need help or advice for buying my first homebrewing kit

[guinness310]

good day.

i went to Morebeer.com to check out the brewing kits and really liked "personal brewery #4" but im not sure if its needed. they say the main difference is that your able to make beer the "full-boil method" does that mean anything? i dont mind paying the extra price if it means i won't have to upgrade for a good while and my beer will come out better; given i do the recipe right.

cheers.

[Rob DeNunzio]

If you're planning on boiling your wort on an outdoor cooker, you might as well splurge for the larger kettle, as you'll likely find yourself wanting to upgrade to a kettle that can handle 6 gallons at a rolling boil soon enough (and the addition of a wort chiller is a definite advantage over an ice bath). Boiling the full amount of wort you plan to ferment (rather than boiling a part and then adding water) will result in better color, better hop utilization, and is the only way to handle the sparge runoff if you decide to go all-grain. If, on the other hand, you're just thinking you're going to do your brewing on the stovetop and don't anticipate upgrading for a while, kit #3 sounds more appropriate. Personally, I'd vote for it.

[Ray Grace]

I started out with something akin to kit#1 along with a cheap 5 gallon kettle I found at Target. Mainly because I couldn't afford to spend the amount for #4. Besides everything Rob already said, if you think you're really going to get into homebrewing (and I don't know how you couldn't) , I'd go for it. I've, over the last couple of years, bought the larger kettle, extra carboys, etc... anyways and that is obviously the more expensive way to do it.

[Rob DeNunzio]

Just for continuity's sake, I'm going to add in this snippet of Q&A from the offline conversation we had about this, in case it helps anyone else make their own decisions about starter equipment purchasing:

1: what is the the sparge runoff in all-grain brewing?

When you brew using all malted grain (meaning no extracts, which is not what these kits are for), you'll be converting the starches from the malts and running off that liquid into your kettle, so you'll need a kettle that's big enough to catch all the liquid AND boil it (which usually increases its volume by around 25%). The act of rinsing the sugars off the grains is called sparging.

2: I will be starting out in my kitchen but i know myself well enough to know that i'll want to experiment with different methods and upgrades,so is #4 still appropriate?

Most people's kitchens wouldn't be able to accommodate an 8 gallon kettle on the stovetop. Unless you've got an excellent gas range with a very high hood and seamless grates on the burners (not to mention some serious brawn to heft the kettle up and down from the stove), you're likely going to want a smaller kettle and the partial-boil method. Since you're doing the brewing inside, you'll also probably opt for the "ice bath in the sink" cooling approach over the wort chiller, purely out of consideration of making a mess of your kitchen.

3: did you say that you would vote for #3 or #4?

It sounds like you're looking at #3. If you decide to upgrade to a dedicated outdoor setup, you'll still be able to use all the items in #3, and will also likely find use for the smaller kettle anyway (we use two kettles now for partial mash brewing and three for all-grain, so they do come in handy).

[guinness310]

Thanx alot for giving such informative advice Rob and Ray. I really appreciate it!

After talking it over with my mom, i've decided to boil my wort outdoors because she doesnt want me messing up her kitchen. plus she's in there almost everyday. So i've decided to go with #4. ill have to look for a cooker and was wondering if any of you had advice or knew a place online where i can get a good one to start with or what to look for in a cooker?

Also; ill probably be doing it im my garage and was wondering if there was anything that i should know about making beer in a garage as far as temperatures and such?


Cheers!

[Rob DeNunzio]

Craigslist is always a good source for an outdoor cooker, but barring that, something like this will most certainly fit the bill.

What's the temperature in the garage? Does it fluctuate much?

[Ray Grace]

I ferment in my garage and it works reasonably well. You do have to pay attention to temperatures, if we get really hot spells I won't brew or I'll choose styles like saisons where I want the fermentation temperature to get up there. As for actually brewing in the garage just make sure you have plenty of ventilation when using the outdoor cooker.