Post by landarc on Sept 3, 2008 20:44:36 GMT -5
My adventure in brewing. I am totally new to this whole adventure. I have a batch of porter, oak conditioned red ale and hard cider to my credit. But, largely for Alan's sake, here is what I did.
To start brewing, I bought a deluxe kit that included everything right down to the bottle caps. This seemed like the best way to go. The one I bought cost me $280 including the kit, with a slight upcharge cause I didn't want the American Light Ale kit, and got the more expensive porter kit.
I got a large kettle (5 gallon), a 6 gallon bottling bucket, a 6 gallon glass carboy and a bunch of tubing and miscellaneous tubing and fittings. A lot of this stuff could be bought cheaper at Home Depot or Ace Hardware, but, you would have to know what you are doing.
I would say that if you are planning on learning to brew, get a brewing kit that is minimal unless you can brew with someone else first and find that you enjoy it. If you just know that you are gonna be into it, get the deluxe kit from a good source and go to it.
If you brew extract, which is the best place to start, it is incredibly simple. I would recommend the book if How to Brew by John Palmer. It is worth owning. BUT! The author has put up version 1 on this website
www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html
This was a great source for me to read a bit before getting into the whole scene. I also go to this forum for info. A great bunch of folks. Yes, I know, what can you really learn on a forum...
forums.moreflavor.com/
I, for one, am hooked. The beer I am making is as good as just about any commonly available beer I have had. And costs are droppin with every batch. my costs are close to $7 a six-pack already and that includes the cost of the initial investment.
To start brewing, I bought a deluxe kit that included everything right down to the bottle caps. This seemed like the best way to go. The one I bought cost me $280 including the kit, with a slight upcharge cause I didn't want the American Light Ale kit, and got the more expensive porter kit.
I got a large kettle (5 gallon), a 6 gallon bottling bucket, a 6 gallon glass carboy and a bunch of tubing and miscellaneous tubing and fittings. A lot of this stuff could be bought cheaper at Home Depot or Ace Hardware, but, you would have to know what you are doing.
I would say that if you are planning on learning to brew, get a brewing kit that is minimal unless you can brew with someone else first and find that you enjoy it. If you just know that you are gonna be into it, get the deluxe kit from a good source and go to it.
If you brew extract, which is the best place to start, it is incredibly simple. I would recommend the book if How to Brew by John Palmer. It is worth owning. BUT! The author has put up version 1 on this website
www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html
This was a great source for me to read a bit before getting into the whole scene. I also go to this forum for info. A great bunch of folks. Yes, I know, what can you really learn on a forum...
forums.moreflavor.com/
I, for one, am hooked. The beer I am making is as good as just about any commonly available beer I have had. And costs are droppin with every batch. my costs are close to $7 a six-pack already and that includes the cost of the initial investment.
