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mmandikas227

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So I plan on starting to brew at home but the issue is I have no idea where to look for a starter kit. I know of Brooklyn Brew Shop and morebeer.com but other than those, I'm lost. Can someone give me direction on what the best place or places are to find a good quality home brew starter kit?
 
Are you looking for equipment or ingredients? Any idea what size batch you want to make?
 
Basics equipment to start with to make 5 gallons of beer. 7-8 gallon bucket with lid, airlock and bung, racking cane and bottling wand, hydrometer, Starsans or something similar, another bucket to bottle from, 4 or 5 gallon pot to do partial boils on the stove top- you can get the burner and bigger pot after a couple batches if you stick with it. Bottle capper and caps :mug:
 
mmandikas227 said:
So I plan on starting to brew at home but the issue is I have no idea where to look for a starter kit. I know of Brooklyn Brew Shop and morebeer.com but other than those, I'm lost. Can someone give me direction on what the best place or places are to find a good quality home brew starter kit?
Click to expand...

You'll not go wrong with any of the big online vendors like Morebeer or Northernbrewer but you should check out what your local homebrewstore has on offer too.

Mine has some great kits and also does flat-rate shipping. I can't recommend them highly enough. I have no affiliation with them other than as a very happy customer.

http://www.txbrewing.com/beer-and-wine-kits/equipment-kits/beer-making-kits.html
 
@Sailingeric has your basic "kit" down pat.

Most starter kits contain some sort of carboy, plastic or glass. Instead, buy a food grade plastic (brew) bucket. It's cheaper and much easier to clean (sponge).

Regardless of what you read or are being told, you won't need a secondary fermentor. Although most kit instructions want you to buy and use one, they are not needed unless you do some really advanced brew. Just ferment in your (primary) bucket in a cool place for 3 weeks @ ~63-65F, that's important for good beer! take a gravity reading and if low enough, rack to bottling bucket and bottle away.

For cleaning use some Oxiclean or a generic knock off. Get the fragrant Free variety. Or use common washing soda (also sold as "laundry booster"). This is NOT baking soda!

For sanitation get StarSan. Get an 8 (or 16 oz) bottle, it will make 40 (80) gallons of working solution. You'll need to make about a gallon (or 2) of working solution per brew session, which can last 3 months in a Homer bucket (or even better, a white one) with a lid.

Enjoy your new hobby!

Oh, read a lot of HBT, we're an incredibly good resource.
 
Thanks for the input guys. It was definitely helpful. The unfortunate thing is there aren't any home brew shops near me so I have to go online. And I should've specified in the original post. I'm not quite sure what the norm is for a first time brewing, but I was thinking anywhere from 5-6 gallons. You hit the nail right on the head. Thanks guys!!
 
Well, you can buy all your gear on the internet if there's nothing available locally. You now have a basic shopping list. There are always a few more things you'll need, so try to bundle them in one order to defray cost of shipping.

It's wise to price things out to get the best deal. Don't forget, shipping can add a substantial amount. Some outfits have a flat shipping rate, or even free over certain $$. Others have very reasonable shipping. Google search is your friend.

My wife bought my (first) brew setup 7 years ago as a Christmas present, all online from 3 or 4 vendors. Now she wonders what the heck she was thinking...

You don't have your location listed :rolleyes: but Craigslist always has a few beginners kits or better listed for around half price.

If you don't know much about all the facets of brewing, read "How to Brew" by John Palmer. There's an old version on the web to help in a pinch. And HBT of course.
 
I'm from New York. About 45 minutes from Manhattan. Unfortunately there's not enough of a home brew following around here for someone to successfully open a shop. I'm definitely going to look into that book and take all the advice into consideration!
 
A little time spent researching and asking questions here on HBT will help immensely. Are you upstate? (I use that term loosely. Forty-five min from NYC isn't really "upstate" for the remaining 90% of NYS.)
 
petey_c said:
Yeah, it could easily take more then 45 min just to get across a bridge...
Click to expand...

LOL, yeah, I don't miss the traffic, that's for sure. He didn't say 2hrs from Manhatten, so I didn't guess Long Island :)
 
To be more specific, I'm in Rockland County so I guess to some people it would be considered upstate but to me, not really. White Plains is only about 20 minutes from me, but the issue is that 20 minute drive is in reality about an hour with traffic. That's why its easiest for me to just get everything online. Also, my father makes his own wine and has the majority of equipment that is needed for home brewing and told me I can use whatever I need. I'm not sure how much, if any, experience you guys have with wine making, but is there a difference in the thermometer or hydrometer that is used in home wine making the same as what is used for home brewing?
 
My question though is would a hydrometer that is used for wine work for beer as well or are they each a specific type
 
mmandikas227 said:
but is there a difference in the thermometer or hydrometer that is used in home wine making the same as what is used for home brewing?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what UnionDR's response meant, so...

Yes, you can most likely use the same hydrometer without issue. Worst case, if the hydrometer was designed solely for wine, you may have to convert the unit readings from Brix to Specific Gravity.

The only significant difference between a wine hydrometer and a beer hydrometer is the scale and units used. Many hydrometers these days display multiple units for use in both.
 
Yes, they do. Mine does. Wines read higher on the scale. From 1.060 to 1.130 on mine. Beers read much lower, from about 1.000 to 1.100 for a barleywine. My beers average from about 1.008FG to 1.080OG or so.
 
I think it.is worth the 1,hr trip to talk to someone and get the equipment that is right for you. This can turn into a lifetime hobby so one weekend afternoon is a great investment to talk to someone who can give you personal advice.
 
Since your dad has some wine making equipment, that'll help keep your initial costs down. Do a couple of comparisons between starter equipment kits, see what they have in common and go from there. Come to think of it, it might be cheaper to get the whole kit for yourself, rather than buying what your dad doesn't have. You might also pay more for it when you factor in shipping and handling. I think once you start enjoying the fruits of your labor, you'll want to have all your own stuff anyway. I think if you get a hydrometer that covers the .990 - 1.20 range you'll be good to go for 95% of your beer and or wine making. I'd get two, in case one decides to commit suicide, as they are known to do. You'll need a brew pot. I'd say about 7 or 8 gallons to start off with. Opinions are many (that's an understatement) stainless/aluminum, 5/6/7/10 gallon size, extract/mini-mash/all grain, chiller or ice bath, etc, ad nauseam...
 
I went with a starter kit from Midwest, this one I think
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit-1.html
I've bought more fermenting buckets and carboys and burners and mash tuns and whatnot since, but this was a good start for me.
This one comes with basically the same stuff, including a recipe kit and 5gallon kettle, but I think you'll need to order a hydrometer and test jar.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/platinum-pro-beer-brewing-starter-kit.html
You need water, a kettle, ingredients, heat source, auto siphon, tubing, fermenting bucket with grommet and airlock, sanitizer, bottling bucket with spigot and wand, bottle caps and capper.
Assuming you can come up with your own bottles, you'll have home brew.
After one, then two, then three batches then four and five you'll find what else you need and can add as you go.
Good luck, welcome, and post what you come up with...
 
Here's the brew shops in your area: it's 26 miles from Manhatten

Homebrews and Handgranades 2378 Grand Ave. Baldwin, NY 11510
 
adixon3 said:
Here's the brew shops in your area: it's 26 miles from Manhatten

Homebrews and Handgranades 2378 Grand Ave. Baldwin, NY 11510
Click to expand...

adixon3, He lives north of Manhattan in Rockland County. Google maps has his one way trip from there to be a little over an hour. But that's completely unrealistic. The only way you could do that is if everyone else stays off the road. Probably 2+ hours one way (traffic, traffic, traffic). Since NYC drivers are known to be the most compassionate and sensitive in the world, you're sure to arrive without a headache.:D
 
There is something to be said from buying locally - if you think you'll patronize that store frequently and want their help. That being said, NB's customer service (from both chat, phone calls and e-mail) are all top notch. Their flat rate shipping is a good deal and that starter kit they have on sale for $99 is a good buy too. They also have a bunch of tutorials on their website which show the basic steps in brewing - SEEING the stuff in action will help a lot - watch those before you brew and/or see if there is a friend who has brewed to help you on your debut batch. Enjoy the hobby - it's highly rewarding and addicting!
 
I managed to get my hands on a mr beer variety 3 pack, but the yeast is shot. would active dry wine yeast work or would an ale yeast only work with a mr beer kit?
 
Although any yeast will work, I would go with a yeast that closely matches the type of beer you're trying to make. Searching on here will help find the right yeast.
 
Don't use wine yeast for beer, it won't be very good. Wine yeasts cannot ferment your beer enough, it will be left quite sweet because they cannot metabolize tri-saccharides. I'd start with dry (ale) yeast instead of liquid ones. Safale makes a good variety and there are other brands. US-05 (American style ales) and S-04 (British style ales) are a good start.

Although you can make beer with Mr.Beer kits, they aren't very good either. But at least you can get started.

Read around here on HBT to learn about brewing beer and ingredients and what else it takes. John Palmer's "How to Brew" is an excellent resource too, alas a bit dated. There's a free online version.
 
mmandikas227 said:
To be more specific, I'm in Rockland County so I guess to some people it would be considered upstate but to me, not really. White Plains is only about 20 minutes from me, but the issue is that 20 minute drive is in reality about an hour with traffic. That's why its easiest for me to just get everything online. Also, my father makes his own wine and has the majority of equipment that is needed for home brewing and told me I can use whatever I need. I'm not sure how much, if any, experience you guys have with wine making, but is there a difference in the thermometer or hydrometer that is used in home wine making the same as what is used for home brewing?
Click to expand...

A quick Google search (Rockland County brew store) yields this:

 
IslandLizard said:
Don't use wine yeast for beer, it won't be very good. Wine yeasts cannot ferment your beer enough, it will be left quite sweet because they cannot metabolize tri-saccharides. I'd start with dry (ale) yeast instead of liquid ones. Safale makes a good variety and there are other brands. US-05 (American style ales) and S-04 (British style ales) are a good start.
Click to expand...

This.

This is the same pitfall that some brewers fall into when they try to make super high gravity (>12% ABV) beers. The champagne / wine yeast ferments out all the added simple sugars, but it can't digest the higher order sugars and all that's left is a sickly sweet beer. Not to mention the esters produced by wine yeast are not very appetizing in large quantities.
 

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