I would like to get into home brewing and looking for recommendations on which brewing kit I should buy. Hopefully there are some kits out there that are good to start with and be good for once I get the hang of it. I don't want to buy one just to find out a few months down the road I need to get a better one if possible. I could probably get some assistance with the first brew or two if there are kits that would be a better purchase but are not as beginner friendly. Thanks, Tim
I'd assume that any significant "lacking" in final product quality, with regards to a new brewers initial brews, will have more to do with being new to brewing than the kit chosen. So I'd go for a cheap kit and choose a fairly forgiving style like a brown ale or amber ale (provided you like those styles). That point aside, the kits offered by www.love2brew.com are very good.
Is 'kit' the equipment or a pre-packaged recipe? In other news ... the OP might consider using the Bros epic SEARCH feature to find dozens ... neigh hundreds of threads addressing this very question.
Good call. Upon second read, I do believe he is speaking about an equipment kit rather than a recipe kit. Equipment kit recommendations, in the context mentioned, are a bit harder toake considering its tough to know how far the op will eventually want to take the hobby. Once the OP decides what size batches he will max out at, it will make this recommendation a bit easier. Try to determine that so that you can decide what size kettle to get. This will help determine what kit to buy (one with a kettle of a certain size, or one without a kettle even). Also try to determine if you want to use bucket fermenters, glass carboys, etc. That should be factored into your kit choice.
I want to brew enough beer to make 24 12 oz bottles at a time. That's 288 ozs I think. That or 12 22oz bombers. I also want to brew imperial stout.
I can't tell if you are trying to get into this hobby on a budget, but this is the time of the year where you'll be able to get a turkey deep-fryer on sale this week. You'll likely find at least a 7-gallon aluminum boil pot with that kit that will be large enough for a 5-gallon batch to meet your requirement for brewing two cases of bottles. You may find a kit with a pot that is enamelware too, which is what I use, but you need to use some care with that type to protect against chipping the enamel finish. (An LP Gas burner with the turkey-fryer kit, but you'll still need to purchase the LP tank.) You'll also still need a lot of other equipment which can be purchased on an ala carte basis from a local home brewing shop. As Herb suggests, use the search feature here to look at the many threads that address this topic. Two other things for you to consider: read the book "How to Brew" by John Palmer. It's online in an older edition, but the book is easily found at large bookstores or online retailers. The book recommends a lot of the equipment that you'll need as well as being the best source of 'how to brew' info. brew your first beers using the malt extract recipes rather than trying to brew 'all grain' to get started and to get your brewing procedures in place. Actually, once you've decided to commit to this hobby and to graduate to all-grain brewing, you'll be able to use your turkey-fryer pot for heating sparge water, etc. and then add a nice stainless steel pot to your equipment set-up. If you graduate to a larger pot, then you'll potentially be able to get into larger batches if the pot is large enough. Welcome to this fun hobby.
Of course ... most every noobrewer won't have a clue where this addiction / obsession would eventually lead. Some jump in with both feet ... go big and also end up going home. OP wants to brew a case (4 sixers; 24-12s). No way this level of interest calls for a turducken fryer and jumbo kettles.
just started myself. My first brew was a Brewer's best DIPA kit. Turned out really good. I modified it a bit after reading Palmer's book. I switched out the hops for fresh ones and used more DME instead of the supplied sugar. Good Luck!
Drop ~ a "C" note at scores of possible retailers and make sure you get at least 2 spigoted 6 gal buckets with lids and airlocks, a hydrometer, 20' of tubing, a capper, bottle filler, sanitizer, cleaner, and chiller...along with a copy of "How To Brew" by Palmer....then plan on spending another $100 on a kettle, ingredients, and don't forget the therapy...oh, wait a minute...homebrewing is therapy
If you want to start really small and just do everything on your stove, then something like this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/kickass-american-wheat-all-grain-micro-bru-equipment-kit.html If you want to be able to do 3 gallons of imperial stout then something like this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-basics-equipment-kit.html along with the turkey fryer mentioned above. Definitely get a copy of this http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888 or this http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Classic-Styles-Winning-Recipes/dp/0937381926/ ask lots of questions BEFORE brewing your first beer, good luck
I think a kit that could brew 1 case the first couple of times but be able to handle 2 cases would be a great start size wise. I don't know if I want/need glass or plastic as this is my first time trying this. I saw one of the main differences was just ease of cleaning the glass vs plastic. Searching the internet for kits just turns up too many options like the first I stumbled on (http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/big-mouth-bubbler-deluxe-brewing-starter-kit.html) and I have no clue if that's a good one or too expensive. The second link wspscott provided looks like about the size I would want.
As my second kit brewed, I used the same thing you did with no changes and it came out quite good. It was easy and got a really good tasting brew which is all that we are after if I may say!!!
I personally would go with the most basic kit that will let you do 5 gallons, that is the second link I gave you. I would not bother with carboys (glass or plastic) at this point. Lots of places have basic kits, for example http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...arter-kits/essential-brewing-starter-kit.html If you have a spot for a turkey fryer (patio, driveway,...) then I would recommend thinking about one.
