To beer kit, or not to beer kit...

[Neoreaver]

That is my question. Hello all, I'm looking to get into beer brewing this fall, and I've found a wonderful 5 gallon kit on Northernbrewer for a measly 120 bucks. I already make mead and cider, so I have a bunch of 1 gallon carboys, tubing, siphon, etc. Could I in any way build my own kit for beer-shenanigans for less? I'm scratching my head, but I trust the collective experience here to have some ideas. Cheers!

 

[d3track]

Are you looking to brew 1 gallon batches, or are you thinking larger? If you're creative, you can get set up for surprisingly little, or if you like to tinker, it can get well into the thousands of $$.
Just don't let anyone tell you that there is only one way to get yourself to that wonderful glass of brew crafted by you.

 

[Neoreaver]

Are you looking to brew 1 gallon batches, or are you thinking larger? If you're creative, you can get set up for surprisingly little, or if you like to tinker, it can get well into the thousands of $$.
Just don't let anyone tell you that there is only one way to get yourself to that wonderful glass of brew crafted by you.

I'm looking to go a bit larger as I can put away some IPA. I can use the smaller carboys for experimental batches, if anything. The equipment kit comes with an extract kit, too, which would get me rolling day one. Thanks for the input, I've got a few ideas brewing now.

 

[Tallgrass]

I bought one of those kits a couple years ago. It served me well for 20 or so 5 gallon stove top extract batches. I have since changed to BIAB with a 10 gallon megapot, propane burner and fermonsters with spigots.

The parts of that kit can serve other purposes if you decide to upgrade later. That NB kettle worked great for a seafood boil last weekend and the buckets hold my starsan. I don't regret buying the brew share enjoy. $109 on sale now

 

[Jag75]

I'm not sure what that kit consists of . I've seen the kits from morebeer and they are really good . Anywhere from 80$ to 400$ kits . Their kit for 230 is a really nice one . A buddy of mine got it recently. They have a 15 % off sale atm. Do you have any equipment that come with the kits already, like immersion chiller , large enough fermenter ect...

 

[Jag75]

Just looked at the kits from NB. I like the fact you can choose what beer you get with it . 109 is cheap. However it's a 5 gallon kettle . The next kit at 199 doesnt even come with a kettle . If I were you I'd look at other sites and see what they offer. If I were to go with NB I'd get the 199 kit then upgrade to a 12 -15 gallon kettle so you could biab if you wanted

 

[Bubbles2]

No Kit for me, I pieced it together for close to the same price, but with superior equipment. Go watch Youtube videos of people brewing, a myriad of them. See what is being used, when you are trying to decide on a piece of equipment then ask, as you did. "The uniformed are always taken advantage of".

 

[Jag75]

I've priced everything that comes with the kit from kettle to hydrometer . Its definitely cheaper then buying seperate. Not saying it's way cheaper but it's easier and cost less. It really depends on what you have already . If you have the capper , hydrometer, fermenter then yeah I would get piece by piece.

From experience I found it's easier fermenting 5 gallons in a 6.5 carboy instead of a 5 gallon. Heck of a mess I'll tell you. Gotta do your research and price everything. You may not need as much as you think.

 

[Bubbles2]

From experience I found it's easier fermenting 5 gallons in a 6.5 carboy instead of a 5 gallon. Heck of a mess I'll tell you. Gotta do your research and price everything. You may not need as much as you think.

Hence the superior equipment via piecing it together.

 

[Bubbles2]

Ebay has good prices, especially if you do not mind waiting 10 days from China, since all or most of it is made there and packaged for larger outlets.

 

[Bubbles2]

I do recommend the 6.5 Big Mouth Bubbler or the likes, plastic with a spigot, over glass. My glass BMB cracked when laying it on it's side to clean it on the Formica counter on it's 6th use.

 

[Jag75]

I do recommend the 6.5 Big Mouth Bubbler or the likes, plastic with a spigot, over glass. My glass BMB cracked when laying it on it's side to clean it on the Formica counter on it's 6th use.

That thread of glass carboy injuries kept me away of those . Pretty brutal

 

[kh54s10]

When I started almost 8 years ago I got the Deluxe equipment kit from Northern Brewer. It was more complete in those days, it no longer includes a hydrometer and a couple of other items that it used to, IIRC. You absolutely can part out your own kit and get it for less, but buying everything at once takes away some hassle. I opted for Better Bottles, it was the weight of glass carboys that deterred me from then. Later I saw the "Broken Carboy Horror Compendium" thread. I have not regretted my choice.

So I didn't vote as neither option covered the possibility of buying just what you need.

Read up on brewing beer, try to decide the maximum size batch you will want to make before you start buying equipment. If you end up going larger you will have equipment that is too small. Though, I started with extract and a 5 gallon pot. I still use the small pot in cooking and sometimes 3 gallon BIAB batches.

 

[powerpunk5000]

No you will waste your money. All those kits are is 2x 5 gallon buckets and a siphone and bottle capper. If I were to start over I'd buy a robobrew for 300. Because after you buy the kit and a kettle you might be close to that anyway. Plus this will allow you to do all grain and extract an you won't grow out of it. Plus it'll come with a wort chiller which would cost you another 50$

If you go to a local dunkin donuts you can ask them for used food grade buckets for free that are a littke over 5 gallons.

Also if I was you I'd skip bottling an go straight to kegging. Buy a used fridge and a used keg and either convert to a kegerator or just use a party tap and serve that way.

So all in all id
Buy a robobrew $300
Get some free buckets
Buy a used keg $50
Buy a used fridge $50
Extras like a party tap beer lines fittings auto siphone ect prob another 20-50$

So $450 will get you eveything you need somthing that will be headache free somthing you wont grow out of. That be my course of action and itll save you money in the long run

 

[beernutz]

If you want to brew 5 gallon all-grain batches the $109 kit from NB isn't optimal however for doing extract or partial mash batches on a stove-top it should be fine and is a reasonable deal since you also get the ingredients for a 5 gallon batch. Personally I'd also spring for the gravity taking option if going with that kit. You still imo need a way to hold your fermenting beer at a consistent temperature in the mid-60s.

If you are looking for an all-in-one all-grain setup the morebeer premium kit looks pretty good value, quality, and completeness-wise except you still need a heat source. MB also offers the premium kit with a kegging option for $450 though you'd still need some way to cool your keg.

Disclaimer: When I started brewing decades ago there were no kits and like a lot of people at that time I pieced together my equipment from multiple sources so my comments above are essentially a 'what if' exercise. Be cautious of people, including me, enthusiastically recommending systems they don't actually own.

 

[Neoreaver]

Thank you everyone! So much to think about now. Space is an issue, so I can't keg just yet, and I'm waiting for fall to regulate my temps (I live in a desert), and I'd like to try a saison-IPA to mitigate temp issues regardless. I had no idea about that horror thread, I'll read it on break. I will check out some kettles, as the 20qt is a little smaller than I'd like. It'd love to move to all-grain or BIAB, once I'm confident in my equipment and skill. I've read a TON about brewing beer, just haven't made that leap yet. I read about mead for a good year before I made my first must, and this site was the bulk of my reading. Always keep learning! Thank you again all, great ideas being shared!

 

[kh54s10]

No you will waste your money. All those kits are is 2x 5 gallon buckets and a siphone and bottle capper. If I were to start over I'd buy a robobrew for 300. Because after you buy the kit and a kettle you might be close to that anyway. Plus this will allow you to do all grain and extract an you won't grow out of it. Plus it'll come with a wort chiller which would cost you another 50$

If you go to a local dunkin donuts you can ask them for used food grade buckets for free that are a littke over 5 gallons.

Also if I was you I'd skip bottling an go straight to kegging. Buy a used fridge and a used keg and either convert to a kegerator or just use a party tap and serve that way.

So all in all id
Buy a robobrew $300
Get some free buckets
Buy a used keg $50
Buy a used fridge $50
Extras like a party tap beer lines fittings auto siphone ect prob another 20-50$

So $450 will get you eveything you need somthing that will be headache free somthing you wont grow out of. That be my course of action and itll save you money in the long run

Missing from this are a lot of small items and some big ones.
Regulator and co2 tank - another $100+
Hydrometer
airlocks
sanitizer and other stuff - another $50 to $100

Unless you want only one type of beer at a time you will need more kegs or the ability to bottle or both.

5 gallon buckets that you would get tat Dunkin Donuts will not be big enough for 5 gallon batches.

 

[Neoreaver]

No you will waste your money. All those kits are is 2x 5 gallon buckets and a siphone and bottle capper. If I were to start over I'd buy a robobrew for 300. Because after you buy the kit and a kettle you might be close to that anyway. Plus this will allow you to do all grain and extract an you won't grow out of it. Plus it'll come with a wort chiller which would cost you another 50$

If you go to a local dunkin donuts you can ask them for used food grade buckets for free that are a littke over 5 gallons.

Also if I was you I'd skip bottling an go straight to kegging. Buy a used fridge and a used keg and either convert to a kegerator or just use a party tap and serve that way.

So all in all id
Buy a robobrew $300
Get some free buckets
Buy a used keg $50
Buy a used fridge $50
Extras like a party tap beer lines fittings auto siphone ect prob another 20-50$

So $450 will get you eveything you need somthing that will be headache free somthing you wont grow out of. That be my course of action and itll save you money in the long run

The little kits are a bit of a dud, I agree. The kit I mean has:

• 5 gallon stainless steel brew kettle
• One beer recipe kit of your choice: Block Party Amber Ale, Chinook IPA, or Hank's Hefeweizen
• Translucent 6.5 gallon fermenter w/ lid (watch your beer as it ferments!)
• Bubbler airlock
• Translucent Bottling Bucket w/ Spigot assembly
• Spring Tip Bottle filler
• 21" Stainless Spoon
• Auto Siphon & 5 ft. Siphon Tubing
• Cleaner/Sanitizer - Northern Brewer No-Rinse Cleanser
• Bottle Brush
• Northern Brewer Bottle Capper & Red Caps (60ct.)
• Printed step-by-step instructions

Optional Add-On: Brewery Essentials Gravity Testing Kit. This bundle deal includes a triple scale hydrometer, a test jar, and a beer thief at a fraction of the price of buying each piece separately.

Edit: It's like 130 with the add-on, because who doesn't need another hydrometer?

 

[Tallgrass]

https://www.morebeer.com/products/deluxe-home-brewing-kit.html

$118 with flash15. Comes with the hydrometer and spigot fermonster.

I never had the kit it comes with.
NB Chinook ipa kit is very good in my opinion.

Good luck.

 

[kh54s10]

The little kits are a bit of a dud, I agree. The kit I mean has:

• 5 gallon stainless steel brew kettle
• One beer recipe kit of your choice: Block Party Amber Ale, Chinook IPA, or Hank's Hefeweizen
• Translucent 6.5 gallon fermenter w/ lid (watch your beer as it ferments!)
• Bubbler airlock
• Translucent Bottling Bucket w/ Spigot assembly
• Spring Tip Bottle filler
• 21" Stainless Spoon
• Auto Siphon & 5 ft. Siphon Tubing
• Cleaner/Sanitizer - Northern Brewer No-Rinse Cleanser
• Bottle Brush
• Northern Brewer Bottle Capper & Red Caps (60ct.)
• Printed step-by-step instructions

Optional Add-On: Brewery Essentials Gravity Testing Kit. This bundle deal includes a triple scale hydrometer, a test jar, and a beer thief at a fraction of the price of buying each piece separately.

Edit: It's like 130 with the add-on, because who doesn't need another hydrometer?

The gravity testing kit may be less than each piece separately, but the equipment kit is not.

Who doesn't need another hydrometer? For a first time buyer that would be the only hydrometer? But the glass ones break easily. It's not a bad idea to buy a spare.

Buying everything except the ingredient kit from Northern Brewer separately comes to $125.89 - then you get the kit. That costs them very little. The kettle can be bought at a grocery store for as little a $20. Their price is $34.99 so you can save about $14 right off the bat! Shop around and you can buy all the other products for a little less. But buying all at once saves you some trouble.

 

[Bubbles2]

DME (Dry Malt Extract) Bulk sure saves a lot of brew time, albeit not for purists, however I assure you, you indeed can make kick ass beer, that no one will complain about when offered.

I like the brew kettle idea above if Robobrew does indeed make 5 gallon batches.

Turn on Youtube and watch a few home brewers and watch for the commonalities such as Fermentor, Airlock, etc.
Bottling has some advantages. You need bottles and a capper. I buy Sierra Nevada's cases, two will get you done for your 5 gal batches. Oxyclean will remove the labels easily. If you buy by the case you are paying around a buck a bottle and it has beer with it. To have delivered new is about the same...at least at the large warehouse stores Cosco Sams, etc. Seasonal winter time.

Hydrometer and the tube to put the beer in is needed. Being skinny allows enough 7oz of beer to measure your FG and OG if you care to. I use to, now I wait 10-12 days and know my recipes to when they are done, so I do not bother measuring a batch I've made 7 times.

Cooking thermometer is needed, for pitching and if you are going to use old school pot and stove you will need it for that too.

The rest is going to be similar and more in detail in the youtube videos.

 

[powerpunk5000]

I'm telling you the robo brew for 300 is a great idea you won't have to buy a wort chiller or a pot to boil in. It'll be tempered control so you're beer will come out better right off the bat.

 

[mongoose33]

IMO, the best kit there is is the Premium homebrew kit from MoreBeer.com. https://www.morebeer.com/products/premium-home-brewing-kit.html

It has everything you need to brew except a heat source and bottles. It has a chiller. Spoon. Hydrometer. Fermenter (good one, too). Kettle w/ valve. Thermometer.

And here's the kicker: today, there is a 15-percent off sale, so the price is nuts. It also includes an extract kit so you don't even have to fool with recipe to start.

I think this deal is beyond nuts. There is nothing better out there, IMO, nothing that is even close.

 

[Neoreaver]

I'm telling you the robo brew for 300 is a great idea you won't have to buy a wort chiller or a pot to boil in. It'll be tempered control so you're beer will come out better right off the bat.

I will absolutely check out their line of gear. Thanks for the specific info!

 

[Neoreaver]

Oh, and I've been saving bottles like a glass-eating squirrel in the fall. I could theoretically bottle 10 gallons of beer, and use my pint bottles for the 3 gallons of mead I'm aging. In summation, bottles aren't a deal breaker/maker. My budget is on the lower end of what I'd prefer (but who's isn't?), so DME and deals are my stepping stones. Such spirited discussion from such an innocuous question; this is why we come here, after all!

Edit: fixed a minor typo.

 

[LittleRiver]

I'm telling you the robo brew for 300 is a great idea you won't have to buy a wort chiller or a pot to boil in. It'll be tempered control so you're beer will come out better right off the bat.

At that price you'll have enough money left over for a pistol, which will be needed -- because you'll want to blow your brains out due to the frustration of it being so under powered for heating that volume of water in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

First, I suggest you hit the market place send out an ISO for what you are looking for. Many of us have some starter equipment laying around and would probably cut you a better deal than you are going to find for new stuff from any of the sites(shipping might be tricky sometimes). Hell, some of us are damn near the dealers on the corners giving you the first hit for free when it comes to homebrew supplies. ..

Personally, if I was buying new equipment, I would go this route : https://www.homebrewing.org/65-gall...ystem-with-Recirculation-Pump-Kit_p_9785.html

It may seem like a lot to to jump into but you will probably outgrow the 5 gal pot pretty quickly. For an extra 250 you will be I an decent system that you can use at 120v or modify to 240 if you choose to do so.

If you still want to go with a kettle get at least an 8 or 10 gal one to avoid the mess of a boil over.

Fact if this was out there 2 years ago I would be using it right now instead of my current 3 vessel unit.

Good luck and cheers!

 

[mongoose33]

I'm telling you the robo brew for 300 is a great idea you won't have to buy a wort chiller or a pot to boil in. It'll be tempered control so you're beer will come out better right off the bat.

My son had a Robobrew. Put it out on the curb for someone, anyone to take away from his life. He bought a Grainfather to replace it, and it's worked great for him.

 

[powerpunk5000]

My son had a Robobrew. Put it out on the curb for someone, anyone to take away from his life. He bought a Grainfather to replace it, and it's worked great for him.

What was wrong with it? I've heard good things maybe he has a defective unit

 

[beernutz]

What was wrong with it? I've heard good things maybe he has a defective unit

So you are strongly recommending a product you don't own?

 

[mongoose33]

What was wrong with it? I've heard good things maybe he has a defective unit

Didn't recirculate properly, the pump was inadequate, couldn't hold consistent temps in the mash, the ability to heat water was limited.

You may wish to do some more background on Robobrew; perhaps my son's experience was unusual.

 

[Katman]

I just started home brewing a few months ago and that NB kit is what I bought to get started. Everything that came with it felt cheap and flimsy but It is a inexpensive way to get into home brewing. One problem I will mention is the bucket lid does not have a gasket and is not air tight, so i was afraid to use it for a fermenter. I had a 5 gal plastic carboy that I had used for making wine so I fermented in that instead. Another con was not enough sanitizer included with the kit but I had some starsan already. I had watched NB's YouTube video on this kit several times and was under the impression that it came with a auto siphon but it does not (my bad for not checking what came with it close enough) and in the videos they tell you this is completely doable on a home stove but I noticed they always use a propane burner in the videos. My first brew day I tried on my electric stove and could not get the wort to boil without help from a propane torch, I now have a propane burner. While I don't regret buying this kit if I had it to do over I would get better quality equipment a piece at a time. For example a heavier 8 or 10 gallon pot, big mouth fermenters, etc...

 

[OpenSights]

Craigslist has been my friend! I have bought 4 equipment setups, thousands of $$$$ worth new for just a couple hundred each. Obviously I give all equipment a good cleaning and inspection before use.

All I have left equipment wise to buy is a tier system (have the kettles/keggles and burners), grain mill and chugger pump.

 

[Redpappy]

@Neoreaver, I just skimmed through the post, so with that, I am not aware of the answers given to you...since you already do the cider and mead, i am guessing you already know of the sanitizing issues. Now beer does take more time initially, but I think its well worth it. Here are a few questions you may want to ask yourself:

1: How big of a batch do you want to brew? I brew 5 gals, and don't plan on going any larger. In turn just means I need to brew more... In which I enjoy.

2: starting out with extract is great(that is where I started) but where would you like to end up, BIAB, 3 Tier system or 2 Tier system( using a mash TUN), electric, Gas?

I started out with a Kit from NB..(after I did a kit from MR. Beer). I did a few extract kits and wanted to progress further. So I choose to go BIAB, with the option of EBIAB. Long story short, if I would of given it thought, and would have joined this group before hand, I would have skipped the NB kit and went straight for getting equipment for where I plan on going, I would of saved myself a few dollars.

I now brew in basement as a EBIAB ( I started brewing only a few years (fall of 2018). I only do 5 gal batches, and I do not do any high ABV batches (usually around 4-5.5 abv) so my 10 Gal Kettle works great.