Shopping list

[Nekro]

Good morning everyone,

So I am finally getting my shopping list together, been wanting to do this since the beginning of the year. I am not going to lie it does look tricky and has kept me away from brewing but I really want to start, another hobby to get into doing.
So I have my shopping list together but I am unsure if I have everything or I am still missing things. Money isn't to much of an issue I rather but everything i need now than buying things here and there later on.

so here it goes.....

I am looking to get the Deluxe brewing kit stater kit from northern brewer with american wheat

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...-starter-kits/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit.html

also picking up 24 count 12oz order (2 orders) plus a 6 pack of bottles.

The Brewery Essentials Gravity Testing Kit

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...wery-essentials-gravity-testing-assembly.html

I know i have a kettle but need to make sure its a 5 gallon kettle, hope it is.

So that is what I have so far. I plan on ordering al this with in the next few days, so I can make a batch before my weekend getaway to San Francisco in November.

Sorry kind of long or noobish but I really want to learn, and any input/advise/ suggestions would be welcome.

 

[DocScott]

I think you're pretty set for a good start in extract. You may not need the "gravity testing kit" as you really only need the hydrometer from it (I still use the plastic tube the hydrometer came in for a test jar - and a turkey baster works great to get samples from your fermenter)

The only other thing I can think that you'll NEED is the kettle, which sounds like you have already. As you get more advanced, I would recommend a wort chiller to cool your wort quicker. Not needed for extract, but I think helpful for all brews is a good thermometer. Temperatures are important all the way through brewing and fermenting and guessing doesn't work!

If you have lots of extra cash that you're looking to spend, temperature control for your fermenting beer is super important - look up cheap options of a "swamp cooler" or more consistent options of "fermentation chamber".

Don't let the vast amount of information and equipment deter you. Your basic starter kit has pretty much everything you need and will make decent beer. Biggest advice I'd give a new brewer is to BE PATIENT (3 weeks primary, 3 weeks in bottle - at least!), and don't sweat the small mistakes you'll make on your first brew days. Keep reading and practicing, and you'll soon realize its pretty easy to make beer. As you get more comfortable, you'll look into more advanced techniques and equipment and the obsession hits.

 

[Nekro]

lol I don't have a lot of extra cash to spend haha I wish I was money bags lol. I am probably going to wait on the chiller. I was thinking of just filling the sink with ice and water, the sink its stainless steel so it should keep it cold. The chillers I saw were pretty pricey. I want to make more Wheat style beers like hanger 24/bluemoon. I have thermometers so I should be good there too. Hardest part does seem to be waiting for the burst brew but I can wait, and once its bottled I can start a new batch and get a cycle of drinking my home made beer while another is being fermented.

 

[Math0]

I think you are all set with the 2 links you posted. Maybe a kettle would be a good buy with a grain bag (5$) if ever you want to try a mini mash in a near future. Almost forgot the hops bag (3$). Maybe some sanitizer, bottle caps. Good to go!

 

[Nekro]

I will defiantly look into also including the stuff you have mentioned. Also a quick question is tap water ok for brewing or use filtered water from the water store place? I live outside of Los Angeles so they add a s**t ton of chlorine

 

[MikeDAdams]

As for bottles. go drink some great beer and save the bottles.
No reason to spend $ that could go toward drinking some GREAT beers!

 

[Math0]

If you think the water you drink has too much chlorine in it and you are not sure, buy some filtered water. Less than 5$ for a 5 gallon. Worth the shot. You could even brew the same batch twice with tap and filtered water and see the difference yourself.

 

[unionrdr]

I go to White House Artisian Springs for local spring water at the source for 25c per gallon. $1.75 for 7 gallons of great brewing water. See if you have something like it near you in the phone book or internet search. A 5 gallon kettle equals 20 quarts,as they're usually listed. I still use the same 5 gallon ss stock pot I started with. And I'm up to partial boil partial mash brew in a bag. I use a cake cooling rack in the bottom of my kettle to keep the large nylon paint strainer bag from burning on the bottom.

 

[JBOGAN]

Hobby=something done in someones spare time.
Home brewing=something you do most of the time,dream about,daydream about and in a matter of time let it become a lifestyle rather than a hobby.


The above statement is true for 95% of the people on the forum.