Homebrew - What do I have?

So with the stuff I have now, is this all the equipment I need for all grain brew? Is there different equipment for extract brew because I think that is where I want to start. I have a full schedule of classes and would like to do all grain someday when I can spend more time with it but would like to start simpler as of right now.

 

What will you use for a fermentation vessel?

 

Or is it straight up bottle conditioned all the way?

 

Truth... The group I brew with tried to make a "American Lager" (smh..) to replicate a miller/bud/coors. No one got close. Very difficult.

I make a jalepeno beer that everyone seems to like. It's probably the beer I've brewed the most. Despite taking detailed notes each time, and following my previous steps as close as possible, I have yet to be able to get it consistent batch to batch... It's never bad, but never the same...

 

Such is the plight of the home brewer! Oh well, I guess you'll just have to keep drinking all that lovely, albeit inconsistent beer...

 

You have everything you need there for Extract. Except maybe a chiller, I didn't see a chiller in the pics..

The cool thing about brewing is you don't need the top of the line stuff to make good beer..

 

I guess I need to buy one of those glass containers right?

I was looking at a kit like this

$108 Home Brew Ohio Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 gal Glass Carboy

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Brew-Home-Brewing-K6/dp/B01467U8KY but it looks like I have most the stuff as long as I clean the shit out of it.

 

Gonna need a 2.5+ gallon pot to boil in for extract, 6+ for all grain if you doing 5 gallon batch.

 

You don't need to clean the mash tun or kettle really.. Well, get it clean, but it doesn't need to be sterile.

As for fermenters, a glass carboy is easy to clean, but harder to handle (and can be dangerous if it breaks). I see a lot of people going with plastic better-bottles it seems. Check out northernbrewer.com.

 

Okay cool! I would like to buy minimal amount of things at the moment but if I buy the stuff now, I can really get into home brewing after college and get good at it! So I guess it would be a good investment to get my own things...

 

Don't worry about having all your own equipment yet. It takes up space, and is a pain to move around. Just stick with the minimalist approach until you have your own place and plan to live there a while. Then you can start getting into a permanent setup using cut-open kegs for mash tun and boiler, get a proper fermentation vessel, copper heat exchanger, kegs and co2 tank.....

For now, buckets n bottles my friend. Buckets and bottles

 

I personally hate those plastic pressure valves you have (what you referred to as "two plastic things"). With a good ferment, they tend to blow off the top and cause a huge mess.

Spend ~$10 at Lowes for ~4feet of tubing, a rubber stopper that fits your glass vessel and has a hole which fits the tubing, and run the tubing into an empty bottle full of water. Keeps it all air tight and if you get a good ferment going it wont blow the top off.

 

Good advise here. Take the cover off your airlock and the loose middle piece and stick the hose onto the stem in the middle. No need to buy another stopper

 

I glanced quick but it looks like you have all of the gear except some sort chiller. Ice baths are probably your best bet first time out.

I recommend all new brewers use a pre made ingredient kit. You don't need to worry about measuring and recipe creation at this point. A kit will give you a very good beer just by following the directions. You need to experience the process. Kits are available at your local brew shops(check the dates) or on line at good prices.

Also get yourself a sanitizer. My general choice is starsan.

Most of all have fun

 

Thanks everyone! I ended up getting this kit

$108 Home Brew Ohio Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 gal Glass Carboy

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Brew-...=UTF8&qid=1455727105&sr=8-6&keywords=beer+kit

I figured that I will probably still want to brew after this class is over and might as well buy my own. Also the kit I am borrowing did not have lids for the containers, floating thermometer, sanitizer, and some other little things. When I went to the local homebrew store it cost my about $40 for all that and what was I going to do with all that stuff when I had to return the kit? Might as well buy my own.

Gonna clean it today and start brewing as well!

 

and in a few weeks....

 

That's great man, I hope that you find brewing enjoyable and continue to brew for many years! I think you made a wise choice in getting an entry level kit that you can use and reuse. Maybe one day you'll go for a bigger brew setup, but for now you're golden.

 

How did it go? Did the beer taste good?

 

^^^x2