some other stuff. I figured I could have went cheaper, but people usually end up upgrading anyways. So for the price, I might as well. I also got money from work to cover the purchase that I wasn't expecting.

I also found out my garage is laid out perfectly for a homebrew setup. I have a copper pipe with a shutoff valve going into the water softener for the house. I can change the piping and put a 3 way valve on that to go through the chiller and stuff and setup a tiered workbench right by it.

So, my next problem. Where do I begin? There's so many pieces I have no clue what to do.

awesome, congrats on the great deal and getting into homebrew!

xilosen said:

So I went ahead and picked up everything. He included some stuff not listed like a bottling bucket w/ spigot, prechiller, and some other stuff. I figured I could have went cheaper, but people usually end up upgrading anyways. So for the price, I might as well. I also got money from work to cover the purchase that I wasn't expecting.

I also found out my garage is laid out perfectly for a homebrew setup. I have a copper pipe with a shutoff valve going into the water softener for the house. I can change the piping and put a 3 way valve on that to go through the chiller and stuff and setup a tiered workbench right by it.

So, my next problem. Where do I begin? There's so many pieces I have no clue what to do.

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Grab urself a propane tank and figure out what kinda kit u wanna do first. Its prob best to stick with an extract for now juts to get the hang of things. I get most of my kits from Northern Brewer. Great beer kits and the instructions are very detailed, which was great for me as a noob as i had no idea what i was doing or why.

xilosen said:

There's so many pieces I have no clue what to do.

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test the temp controller over a few days with a fermentor full of water

test boil all the kettles, this will also test the burner/regulator

backflush that therminator 10-15 times to clean it (well, maybe not 10-15 times but treat it like zombies touched it)

presure test the corny's alone, then when you know they are good test the system as a whole.

that way you know its all good, or what to fix before the real deal.

Pratzie said:

Grab urself a propane tank .

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grab two, they run empty at the worst possible time. 2 minutes swapping a tank is a lot better than a rush to find a fill/swap.

Pratzie said:

Grab urself a propane tank and figure out what kinda kit u wanna do first. Its prob best to stick with an extract for now juts to get the hang of things. I get most of my kits from Northern Brewer. Great beer kits and the instructions are very detailed, which was great for me as a noob as i had no idea what i was doing or why.

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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Starting with an extract and work my way up as I get familiar with each process and piece of equipment and until I can get a full setup going.

Luckily I'm in Austin and we have Austin Homebrew which is an awesome homebrew store. Fair prices and has everything you'd want or need.

Do you have any local homebrew clubs? If so, join one. We are more than happy to help new brewers in any way possible in my club.

Great deal. To start I would just brew an extract kit with steeping specialty grains. You will only need the kettle, chiller and a carboy.

SCREAMING deal!!

I'm jealous!