Looking to get into brewing and have some questions

First off, welcome to the BA site and to this wonderful hobby of homebrewing. We're glad to have you here.

Comparing and choosing starter kits is difficult because every kit seems like it is missing a few items that can be considered to be optional to some homebrewers, but a necessity to others. There are a number of threads in this forum that have this as a topic, so I recommend that you do a search using a keyword of 'starter' or 'equipment' or something like that, or read back 8-10 pages and you'll find them. You might also want to read John Palmer's book howtobrew.com online, or purchase the latest edition so that you can have a hard copy to highlight, write notes, etc. It has a section dealing with equipment choices.

As for the turkey fryer, many of us use them (including me) or start out our hobby using them and then upgrade to a nicer kettle. A 7.5 gallon pot will allow you to brew 5-gallon recipes, but not much larger. Your link appears to show a kit that may have an aluminum pot, and there is something about that metal that has to do with seasoning the metal, but I can't recall what I've read about that. Someone will chime in when they see my comment.

Hang around the site as long as you'd like, explore to see all of the features, and enjoy your time while here.

 

Turkey fryers are good starting off, I used on for awhile and had no issues. Plus it comes with a burner as well. As for the kits from Austin and NB, I think there is a few different options so depending on what you buy I don't think it'll matter that much.

I would start off with at least ( if you're planning on 5g batches ) a 6.5 gallon bucket with lid that has a port for a blowoff or bubbler. Burner and 30qt pot, possibly a carboy 5 or 6.5 gallon ( plastic or glass ) Not needed unless you ferment in it or use a secondary, bucket will work just fine. You will also need a bottling bucket, siphon hoses or auto siphon, a nice thermometer, a hydrometer for measuring gravity. A capper for bottling, a bottling wand, bottle and carboy brushes. Possibly a funnel and a strainer... A lot of these things come in specific kits though.

In addition, you should invest in some cleaners/sanitizers. Possibly a hydrometer test jar and a thief to pull samples, once again not completely necessary. There are a multitude of other things that you will find handy once you brew a few batches though.

Welcome to the hobby and BA though. Good luck with your first beer brewing and enjoy the spoils!!

 

You could have some fun with that Turkey fryer kit, but if you continue with the hobby, you will grow to hate it (it's not really big enough for 5 gal batches and the burner sucks)...If you have friends that are into brewing, it might be wise to follow them for a while and see what they do...

 

Getting 'sticky' in here.

 

Find an experienced homebrewer and brew with them a few times first that is willing to share equipment and experience. Avoiding the common mistakes of new Brewers will allow you to make fantastic beers from the start. If you are still or even more fascinated with it they can steer you towards equipment that can adapt and which ones you can live with or without. Dive into the book how to brew during this process. And invite your homebrew buddy to help you brew your first kit. A buddy of mine got started with five or six Northern Brewer kits that he really liked them. They made really great beer.