Getting Started - Ideal first set up

I am wanting to get into homebrewing, and I'm wanting to do it right. There isn't a recent thread about getting started and equipment so I'm hoping this serves as a place for newbies to ask questions and get experience from people who have been doing this for awhile.

I currently have clearance to spend $1,000 with a potential to be able to spend more but it will have to come with a legitimate reason.

I've been doing a lot of research over the last few weeks on how to homebrew, equipment, extract vs all grain, etc.

My hopes in the future are to actually become a brewer. Because of this I'm really not in the mood to buy cheap ass entry level equipment that will get two uses before it's tossed and replaced with something better.

Buy once, cry once.

For those of you who have been doing this for awhile, what recommendations do you have in terms of kits and equipment, as well as things that cost money but are worth it to make the brewing process easier?

My research initially brought me to this kit from Northern Brewer:
https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/premium-craft-brewery-in-a-box-beer-making-starter-kit

This seems like a great first time set up and honestly isn't a bad deal when you can add a burner and a new keg set up for $556.

However I am not interested in bottling. I will keg right off the bat (because that's the only right way to do it ). So this kit has useless items in it for me.

I also asked myself how many extract kits I would do before I moved onto all grain. Honest guess, maybe 2.

So my research brought me to this kit:
https://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-All-Grain-Kit-Upgrade-7-with-NEW-keg-_p_1755.html

With some of those nice upgrades they offer, the price of this kit is $586.

I think the one thing I need to add to it is a burner. It also only comes with one insulated container for the mash ton and it looks like a kettle fermenter instead of a carboy (is there a preference?)

Both these kits leave some money for some little extras in equipment and some money for me to create a fermentation chamber in my garage with a chest freezer and get a utility sink set up I also have to convert my current fridge to a kegerator (but that's the cost of a drill bit and a faucet).

I'm looking for some guidance from folks who have been doing this awhile and can either encourage me to create my own system or lead me towards the most cost effective kit that will start my homebrew journey.

I honestly think I'm going to stick with 5 barrel batches for awhile. Largest reason being is I think I will get bored with certain brews quickly and will be eager to keep brewing new things. So I probably don't need to be looking at too much equipment for larger batches.

What is your favorite equipment? Why?

What equipment to you is the most important to not skimp on quality and price?

What do you wish you had done when you first started?

What advice do you have for people first starting?

The thing I find most intimidating about the brew process is how tedious it is. I'm not a detail oriented person. So I'm looking for a set up that makes the process smoother, easier, and as a result, more fun to learn.

***Also if any one here is a brewer, please identify yourself. I'd love to pick someone's brain about how they became a brewer and how their career developed.

 

Both of those kits are ok and like you pointed out with the first one, you don't plan on bottling so it has some 'useless' items (like the bottle capper). The boil kettle in the first kit you listed is a really, really good kettle; the second kits kettles don't look as nice but will probably get the job done. As far as fermenters go, buy once/cry once, get a nice stainless steel conical fermenter, ideally with a glycol hookup to control fermentation temps but the buckets will work fine to get you started. Most conicals give you the option to re-use yeast which is key in commercial breweries. I think the mash tun (cooler) in the second kit should be a 10 gallon one, not the smaller five gallon one. A co-worker of mine that I got into homebrewing originally bought one of the "FastFerment" conical fermenters and doesn't use it anymore; it worked good but was awkward to move around and clean; now he uses plastic buckets and has a lot of success with them, plus they are cheap!

As far as doing some extract kits first? It's up to you but they are only a timesaver as compared to all grain brewing and you will more consistently hit your 'numbers'. IMO, all grain tastes like a real craft beer where the malt extract beers I've made all have a common "manufactured" taste. The boil isn't complicated since it's only timing of adding hops, clarifiers, etc. I use the Beersmith app on my phone for tracking recipe timing. Eventually you'll go all-grain and the first couple of batches may not be perfect until you realize your actual efficiency and adjust the settings in whatever app you use but most likely you'll end up with beer that is drinkable!

Pump: optional but can make the process less physical. You'll have to make sure it's thoroughly cleaned after each use. If you end up using a pump, look at the different types of connectors for the tubing, I think the best one for the homebrewer are the cam lock connectors. This looks like a decent connector kit: https://www.homebrewing.org/Transfer-Pump-Quick-Connect-Kit-Cam-Lock-_p_7742.html

Wort chiller: I have a homemade immersion one made out of copper tubing but I'm looking at the CUSS Brewing "TriCoil" next. Plate chillers are very fast but often are hard to clean so look at counterflow chillers if you aren't interested in immersion chillers, especially if you end up with a pump.

Fermenter: I have two plastic fermenters: a 6.5 gallon "Big Mouth Bubbler" and a 7.5 gallon Fermonster. The Big Mouth one has a valve in the bottom and the Fermonster doesn't so I have to use a siphon to transfer beer but not a big deal for me. Sometimes the valve in the Big Mouth leaks a little around the gasket but usually stops by itself. I like them both for different reasons. The newer plastic Big Mouth Bubbler have a crappy top that often pops off during fermentation but their glass ones don't do that; glass = heavier, something to think about. I have an old 5 gallon glass carboy but don't use it anymore. Before you think of buying a glass carboy, google "glass carboy breaking" - too much risk and I've heard stories of them just breaking while fermenting... Stainless steel conical fermenters are the best/longest lasting so it would be money well spent.

Here is an album of a few of the things I've mentioned: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1iXmoxyARJv2gPzd9

I felt any pre-made "equipment kits" will have some items you'll never use so I slowly got into it thinking (too much) on what I would need. At a minimum, for five gallon batches you will need:

• 10 gallon mash tun (w/false bottom)
• 5 gallon HLT (for storing hot 170 degree sparge water)
• mash paddle or long SS spoon for stirring the mash to make sure you break up any 'doughballs'
• Decent propane burner (I have a Blichtmann Hellfire, one of the best out there)
• Two propane tanks (that way when one runs out mid-boil, you can get the other hooked up and keep going).
• silicone tubing to move water/wort between vessels (I use gravity which means moving kettles/tuns around but you may want to look at a pump).
• If you end up with a pump, then connectors for the tubing
• 10 gallon SS brew kettle w/valve
• wort chiller
• Fermenter - for 5 gallon batches I would get one that can hold at least 6.5 gallons.
• miscellaneous stuff:
  • Specific Gravity measurement tool - the glass ones are most reliable but there are light refracting models too (I have both but trust the glass one).
  • Accurate instant read thermometer for measuring strike water temps, mash temps, etc.)
  • Large funnel and strainer - I use the strainer for catching hops and junk when transferring into the fermenter.
  • Cleaner (I use PBW but there are other options available)
  • Sanitizer (I use StarSan - very popular)
  • siphon and/or tubing for beer transfer into keg

Kegging:
You'll need some sort of kegerator; you mentioned converting a chest freezer into a kegerator (called KEEZER), and those give you a lot of options; people have done some really cool stuff with them, some you would never know there's a chest freezer underneath... I converted an old apartment refrigerator into my kegerator; I removed the inner door panel and replaced it with some insulation and luan and then after removing all of the shelves, I used some extra wood to build up the bottom area to hold three 1/6 kegs. Then I have glasses storage underneath the kegs.

I picked up most of my corny kegs used but clean for around $40-50 each. You'll need at least one CO2 tank and regulator; I think it's easier with two tanks and regulators: one for 'pushing' the beer in the kegerator and the other for "carbonating" freshly kegged beers. Then when one runs out, you have another ready to be used in it's place. I have two 5lb CO2 tanks and regulators but I've heard 20lb tanks are better bang for the buck when it comes to refills, but they do come with a larger upfront cost. Plan on 6 foot long beer lines to keep the beer from flowing too fast causing foamy fills. You'll also need a CO2 manifold if you're planning on running multiple kegs. And then you should have some way to clean the beer lines; I usually clean mine when changing kegs. I ended up with a small pond pump form Amazon and some silicone tubing to run BLC through the lines, ball connectors, faucets, shanks, all at the same time. Then rinse for a few minutes with water and I'm good to go.

There's a lot to bite off in one effort, which is why I slowly put everything I have together and I'm happy with it as it is (other than the wort chiller; I'm about to replace the homemade one with something better). If it's easier, DM me and I can give you my phone # to cover more talking then I can type. A lot of what I have above has alternatives, live instead of cooler mash tuns, you can do recirculating mashs...

Good luck and cheers!

 

Of a few more things you may need:

• Grain mill if you don't buy pre-milled grains
• Decently accurate scale for measuring small amounts of hops
• 2 liter Erlenmeyer flask (needed for liquid yeast starters)
• stir plate (cheap on Amazon) (needed for liquid yeast starters)

 

I appreciate you taking the time to write such a detailed response and provide pictures of your set up.

I think it's interesting that you just filter instead of vorlaufing. That's something my mind went to when I saw people going through all that work to vorlauf

So I take it you ferment inside your house?

I was thinking of using a chest freezer as a fermentation chamber and hook it up to a heater and some temp regulators. Eventually at least maybe not for batch #1 or #2. I just don't like the idea of beer being made in my house in case of spills or leaks.

 

Vorlaufing takes a little more time and I have the fine filter/funnel and thought I could just go through that into the kettle. The intent is preventing grain husks from getting into the boil. It cut a little time off my process and I haven't had any off flavors from it. If you do a recirculating mash, then you don't have to worry about that since the recirculation sets the grain bed as a natural filter.

[QUOTE="PackCon] I was thinking of using a chest freezer as a fermentation chamber and hook it up to a heater and some temp regulators. Eventually at least maybe not for batch #1 or #2. I just don't like the idea of beer being made in my house in case of spills or leaks.[/QUOTE]

I had planned on making a fermentation chamber of some sort since consistent batches would require consistent fermentation temps, plus it gives you the ability to make lagers. I may eventually make one, but for now I use my downstairs to ferment, and have a seedling heating pad that I use to raise temps to ~72 to squeak out any last activity. A friend of mine bought one of the Kegco kegerators which has controlled temp ranges from ~28 - 80 and he made a couple of REALLY GOOD lagers and pushed me thinking more of controlled fermentations. Another nice outcome with controlled fermentation temps is you can shorten the time and turn around finished beers faster. I've heard of some people going from grain to glass in seven days but it also depends on beer type.

I mentioned my two fermenters where one has a valve and the other doesn't; I prefer the one that doesn't since I don't have to worry about leaks...

FWIW, I have a typical brew day down to four hours for me, and that's from walking into the garage to start heating strike water and milling grains to wort in a fermenter and all equipment cleaned. I've been playing around on my last few batches with a 30 minute mash (look at Brulosophy.com) for a shorter mash time since most of the conversion is complete by 30 minutes, which can save a little more time.

Remember this with brewing: Saving time = more money spent. That is applied in all aspects of brewing from equipment to ingredients.