New Member Looking for Advice

Getting into Homebrewing has been a great hobby I picked up several months ago and I love it! You definitely are going after the 2 most popular styles in the craft beer world. I have made both and was very pleased with both that I brewed. If I had to pick between the two for you I would do the IPA since you can enjoy it quicker. Cheers. Good luck and welcome to the club!

 

IPAs can be very forgiving first brews, and coincidentally, you can brew a pretty damn good one with surprisingly less skill and effort than you thought. For instance, this one is still my best IPA to date, and it was extract/partial mash.

I would avoid imperial stouts while you're a beginner. I'm on about my 28th batch and I haven't tried one yet, and I'm in no hurry. Stick with what's easy and forgiving when you're a noob. Go with the hoppy pale ale/IPA with lots of late hops additions. Try to get as much boiling as possible (full boil>partial boil with top off).

My turn:

Read How to Brew by Palmer.

 

For a first attempt I'd definitely recommend a stout - they are a bit more forgiving. I love imperial stouts too, but I don't know if I'd want to attempt that as my first beer out of the gate - there's nothing wrong with trying one out as brew #1, but if you are going all grain you may want to get your sea legs with a smaller beer (as you'll be dialing in your equipment, process, grain absorbtion, grain crush, etc.) Also some big beers may require so much grain and water that they will not fit in a larger 52 quart cooler mash tun. I know when I did a 6 gallon batch of Founders BS clone it was right up to the very top edge of the cooler.

Welcome to the hobby (it's a hoot) and have fun with it.

 

This.

 

Two great places to get equipment and kits are not located in Chicago but rather the Twin Cities. Check out Northern Brewer and Midwest supplies. These are 2 of the best priced and most trusted supply houses around and they both offer quality products. Once agin read how to brew and do not be afraid to brew a few extract batches before going all grain it is a great way to get a feel for things!

 

To echo al, www.howtobrew.com is a great resource.
Also, I would brew a regular IPA or a regular stout instead of the imperial varieties. Check out the list of kits northern brewer has online. They come with everything you need as far as ingredients go to brew your first batch.
Take your time, and get your processes figured out a little bit ahead of time, the american homebrewer association has a set of videos online that are great to watch to give you an. Idea of what you're in store for. Also, I would do anextract batch first simply to see if you even want to do this. I would hate to see a person spend themoney on a mash ton and liquor tank on top of therest of the equipment just to see it go to waste.

 

If you ever get up to Milwaukee, which is just 80 miles north of Chicago, there is a Northern Brewer brick-and-mortar there. Might be nice to touch and feel the stuff as well as ask questions in real time.

Northern Brewer, 1306 S 108th St, West Allis, WI 53214

 

Living in Wheaton you have 2 Brew and Grow stores right near in Bolingbrook and Roselle so you are set! That being said I did make a trip to NB in West Allis because I like the kits they make and just wanted something to do on a Saturday.