I'm new to beer advocate and the craft/home brew scene (I turned 21 a few months ago). After visiting some brewerys around Boston with my dad I've been inspired to start home brewing but to be honest I don't know where to begin. What do you guys recommend for starter home brew kits?
Read this first, either online or the updated print version... www.howtobrew.com It will give you a good idea about what you need. And searching for Starter Kit on this forum will bring up a lot of threads.
Best place to start in my opinion is with a friend or coworker who already brews. Chances are pretty good that you know several even if they aren't apparent. Spend a brew day with them to see if it piques your interest. Seeing their process will also give you an idea of the type of kit that suits you best. Welcome to the addiction.
I started with this one. http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-Kit-8_p_2878.html I already had a kegerator and did not want to bottle. It has served me well but I have bought a second fermenter,easy siphon and a few other small items. http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginner-Beer-Making-Kits_c_205.html These are all good kits and you cant beat the free shipping.Shop around online and if you have some local shops check them out. Little things like hop/grain bags, sanitizer and pbw will be things that are a must.
Three replies above, and three different approaches are offered because there is no right answer to the question. What 'kit' you get will depend on your commitment to this hobby, your budget, your plans for size of batches that you want to brew, etc. Since this question is asked frequently, I suggest that you read back among the threads for 8 pages or so and find the threads that deal with the question. You'll begin to see that there are so many variables that we can't suggest one best kit. P.S. Welcome to the BA site and to the Homebrewing forum. Hang out here as much as you like.
@pweis909 Did you ever pull the trigger on a Two Hearted Ale? I think this would be a good place to start.
Hey first off, welcome to the sickness! You'll love it, and you'll love the people! Now, as mentioned before, there is no right answer and people can start many different ways. I'm very DIY, I picked up a Haynes manual and replaced an engine in my own car. (And it is still running today, BONUS!) Likewise I picked up an advanced brew kit from a local beer and wine supply store, read "The Complete joy of Home Brewing 3rd Edition" by Charlie Papazian, and made my first home brew. It turned out great. For equipment... ask a friend, help a friend brew. If you don't know anyone, you will probably find someone here. You will never know what you need until you brew, and trust me, what I need to brew is far different from what my friend had. No matter how you start, KEEP A JOURNAL! Many good reasons for this. One, it's great to go back and smile at your first methods. Two, if something turns out right you'll know how to repeat it better than if you didn't keep a journal. Catalog your mistakes!!! I made a mistake on my Dublin Stout, turned out really good! I repeated it. Guess what it turned out good again! Three, as time goes on keeping a journal actually helps you get in the habit of writing everything down and when you're all pro and running your own brewery... you'll be happy that some nobody on a form told you to start a journal Just have fun with it man. Doesn't matter if you're using a 5 gallon bucket and open fermentation methods or you go all out and do all-grain and brewers kegs, you'll be a part of a history defining craft that everyone here can be proud of.
John Palmer's How to Brew is the "Bible" of homebrewing, as mentioned above. If you're looking for a kit, go to your nearest homebrew store, or check out northernbrewer.com for some ideas.
Everyone has given good solid advice. I'd suggest taking your time, and read. A lot. See if there is a brewing club near you, as I'm sure there is. This will get you some exposure and see what is useful and what isn't. And, if your brew club has communal equipment like mine does, that can save you some $$. But I foremost suggest you arm yourself with knowledge. The "Hot to Brew" book that has been mentioned at least twice above is sort of the standard. The online version is free, but dated. The Print version is not free, but has newer and better info in it, and new topics. Prost!
Do some research and check the forums here. Plenty of posts about first time brewing. I also recommend jumping in and just doing it. Beer will happen and you'll learn from it. Just expect that the first go around or few will probably be average but then it improves over time. The over time experience is what makes it worth it. Nothing better than experimenting and then finding that sweet spot. It's like studying for a test and getting an A the 3rd or 4th time. If it was super easy it wouldn't be any fun. In addition to how to brew check out some podcasts. I recommend brew strong from the brewing network and beersmith. I don't even listen to music in my car anymore and I look forward to long commutes.
Lots of good advice here, I started brewing with a Mr. Beer Kit that was given to me as a gift. when I decided to jump to all grain big boy brewing I was scared of ruining a batch, and was slow to jump in. Here is what I can say: 1 - John Palmers book, must read prior to starting. 2 - If you have a local supply shop, ask them so you can see what you are looking for. 3 - Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. Don't be intimidated, or afraid to mess up a batch. Making decent beer is easy, making great beer is hard, but being able to brew a great beer consistently is awesome! Good luck and welcome to the addiction!
I agree with all the above folks that it's best to start with a good solid background investigation into how to brew (starting with John Palmer). After that my recommendation is to work backwards from what you like to drink. If you like to drink pales, go ahead and brew a pale, if you like stouts, do a chocolate stout. Then, do it again, see if it turns out the same. If not, try to figure out why. Then, later, you can return to that beer and make tweaks to it to make it more your style. However, lagers require cold fermentation, so you'll want to wait on those, and sours are phenomena unto themselves, so you should delay making sours until you are 100% confident in your sterilization and fermentation practices. Good luck!
A local homebrew club could also be a source for used excess equipment on the cheap if you are concerned about a budget.
I really like what @KurtE said on #3. If you make a bad batch, don't sweat it. Learn from it. Lots of guys make good beer on their first batch. I didn't. I made 2 bad ones in a row, and a mediocre one after that. But, they were all good learning experiences, and I won't make the someones again.
