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Posted: 10/12/2014 6:50:51 PM EDT
Howdy all! I've finally moved to a place with a nice kitchen, and I want to get started in homebrewing. I've been looking at the Northern Brewer starter kit, but I'm open to suggestions. Any other tips for a newbie?
Link Posted: 10/12/2014 6:59:39 PM EDT
[#1]
TAG and BUMP!

Link Posted: 10/12/2014 7:04:02 PM EDT
[#2]
Starter kits are pretty good. They have everything you need at a decent price. Just make sure you pick up a few kits so you don't go thirsty!



Also, buy John Palmer's How to Brew book and do you research. It will make for a much better brewing experience.
Link Posted: 10/12/2014 7:23:36 PM EDT
[#3]
Read, have a more experienced home brewer show you the ropes
Link Posted: 10/12/2014 10:19:21 PM EDT
[#4]
Start here, read and digest for immediate compliance then come back and ask questions.

NB is an excellent place to get supplies.


 
Link Posted: 10/13/2014 11:34:02 AM EDT
[#5]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Start here, read and digest for immediate compliance then come back and ask questions.NB is an excellent place to get supplies.
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

 
View Quote


Read that but don't get discouraged or overwhelmed. It isn't all that difficult.
Link Posted: 10/14/2014 12:33:36 PM EDT
[#6]
Northern Brewer is my go to supplier...just took advantage of their Columbus day sale!

GT
Link Posted: 10/14/2014 1:57:54 PM EDT
[#7]
Link Posted: 10/14/2014 4:00:22 PM EDT
[#8]

Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:




. You'll probably change your mind about brewing on the stove after your first boil over.



I brew outside.



View Quote
Yep, I've been lucky.

 
Been brewing on the stove for over twenty years and still haven't had a boil over.

But I watch for the hot break like a hawk!!!
Link Posted: 10/14/2014 8:02:01 PM EDT
[#9]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

. You'll probably change your mind about brewing on the stove after your first boil over.

I brew outside.

View Quote


I just realized the other day how much fricking propane is used when brewing outside... alot!!


I am going to start heating some of the water inside on the stove.
Link Posted: 10/15/2014 12:38:38 PM EDT
[#10]
If you can afford to go with the largest boil pot you can afford first. Full batch boils will greatly improve your brewing, but you do not need to to get going. To brew on the cheap you can buy an unhopped liquid or dry malt extract kit. I say unhopped as the hop additions are stale and pellet hops will greatly improve the brew. Throw away the yeast pack in the kit and order a pack of 05 Saf-Ale or the like.

Buy a 6 gallon plactic bucket with spigot and an airlock. The airlocks that disassemble are best but you can get by with the Z shaped bubbler these tend to clog and if they do you will be cleaning your ceiling. Keep a few feet of 1" tubing handy to use as a blowoff tube if you have a very vigorous ferment. Liquid malt kits normally don't, but if you get a dry malt extract you may.

While you are waiting for your kit to arrive start drinking some Sam Adams or Serria Nevada or any other decent beer that you can re-cap. Twist-offs wont work for homebrewing. If you know a homebrewer ask to borrow their crown capper, the wing cappers work but they suck. Buy a spring loaded bottling wand you will thank me later. When I started brewing in 92 I began to buy a 2 pack of Grolsch every beer buying session. Eventually I had enough to bottle 2 5 gallon batches of beer. The beer was good and the filp-top bottles were free=no crown caps!

Pay attention to sanitation first and foremost. wash and sanitize thoughly. You can use bleach but you have to let it dry. May homebrewers use Iodine or Star-San each have drawbacks but you do not have to wait for it to dry, you decide.

It is pretty easy. Worst case senario you will make beer! Don't worry, relax and have a homebrew!
Link Posted: 10/16/2014 10:46:12 PM EDT
[#11]
A starter kit is a great place to start.  I have recommended those to just about everyone that shows some interest, but doesn't want to spend a fortune.  Biggest single expense will be finding a brew pot.  A big 3 gallon pot is $$$.   Aluminum will work, stainless looks cool.  Check Craig's List for pots.  A used (or new) turkey fryer burner and pot works great.  If you get a used one, clean the crap out of it.  Oil will be your enemy when making beer.  

Some more advice (as if you asked!)

A lot of new brewers tend to freak out over a everything.  I see questions all the time like "I missed my mash temp by 1 degree! Is my beer ruined?" and "My yeast is blowing off!  Is my beer ruined?" and "I put in 1 ounce too much canned pumpkin!  Is my beer ruined?" etc, etc, etc...  

Just relax.  Take your time, don’t be in a hurry.  It isn't going to hurt anything if you boil for 5 extra minutes or you pitch your yeast 30 mins after you wanted.  Due diligence is important for sanitation, but you don't have to be ultra paranoid about it.

For your first batch or two, use store bought spring water.  Good, clean and won't mess you up.  Water is the largest component of beer, right?  Starting with good water gets you ahead of the game.

There are beer brewing web sites out there that will help give you some ideas of how to start out and they do have good advice.  I would warn you though, don't fall into the beermeister hero worship crap.  That kind of stuff is rampant on one of the more popular beer brewing sites.  Sometimes its hard for people new to the hobby to filter out the BS.



Link Posted: 10/17/2014 1:08:15 PM EDT
[#12]
I agree with the previous poster. I used to frequent the brew forums until I got sick of the elitists who demand that you enter homebrew competitions and become a sanctioned judge. in order to call onesself a homebrewer. A big FU to those places and people. I use the forums as a reference by searching if I have a question. Not all of the folks are bad apples many are GREAT,GREAT brewers and people who want to help and let others become successful. Just take your time and make beer. The more you make, the more you can share with your buddy's and then you can experiment with different styles and ingredients.

Homebrewing can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. Example: I began making liquid malt kits in 1992. Then moved to all-grain brewing buying 100lb of base malts at a time. I used to yeast ranch, meaning I would collect/harvet my yeast after a batch. Then when another batch required the use of that yeast I would take a small amount and step it up until I had a 2Lt yeast slurry to pitch using stir plates and sterialized wort. I was moving up to buying slants and using agar plates until I relocated. I have the capability of fermenting in controlled temps close to 25 gallons at one time. I stopped bottling and went to kegging and I had at one time 25-5gallon kegs and 2- 3 gallon kegs. I've sold a few of my kegs to fund some projects and I have gotten away from the hobby for various reason.

A note on using aluminum pots: The first time you scrub them to clean them, fill them with water and bring it up to boil for a few minutes. The reason is the water will oxidize the aluminum and prevent mettalic off-flavors from leachinginto your wort. Wort is acidic and will leach the metal if it isn't oxidized. If the metal is shiny inside that is no good, grey inside you are good-to-go. When you use the pot and are done boiling your wort just use a wet soapy rag to gently wash the inside. If you need to scub our beer stone then just let it oxodize again and your off.
Link Posted: 11/14/2014 7:29:09 PM EDT
[#13]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
If you can afford to go with the largest boil pot you can afford first. Full batch boils will greatly improve your brewing, but you do not need to to get going. To brew on the cheap you can buy an unhopped liquid or dry malt extract kit. I say unhopped as the hop additions are stale and pellet hops will greatly improve the brew. Throw away the yeast pack in the kit and order a pack of 05 Saf-Ale or the like.

Buy a 6 gallon plactic bucket with spigot and an airlock. The airlocks that disassemble are best but you can get by with the Z shaped bubbler these tend to clog and if they do you will be cleaning your ceiling. Keep a few feet of 1" tubing handy to use as a blowoff tube if you have a very vigorous ferment. Liquid malt kits normally don't, but if you get a dry malt extract you may.

While you are waiting for your kit to arrive start drinking some Sam Adams or Serria Nevada or any other decent beer that you can re-cap. Twist-offs wont work for homebrewing. If you know a homebrewer ask to borrow their crown capper, the wing cappers work but they suck. Buy a spring loaded bottling wand you will thank me later. When I started brewing in 92 I began to buy a 2 pack of Grolsch every beer buying session. Eventually I had enough to bottle 2 5 gallon batches of beer. The beer was good and the filp-top bottles were free=no crown caps!

Pay attention to sanitation first and foremost. wash and sanitize thoughly. You can use bleach but you have to let it dry. May homebrewers use Iodine or Star-San each have drawbacks but you do not have to wait for it to dry, you decide.

It is pretty easy. Worst case scenario you will make beer! Don't worry, relax and have a homebrew!
View Quote


Agree with the NB starter kits and using NB, they're my go to supplier for brewing stuff.

I also agree with fas above about getting a full size brewing pot ASAP.  One way to do that is to find and join a local brew club.  Here's one list for SD:  SD brewing clubs

The good thing about brew clubs is that members are always selling stuff.  In my case, a member was selling a 10 gallon brew pot because he started doing 15 gallon brews in his modified 15 gallon keg.  I bought his used brew pot for about half or less of new price.  I'm drinking a mix of my version of Skeeter Pee and a Corona right now as I speak.  Three of those and I'm good for the day!

Good luck!
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