New user at Realbeer.com

[HKAVR45]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone on this forum. I am 100% new to home brewing, but beer has always been something I've loved and I figured it would be neat to brew some myself.

I've spent most of today searching through this forum for some simple yet complete setups for a newbie such as myself. I am close to placing an order online and would like comments or suggestions on items I may be missing or don't need.

Here is the order:

Deluxe Start System from morebeer.com
Wort Chiller
1lb Oxy Absorbing bottle caps
32 oz. Star San sanitizer
English IPA Extract

Thanks for the assistance, and I look forward to sharing my results of my first batch with this board.

Jonathan

[chazwicke]

Welcome to the board. If you like talking beer or brewing you're in the right place.

[corkybstewart]

Welcome to realbeer. I don't know what's in that setup, but I buy all my equipment from morebeer so I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm especially glad to see you buy the wort chiller. That's one thing new brewers don't think about and it's one of the most critical aspects of brewing whether it's all grain or extract. So welcome to the site and the obsession.

[Derekt2]

I'd suggest you start with your local brew shop (LBS) unless you don't have one. You'll have a lot of questions and they are always your best resource.

[BrewDog]

Welcome-

An AutoSiphon is a must.
Also, you'll need a bottle capper. Get the Bench model. Much easier to bottle with than the 2 handed one, as you can hold the beer with 1 and cap it with the other, and there's less worrying about "did I seal it good enough?"

How big is your brew pot? Bigger the better. 7.5 gals IMO is a must.

Also, if you get the 5 gal secondary now, you'll have much better beer from the get-go.

An IPA is usually a long-wait type beer. I'd start with a Pale Ale, Brown Ale, or Blonde Ale kit instead for your first batch. You'll be wanting to drink it as soon as possible, and you might be disappointed if you pop an IPA too early.

Good luck and let us know what you decide-

[corkybstewart]

I just checked the kit. You'll still need a good brew pot. Look for a propane turkey fryer with at least a 5 gallon pot, bigger if you can find it. This way you can brew in the garage or back porch and not subject the significent other to your mess. And I'ld also recommend the 5 gallon glass carboy for secondary

[HKAVR45]

Forgot to mention that I already have a propane turkey fryer that has only been used for cooking lobsters. I am going to purchase a new stainless steel pot to use on this unit.

[corkybstewart]

Jonathon, you'll need to be careful with this bunch. We all have our own favorite "must have" gadgets. We'll break your bank if you give us half a chance. Get started slowly and add gadgets as you get better feel for the process. The best gear in the world won't compensate for sloppy brewing technique.

[HKAVR45]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
Jonathon, you'll need to be careful with this bunch. We all have our own favorite "must have" gadgets. We'll break your bank if you give us half a chance. Get started slowly and add gadgets as you get better feel for the process. The best gear in the world won't compensate for sloppy brewing technique.

Trust me. I know how this goes. I have a saltwater fish tank and its the same deal. No matter what your setup is there's another one out there that's better then yours and YOU WANT IT.

I'm super lucky to have a local home brew store about 15 minutes away. They are also online at beer-wine.com. Not sure if I can mention their site, but I'm not affiliated with them at all. We're in a similar discussion about mentioning online stores in a different forum I belong to.

Anyway, I am going to order online from morebeer.com. Their no shipping charge is terrific. I'll probably stick to the local guys for things like the glass carboys which are expensive to ship.

I am going to stick with the following:

Deluxe setup
1lb of bottle caps
32 oz. Star San sanitizer
English IPA Extract

If after a couple batches I feel the need to improve the setup I will. The one thing I like about an additional carboy is the ability to speed up the process. I.E. move one batch after a week to a different carboy and start the initial process again. 2 1/2 cases is NOT going to last us long!

Thanks again for all the guidance.

[corkybstewart]

5 gallons will definitely not last long, especially when your friends find out about it.

[Mad Scientist]

If find that I prefer American IPAs. When you buy the kettle, get the biggest that you can afford (at least 7 gallons) and get stainless. You might consider a converted keg, a lot of us use them. Lately, ebay has been a good resource for both large kettles, and pre-converted kegs. Just remember that if you buy a kettle with a valve, make sure that the valve is stainless (not brass), or that you can replace it with a stainless valve

I think most of us here, myself included, are using converted kegs.