So im an expert a drinking beer, but a newer than new newbie at making beer as in I have never made it before, i dont really want to start super small though. It does not have to be huge, but i have been doing a little research and it appears as though the herms system would be a good fit for me, Im sure you guys have all kinds of advice for a new guy Im just looking for a decent system that will allow me to do whole grain brewing so i can invent recipes once i get the process down. I also want to get a kegerator to keg the beer let me know of anything you can think of that i should def know prior to getting started thanks for all the advice in advance cheers.
You might want to get a $150 starter kit first to figure out if brewing is something you're going to enjoy before spending the $$ and time on a HERMS.
I feel like I've progressed fairly quickly from beginning to where I'm at now. It's been about 10 months, and some recent issues had me on the verge of making a couple more purchases to step up to HERMS. And that's when I pumped the brakes. At this point, I've got probably close to $400 in brewing equipment for all grain. To get a pump, hosing and another copper coil to dip my toe in HERMS would probably be another $250-$300... If you're really willing to drop $650-$700 on a hobby that you've never tried that is vastly different from drinking beer, go for it. But since it's a hobby of addition (you can get in fairly cheaply and continue building), why not start at the bottom and work your way up? What's the rush?
Building a RIMS or HERMS system is fun. For me it added a whole new hobby to my hobby. It does not have to be expensive. My current system is pretty elaborate, but it wasn't always. If have to have a pump, a PID controller and some sort of heat exchanger, you can start a using a heat exchanging recirculation technique. I built a RIMS tube, almost exactly like the Brew Magic RIMS tube, for $24. If you know how to sweat copper pipe - it's very easy.
OP: Please elaborate on why you feel that HERMS is the right initial move for you. You may have some very good reasons. While I also tend to want to suggest that you take it slow at first, I'd rather hear your reasons before I say that....
While I agree with koopa, we should hear your reasoning. I think doing extracts with fermentation temperature control should be first, then kegging or all grain in either order. I think no matter what. Doing a few extract brews (you can make your own recipes with extract too!) before diving into spending well over a grand would be time well spent. It won't be money wasted as you'll need to invest in temp control and kegging equipment either way if that's what you choose to do when you go Herms. For that matter you could even buy your boiling pot for your Herms setup and just use that for a few extract beers before sinking money into the other pots and such for a Herms system.
I have a buddy who loves beer, just absolutely loves drinking it, and talking about it. He attends beer events, etc. He dropped $200 on some basic homebrew gear and was very excited to brew. This lasted about 1 month. He brewed a handful of times, found the process boring, didn't like the beer he made, and quit brewing. Just sayin'...
