Investment for a 1st timer on Homebrewing

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by GotRektGG, Jun 29, 2016.

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  1. GotRektGG

    GotRektGG Initiate (0) May 28, 2016 Iowa

    Im doing research as we speak. But for a simple 1st time IPA homebrew. How much money would you say i would need to get a small batch going to learn on?
     
  2. DrMindbender

    DrMindbender Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2014 South Carolina

    Have you searched this forum for that question yet? Its a pretty popular question that gets asked several times a month, so you'll get a lot of previous threads with answers if you do a quick search. These came up by searching "initial investment" with good info...
    http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/first-brew-equipment-selection.108880/#post-1602316
    http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/start-up-cost-for-home-brewing.43242/#post-546512

    1 gallon batches can be done with most kitchen equipment and a simple kit like this...
    http://www.northernbrewer.com/1-gallon-small-batch-starter-kit
    but I'm a fan of starting out with 5 gallon batches as its more common and you're less likely to make small mistakes that turn out to be a bigger goof like in a 1 gallon batch.

    Check these out and read www.howtobrew.com and then if you have any specific questions, post them up! Welcome to the addiction!
     
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  3. GotRektGG

    GotRektGG Initiate (0) May 28, 2016 Iowa

    Appreciate it. Thanks
     
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  4. RogelioRodriguez

    RogelioRodriguez Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2015 California

    Not much...go to your local grocery store and ask the bakery section if they have any spare plastic buckets...bakeries often have extra buckets which are food grade.

    A cheap aluminum pot of 8-10 gallon size...some extract and a few hops...can be done under 100$...don't let the stigma of extract fool you...Them IPA's are easy to brew.
     
  5. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    What's your kitchen look like? If you have a decent sized pot for soup and pasta and a medium powered burner and a food grade bucket, you can do a small extract batch.
     
  6. GotRektGG

    GotRektGG Initiate (0) May 28, 2016 Iowa

    I believe we have a good size turkey cooker pot. Im not sure the exact gallon size on it. Maybe 5-7 turkey pot
     
  7. GotRektGG

    GotRektGG Initiate (0) May 28, 2016 Iowa

    and my kitchen is a normal kitchen. Got the basics but not 2016 new tech
     
  8. DrMindbender

    DrMindbender Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2014 South Carolina

    Sounds like you can do a 1 gallon batch with that kit I mentioned in the previous post and what you already have...or you can jump into 5 gallon batches (because let's face it, after all the work for a 1 gallon batch and you barely get 2 growlers worth of beer out of it, its kind of a let down) with a simple kit like this...http://www.northernbrewer.com/essential-brewing-starter-kit and do partial boil (where you don't boil down to a full 5 gallons but however much your kettle/turkey pot will hold) right on your stove top with the same gear you already have too. You can power shop between the web and your LHBS (Local Home Brew Shop) and find the best deal, but finding your LHBS and getting used to what they offer is always a good idea. Your LHBS is a great place to get advice, meet other local brewers and pick up ingredients faster than having them shipped.

    I'm not a fan of using old buckets from a bakery/grocery store because if they are scratched, it will be tough to clean out possible microbes that you don't realize that are there, that can infect and ruin your batches. You'll also have to drill a hole for an airlock and you probably won't get a good airtight seal there. You can buy a fermenting bucket for $15 or less and save a LOT of heaedache!
     
    #8 DrMindbender, Jun 29, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2016
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  9. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    If you are going to be brewing in your kitchen, are you cooking with gas or electric? Your beer batch size will be somewhat limited to how strong your heat source is as respects how much water can your stove bring to a rolling boil? Load your turkey fryer pot with 5 gallons and see if your stove will do it. Electric stoves usually have a problem boiling that much water. Gas should be okay. If you can't boil 5 gallons then you'll likely restrict yourself to brewing smaller batches, which is sometimes good because you don't have as much beer to drink so you brew more often and polish up your brewing skills.

    If you have a turkey cooker, I'm going to assume that you must be able to brew outdoors on an LP gas burner, so you just saved yourself that equipment expense.

    EDIT: also do a search of this forum using 'equipment' as your search word, and search thread titles only. Howtobrew.com is free to read online, and it has a section about equipment.
     
    #9 PapaGoose03, Jun 29, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2016
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  10. crcostel

    crcostel Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2006 Illinois

    If you are looking for a deal today, NB is running a 4th of July sale - 10% off and free shipping for $59+

    If you got the kit mentioned above you'd still need bottles (and a bottle capper perhaps), a good thermometer and a 2g boiling pot.

    The step up kit comes with the bottles, capper and a better fermenter but you can't get a IIPA or DIPA with it.
    http://www.northernbrewer.com/go-pro-small-batch-starter-kit
     
  11. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    You can certainly brew a 5 gallon batch via a partial boil. Lots of folks have started off this way and have made high quality beers. It is not an absolute requirement to brew via a full boil to produce high quality beer.

    Read the book How to Brew by John Palmer (either on-line or buy the hard-copy) and you can learn all about it.

    Cheers!
     
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  12. GotRektGG

    GotRektGG Initiate (0) May 28, 2016 Iowa

    Thanks everyone. So i can do IPA right, was hoping fora west coast style IPA? Also do you have to let those 5 gallon jugs really ferment for a few weeks?
     
    #12 GotRektGG, Jul 1, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2016
  13. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    Depending on the yeast you use. A little over a week to about a month is typical.
     
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  14. GotRektGG

    GotRektGG Initiate (0) May 28, 2016 Iowa

    The things you learn. I figured it would be a few days at most. I got a lot of reading to do this weekend!
     
  15. nmber0nestunna

    nmber0nestunna Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2009 California

    i would do some research first before diving in. check out howtobrew.com or watch youtube vids. plenty of podcasts such as the brewing network, beersmith, and basicbrewing radio. homebrewtalk is also a great forum. homebrewfinds is where you can find some great deals.
     
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  16. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    What that week to month meant is that you can turn an averagely amazing American styled ipa around from brew day to bottled, carbed up and ready to drink, in between a little over a week to about a month. The yeast are done with their main deal in a matter of days. After that, they do some clean up, and the rest of the time your beer is hanging out and all of those flavors with their strange chemical names are getting into agreement with one another as to what to do in becoming in your case, a west coast IPA.
    You're on the right track by accepting the reality that you will be reading a lot.
     
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