Hello From... Portland, Obviously.

[Obese Chess]

Hi all,

As a native of Portland, it was really only a matter of time before I started to get into homebrewing. My uncle was a fairly accomplished homebrewer, but he doesn't really drink much anymore and as a result has stopped brewing. He has graciously allowed me to use his recipes - some with up to 20 batches worth of notes. I regard these as closely-held family secrets, and I'm excited to start making - and drinking - these beers again. A friend and I are going to be taking a few classes locally (I'm very much a "hands-on" learner) and then who knows what kind of mischief I'll get myself into once the training wheels come off.

Happy to finally start dipping my toes in!

 

[MaxStout]

Welcome to the forum, from Minnesota!

 

[OnePlate]

What an awesome start to your brewing journey!

(Welcome, from another Minnesotan!)

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome from NC.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Hello from across the Cascades!

 

[Obese Chess]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I've got a beat-up, but still functional, old Coleman camp cooler that I've been keeping in my mom's garage for years "just in case." Learning I could turn it into a mash tun was the sign I needed. Ha!

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from Colorado

 

[Obese Chess]

Question for you fine folks. All of my recipes are all-grain and I'd like to get started that way. I'm going to be converting my old cooler into a Mash Tun. Looks like I'll need a kettle, a mash tun, and a fermenter.

Is this a solid buy as a kettle? I am 90% confident this is a guy down the street who I know used to homebrew but mentioned a few months ago at a block party he was thinking about stopping. It seems quite a bit more expensive than "beginner" stuff I can buy at a local shop, but maybe the extra bits are worth the extra cost?

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/for/d/portland-homebrew-hlt-herms-kettle/6953968859.html