Experienced Advice on Homebrewing?

I would say
1. Read How to Brew by Palmer.
2. Find someone knowledgeable to brew with at first. And
3. Listen to these guys here. They know what they are doing and will always help.

 

Think about your "infrastructure" first. For example, do you plan to brew indoors on a stove top, indoors on an electric rig, outdoors on propane, etc. Think about what you will do / how much space you have for a fermentation chamber and temperature control. Then think about what batch size you want to be able to produce. Are you satisfied with small 1-3 gallon batches, do you want at least 5 gallons, etc. Thinking about how often you realistically plan to homebrew goes hand in hand with that. Also realize that there is "cellaring work" to do after the brew day. I would say that, when I was at the height of my homebrewing frequency, I brewed once every 2 weeks (10g batches split with a housemate) and the brew day plus the cellar work probably was about 15-20 hours per month to make the legal NJ limit of 200 gallons of homebrew per year. Such time quotes are based on my system, my process, the types of beer styles I chose to brew, and the amount of effort that I individually chose to put into making said beer. YMMV Also, think about where you see yourself as a homebrewer. Occasional homebrewer who is just proud to DIY, obsessive competitive homebrewer, or somewhere in between. Factor these answers along with the time you can invest, the space you have to brew in, the amount of beer it can produce, etc. into your purchasing decisions. All of that aside, have fun with it and if you don't you are doing it wrong

 

You just have to determine who has credibility : )

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/posts/2363417/

 

+1 for reading How to Brew and for all of the advice above. I'm 6 months in and completely hooked. Plan your first brew and jump in. You'll make beer and learn along the way.

 

This!...but look before you leap : )

 

I would say don't stress too much about it and learn from your own mistakes

Example: brewed a high gravity stout without any sort of fridge - it was fusel-y and pretty bad, lesson learned that temp control is important

Obviously you can learn all of this stuff through meticulous planning and research if that's your thing but doing and seeing firsthand the flaws you create is just as interesting

 

Yes, but that is the kind of lesson that you could have learned ahead of time...I don't like to learn the hard way...it's too expensive : )

 

Sure, if you're concerned about being out $50 I understand, but I think there is a difference between reading warnings about fusel alcohols without even understanding what that means and actually tasting it and then tracking down the root cause. Just an example and I'm not necessarily saying to just wing it, putting time in to properly prepare will always lead to better beer. I think my point is that you'll probably make mistakes, and it's okay. Hard lessons will stick with you better than a paragraph out of a book.

 

I never get tired of welcoming new brewers. You'll have a lot of fun.

My biggest advice is to find someone who brews and go over there on a brew day.

Don't over-stress about this. You can start out super easy, using an extract beer kit. If you've read some articles you'll have an idea of what you'll need for your first home brew. Every brew supply store I've gone to has people who will help you get what you need for your first brew day.

Here is what they probably will forget to tell you.
1. Get a good analog temp gauge. You can go digital if you want.
2. Get some good clean 5 gallon buckets. These will be used for cleaning and sanitizing.
3. Get a couple bags of ice. If you don't have the money for a wort chiller, setting the boil kettle in the sink filled with cold water and ice is the next best thing. Your wort will cool down much faster and there will be less time for infection.
4. Some people like open fermentation, I don't. Get yourself a glass carboy. They are a pain to clean at times but get a good brush and some micro fiber towels and you'll be set.
5. Relax, don't worry, and drink a beer.

 

Totally agree...$50 is still $50 though, as you said....and I'd rather drink something drinkable the first time around : ) strive for unatainable perfection...but eliminate the drain pours : ) Cheers

The best lesson is brewing something you actually like to drink

 

Check with your local local bottle shops and see what homebrewing resources/clubs are around. One shop here had a 3-hour "Homebrewing 101" class, and we "helped" a guy brew an extract pale ale. It was great fun, put many things in perspective, answered many questions and gave me the final push to get going.

 

Sounds like you're a cliff notes/video type of guy. Here is a very basic video on the process. The process is basic but there are a lot of details that will make your beer go from drinkable, to good, to excellent!

 

Not to worry. Beer can't get infected. Contaminated yes; but not infected.

 

the two can be one and the same.

don't confuse the noobs looking for help here.

 

Your question is one that is frequently asked in this forum, so if you read back 8-10 pages you'll see all kinds of advice for a newbie. Palmer's book howtobrew.com is free to read online as an older edition, but it is still very informative. It deals with starting equipment needs, etc. Or if you get the current edition in print, then you can mark it up with highlighting, notes, etc.