Advice for a first timer

Here's a good brewing book

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888

 

How To Brew by John Palmer. Go to the website by the same name for a free edition.

I'd start with extract, get a starter kit from your local homebrew shop or online. If you think you're really going to like brewing, I'd go big with a nice large stainless steel pot from the beginning. If not, start with something small like a 5g pot for stovetop.

Be sanitary.
Even though your airlock isn't bubbling, that doesnt mean fermentation isn't going on.
Take gravity readings.
At the end of the day you'll make beer.
RDWHAHB

 

check out some homebrew websites such as northernbrewer.com and midwestsupplies.com . Pick up one of their homebrew starter kits and it will pretty much have everything you would need to get started including a recipe kit. You will learn from experience, even after your first brew, about any other equipment that would make your process easier and more enjoyable. After my first batch i realized that i need some clamps and racking equipment that would make the bottling process easier for me. After my second batch i found out that some irish moss would help out my beer's... and so on and so on....

 

You will need several things, and there's some more that you might want to consider, especially if you're looking to do it right the first time.

needs:
2x brewing containers, in order of my personal preference (8 gal bucket, 6.5 gallon buckets, carboys)*
wine thief
auto-siphon
food grade tubing, at least 4' (likely comes with the auto-siphon if you buy a kit)
gravity tester (these are fragile and very cheep, consider buying two)
thermometer
brew pot at least 5 gallons (preferably more)
airlock
Star-san
proper heating (this may require you get a turkey-fryer type setup)
stainless stirring spoon
bottling wand
bottle capper
bottle caps
bottles (you can re-use good commercial bottles, no twist offs, no corked-and-caged)

you should also get
a book on brewing, Palmer's "how to brew," the joy of homebrewing, the one suggested above by ventura would all be fine.

you're gonna wish you had bought it if you didn't already...
wort chiller
nylon paint bags for hops / grain steeping (can be found at home depot)

for the near future after you get started

flask for making starters and/or rehydrating yeast
stir plate

You must also have a temperature control plan. Most Ales brew best below 70F. Most ales quite quickly start to taste like dog-doo if they're fermented at 75F and above. If you live in a warm climate, this could be an issue. There are ways to deal with keeping beer cool (or warm) ... ASK before you let your first batch sit at 78F for three weeks and wind up with undrinkable beer. Large temperature fluctuations are a no-go too.

I highly suggest you and your wife read up a little, but don't over-think your first batch. Consider stealing the procedures from people who publish such things (I publish all my procedures on my blog, here is one that came out really good). I will clarify anything that's not clear. Develop your own procedures for your recipes and equipment, and HAVE A CHECKLIST and FOLLOW IT!

There are a lot of beginning kits available, and most of them are just fine. However, many of them don't come with an auto-siphon, wine thief, or bottling wand. These are very cheep pieces of plastic that make your life immensely easier, GET THEM!

Consider a kit beer for your first batch. They will likely come with instructions and be easy. Start with extract batches, perhaps with steeping grains. Learn the procedures and get confident. Also RDWHAHB!

I got my starter kit at a LHBS and they let me mix/match a few things according to my preference. Online sellers probably won't do that, but you can still easily find a good deal.

*I love my eight gallon fermentation bucket, but a 6.5 gallon will do. You NEED at least one bucket. If you want a carboy, a 6.5 gallon carboy is preferable but not required (but will be required if you intend to use it as a fermentation vessel for 5 gallons). Honestly if you can't find the eight gallon buckets, I'd just start with two 6.5 gallon buckets, they work great and are very easy to clean. Better bottles are also good (you still need at least one bucket tho)

 

I just got my first beer in the fermenter late last night and I gotta say its a lot of fun. I got my kit from here http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-Kit-Upgrade-2-_p_1692.html and its pretty much all the gear you need, 2 buckets, a pot, auto-siphon, hydrometer, etc. The only thing its missing is some kind of false bottom for lautering, but you don't need that for an extract batch. Oh and by the way the customer service at this place is freaking amazing. The auto siphon was broken when I took it out of the box (not a big deal stuff like this happens). I took pictures and I was prepared to do some arguing and complaining when I called them but they picked up the phone immediately, asked me for my order number, and sent me a new one for free that day. Got the ups email with the tracking number about an hour later.

 

before you go plopping down mucho dinaros of cash, find a local homebrew store, talk to the folks there and see if you can watch/assist with a batch of extract homebrew. Some stores have a 'Bring a Newbie' and get 10% off your first purchase, etc. You should be aware of what the processes are, how to keep it clean & santized, etc, how to bottle/keg, etc. And yes bring your wife, heck she may want to start brewing herself never mind you, not that there's anything wrong with that. (Honey can you make me a batch of beer, thanks hon'!) Be careful you can get easily hooked into (I believe) one of the greatest and most satisfying hobbies ever. Period.

 

"local homebrew store club"
Fixed that for you. Not that there's anything wrong with a homebrew store, if it has knowledgeable employees. Many of them don't. But just about any club will have someone who knows what they are doing.

 

I live about 15 min from their store, the people there a great and will give you great advice even if you don't buy anything from them, they are in it for the good of the craft.

 

That was what I was going to say. A good club is where I got enough knowledge and feedback to take my beers to the next level.

The folks at Adventures in Homebrewing (homebrewing.org) are good people. The owners are excellent homebrewers. A few of the staff are in our club, and know their stuff. One of the staff is one of the best brewers I know, with a boatload of BoS awards and several national medals. When people complain about the poor advice from the LHBS, I am thankful for AiH.

 

Start simple. Don't try to walk before you can run, learn to handle the basic brewing processes.Don't be paranoid about sanitation, I brewed without problems for years and years just using good everyday cleanliness and hygiene.Soap, water and elbow grease.Not to say don't use sanitisers, just don'r worry too much about infections.

 

Don't try to add any crazy ingredients to your first attempts at brewing. Out of my first 11 batches the only one I haven't liked was along these lines. It was also the most expensive beer I've made because of the ingredients added.

 

Another thing I'm doing is I'm keeping a record of everything I do. I went out and got a composition notebook and I'm keeping notes on every step; what grains I used, what temp I mashed at, which hops, boil time, OG, FG, SRM, ABV, which yeast, and I record the temperature of the fermenter twice a day. That way a month from now when I finally get to take a sip if it doesn't taste right I have some hope of figuring out what went wrong.

 

Like Momma used to say: 1st things first.
- How much beer do you drink?
- How much of that daily-weekly-monthly-yearly volume do you want to brew yourself?

Before dropping a big chunk of change on equipment...are you sure you have the time and patience to pull it off? If not...you just may end up with a boat-load of gear and a CraigsList ad trying to dump it for pennies on the dollar.
Check your local listings for details.

Consider starting small and ease into the sport.

 

This will go a long way towards quickly finding success in homebrewing. I blog everything, you may keep a notebook, either way, it's the details that matter!

 

I'm sure you didn't mean that... "Don't try to walk before you can run"

 

I words mix sometimes the up order the of.

 

Northern brewer's dead ringer kit is a great place to start if you like IPAs. Its a clone of bells two hearted ale--just a straightforward single hop IPA that's delicious:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/dead-ringer-ipa-extract-kit.html

If you're into the malt thing (which it sounds like you're not), a lot of people like caribou slobber:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/caribou-slobber-extract-kit.html

 

What styles do you like to drink? If you like APAs, that's a good first beer. It's relatively simple, and there's not a lot of ingredients for flaws to hide behind, so if you make mistakes, you'll probably learn from them.

Edit: I'd add that for a first beer, I'd avoid anything with very high gravity (basically high ABV), and anything that requires a secondary. (Most beers do not require a secondary, in spite of what the outdated instruction sheets that come with the kits say.)