YABT: Home Brewers! Question please...

[djheater]

Ebay kit

(If any of you other guys want one, make sure you leave one for me...)

I'd love to start making my own beer, but don't want to invest a bundle in something I may not continue... If I can keep it under $75 the wife probably won't notice...

Is this kit acceptable? I mean, I know it's not glass, it's not preferred, but will it produce an acceptable product and last till I can determine if I like the hobby and then I can ask people for stuff for christmas?

TIA

~edit
Bottled last night. I ended up purchasing the following
This kit with the 5 gal glass carboy
This porter with a tube of liquid yeast
I also picked up a 32oz flip top bottle and 24 22oz bottles.
I did NOT rack to secondary, because I was lazy....
I left it for three weeks in the primary and then came back to bottle
I'm a little scared, because I used just the diswasher to sanitize the bottles. I have a very nice dishwasher with a sanitize option, but I did not initially dip them in sanitizer, I ran it as a full load with about 1/2 sanitizer 1/2 soap... I may have borked my head... /cries

The beer looks pretty good, but I think I'll rack to secondary next time, I'm certain this batch will be pretty thick.. I'm sure I'll drink it, nonetheless.

 

[HombrePequeno]

Well you're going to want to get some bottles to put the beer in obviously. Also you might want to look into an auto-siphoner, those cost around $12. Other than that the kit looks pretty good.

You may have already done this but Ratebeer.com has a great homebrew forum that you may want to check out for recipes and how to get the best results. All I can say is sanitize everything. You don't want to blow $40 on ingredients and hours of your life only to have your beer taste like ******.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno
Well you're going to want to get some bottles to put the beer in obviously. Also you might want to look into an auto-siphoner, those cost around $12. Other than that the kit looks pretty good.

You may have already done this but Ratebeer.com has a great homebrew forum that you may want to check out for recipes and how to get the best results. All I can say is sanitize everything. You don't want to blow $40 on ingredients and hours of your life only to have your beer taste like ******.

Thanks... yeah I need to do some reading... I've just sccessfully started roasting my own coffee.. and since that required me cleaning up the garage enough to have space, I was thinking of starting this too.

Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu - mmmmmm

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno
Well you're going to want to get some bottles to put the beer in obviously. Also you might want to look into an auto-siphoner, those cost around $12. Other than that the kit looks pretty good.

You may have already done this but Ratebeer.com has a great homebrew forum that you may want to check out for recipes and how to get the best results. All I can say is sanitize everything. You don't want to blow $40 on ingredients and hours of your life only to have your beer taste like ******.

Thanks... yeah I need to do some reading... I've just sccessfully started roasting my own coffee.. and since that required me cleaning up the garage enough to have space, I was thinking of starting this too.

Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu - mmmmmm

Hey I roast my own coffee too, over a year now. You should join Coffeegeek.com if you aren't a member yet, they have great forums including a home roasting forum. I :heart: coffee.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno
Well you're going to want to get some bottles to put the beer in obviously. Also you might want to look into an auto-siphoner, those cost around $12. Other than that the kit looks pretty good.

You may have already done this but Ratebeer.com has a great homebrew forum that you may want to check out for recipes and how to get the best results. All I can say is sanitize everything. You don't want to blow $40 on ingredients and hours of your life only to have your beer taste like ******.

Thanks... yeah I need to do some reading... I've just sccessfully started roasting my own coffee.. and since that required me cleaning up the garage enough to have space, I was thinking of starting this too.

Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu - mmmmmm

Hey I roast my own coffee too, over a year now. You should join Coffeegeek.com if you aren't a member yet, they have great forums including a home roasting forum. I :heart: coffee.

They're pretty much the site that got me started in this mess

I was looking for cheap bulk beans as a way to cut expenses and the cheapest are green... so then of course I wanted to figure out how to do it on the cheap... It's cheap, fun, and the product is spectacular.
I have a thread in Home Roasting about SC/CO roasting times.. right now.

 

[MrBond]

Personally, I like the EZCap bottles myself - they're FAR superior to capping standard bottles. The downside is that they're not free (if you re-use non-twist off beer bottles that you have cleaned and sanitized) and they're more expensive than cappable bottles. The upside is they're super easy to use.

That kit has everything you need besides bottles and a brew kettle though - there isn't really anything in there that's useless.

Midwest Supplies has the same kit for the same price - they also sell bottles so if you want a one-stop shop, check it out here:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6873

You probably have a homebrew shop in your area - check out BeerAdvocate's Beerfly search engine here:

http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/

An excellent online resource is How To Brew, by John Palmer. There is also a print version of the book, but it's all online.

http://www.howtobrew.com/

You might also want to pick up a copy of The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing - it's a great resource and includes many recpies. It's pretty affordable - $10-12 usually.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: MrBond
Personally, I like the EZCap bottles myself - they're FAR superior to capping standard bottles. The downside is that they're not free (if you re-use non-twist off beer bottles that you have cleaned and sanitized) and they're more expensive than cappable bottles. The upside is they're super easy to use.

That kit has everything you need besides bottles and a brew kettle though - there isn't really anything in there that's useless.

Midwest Supplies has the same kit for the same price - they also sell bottles so if you want a one-stop shop, check it out here:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6873

You probably have a homebrew shop in your area - check out BeerAdvocate's Beerfly search engine here:

http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/

An excellent online resource is How To Brew, by John Palmer. There is also a print version of the book, but it's all online.

http://www.howtobrew.com/

You might also want to pick up a copy of The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing - it's a great resource and includes many recpies. It's pretty affordable - $10-12 usually.

Thanks, checking it out now

 

[iamwiz82]

I started with this one: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6874

Later I added more stuff as necessary. I highly suggest that one just for the carboy.

And for swing top bottles, go buy form Grolsch. that lets you drink beer while at the same time saving good bottles. I believe Midwest Brewing also offers swing top bottles for dirt cheap if you order something else from them.

 

[skimple]

Did you happen to watch Alton Brown lst night?

 

[SearchMaster]

That's a very similar kit to how I got started. Sam's Club had them on clearance for $19.99 and I ended up getting three kits. My kits had some dry malt extract as a starter, but otherwise they're pretty much the same.

It'll do fine. In fact the only piece I've really replaced over the years is getting a glass carboy, and honestly can't say that I can really tell a difference (tastewise anyway).

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
I started with this one: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6874

Later I added more stuff as necessary. I highly suggest that one just for the carboy.

And for swing top bottles, go buy form Grolsch. that lets you drink beer while at the same time saving good bottles. I believe Midwest Brewing also offers swing top bottles for dirt cheap if you order something else from them.

Yeah, I picked that one too.. And added some of the 22oz bottles... what's the point of twelve ounces of beer?

My cart is up to $113 and I haven't bought any ingredient kits ... jiminy, looks like I'll be waiting a week till some of my ebay auctions clear...

:beer:

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: skimple
Did you happen to watch Alton Brown lst night?

No, I've just been cleaning out my garage.
I believe it's a fundamental law of the unvierse. A clean garage dramatically increases your chance of developing a messy hobby.

 

[acemcmac]

where's homebrewerdude?

 

[misle]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: skimple
Did you happen to watch Alton Brown lst night?

No, I've just been cleaning out my garage.
I believe it's a fundamental law of the unvierse. A clean garage dramatically increases your chance of developing a messy hobby.

I did watch Alton last night. Amber waves. I've seen the episode a few times and it always makes me want to start homebrewing, but I don't have the space or extra cash at the moment.

:beer:

 

[monk3y]

This may be a stupid question but in the end is homebrewing cheaper?

 

[MrBond]

If I was ordering a kit for myself, I'd go with the two buckets, no carboy kit. Carboys are hard to ship and most places won't insure them, if you really think you need one, get it from a local homebrew shop (it looks like you're near Chicago and there are a few there).

I've brewed three batches of beer and never really needed a carboy. I have about 6 of them and only ever use them for bottling. I'd hold off on it until you've made at least one batch of beer.

I'd get one of those kits and two cases of 32oz bottles. That's more bottles than you need, but it never hurts to have extras. I like the 32oz bottles personally, it's enough for a single night of beer for me and they take up less space than two 16 oz bottles.

You might see if you can find bottles locally - that way you can save on shipping.

Getting started brewing isn't cheap, but the equipment will last forever with proper care so it's not a big deal in the long run. I think I spent ~$70 at the brew shop for my first batch of Honey Wheat beer. That included ingrediants and some misc. equipment, I had bottles and a fermenter already

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: monk3y
This may be a stupid question but in the end is homebrewing cheaper?

It can be, but that shouldn't be the driving factor. You can make some real crap beer for $3-$4/case if you want. Not bad as in completely undrinkable, but bad as in Corona.

You can make some good beer for ~$12/case. So it's cheaper than premium beer in the stores but not as cheap as some. This is all in my personal experience; I've not graduated to full grain brewing yet which will lower your costs even more but takes a bit more time/experience. I have a good bit of experience but very little time.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: monk3y
This may be a stupid question but in the end is homebrewing cheaper?

It is SUPPOSED to be, but as with any hobby, it lends itself to being money-pit-ish from what I've read.

Brewers are always looking for an upgrade, it seems, additionally I imagine I'll stop buying the cheaper brews at the store, but there's still a lot of unusual, hard to find stuff that I'll be wanting to buy.

I would guess, like coffee roasting, cigars, and wine, you COULD do it cheaply, but it's likely you won't. If the only reason you're getting into the hobby is to save money, well it's probably not going to even out for a LONG time...

But I'd be interested to hear other opinions.

 

[davestar]

Originally posted by: djheater
Ebay kit

(If any of you other guys want one, make sure you leave one for me...)

I'd love to start making my own beer, but don't want to invest a bundle in something I may not continue... If I can keep it under $75 the wife probably won't notice...

Is this kit acceptable? I mean, I know it's not glass, it's not preferred, but will it produce an acceptable product and last till I can determine if I like the hobby and then I can ask people for stuff for christmas?

TIA

I started with that kit, but I think it makes sense to skip the kit and go straight to the "real" thing. a glass carboy is under $20, so it's not like that's going to break the bank. i'd also recommend getting Star San sanitizer - incredibly easy to use and works like a charm.

you can start with good stuff (auto-siphon, glass carboy, Star San, etc) for under $100.

 

[Rogeee]

I saved all my old Grolsch bottles and now use them for my home brew,works great and they are cheap

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: monk3y
This may be a stupid question but in the end is homebrewing cheaper?

It's cheaper than buying beer by the case. For example, you can get a clone kit for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with pitchable yeast from Midwest Supplies for $30+ shipping. That makes 5 gallons of beer, give or take. That's roughly 53 12 oz bottles, or almost 9, 6 packs of beer. SNPA sells for about $6-7 around here per six pack, so you save ~$25.

I don't brew because I want to save money. I brew because I can make beer that I love. That's what most homebrewers will tell you - it's not the money saved, it's the great beer you make.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

That Midwest Kit a pretty good kit... certainly everything you need. the ebay is missing a glass carboy. Racking your beer to secondary (in the carboy) will improve your beer's flavor and appearance significantly.

One minor bitch I have about kits these days is that they don't include a kettle. Thats okay, but thats another thing to think about. You can get by with a 3 gallon pot for a while, but the chance of a boil over is high (boil overs are messy, messes tend to piss off the spousal units, could impact future budget allocations) and hop utilization is lower.

Keep you eyes open for a turkey fryer (these usually come with a 7.5 gallon pot). You can then brew outside, with 200k BTU goodness, and everyone will be happy (especially the wife).

I also fully endorse the flip cap bottles. I have 12 1-liter and 24 16-ounce flippies. Kegging is great too, but thats another $200 in equip.

Get a couple of kits so you can start your second kit before your first is ready to drink.... parrallel production is the only way to keep up with demand.

Thanks for posting and welcome to the hobby. The realbeer forums are good (i'm Yamahaxs overthere). You've reminded me how much I need to brew... I am almost completely out of homebrew!

 

[UTmtnbiker]

That's pretty much the kit I got, in addition to a 6.5g carboy. As others have stated, I don't use my carboy much. I actually like the plastic pails better. Easier to handle, clean, and I use the one with a spigot to bottle with.

Other things you'll need to consider. It comes with 1 8oz packet of one step cleaner/sanitizer. That'll last you one brew cycle. So you'll want more of that. Also, as others have said, bottles and a brew pot.

Since I started two years ago, I've added the following:

Turkey fryer with 7.5g brew pot (always better to do a full boil rather than a partial)
Tap-a-draft (plastic kegging) system - you'll find that bottling 40 to 50 bottles is a PITA. I may go with Cornellius kegs eventually, but this is a nice intermediate step, and it's portable

My next brew will be a mini-mash (my first) so I'm looking for a good igloo cooler.

So far, I'm in to it about $200 to $250 before brew materials. In that time, I've made about 250 bottles of beer. Not exceptionally cheap, but I think it does taste better.

Good luck, have fun.

 

[BatmanNate]

A few things I haven't seen mentioned yet that you might consider:

- You will need a container for the boil. A five gallon aluminum or stainless stockpot will do, as you want to be able to boil at least 3 gallons of wort with some room for boilover.

- A strainer and a mesh bag are both helpful for removing hops and containing grains.

- 200ppm (1tbsp/gal) bleach solution works perfectly as a sanitizer so don't worry about over sanitizing anything as bleach is cheap and the equipment can't be clean enough.

- Bottling becomes quickly tedious, especially sanitizing, filling, capping, etc. Other solutions include the obvious CO2 setup (corny keg: $20 on cl, 15lb co2 tank: ~$20, regulator: expensive) but that's tough unless you have a spare fridge to keep it in. You might also look at the party pig, a 2.5 gallon self dispensing unit that fits in the fridge and is pressurized from within by an expanding pouch. These are about $35 for a pig, pouches are about $3. I use these and they are much easier and more convenient than bottling.

- It may just be me, but I haven't found the carboy essential to the process, most of my beers have cleared sufficiently out of primary. In fact, the few I didn't do a secondary on didn't taste noticably poorer, and were pretty clear. Then again, I've never had it go longer than 15 days total for fermentation. I do have a few carboys around because I've been making wine longer than beer, and it is quite essential there. I suppose perhaps it depends on the beer or the temperature brewed at? Wheat beers seem to never to clear for me regardless of the length in secondary.

Chances are that you have a local homebrew shop that will supply you with a similar kit for the same price or less, and they are an enormous resource for advice as well as ingredients, so support them if you can!

 

[UTmtnbiker]

I've found that bleach, if not rinsed thorougly, will leave a very unpleasant aftertaste. IMHO, why risk it, especially if you're in a hurry to sanitize (which I usually am). I usually buy a 5oz bottle of idophor when I place an order for $2 or $3. That should last easily 4 to 5 brews. Others may have had good luck with bleach, but every time I use it my batch always tastes a little funky.

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

- 200ppm (1tbsp/gal) bleach solution works perfectly as a sanitizer so don't worry about over sanitizing anything as bleach is cheap and the equipment can't be clean enough.