So I'm very interested in trying to brew my own beer, but have absolutely no clue where to begin or the equipment that I need! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I recommend walking into your local homebrew store and striking up a conversation with the folks who work there. Many stores and online retailers (I'm a fan of Northern Brewer) will sell an equipment kit containing everything you need to get started and can supply you with ingredients kits to brew your first batch. I also recommend picking up copies of John Palmer's "How to Brew" and Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing." Both of these books are excellent resources for the first time brewer, and will help answer your questions as you progress.
http://www.howtobrew.com Generally I'd say read this first, then find an LHBS and see if their advice match the book. If they don't (which is too often that case), buy stuff from them if you want, but don't listen to them. Online there are tons of good & reputable retailers. Midwest Supplies, Northern Brewer, Austin Homebrew Supply, Morebeer, Rebel Brewer... Hmmm. Oklahoma is your location, is it still illegal there? That could make your life a little more complex to find local ingredients. Find a local homebrew club (check the American Homebrewers Association website)
These guys are in your state.......I've bought from them a few times..... http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productcart/pc/index.asp
Everything you need to know and buy for your first time can be found here http://microbebrewer.blogspot.com/p/brewing-101.html People on this forum or more than willing to help you get started or answer any questions you might have. I would suggest that you start off with a kit. It will make like easy.
Pliny clone. Easy! Seriously make what ever you like to drink. My advice would be to buy something like a Stout or a Wit. Why? Because in my opinion, they are pretty easy, forgiving, and some very simple recipes (kits even) are really damn good. The worst thing that can happen is you brew your first batch, it sucks, and you never brew again. Every friend of mine who homebrews started with some form of Amber Ale. I did. And all of us had a shitty first batch. My second batch was a milk stout and thank God because if it had sucked, I might have said the hell with it.
Agreed. I would also add American or Euro pale ale. Low to moderate gravity, simple malt bill, and hoppy enough to hide mistakes. Warning, this hobbie can become a money sink if you let it. For beginners, My suggestion is focus on developing sound procedures (e.g. Patience, starters, sanitation, full wort boils) rather than trading in your buckets for stainless conicals. Once you are consistently making good beer, try to make a jump into aquire the ability to do temp control fermentation. But research and reading on the topic is a must to begin with. That advice seems like it is given almost daily on this forum.
Good luck! I just brewed my first batch last week after procrastinating a bit because I was afraid I'd screw up on brew day. I got the deluxe glass kit from Northern Brewer for my birthday, which came with everything but a pot, and used their Cali Common kit for my first recipe. Instructions were simple and the DVD included made it all really clear for a beginner, and now my first 5 gallon batch is fermenting! It's really exciting and if anything, focus on using good water, sanitization, follow the directions and you can't go wrong. You'll love brewing once you get started; it's really cool to try your beer as it ferments and know it will be a good drink in a bottle soon. Cheers!
Yeah, ditto to going to your local shop, talking to some folks, and buying an extract equipment kit. I would go get a pre-made kit, that way you know the recipe is good and it gives you all the instructions right up front. My first batch was one of the best I made because I followed the instructions to a T. I would do that, then go about tweaking/changing/making recipes once you have your process down pat. Thats just me.
I'm actually in the same boat as OP- I have Palmer's book (what I've read so far is awesome), and am basically waiting on my next paycheck to invest in a more serious brew kit (that is, more serious than the "Mr. Beer" I got a few Christmases ago). I figure I'll be brewing a few batches of elementary brews before I'm able to tackle the Belgian-IPA of my dreams, but luckily I'm a patient guy.
If you check the AHA you will also find that it is legal in OK, has been for a 2 or 3 years. Mississippi and Alabama are the ones left where it is not legal. http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/government-affairs/talking-points
