Want to get started

[kedda13]

I am loking at getting started into the wonderful world of homebrewing. Does anybody have any advise about any good home brew kit that I can purchase over the internet? Any suggestions about certain equipment that would make brewing easier/better that I could get to start off. Any suggestions to a good recipe for a red beer that I could start off with. I will appreciate any reply. Thanks.

[asciibaron]

Get a starter kit. It has ALMOST everything you need. I got mine from www.midwestsupplies.com Reasonable price and quick delivery. I added a test tube, grain bag, dial thermo, and a hose lock.

As for kits, I'd recommend a grain and extract. The grain will give it more texture and the extract is very easy to deal with. GET A GRAIN BAG! I would have had a mess if I failed to get one. They keep the wort very clean so you don't have to strain.

If you have any other questions, fire away. I started my first batch today. I'm looking forward to making another batch.

Steve Hanlon

[BenP78]

My local homebrew shop www.thebrewerscoop.com has starter kits, but even better are their beer kits. They contain everything you need to brew a batch of beer: LME, hops, grains, bags, priming sugar, caps, dry yeast. And they usually run about $25. Not to bad for an easy kit. I've started using them as a base and adding on liquid yeast and a little DME to beef up the beer (and some more hops, too!).

Bottom line: Check out their beer kits. Easy and cheap!

Ben

[mountain beer]

If you have a local brew shop in the area, go there first. They usually have a kit you can buy with all of the supplies. You can usually get a good discount when you buy the supplies at one time. Also the beer kits at the brew shops are usually $5 to $10 cheeper than online with no shipping charges. The homebrew shops can give the first time brewer the advice that will make you a confident brewer.

Good luck. I would have to say that brewing is definetly one of the most rewarding hobbies I can think of.

Mountain

[b3s]

i just started myself. my first batch is in bottles and my second batch is quickly approaching the time when it needs to be racked to a secondary.

what i did was priced starter kits online (with shipping) and then my local. the local was cheaper. at any rate, i was going to go to my local for ez-caps as shipping bottles is just ridiculous! and for ingredients (no yeast packets with dust!).

i must say that i have not looked at the beer kits...there are numerous recipes online and in books that utilize extracts and hops and such.

probably the best material is www.howtobrew.com (an online book by john palmer) and the complete joy of homebrewing (a print book by charlie papazian).

[paul84043]

Lots of good advice here....patronize your local brew shop if at all possible, they are one of yor better resources and it's good to get a relationship going with them (mine know me by my first name...)
Read as much as you can before jumping in, learn the basic processes and the acronyms like DME, LME, IBU, stuff like that so that you're not guessing as to what someone is talking about.
But most importantly, GO FOR IT!!!! I know a person where I work that bought all the equipment several years ago and chickened out because he was afraid that it was too hard!

Don't be afraid to DO IT! It's a great hobby, the smell and the excitement and anticipation of cooking your first batch are absolutely PRICELESS....

You can be brewing for probably in the 120$ range if you just go with a basic starter kit. Depending on how elaborate you get with the brewing pot, if you buy a propane burner, stuff like that.
I would recommend Glass carboys (buy the handles too!), but plastic buckets are even cheaper. There are so many little detials that "help", but nothing that is going to keep you from making awesome beer! Sanitation is the main beer killer, clean, clean, clean!!!
My first batch I screwed up a few things, and it was so good it didn't last more than about 3 weeks, that was with us taking it real easy on it...
I'd start with an easy room temp ale, no worries there unless you live in a top floor apartment that gets real hot during the day, then you need to take some special measures to maintain your temp...
If you have any questions, just ask!