About to purchase starter equipment

[Scrow]

So, I am about to purchase starter stuff. I have nothing at all, except empty bottles that I have washed and saved. Assuming I have about $150-$175 to spend, and need everything, how would you shop?

I was looking at this starter kit:

NORTHERN BREWER: Beer Starter Kits

(Scroll down to "Better Basic Starter Kit" with glass carboy, total $120.99)

Then I would still need a brew kettle. Furthermore, I can only (realistically) do this in my kitchen, so I need something I can do on a stove-top.

Any suggestions? A better starter kit to buy? A cheap brew kettle? Thanks!!

 

[spitfire]

That is the kit I plan to get but with the plastic better bottle rather than a glass carboy. I would check your local big box stores for a brew pot and a kit and you should be good to go.

 

[Scrow]

Can I just buy a huge pot and do this on my stove? I think like a 6-gallon pot would be enourmous!

 

[carnevoodoo]

Can I just buy a huge pot and do this on my stove? I think like a 6-gallon pot would be enourmous!

If you're doing extract brewing, that is just fine. You will be doing partial boils, and a 6 gallon pot is plenty big.

 

[Scrow]

Ok so I can just hit Walmart for a 6-gallon pot and boil the stuff on the stove? And later on when I get more advanced I can upgrade, I just need to make sure boiling a 6-gallon pot on my stove is going to work for my starting ventures. Thanks a ton!

 

[Scrow]

Alternatively, can I buy like a 3-gallon pot and do 2 batches back-to-back? Or does that cause problems?

 

[spitfire]

Right boil right on the stove. It doesn't have to be 6 gallon pot, it could be a little smaller. Yep, once you (we) get more advanced you can upgrade and I'm sure you will still find a use for things you already purchased when you do upgrade so it won't be like you are wasting money.

 

[llazy_llama]

The bigger the pot, the better. If you're looking to do 5 gallon batches as most of us do, a 7 gallon pot is ideal. A 6 gallon pot will also work, but you'll have to either keep a close eye on it to avoid boilovers, use slightly less water, or invest in anti-foam agents. Basically, the more of your batch you can boil, the better your hop utilization is going to be. Because of that, your beer will be improved greatly. I started off with a much smaller kettle than that, and my beer was fine. Use what you're comfortable with, and what you can afford.

As for the starter kits, I think Midwest has the best deal in town. $110 gets you their Intermediate starter kit (linked here) which has 1 primary fermenter, and two 5 gallon better bottles. You probably don't want to use the 5 gallon containers for primaries (although I have for a couple of batches, I just had to use a blowoff tube) but you can if you want. Either that, or use the fermenter bucket for your primary, and as soon as you rack to secondary, you can pitch another batch into the bucket.

I'll also recommend a few additional items that you may want. A jet bottle/carboy washer is cheap, and will help so much. Just be sure to also buy the faucet adapter so you can use it on your sink. An immersion chiller is also a sound investment, and they sell a stainless steel one for about $50.

 

[jerrysfinger]

I bought this last month. No complaints. I got the starter kit and an recipe kit for $145.00 with shipping. Bought a 20qt pot from Target for 40.00.

 

[KDM]

My $0.02: Don't use a bucket for fermenting, get a 6.5 Gal. PET Better Bottle. Why? So you can SEE the show inside! Man, I wouldn't have missed it for worlds.

I hear you can always tell a n00b homebrewer . . . there's a stool next to the fermenter.

 

[llazy_llama]

My $0.02: Don't use a bucket for fermenting, get a 6.5 Gal. PET Better Bottle. Why? So you can SEE the show inside! Man, I wouldn't have missed it for worlds.

I hear you can always tell a n00b homebrewer . . . there's a stool next to the fermenter.

No no no no no! Start them off with buckets so they don't come back in 3 days with a "OMG IS MY BEER RUINED!?!?!?!?!?" thread.

 

[spitfire]

llazy llama, When reading extract instruction most kits I looked at said a 2.5 gallon pot or larger. You are saying 7 is better than 6 because of boil if that is the case wouldn't it make it almost impossible to use a 2.5 gallon pot then? I am not second guessing you, just trying to learn. Obviously a 7 gallon would be much better when doing AG brews.

 

[llazy_llama]

The kits will tell you to boil your wort in a 2.5 gallon pot, then add water to top if off to the 5 gallon mark. You get better hop utilization if you boil all the water, and less risk of contamination from the top off water, since it's boiled.

You can also boil your top off water first, then cool it, then add it to your carboy. Then you boil your wort as usual, cool that, add it to the carboy. Then boil a bit more water, cool that, and add it to the carboy to top it off to the 5 gallon mark. That takes a lot of time.

Think of it like this: when you boil a small amount of water with your grains, extract, and hops, you have a concentrated wort that you then need to dilute with water. Which tastes better to you, the concentrated orange juice you buy in frozen tubes, then add water to, or 100% fresh squeezed? Sort of the same concept here.

Keep in mind that a larger pot isn't necessary but that it will help. The downside is the price, and that it'll take longer to boil. The upside is better tasting beer and more temperature stability. Once you get that water to 153 degrees for steeping, it'll take a long time for 5 gallons to heat up or cool down, so steeping your grains at a steady temp is much easier.

 

[jerrysfinger]

Full boil if possible.

and Why is a full boil better

 

[llazy_llama]

In the second link jerrysfinger posted, Orfy brought up a good point. You need to be able to cool your wort quickly. If you don't have the ability to cool 5 gallons down to < 80 degrees quickly, stick with a smaller pot. This is why I mentioned adding an immersion wort chiller to your initial purchase.

 

[spitfire]

It all makes sense to me know. Thanks very much for the info.

 

[llazy_llama]

No problem. Let us know if you have any more questions.

 

[Scrow]

So why is the Intermediate Kit better than the one I linked? I am just trying to understand what I am doing. And as for cooling and whatnot... I had planned to get a 20-quart pot (as recommended on HowToBrew.com), boil the water, etc, then set it in a sink of ice water. Do I stir it to cool it evenly or what? I want to use like a 7-gallon, but that is so expensive! And what do you mean by "rack it to the secondary"?

 

[spitfire]

Rack into the secondary mans using a racking cane to transfer from the ferm to the secondary. Do a youtube search for member homebrewing video and watch all his videos I just finished watching them all and learned a lot in a few minutes.

 

[llazy_llama]

For your wort chilling - using a 20 quart pot, you should be able to chill your wort fairly quickly with an ice bath. Be sure to stir both the wort and the surrounding ice water to avoid hot spots. This will help your wort chill faster.

The kit that I linked comes with 2 5 gallon carboys and 1 plastic fermenting bucket. You can use the bucket to ferment for about a week (until your hydrometer is giving the same reading over 3 days straight) then move the beer into the smaller carboy. This is called your secondary, and leaving your beer in here for 2 more weeks can help with your beers clarity. It's not 100% required, and many of us don't use secondaries at all. Another advantage to doing this is that it frees up your fermenting bucket so you can start a second batch. If you start that second batch right as your moving your first batch into the secondary, in another week or so you can move that second batch into secondary, freeing up your bucket. Then after week 3 you bottle that first batch, move whats in the bucket into the carboy you just freed up, brew another batch, and now you've got a pipeline going!

Another advantage to the Midwest kit is that the bucket is large enough that you shouldn't need a blowoff tube for anything other than a really huge beer with a massive starting gravity. It also comes with a few stick on thermometers which will help you gauge your fermentation temperature. Fermentation produces heat, so just because your room is 65 degrees, that doesn't meen your beer is 65 degrees. The "thief," that comes with Midwest's kit is also a much higher quality than the one with the NB kit. Both will work, so this isn't a huge deal. Oh, and the Midwest kit comes with a book (that I didn't bother with much. I have How to Brew and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing) and a neat little DVD that walks you step-by-step through the whole process.

 

[KDM]

No no no no no! Start them off with buckets so they don't come back in 3 days with a "OMG IS MY BEER RUINED!?!?!?!?!?" thread.

At the risk of sounding like a grouch, I don't know how you veterans stand monitoring the n00b traffic around here. I mean, someone just posted a new thread asking what Mr Beer is?

If I had to reply, I'd ask gee, whaddya suppose GOOGLE is...?!

But then, like y'all, I monitor a forum catering to a different hobby where I'm one of the experienced veterans, and my passion for it carries the day. It helps that it's a small, obscure little hobby where forum traffic isn't nearly as fast and furious as here. Whatever, a huge thanks to all who mentor us, we n00bs truly and sincerely appreciate it -- or ought to.

 

[rsmith179]

Agreed. You guys are the best source on the internet for all types of beer knowledge. We noobs can learn a lot from the mistakes others have made in the past. You also give us really good ideas as to how we can spend more money! :rockin:

And regarding a 7-8 gallon kettle, just go out to the closest outdoor supply store and pick up a turkey frier. I know you said you wanted to do this indoors, but you'll only pay $60.00 for a large kettle and a burner. You can't go wrong with that. Just be careful... a lot of kitchen stoves won't be able to get your full batch up and boiling anytime soon, especially if you have an electric stove.

 

[sparkyaber]

At the risk of sounding like a grouch, I don't know how you veterans stand monitoring the n00b traffic around here. I mean, someone just posted a new thread asking what Mr Beer is?

If I had to reply, I'd ask gee, whaddya suppose GOOGLE is...?!

But then, like y'all, I monitor a forum catering to a different hobby where I'm one of the experienced veterans, and my passion for it carries the day. It helps that it's a small, obscure little hobby where forum traffic isn't nearly as fast and furious as here. Whatever, a huge thanks to all who mentor us, we n00bs truly and sincerely appreciate it -- or ought to.

I truly believe that most if this is just a good ribbing. llazy has been helping all along. I have not been around very long, but it seems to me it is mostly good natured teasing.

As stated above, either kit would do you fine. About the pot, I would try to get a big one. You may pay more now, but you won't ever need to upgrade. I found a 15 gallon kettle at cabelas for less than 90 bones. Keep your eye out for deals. If I am upgrading stuff I want it to be cheap stuff like buckets to carboys. buckets only last so long anyways. JMO.

 

[sparkyaber]

And regarding a 7-8 gallon kettle, just go out to the closest outdoor supply store and pick up a turkey frier. I know you said you wanted to do this indoors, but you'll only pay $60.00 for a large kettle and a burner. You can't go wrong with that. Just be careful... a lot of kitchen stoves won't be able to get your full batch up and boiling anytime soon, especially if you have an electric stove.

My electric stove gets the 15 gallon kettle with 5.5 gallons boiling in pretty short order. The key is that the kettle fits over 2 burners. Works great.

 

[KDM]

Ribbing or no ribbing, everyone who helps others appreciates it when n00bs do their homework before asking a flurry of questions. I read all the stickies I could find here (they're really chock full of great information), started in on a book, and used Google and the HBT search function as best I could - which ain't much - before posting questions.

"What is Mr Beer" indeed...

Signed, Mr Grouch (really written with a smile, don't worry. :cross: )