TheDarkChemist
Well-Known Member
Good afternoon my brew swillin' friends.
I have been wanting to get into brewing for some time, but never realized that brewing at home was attainable for someone with somewhat limited space and time. Recently after having visited a brewery, it rekindled my interest.... the tasting tour reminded me of what good brew was, and explained why I had lost my interest in drinking beer since I moved to NC. (Was from Racine, WI before that and would drink Lakefront Brewery concoctions liberally)
I have read through Palmers book on how to brew, and am excited to get started. My favorite beers are the darks, but I need to taste through them again keeping in mind the characteristics I enjoy, and where they come from. I used to think hops were only in IPAs and that chocolate stouts were some unearthly creations of a brilliant mad scientist.
My goal in starting this new addiction.. err new hobby, is to be able to brew myself and any appreciative friends or colleagues, a full range of good beers, and to be able to stock my soon to be home bar with 2-4 cornys of my own beer.
So Ive already started rambling, so let me get on to my first of many questions I will hurl at this forum in hopes of deepening my own knowledge on this subject.
What to buy, starting out.... I plan to go all grain eventually, I may start with a few extract brews just to get some beer under my belt, and understand the steps more fully (learn by doing, after, of course, researching). Some of my concerns are brewing too much to start, and not having anywhere to put it. I foolishly gave away a standard white fridge to a friend a month or so ago, so have limited storage space, hence the start of this thread.
I want to allocate enough to the brewing components (carboys, cane, pot, etc) to be able to do 2-3 batches at a time, but Im stuck on 5-6 gallon vs 3 gallon. Starting out I would like to brew more, smaller batches, so that I can practice the art of homebrew without having my health affected . Additionally, being southish, temperature controls may be a bit of an issue for fermenting, so I was considering building a standup freezer to manage temps, either that or claim an empty room in our house, and put a standing AC unit with a temperature set appropriately for that room.
I realize I am all over the place here, I have read too much in the last week or so. I will stop here and summarize.
I plan to start out just brewing ales, will leave lagers until later, if you had similar goals, and lived where I live, and were starting over, what would you buy/build with the $1000 to get started on the magical journey of brewing? Including bottling/storing/conditioning, etc.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Edit: And yes Ive read abit on the forums, and other sites, seen what typical starter kits contain, just wanting some input from the brewers who have experience, in order to maximize my potential without wasting money on stuff I will outgrow quickly, and to spend the money in the right places to make the most impact.
I have been wanting to get into brewing for some time, but never realized that brewing at home was attainable for someone with somewhat limited space and time. Recently after having visited a brewery, it rekindled my interest.... the tasting tour reminded me of what good brew was, and explained why I had lost my interest in drinking beer since I moved to NC. (Was from Racine, WI before that and would drink Lakefront Brewery concoctions liberally)
I have read through Palmers book on how to brew, and am excited to get started. My favorite beers are the darks, but I need to taste through them again keeping in mind the characteristics I enjoy, and where they come from. I used to think hops were only in IPAs and that chocolate stouts were some unearthly creations of a brilliant mad scientist.
My goal in starting this new addiction.. err new hobby, is to be able to brew myself and any appreciative friends or colleagues, a full range of good beers, and to be able to stock my soon to be home bar with 2-4 cornys of my own beer.
So Ive already started rambling, so let me get on to my first of many questions I will hurl at this forum in hopes of deepening my own knowledge on this subject.
What to buy, starting out.... I plan to go all grain eventually, I may start with a few extract brews just to get some beer under my belt, and understand the steps more fully (learn by doing, after, of course, researching). Some of my concerns are brewing too much to start, and not having anywhere to put it. I foolishly gave away a standard white fridge to a friend a month or so ago, so have limited storage space, hence the start of this thread.
I want to allocate enough to the brewing components (carboys, cane, pot, etc) to be able to do 2-3 batches at a time, but Im stuck on 5-6 gallon vs 3 gallon. Starting out I would like to brew more, smaller batches, so that I can practice the art of homebrew without having my health affected . Additionally, being southish, temperature controls may be a bit of an issue for fermenting, so I was considering building a standup freezer to manage temps, either that or claim an empty room in our house, and put a standing AC unit with a temperature set appropriately for that room.
I realize I am all over the place here, I have read too much in the last week or so. I will stop here and summarize.
I plan to start out just brewing ales, will leave lagers until later, if you had similar goals, and lived where I live, and were starting over, what would you buy/build with the $1000 to get started on the magical journey of brewing? Including bottling/storing/conditioning, etc.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Edit: And yes Ive read abit on the forums, and other sites, seen what typical starter kits contain, just wanting some input from the brewers who have experience, in order to maximize my potential without wasting money on stuff I will outgrow quickly, and to spend the money in the right places to make the most impact.