SIXSLUG

Been brewing for over ten years now and me and my buddy have a pretty sweet set up in his basement kitchen.
Funny thing is a lot of our kit is from both our original brewkits. We've added a lot over the years and are set up to do all-grain now.
Costs have risen dramatically since we started but its still cheaper per case if you do it yourself.
Brew Your Own Magazine has a great clone recipe issue that still available.
Don't cut corners with sanitation and get Charlie Papazzians Home Brew Bible and read it cover to cover before you get started. Maybe even before you buy your kit, its addicting!
If you think you will be in for the long haul spend a little extra on a quality kit, you won't regret it after you get a few sessions under your belt.
Have fun with it.

Bswope

Guys this is great!!! Thanks for all the info so far......... i think im gettin addicted already and I dont even have a kit yet!! LOL

Springer

We did the Boston Ale . I also did a Hefe since everything was out . The yeast are as we speak are burping CO2 and peeing alcohol..

Springer

this is my Oktoberfest in the lagering freezer it a balmy 38°



and a couple of corny kegs in one of the kegerators

Bswope

Good grief Id love to have a nice tall glass of that Oktoberfest!!

Man fellas Ive been looking at kits like crazy and just cant make up my mind on one..... Im sure ive looked over most of them but can you guys point me in the right direction to a GOOD kit??? I dont want to cheap out on a kit but I dont want to go as far as kegging!

Springer

The Oktoberfest will be ready in September for Oktoberfest .


The kits from the major brew stores online for the most part will all be good. I would recommend a immersion chiller to cool the wort the ice bath in the sink works but is slow . A chiller can be made with 25 feet of 3/8 copper refrigerant line and a few fittings . Just use a bucket to form the coil

capt.Ron

How exactly does those wort chillers work. Do you put the coil of tubing into the wort and flow cool water through the tubing?
I currently set my pot in a sink full of cold water. I go through lots of water and it takes forever.

Bswope

Hmmm..... ok how about this kit?

http://www.homebrewery.com/beer/beer...luxe-kit.shtml

SIXSLUG

Look at Northernbrewer for kits and pretty good prices on supplies.

You can make a wort chiller out of copper tubing and a hose end. I wrapped mine around a corny keg and soldered a hose fitting on one end. I crimped a piece of clear tubing on the other and run it to the drain. Looks like an oversized slinky.

I clip it to the side of my boil vessel and stir the wort around while running cold water thru the thing. Cools 6 gals in about 10 min. Copper won't hurt the wort.

Springer

yup, here is the chiller I made cold water goes in one side and the hot come out the other


I used the runoff to heat the grandsons pool no sense wasting hot water



looks like a nice kit

capt.Ron

Are you using an aluminum pot to brew your wort??
Charlie Papazian's "The new Complete Joy of Home Brewing" Says that's a NoNo.
I've always used stainless so I don't really know if it gives the beer a bad flavor.

cbtumedic

I have been dabbling in home brew for a few months now, best resource I've yet to find was loaned to me by a guy at work, it's a book called "The alaskan bootleggers bible." It is really full of good information, without getting into all the chemistry lessons that some of the books do, it tells you in plain english what to do and why.

Bswope

Springer.... this may be a dumb beginner question but what is a Hefe???

capt.Ron

I think he's referring to a Hefenwiezen. or Wheat beer.
For most you either love em or hate em.....I'm in the hate column.
Much like stouts.....I love nearly every stout that I've tasted, some folks can't stand em.

Springer

been completely proven false that SS is better than aluminum for beer. I went from a turkey fryer 30 qt aluminum pot to a Keggle then back to the aluminum . No difference in flavor . You need to condition the pot to build up the black oxide coating on the aluminum after that the wort never touches the aluminum. I went back to aluminum because its really expensive when you need 120 qt pots buying SS

Yes a Hefeweizen German wheat beer . Almost no hops and highly carbed I love them on a hot summer afternoon. Nice thing with them is they go from fermenter to tap in very short time like 3 weeks . Most of my other beers need to condition for a about a month or so after they are kegged so most are 2 months .