Best home brewing starter sets according to redditors

If you want the best general resource, How to Brew by John Palmer is the standard. Honestly, if you just want to see if it's for you or not, get a one-gallon kit and follow the directions. It might not give you the best beer on your first try, but it'll give you a pretty good idea of what it takes.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/platinum-pro-beer-brewing-starter-kit.html

or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0179ZH89Y?psc=1

The amazon costs more because it comes with an autosiphon, which you should definitely have

Both kits come with everything required to brew 5 gallons (40 to 50 bottles) of beer. Just need to buy bottles and you are good to go. It is the holiday season so odds are you may be able to find them even cheaper

Cool gift idea!

I'd say, first and foremost, that you aren't going to be able to kit out your boyfriend for homebrewing. There are too many styles for different types of equipment, and it gets very expensive... But a basic kit is good enough to brew just about anything, and it gives him the option to buy new items piece-by-piece as he outgrows the starter ones.

If you want to give him a good start in the hobby, get him 3 things:

1. A brewing starter kit
   
2. A good brewing book
   
3. A good beer kit
   
   For a starter kit, it looks something like one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Share-Enjoy-Homebrew-Brewing-Starter/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=sr_1_3
   
   You get a plastic bucket to ferment the beer, cleaning chemicals, hydrometer, bottles, bottle capper, siphon, etc. This should be perfectly adequate for him to brew beer dozens of times before he might want to start tweaking his equipment. The best part is you can replace individual parts of the kit any time you want - it makes it a very flexible upgrade path.
   
   
   For a starter book, it's How to Brew all the way. I'm pretty sure everyone in here owns a copy.
   
   
   For a starter kit, you can pick kits off Amazon. You should know there's 3 major types of beer recipe:
   
   
4. Pre-hopped extract kits. These are the beer kits you can buy in every grocery store. They're "fine", but my biggest complaint is that 90% of the work is already done for you, so brew day is almost boring.
   
   
5. Extract kits. (Get one of these). They include barley extract (usually in jars of thick syrup, but sometimes in dry powder form), hops to boil, and sometimes some extra things like specialty grains, spices, etc. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Blonde-Homebrew-Beer-Ingredient/dp/B00AC7Q4JW
   
   
6. All grain recipes. All grain brewing is the most hands-on you can get homebrewing, but it also requires some extra brewing equipment. The How to Brew book goes over it in great detail, and your boyfriend can decide if all grain brewing interests him.
   
   
   So, for all of these things, I gave Amazon links, but you don't have to buy them online at all. I'd strongly recommend looking up local homebrewing stores and just walking in. Most of my local shops are cheaper than shopping online, the staff are fun to talk to (because they really care about brewing), and it's nice to be able to examine some of the things before you buy them.
   
   Whether you shop locally of online, everything I listed above should come in at less than $150.

Literally a $25 kit on Amazon for brewing beer at home. You don't even need to be 21 to buy it.

Teenagers, by and large, are not getting marijuana, alcohol, or any other drug by growing, producing, or manufacturing them at home, despite the relative ease of doing so. Between the effort of the actual process, the effort of hiding it from their parents, the cost of setting up, and the delayed gratification, it's an extreme minority of kids doing stuff like this.

Legalizing and regulating is by far the most effective way to keep marijuana out of kids' hands.

This is a pretty good standard kit.

I used this for a hard root beer once. I used 2 TBSP/gal. A little goes a long way.

Dude extract is about as easy as it gets. Order a kit off amazon and follow the instructions.

The only special equipment you really need is a fermenting bucket, bottling bucket, some tubing, and a bottlecapper.

Edit: Midwest Supplies - Beer. Simply Beer. Starter Kit - Equipment for 5 Gallon Batches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3W4FR8

Monster Brew Home Brewing Supplies JI-JHQY-CYU0 True Brew Oktoberfest Home Brew Beer Ingredient Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SSFG7I

I bought it on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HFSCX9P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Premium-Gold-Homebrewing/dp/B001BCFUBU/

You should get this. Itd be cheaper than the stuff you pay for especially in the long run. Just a little bit of work to get a little over a liter of beer a day and if you get as many kits as what you would spend in a month you should be able to get enough kits for making a new batch of beer every week. With a little extra over the long run you could probably cut your cost by half if you try hard enough.

In the USA it looks like the cost of the equivalent of 10 liters would be about 10-25USD. It's probably going to be twice as much in australia looking at the costs of the components and how much is priced there. But the cost of 10 liters is anywhere from half to three quarters the cost of 9 liters.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Corona-Extra-Mexican-Import-Beer-24-pk-12-fl-oz-Bottles-4-6-ABV/10984551

Just searching up the first set and the instore price is usually lower.

I used this

I use an extract to make a pretty tasty Root-beer. The extracts vary a bit, so depending on the flavor of Root-beer you like, you may need to try a few different ones. The one I use is Hires Big H It has more of a vanilla taste where other extracts I've tried have more of an Black Licorice flavor. I use 5lbs of Beet Sugar, 1lb Honey, the extract above and 4oz Pure Vanilla extract
I heat about 4 gallons of water to 180, turn off the heat, dissolve the sugar, add the honey and extract. Cool with some ice bringing it up to about 5 gallon. I then put it into a keg with 4oz of pure vanilla extract. Hook up to my CO2 and carbonate.

Many people start with extract brewing and that's a great way to get your foot in the door and figure out if you want to continue.

I'm gonna recycle a reply I left on a similar post recently, I think it was a good, quick summary/overview of what you'll want to learn about and consider.

• Volume: How much beer do you want to make? You can make even just 1-gallon batches of beer, but that's only 6-8 bottles. If it takes 10-14 days to ferment your beer (pretty standard) and 2-3 weeks to bottle carbonate (also pretty standard) that's a long wait for a 6 pack. If you want to make more, you'll need a bigger pot (we call them kettles) than most people have in their kitchens (8 gallon minimum, though I recommend 10 because that gives you flexibility to do all-grain brewing if you want to).
  
• Equipment: You have options here but either route you take you're going to need some specialized equipment. You'll need a food-grade, airtight bucket to ferment your beer in. How are you going to get your beer into the bottles? You're going to need a bottling bucket (a food grade plastic bucket with a spigot at the bottom). Post-fermentation, there's a thick layer of sludge (fermentation by-product, called "trub") at the bottom of your beer and you won't want to bottle this. So you transfer the beer from the fermentation bucket to the bottling bucket. You'll want to do this using tubing to avoid exposing the beer to too much oxygen, which can negatively impact the flavor, and to avoid collecting the trub. You can use that same tubing attached to a bottling wand to bottle your beer. Additionally, you'll need an airlock and rubber stopper to plug the lid in your fermenting bucket to prevent bugs from getting into the beer. An airlock allows CO2 (which the yeast generates) to escape the fermentation bucket but doesn't allow any oxygen or other bugs to enter.
  
• Fermentation: in addition to needing a fermentation bucket (don't just use any bucket, you need something food-grade that has a lid with an airtight seal, and a hole in the lid for your airlock), you'll need someplace dark, cool and temperature stable to ferment. Unless you've got access to a cool basement, you'll likely need a fermentation chamber, such as a mini-fridge or something, to keep temps stable, esp during the summer. Temp control is very important in making beer as if it's too cold, the yeast will fall asleep and if it's too hot, the yeast will express off flavors (depending on the yeast, but mostly true).
  
• Packaging: You'll be bottling, as kegging is expensive and requires a lot of equipment. Bottling is cheaper but is also kind of a pain in the ass, especially when you're making 5-gallon batches (50+ bottles of beer). You'll need empty beer bottles, caps, a beer wand (that allows you to fill each bottle with ease and in a controlled manner) and a capper (a device that enables you to seal the caps to the bottle).
  
• Sanitization: This step is important at EVERY stage post-boil. You'll need something like StarSan to sanitize your buckets, tubing, caps, ANYTHING that touches the beer after the boil stage will need to be sanitized to avoid contamination.
  
  You have a couple of options to gear up. One option would be to pick up a brewing kit. I made a pic to explain what each item is in the beer kit. This is not an endorsement of that specific kit or brand, solely for educational purposes. With a kit, you get everything you need to start brewing and it's all brand new. The linked kit doesn't include bottles. You could find that kit or other kits at a local homebrew store and talk to people there who can help you on your brewing journey. The linked kit is by no means your only option - there are lots of kits out there. Whatever brand you consider, make sure it has the same components as the one I linked. You will need all that stuff.
  
  You can also check Craigslist. People leave the hobby on occasion and put all their gear up on Craigslist for a fraction of the price new. I got everything in that brewing kit above, plus bottles, for $25 on Craigslist from a guy in my area who had been brewing with his buddy, and when his buddy moved away he just didn't feel like going solo.
  
  Just a warning, if you're really into beer, this hobby is super addictive. I started Sept 2018 with the stuff I got off Craigslist brewing extracts in an aluminum pot on my stove and bottling -- and there is nothing wrong with doing this! You can make great beer from extracts. But I wanted to explore other styles and have more control over recipes. Dec 2018 I switched to all-grain (not using extracts). I now brew outside with a fancy brew kettle on a propane burner using all-grain recipes and then use kegs instead of bottling (yeah, we built a keezer). I love this hobby and there is really nothing as satisfying as drinking beer I made, sharing it with friends and family.
  
  If you do decide to give brewing a shot, I have one final piece of advice. Beer is a lot more flexible than people give it credit for. Even mistakes made during the process can be overcome. Giving the yeast more time to work or aging a beer can reverse or lessen the impact of a mistake. When something seems to be off, this is the advice we always give: Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew (RDWHAHB). It's practically scripture 'round here.
  
  Good luck and cheers!

For extract brewing, taking gravity readings is less important as you are guaranteed roughly the correct amount of sugars that the recipe plans for. It will mean you could theoretically run into a problem with a stalled/incomplete fermentation and not know it, but I have done dozens of extract batches without taking gravity readings and have never had it be an issue.

As far as priming, you can do one of three things:

1. Transfer to a separate container while avoiding transferring the yeast cake/trub at the bottom of your fermenter(typically a bottling bucket, but that may not be practical for a 1 gallon batch), boil the correct amount of sugar with water, and add before bottling. You definitely don't want to shake here (introducing oxygen after fermentation is BAD), but you do wanted it mixed evenly.
   
   
2. Use priming tablets. These are standardized sugar tablets that you add to your bottles while bottling. They don't give as much exact control, and for a 5 gallon batch wouldn't be very convenient, but for 1 gallon might be the easiest answer.
   
   
3. Use a priming calculator to figure out how much priming sugar you need, then use a liquid sugar (maple syrup/corn syrup/etc.) and add the correct amount to each bottle, similar to with the priming tabs. You would probably want to use a pipette as the you are probably somewhere in the range of 1/2 teaspoon or 2.5 mL per bottle.

https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Elite-Hydrometer-Kombucha-Hardcase/dp/B01CITP03W/

https://www.amazon.com/3-Piece-Airlock-Qty-5/dp/B007HCHXKO

https://www.amazon.com/Brewmaster-Brewcraft-Homebrew-Primary-Fermenter/dp/B07HFDSJNK

^^^ that is cheaper locally.

https://www.amazon.com/beautyfamily-Carboy-Making-Bottling-Equipment/dp/B00WK09TVE

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Brew-Ohio-Fermenter-Capacity/dp/B00KQN9OSK

https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-5478-6H-Auto-Siphon-Tubing-Clamp/dp/B00SDLLZDY/



^^ for 1 gal

https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-Regular-Siphon-Tubing-clear/dp/B07FZ4484B

^^ for 5 gal

https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Loaded-Beer-Bottle-Filler/dp/B07JDFDXV9

https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B0064O7YFA-San-32/dp/B0064O7YFA

>When I thought it was finished fermenting I bottled it.

"Nothing in this world can you trust. Not sight, not experience, not intuition... This you can trust." - Conan the Brewbarian

Amazon has this for $100. It’s what I bought for my starter and still use almost all of the equipment.

Brew. Share. Enjoy. Homebrew 5 Gallon Beer Brewing Starter Kit with Block Party Amber Ale Beer Recipe Kit and Brew Kettle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_jifeAbQX8JP6A

The book How to Brew it's a great place to start doing some research. It's like the home brewer's Bible. There are also a lot of free resources online like discussion boards and how-to guides.

When you're ready to purchase a kit, [Northern Brewer] (http://www.northernbrewer.com/) and Midwest Supplies are both great retailers. I would recommend signing up for their mailing lists as they will often have starter kits on sale.

I would recommend staying away from the cheaper Mr. Beer kits. It can be a cheaper, easier option but it's like the easy-bake oven version of homebrewing. You'll make beer, sure, but you won't learn as much using these kits and there's little room for customization/upgrading if you decide to get more into it.

On Black Friday, both retailers that I mentioned always have starter kits on sale. I've gotten brewing equipment and 2 recipe kits for less than $100. That's enough to make roughly 100 bottles of beer for less than $1/bottle. You don't have to buy bottles, just save used ones, (no screw-offs) rinse them out, and you'll be able to fill and re-cap them.

Finally, when brewing, sanitize everything. The quickest way to ruin a batch of beer is improper sanitation.

Cheers.

This is a good starting point for the tools. Mead at its' core is just honey, water, and some yeast (I'd recommend Lalvin-D47 or EC-1118). If you have any other questions, PM me!

I live in San Francisco and our best local brewcraft store is SF Brewcraft, http://www.sanfranciscobrewcraft.com/. The guys there are super knowledgable. They have several beginner kits, all 5 gallon. There are 3 different options of 2 plastic fermenters, 1 plastic and 1 glass, and 2 glass. I'd suggest going with this one: http://www.sanfranciscobrewcraft.com/product_p/eq101.htm

I got the plastic/glass combo a while back and that was how I got started. You can tell them which kind of beer you want and they'll make recipe recommendations and include everything you need for it.

There are smaller kits on Amazon and other places like MoreBeer if you don't want to go with a full 5 gallon setup.

5 gallon batches is about the biggest you can do on a normal stove top in a kitchen. Any bigger and you can't get enough heat to bring that much water to boil. If you don't have a lot of space in your kitchen, that might also be a reason to go with a smaller kit.

So the kit I recommended is great to get started. In reality, it comes with two plastic fermenter buckets but you only need one for beer these days. The instructions will indicate a traditional two-step fermentation process, but you'll have 2 which is great if you decide to do double batches.

You've GOT to have a pot. If you're doing 5 gallon batches, you need at least a 6 gallon pot with a lid. If you're doing smaller 1-2 gallon batches, you can use a smaller pot. A regular pot is fine, but spending a little more on a kettle that has a thermometer and ball valve is hugely helpful.

Ok but back to specific recommendations since that's what you need:

5 gallon batch recommendations

1. http://www.sanfranciscobrewcraft.com/product_p/eq101.htm. Tell them you want an IPA recipe when you order it.
   
   
2. A pot like this is preferred http://www.amazon.com/HomeBrewStuff-Stainless-Home-Brew-Thermometer/dp/B00JDVPCKU/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1415488286&sr=1-3&keywords=beer+kettle or this is ok http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Kettle-Welded-Thermometer-Bazooka/dp/B00IT5LTCQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1415488366&sr=1-2&keywords=beer+kettle
   
   1-2 gallon batch recommendations
   
   I haven't tried these kits, but they seem to fully be what you need.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Beer-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1415488462&sr=8-6&keywords=homebrew+kit
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Monster-Bookshelf-Brewery-Amber/dp/B00AKIUIEU/ref=sr_1_10?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1415488614&sr=1-10&keywords=homebrew+kit
   
   You will need bottles:
   http://www.amazon.com/12oz-Amber-long-neck-bottles/dp/B003X4BO64/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415488782&sr=8-2&keywords=beer+bottles
   
   5 gallons of beer will fill about 48 bottles. Get 2 boxes of bottles. 1-2 gallons, get 1 box.
   
   You will need bottle caps. If you buy from the kit I recommended from SF Brewcraft, caps are included. But if you don't, make sure you get them or that they come in your kit. http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Colored-Polished-Bottle-approximately/dp/B002W2E99C/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1415489000&sr=8-9&keywords=colored+bottle+caps
   
   
   Hope this helps.

Amazon has a fermenting container that's 1.5 gallons. That way when you rack off into a 1 gallon carboy you'll actually have a gallon of mead. It's only 3 dollars more.

Prolly need to buy an airlock set to go with it tho.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HFSCX9P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_kg1wCbCHC7E2Q

http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-DELUXE-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B00AC55H24/

Basic chemical nutrient mixes are fairly cheap, but you can also use things like tomato paste or fruit purees. Some people use raisins, but everything I've read says that they make really mediocre nutrients. Probably still better than nothing.

Distillation isn't practical for me, so I haven't experimented with turbo yeast/high ABV hooch, but if you're determined to hit maximum ABV you might need some equipment to aerate your brew. This page has some info about the science behind aeration from a beer brewing perspective.

Whatever you decide to try, take before and after readings with your hygrometer and let us know how it comes out!

Is it the coopers kit? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QCXWSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Jbw8CbDNNJSJR

The necessities he needs for making his first batch of mead:

Required: 1. A carboy for fermenting and aging it in. I would highly recommend glass for his first one as it’s easy to sanitize and clear so you can see what the mead is doing. a one gallon carboy is usually most people’s first.

Basically required: 2. An air lock and carboy bung to keep the carboy air tight while fermenting and aging I’d suggest the standard PLASTIC ‘S’ shaped one piece air lock although it’s all down to personal preference. Glass will inevitably roll off the counter top and shatter just like 2 of my hydrometers and test jars did... lol I use a #6.5 bung for my standard 1 gallon carboys that I started with.

Required: 3. A good strain of yeast specifically meant for brewing. (Keep the bread yeast to sourdough where it works much better for) I found my preferred strain very early on as I use an ale yeast but you can’t really go wrong with premier blanc wine yeast. The wiki on this sub has a lot of info on that.

HIGHLY recommended: 4. A hydrometer and test jar. Most people don’t use one for their first batch but my guess is that he’s going to really enjoy it and end up making more batches so having a hydrometer is very important. It allows you to make sure your mead is done fermenting and allows you to know your alcohol content.

HIGHLY recommended: 5. Yeast nutrient. If yeast has a rough fermentation. The mead will taste like rocket fuel for the first 4 months. Proper nutrients will allow the yeast to have a healthy ferment and to drink it much quicker. (Pretty cheap in small amounts)

HIGHLY recommended: 6. Starsan sanitizer. I’d personally consider this an Absolute necessity. You can do your best to clean things with dawn dish soap but it won’t entirely clean things and if things get contaminated it could take all your hard work and ruin the batch.

Required: 7. A silicone hose to siphon out the mead and get it off the funky yeast at the bottom. I’d recommend a clear one as it helps to see where the stuff is at in the tube.

Hope this helps.

If my fellow mead men could correct this or add to this I’d appreciate it.

Edit: this kit on amazon has pretty much everything and the price is pretty good honestly.


Homebrewstuff One Gallon Nano-Meadery Mead Starter Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICTNLGG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_c1k0DbD3YAD6G

It doesn’t have a test jar for the hydrometer though but you can find a plastic one pretty cheap.

Yeah, I can understand how the folks that make money off it are going to be a lot better at cost management, I'm just hoping to get close.

Side question. Are there real health hazards for brewing at home?

I was given a yeasty bread that had gone stale a few months ago and followed some online guide to make beer from bread. Pretty sure it fermented and it got a little bubbly, but I never cooked it, just soaked it for several days, added some honey and raisins, let it sit for a week, and then tried it. It wasn't good.

Based on a few threads I've read here, I was expecting that, but wondered if I was risking my health with that method or a more proper method like you mentioned.

I picked up the Irish Stout version of this kit the other day on meh cuz it was only $25 to try it out.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005O68L/ref=twister_B010AZER9Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Wanted to see a simple process in effect, though I think it's quite a small batch to be a real supply source.

Unless everything is not shown in the image, I'll say that I got all of that stuff, minus the pot, for about $100. That makes the pot itself come in at $299, which is a bit pricey.

I mean, I believe this kit has everything there (except the pot), shipped, for less than $100

http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Beer-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B006J336US

And then you can get a 10 gallon SS pot, with fittings, for about $220.

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-Gallon-Stainless-Kettle/dp/B009SKU4PE

Of course, if I were to get stuff together for all-grain (which I have) I would also get an insulated cooler for a mash tun, rather than rely on the kettle itself. Those run about $100-$150.

I brewed my first batch this weekend! I used the Mr. Beer brewing system for simplicity and because I want to make small batches (2 gallon) with the least mess possible. (We've all gotta start somewhere!)

I've read that the included beers aren't much to speak about, but I wanted to get the process down. I look forward to using this subreddit for help as I work my way up to better and more complicated brews!

You definitely can, although it's much easier to start with a kit. Also keep in mind that used plastics (fermentation bucket, bottling tools) can sometimes house an infection if they weren't taken care of properly, so it's safer to buy those new. I got this kit and I still use most of the same equipment 1 year in...

Only thing you'll need here is a thermometer and some bottles.

i'd guess you priming caps

https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Conditioning-Tablets-Count/dp/B006O2D9RE/

Background

Based upon my initial question: Is it wine or meed?, I am working on my first Mead/Pyment. I've taken the original recipe I cobbled together from a variety of sources.

Is it mead? Well yes. According to the calculators in the sidebar concord juice is about 8.89% sugar. Honey is roughly 80%. I'm no math wiz, but I fussed with both Google and Wolframalpha and 8.89% of two gallons is roughly 45 Tablespoons or 0.23 pounds of sugars, 1 Gallon of Honey is roughly equivalent to 204 tablespoons of sugars or 7.9 pounds of sugars. yes I know Different types of sugars, etc. etc. But the mixture here is getting much more than 51% of the sugars from honey, so: 'tis a Wine -> Mead -> Melomel -> Pyment.


The following is an expansion of The GotMead format for recipes.

1. Ingredients
   
   • Star-San - not technically an ingredient, but it's for sterilization. I think of it as an anti-ingredient keeping the bad bugs out. (Sprayer use= 1/4 tsp to 650ml water & 60 second exposure)
     
   • 1.5 Gallons of boiled tap water (more or less to make things work out.) NOTE: I have well water, not city water - so no chlorine & plenty of minerals.
     
   • ~2 Gallons of homemade concord grape juice. (SG 1.060)
     Last year I pressed about about six gallons of grape juice from concords of my own. I was going to make jelly in the winter and froze it in the deep freeze.
     
   • 10lbs (now 15lbs) of Pure N Simple Honey.
     
   • ~3 tsp Fermax from Amazon.
     
   • Red Star Premier Blanc [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00434CB74)
     
     
2. Equipment
   
   • Large Stainless stock pot (for initial boil)
     
   • 5 Gallon food grade bucket & Lid sterilized.
     
   • 4 Gallon Sams club water bottle playing the role of carboy.
     
   • Hydrometer
     
   • Transfer hose
     
   • Water lock/ Bubbler
     
     
3. Preparation
   
   • Thaw the grape juice overnight in the fridge in a large container in case of leakage.
     
   • Sterilization/pasteurization.
     Thinking through the volume of Honey (~1 gallon) and aiming for a 4 gallon carboy; bring 1.5 gallon of water to a boil. Turn off heat, add the grape juice in order to pasteurize the juice without setting the pectin, stir in about 10-12 pounds of honey. (remove any scum that forms)
     
   • Sanitize the bucket and lid, and stirring spoon.
     
   • Stir vigorously as you add the ingredients.
     
   • add to the bucket, check the temperature and the SG - calculate remaining honey or water and add as needed. Stir till mixed, or your arm falls off - whichever comes first.
     
   • Check the temperature until it is at least down to about 80 degrees then add the yeast we're off to primary fermentation.
     
     
4. Primary fermentation.
   
   • 5 gallon sterilized bucket & lid with airlock.
     
   • Actual Original Specific Gravity (OG): 1.130 (I thought it was 1.122 but the must was still quite warm.)
     
   • I will plan on testing as fermentation tapers off and make a decision then on adding additional honey and warm water (carefully of course) in order to restart fermentation. (adjust to desired SG as needed).
     
   • Once fermentation has stopped transfer it to the secondary.
     
     
5. Secondary.
   
   • 4 gallon sams club water jug (plastic) with airlock.
     
   • Saved my honey jugs just in case I had any left over that wouldn't fit in the carboy.
     
   • Time. Lots of time.
     
     Notes:
     
     9/13/16 Initial. Retested SG, it was at 1.130.
     
     9/15/16 Sterilized a large spoon and vigerously stirred to aerate. SG at 1.074, fermentation is fast and furious.
     
     9/16/16 Aerated/degassed. 3tsp fermax. SG 1.050
     
     9/16/16 Aerated/degassed. SG 1.026
     
     9/21/16 Racking Day. SG 0.998 (ABV 18%?). Upon racking there was not quite enough in the carboy. After staring at it for twenty minutes I decided to gamble and added one gallon of water, and 5LBS of honey to bring it up to just below the base of the neck. Retesting the SG was 1.030. It is currently sitting inside a 5 gallon bucket in my bathroom, I'll transfer it to the closet as soon as I'm reasonably certain it won't go Mt. St. Helens on my wardrobe.
     
     

Hello world.

When I don't know what to get someone, I usually go over to mysubscriptionaddiction.com and find a nice monthly subscription box they'd like. There are monthly beer clubs, to fancy foods, and the infamous dollar shave club.


As for something on amazon, me and my boyfriend loved the Mr. Beer Kit. Me and my gal friend each got our boyfriends one of these for Christmas, and we all took a day out to brew beer together. The best part is making custom, inside joke labels with these clear label wraps and then sharing them with friends. Health/Mana Potion and Molotov Cocktail labels are always good for game night.

If beer isn't your thing, there's a wine version and a [cider version](http://amzn.com/B00I5R7MR4
). And if you're living sober, then I'm an ass and enjoy your anniversary! Congratulations. :)

In terms of equipment, I started all grain right from the start, thanks to this kit: https://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Shop-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485457723&sr=8-1&keywords=brooklyn+brew+shop

No need to buy this kit, you seem to already have most things contained in the kit. My point is that you can read the kit's content description and also other pieces of equipment not contained in the kit. You could compare with what you have now, and convince yourself you already [almost?] have all you need.

The only thing I see you don't have and might need are: strainer, funnel & thermomether.

Moreover, notice in the link to the kit above, only 1 carboy is provided: you can brew great beer without the need of "racking" to secondary; simply leave it in primary (for the same time as you normaly would with both 1st + 2nd fermenters...). Though having a 2nd carboy is cool and you can brew bigger volumes or even 2 batches in parallel.

Hope this clarifies/inspires you :-)

Happy brewing

PS: here are the instructions that come with the kit: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/directions/Brooklyn_Brew_Shop_Everyday_IPA_Instructions_.pdf

Two weeks is a little quick; I find it usually takes 3 and sometimes 4 weeks for full carbonation to develop.

So,

First, let your bottles sit is 65-75F environment for another two weeks and see if it doesn't improve.

Second, if they are the same after two weeks, consider using Conditioning Tablets. Because you have some carbonation, you don't want to get the big ones designed for full carbonation of a 12 oz beer, but the ones I have linked to, which use from 3 to 5 depending on carbonation level desired. You can remove the caps, drop in a one or two tablets, and recap. Wait another two or three weeks and see if that doesn't do it for you.

Finally, don't pour the sugar directly into your beer, but, rather, dissolve it in about a cup of water and boil it to be sure it is all dissolved. No need to cool, you can pour this directly into your beer as the volume of beer is so much greater than the boiling sugar solution, it won't hurt anything. I typically will pour my boiled sugar solution into a bottling bucket and siphon my beer on top of it to be sure the sugar mixes well. You may have to give your beer a gentle stir with a sanitized spoon to make sure they sugar is well distributed throughout the beer before you start to bottle.

An old trick I heard of years ago was to bottle one or two beers in clean and sanitized soda bottles (they also make brown 16 oz PET bottles for this purpose). As the beer carbonates, the bottle will get hard, and you can better judge the carbonation level as time progresses.

Make a beer

Open the beer!


I hope you find him something really great!

50$ isn't too bad of a budget! There have been times when I was extremely financially strapped that I had 50$ to spend on ALL of my christmas gifts together (talking parents, sibling, bf, in-laws, aunts, uncle, bff) - and everyone liked what they got. Just don't worry about the price tag, go for the value! :)

One thing that popped to my mind when you mentioned that he's into eating and drinking (ice cold water in 100°+), is a beer brewing kit.
Here's one with great reviews for $29. And [here's another one for $50.] (https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Premium-Homebrewing-Making/dp/B001BCFUBU)
I'd take the cheaper one, given the reviews. It will make for a great memory (aka value) and you could add something smaller with it (e.g. voucher groceries for a BBQ/Burger/Steak night, to be used once the beer is ready).

If you think he's not going to like that, let me know, and I'll try to think of something else! :)

Oh my Zazzle! Thanks for the contest! <3

Now that he's graduated... maybe time for a new hobby, like homebrewery? Congrats to him, by the way!

I'd love some artwork... a bit overwhelmed by the bazillion choices, but so far, I love this!

Mead is VERY forgiving, far more so than beer or wine. As has been suggested, JAOM is a great "toss it in and walk away" recipe, but almost any recipe will work for a beginner, even if it's done a bit off.

Things to remember:

Don't use bleach to sanitize, it's fucking hard to get completely out, and can render a batch unusable. I prefer IO Star to Star San as it doesn't foam up when you scrub the shit out of stuff with it, and it's easier to completely rinse.

Mead needs separate nutrient, it is quite cheap on Amazon you should also add Energizer perodically (once every other day for the first week and once a week for the next month) to prevent things from getting stuck along the way. A good guide on how/when to add fruit and how to perform step feeding, which produces the tastiest results, can be found HERE.

Wine Tannin can help to make your flavors "pop" and come out more brightly, add around 3 grams to a 5 gallon batch in primary.

Also, don't let things ferment in too warm a space, the place I ferment in is a steady 69 degrees, if you let it go too warm, you might end up with weird alcohols getting created, and your brew providing a headache along with a buzz.


Lastly, if you've decide you're going to get into brewing, don't go the carboy/bucket route. For a little bit more money (like $40 more than everything else combined), you can get a MUCH better/easier and compact solution. A conical eliminates the need to rack from one container into another (has a bottom drain to suck out yeast cake) it has a side drain to bottle from (I plug this into my filter pump and bottle right from there) is MUCH more compact then separate bucket/carboy & racking canes, and is a lot easier to clean because the hole in the top is like 6 inches across, plenty big enough for a hand and a scrubby sponge as opposed to the tiny 2" opening in a carboy (which are a bitch to clean).

Also, the supplier in this link (highgravitybrew.com) doesn't charge for shipping for these conicals, it seems like everyone else who sells them does even though they're all drop shipped from the factory regardless from whom you get it.

This would be fun

Frogg togg chilly pad on my $5- $15 list would be for my hubby!

It was from this starter kit came with the handy thermometer.

Kombucha Brewing Kit with Organic Kombucha Scoby. Includes Glass Brew Jar, Organic Kombucha Loose Leaf Tea, Temperature Gauge, Organic Sugar and More! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LW7OR4A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_mD157rctqOHua

ungrinch!

What about something like a Home Brewing Craft Beer Kit? Sounds like something fun you'd both enjoy doing together!

As for contest worthy... Ummmm, I assembled my own Halloween costume (late, I know, but I wasn't active on RAoA until recently! :( ) this year and am pretty proud of how it turned out/how all the pieces came together. n_n

This brewing kit comes with plastic-capped bottles intended for 2F and reuse. So depending on how stout your bottles and caps are...

As far as venting during 2F, I wouldn't. Once the bottles are super-firm to the squeeze, they are fully carbonated. Time to get them into the fridge to halt 2F and prevent ruptures.

Assuming you’re referring to this?

Does the tap being higher than the assumed level of the yeast make it so you don’t need to siphon? Would you run a risk of getting sediment into the other container by just pouring it from the spout?

Either way, for that price, I’m considering this too! Carboys are great, but a pain for stuffing fruit into.
*edit formatting is hard

I never used that yeast. Most people here use wine, champagne, or mead yeast like Lalvin 71B-1122 or EC-1118 or ICV D-47 - though people occasionally do use ale yeast.

You could probably get that kit stuff cheaper as /u/balathustrius said assuming you have a shop nearby. But there is something to be said for just pulling the trigger and getting it all in one go, and there's nothing wrong with that.


Personally I'd get the cheaper kit without the honey and just get 3lbs of honey locally or at the farm market or grocery store for my first go.


Even though the kit has some cleaner/sanitizer (never used that type) I'd probably order some StarSan instead of the honey.

edit: add some yeast nutrients like GoFerm and Fermaid K and you're good to go. You can make the mead without them but they are highly recommended, especially when using ONLY honey. The yeast need more than sugar, otherwise your fermentation will possibly just stall.

It's not, but I'd also suggest the Brooklyn Brew Shop 1 gallon kits: http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Beer-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG/

This beer making kit is awesome for a science loving beer drinker. The science behind making beer is awesome, and it's a pretty neat hobby to get into. This kit is a bit more deluxe.

Molecular gastronomy is also pretty awesome. Who wouldn't love combining chemistry and food? Here is a deluxe kit.

If he likes games, The Art of Science is a big hit.

This smart phone adapter can connect to microscopes and telescopes to make a viewing screen. These are super useful if he uses either of these pieces of equipment.

You can get the kit without the honey for $17 less. That means they're charging almost $6/lb for their honey. If you can get good honey cheaper locally, I'd buy this kit - trying to buy the individual components on Amazon would cost more like $45-50 so it's a decent deal.

Kits are the best way to learn the basics, cleaning/sterilise importance and fermenting process. Find other beer kits like the IPA linked below at $44 - 5 gallon.

Equipment wise (kit below comes with a block party amber?) the USA doesn't do a pressure barrel like the uk though I did find that norcal do a solution(see links below)

The total cost below is sub-$200 for your first 5 gallon/40pints and will provide you all the tools you need to produce multiple batches in future. This equipment can also be use to make wine and cider. You can also rack your beer to plastic 2ltr or 3ltr pop/soda bottle to age and to easily chill in the fridge.

https://www.amazon.com/Share-Enjoy-Homebrew-Brewing-Starter/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503185459&sr=8-1&keywords=homebrew+kit

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Fermenter-Spiedel-30-Liter-7.9-Gallon-Plastic.html

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Speidel-Ball-Lock-Gas-In-with-Pressure-Relief-Valve.html

https://www.amazon.com/HomeBrewing-Brewing-Recipe-Citra-Session/dp/B00WIGZJQO/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1503185696&sr=8-1&keywords=ipa+brewing+kit+5+gallon

Once you are confident then you can progress on to the more advanced brewing. Not something to jump straight into. The disheartening experience of your first bad/spoilt batch shouldn't put you off, some can even be saved!

Good luck in your brewing. (Personally I found wine a much more forgiving experience when learning to home brew)

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Premium-Brewing-Craft/dp/B00007G2IX/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449852334&sr=8-2&keywords=make+your+own+beer+kit

Hey there! I'm a beer-lover myself . . . and I've been enjoying homebrewing, which is very rewarding!

If you're interested in a more formal approach to beer tasting, you may want to add _Tasting Beer_ to your wishlist! I just finished reading it myself. It goes into much greater depth than I'll ever really experience, but it gives you a deep perspective on what the most serious beer-geeks and beer-snobs are doing when they take a sip, and it has seriously improved my own appreciation of the ancient beverage.

Also, if you're genuinely interested in homebrewing, in addition to the relatively affordable Mr. Beer (I haven't brewed with it, but I've tasted several people's results with it, and they've been consistently good) you may want to watch for the Groupon deal from Midwest Supplies. It's inactive now, but they do seem to keep bringing it back, and it's a very good deal for getting starting homebrew equipment.

Finally, I saw your discussion with AllOfTimeAndSpace about IPAs, and although I see it's not your favorite style, I thought I might recommend an IPA I tried recently that I thought was spectacularly good: Lawson's Double Sunshine IPA. I imagine it's hard to get outside of Vermont (though I'd be thrilled if I'm wrong, since I don't live there and just had it during a vacation), but it is one of the most delicious beers I've ever tried!

There's definitely more snobbery among wine lovers, but beer is easily as complex, varied, and interesting! Good beer goes great with all sorts of good food, and it's just as rewarding. Glad you're finding so much pleasure in it!

---

Haha! I see (having now actually looked at your wish list) that you have my two suggestions on it already. Good show!

I see you have a mash paddle in there, but I don't see a mash tun. Are you going to BIAB or use extract? Then I don't think you need the paddle.

Or do you already have a tun lying around?

If you want an even sweeter all-grain system, consider an extra pot - I'd get one a little oversized, maybe this 36-quart Bayou classic. Then use your smaller pot for hot liquor, and the big pot for boiling a full volume.

You're going to have a hard time boiling 5 gallons of wort in a 20-quart pot. At best I could fit 4.5 gallons in mine, and I had to be very careful for boilovers - I recommend Fermcap-S to help control the foam; 2 drops per gallon as you heat to a boil.

this seems like a fine one.

Absolute bare minimum you could just use a $3 5-gal bucket from home depot $4.50 food grade bucket from lowe's with a hole cut in the top to put in a $2 airlock with a rubber bung, $0.80 worth of plastic tubing to siphon into empty wine bottles, cork and enjoy.

To get you started

https://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Shop-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1480176808&sr=8-4&keywords=1+gallon+beer++kit

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Shift3-piece-Craft-Beer/dp/B00RKD0OYM/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1480176808&sr=8-15&keywords=1+gallon+beer++kit

These are the two kits i was given for christmas as few years ago and other than the bottles have everything the 75 dollar set has.

Pretty much any 5 gallon extract kit will be beginner friendly.

Your local brew shop should have a kit equivalent to this. You'll need that equipment, plus a 5 gallon stainless steel brew kettle, and any extract kit - there should be plenty to pick from there, so just go with whatever sounds good.

Definitely ask them about how to set up a blowoff hose also, that's something you want to learn early on before you accidentally make a huge mess, lol.

If you get a heat diffuser you can use the flask directly on an electric stovetop. This also sanitizes the flask. I highly recommend fermcap for yeast starters. It saves me time. Instead of watching for boilover for 30m I can go do other stuff.

i started with a brooklyn brew shop kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005G20IIG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495951927&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=brooklyn+brew+shop&dpPl=1&dpID=410e6JNicAL&ref=plSrch) only thing you need in addition are 2 1.5gal pots and some kind of sieve. worked well for me, brewed about 7 batches that way nd they were okay to very good.

This is the kit I recently purchased, and my first batch turned out great. I'm certain you could buy the individual components for cheaper, but this kit was pretty convenient.

Most people start with a gear-kit similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0179ZH89Y?keywords=northern%20brewer&qid=1449409004&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Other thing you need is Starsan, it's a no-rinse sanitizer, you COULD use bleach, but you need at least 5 minutes contact time with bleach, and then you have to rinse the equipment which could introduce new bacteria. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0064O7YFA?keywords=star%20san&qid=1449409431&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1)

Then you need to check out your LBHS for ingredient kits/ recipes.

I had great results with a starter kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. It's a fun time and you learn a lot about the process plus they have more beers available to brew on your own. Then you move on to getting the grain and hops yourself.

This is the exact kit I have without the carbonation drops and the faucet being white, I don't think there is any difference.
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Deluxe-Homebrewing-Making/dp/B00005O68L

Moral of the story, these Mr Beer kits are basically fool proof? You can fuck up as much as you want and the worst that will happen is it tastes like ass? Is there anything I need to watch out for? Also, how much would you say it takes to get a buzz for someone who doesn't drink often, does the alcohol % depend on the amount of sugar put in each bottle?

I nearly picked up a Cooper's Brewing Kit but I figured I could atleast sell a better setup if I flake. Working my way up to some Stouts and heavier ABV brewskis is my short term goal as I know I can manage it, then to custom recipes.

If I read that right, that brew is over a year old? Holy mess, how long can they typically last? I'll guess a while as long as there isn't bad temperature swings and no O2 presence?

I'm guessing you got this? How do you like it?

I have seen this beginners brewing kit on Amazon UK with everything I need for a good price the problem is this, it says that the 5 gallon boil pot is the equivalent of 18.5 litres BUT if you type into Google how many litres in 5 gallons it comes back with 23 litres my question is which is right?

I don't want to buy this to make a 23 litre batch of beer & later find out that the boil pot is too small to do so.

Here's the product in question if any of you wonderful people can help.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LUYIAbN52MW3R

Beer making kit It will take a little investment of time at first, but will become beneficial later.

Te paso la pagina de fermentado.com.mx, Soy de Mexico y la pagina tambien, pero me parece que hacen envios internacionales. El equipo no lo compre ahi pero si compro ahi los ingredientes, ademas el equipo es muy similar al que consegui yo (https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-RA-D1KL-DOQN-DELUXE-Equipment/dp/B00AC55H24/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473266170&sr=8-3&keywords=brewers+best)

Ese kit de amazon trae todo lo que necesitas para comenzar, solo te faltaria una olla grande. Te recomiendo una de acero inoxidable de 15 a 20 lts, las de aluminio tambien funcionan pero pueden dejar sabores en la cerveza. Esa olla la consegui en mi ciudad en una tienda de articulos para restaurantes.

The equipment kit I started with is http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-DELUXE-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B00AC55H24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407445654&sr=8-1&keywords=brewers+best it is everything but the pot and the bottles to get started.
Still using everything in the kit 2 years later.

Beer making kit ?

Well if you're using the same yeast nutrient I use you should have pitched about 2.5 tbs. My instructions said 1-1.5 teaspoons per gallon, and you started out with 3 teaspoons in five gallons (1.5 tsp up front, 1.5 tsp later, right?), so by my math you're still significantly lacking nutrients.

If you add more later do it slow and careful. Last time I tried to pitch additional nutrients was five days into the ferment and had a dissapointing crop of farts going on. I realized I'd done exactly what you did, only pitched 1.5 tsp of nutrients, popped the top and frantically dumped in an additional tablespoon. GUSH!

I am using this one Homebrewstuff One Gallon Nano-meadery Mead Starter Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICTNLGG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_E3XfAb3A357RE

I'm looking for a good beginner's homebrew kit for my SO. Does [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VZGaAbJEF3ETW) look good for a total noob? I know I will need to buy bottles, caps, and a thermometer separately.

I'd like to give him something that isn't too expensive just in case he doesn't like homebrewing, but also something that can be reused if he does end up enjoying it.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I can patiently wait for almost anything, but not if I am in traffic. Anyhow, because I can wait for things, I figure making my own beer would be awesome. This kit should help immensely.

Good luck and stay safe.

Edit: a word

I making my stepdad some spicy chili and getting him a six pack of beer. Also got him a brew kit and a nice book. I dunno if this helps

You can get a Mr. Beer for $30 from Amazon... But I hear they're kinda crappy...

Seems pretty reasonable. I got one of these for my birthday or something a few years ago. I've only used it twice since it's a bitch to clean the bottles without a dishwasher. Also, after doing some maths, the price per oz of their extracts (with shipping) ended up being about the same as any craft brew you could buy at the store but with less ABV. I kind of like the idea of a one time use thing.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/essential-brewing-starter-kit.html

$79.99 and includes everything you need minus bottles and a kettle. It even comes with an ingredient kit as well.

If you wanted to start off all-grain and 1-gallon, you can get the Brooklyn kit:

http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Beer-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG

If you want DIY, other people will have better suggestions. I prefer to make things as simple as possible on myself!

Yeah there are tons of other ones. Was just the first one I found. There is This one but it is like 50 bucks and wasn't sure if you would want to spend that much on it.

A Mr. Beer home brewing kit. I have one and love it.



For me... something off my kids list or the puppy list. There's gotta be something under $10 on one of those. :p

So reading through the comments, you don't want to give up on beer. Fair enough, we've all got a poison, right? I'd suggest home-brewing. Because the kit is at first, quite expensive - I got a kit that included a keg, sterilisation pills, tubes/equipment and a beer kit for about £70. It's everything you need to start home-brewing. So the upfront cost is expensive. Then I found I could brew roughly 40 pints of beer from a single £12-£15 beer kit. So instead of $2 for 500ml can, you're having $0.65 per 568ml. Plus the satisfaction you made it yourself, and of course you can change up the recipe (different sugars used etc) every batch.

If you can put a few dollars aside from your beer fund for the next few months, buy a kit and have a great time brewing. You can also use old beer bottles to bottle the new beer!

Just found this beer making kit on Amazon for $52.99, less than your monthly beer fund. Worth a shot!

http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Beer-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1405695980&sr=1-1&keywords=1+gallon+brew+kit

This is what got me started...

Hi, These 2 choices worked great for me after getting lots of advice.
Getting this kit that included the glass carbo as well was great because you get hardly any dregs in the finished bottles making it a better drinking experience.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008I3B0HS/ref=psdc_979839011_t4_B01N3W4FR8#feature-bullets-btf
And
the beer extract I used after it was recommended and I keep going back to https://www.amazon.com/Coopers-Australian-Homebrewing-Brewing-Extract/dp/B001D6MQ8E

Rather than sending it off, you can get a pretty good estimate of the alcohol yourself with a cheap hygrometer. The one that I use cost ~$15. You can get them at a homebrew store, or else online at Amazon among others (for example, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CITP03W). It won't be anywhere near as accurate as a lab, but it should get you in the ~+/- 0.5% ABV range and just takes a minute or so.

This is what I bought. Haven't tasted it yet but everything came packaged well and sealed

https://www.amazon.com/Beer-Simply-Gallon-Brewing-Starter/dp/B01N3W4FR8

How much money do you want to spend on equipment? You can get a Mr. Beer that won't make anything great but is super cheap for $30 including ingredients, or do some extract batches in which case you just need a big pot ($20-$30) and ingredients ($30-$40), or a simple all grain setup can be constructed for maybe $100 and then you just need ingredients ($20-$30). All grain is how the pros do it, and it's really not difficult at all. Read How to Brew a couple of times and it will be easy. I've never brewed an extract batch.

You could try this. It's safe for ingestion too.

My girlfriend started me off with a Brooklyn Brew Shop kit. It's a 1 gallon all-grain setup, and all that you need besides the kit is 2 (3 is ideal) 8 to 12 qt pots, a mesh strainer, a bottle capper, some empty bottles, and some bottle caps. A mini auto siphon will also make life easier. I had upgraded for a while beyond the 1 gallon size but am actually back to doing it now. It allows you to experiment, you can brew more frequently, the brew day is quicker (only need to heat up and cool a gallon of water at a time instead of five or six), cleanup is quicker, everything can be done in a small kitchen (including chilling in an ice bath in a sink), you can cold-crash (a method of clarifying the beer) in a regular refrigerator, and each batch only costs $5-10 of ingredients if you buy them from a local shop. You only get about 10 bottles out of each batch, but that's fine with me as I like to try different things and don't drink that often anyway.

What is your total volume of beer? What type of sugar are you using to prime with? What is the highest temp your fermentation has reached?

>do you think I've killed my yeast

Naw. We keep yeast in the fridge which gets way colder than that. Worst case is they go dormant but wake up again as soon as the temp goes back up. If anything it's more of an issue that your temps are bouncing around. Imo, it's better to keep it static at a non-ideal temp than to let it bounce around the ideal range.

>The hardware is a coopers kit.

Is it this one? The description suggest the thing is vented, not air tight.

https://www.amazon.com/Hires-Big-Root-Beer-Extract/dp/B00JMJZWI0?th=1

Beer kits like this are quite commonplace here, but I'm not sure if they are sold in sg. I know someone who brews his own beer all the time, and he's not rich, so it must not be expensive. haha

If you have amazon prime then get a gallon of juice $9 and not only do you get the juice but a 1 gallon glass jug. Buy a airlock and a hydrometer

I home brew, though my equipment's still in boxes as we've only been living here in our house for about 4 months. I usually brew hefeweizens because the wife loves them.

It's very easy to get into and there are great kits for first timers available online. I believe there are a few brewing shops around here (still new to the area so have to research)

I highly recommend a kit like this

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0kGFzbE9CWAYS

You will end up replacing a lot of it over time but this and a beer kit will get you up and running easily without missing some needed equipment, introduce you to brewing, and provide everything to make more beer if you like it.

Once you've gone through a brew with a kit like this, you'll be able to more confidently walk into a home brew store and purchase things you need. Plus you get beer! (About 50 bottles) have fun! Remember you're just boiling stuff, so no need to panic!

• Get him a make your own beer kit. This one is the current Amazon best seller
  
  
• You could get him these whiskey rocks. Also available on Amazon for $1 more.
  
  
• Or This set JK it's sold out. My bad. But email them!
  
  
• This whiskey set
  
  

you can do the same with beer

What about a homebrew kit? Or does he have that already?

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Premium-Edition-Brewing/dp/B001BCFUBU

Brother 1: If he's a gamer and doesn't have it already, Batman Arkham City for his platform of choice perhaps? It's on sale for PC, Wii U and PS3, coming in at $9 - $24, so within your budget (unless he has a 360, but you might be able to find it cheap elsewhere).

If you think they're the type to enjoy novelty stuff, Brother 1 or 2 (or even both) may enjoy some lightsabers. Many are within your budget.

If you can go up to $30, a Make your Own Beer Kit might be interesting for your father. Or as more of a joke, a make your own root-beer kit.

The Kombucha Shop Kombucha Brewing Kit with 1 Gallon Glass Brew Jar, Kombucha SCOBY and Starter Pouch, Temperature Gauge, pH Strips, Loose Leaf Tea and More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LW7OR4A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VylKDbCSV34PS

I am on my 5th brew - this kit was awesome. I also have their heatpad because I like to keep my apartment an ice box!

That's just a basic hard cider. But even if you want to brew beer, you could start with one of These or These

http://www.amazon.com/Fermcap-S-Foam-Inhibitor-1-oz/dp/B006O93GLQ

Boil-over issue solved.

Next time rehydrate your yeast.

There's a million of them.
something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Brewers-Elite-Hydrometer-Kombucha-Hardcase/dp/B01CITP03W

I think the kits are good, the first one doesn't have a kettle, but has a thermometer. I don't think the second one has a thermometer but has a kettle, which is pretty important and can set you back around $30-50.

I got this Northern Brewer one from Amazon, but it's pretty similar to the second one you linked.

Do you use OneStep to clean your bottles? I noticed I was only getting a metallic off flavor when using OneStep as my cleaner/sanitizer.


**Edit: For one batch you could try using conditioning tablets instead of bottling from a bottling bucket. That further reduces the chances of oxidation, as you'll be bottling straight from your fermenter.


I use these:https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Conditioning-Tablets-Count/dp/B006O2D9RE

3- Low carbonation

4-Medium Carbonation

5-High Carbonation

I want to buy this kit from Northernbrewer, it's only $99.99. Is it a good deal? Please advise :)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0179ZH89Y?psc=1

Brother-in-law; it covers Seahawks and long hours driving.

Uncle: this is a little over your spending limit, but I've yet to find someone who likes beer that didn't see the appeal of making their own.

Brewing beer (or ale) is a useful skill to acquire. It's a blend of cooking and science and the reward is an alcoholic beverage. It doesn't take much skill at first to get some simple beers through and your art will improve with experience. I've been brewing close to ten years now and I'm still learning new techniques all the time. You can start off with a simple kit like this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Home-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B006J336US

Then all you need is a 3 gallon stainless steel pot, a spoon, some bottles and some caps.

Good breakdown, but I believe the kit you linked doesn't include a glass carboy. You need the "deluxe" starter kit for a glass carboy, which goes for $117 here.

http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-DELUXE-Brewing-Equipment/dp/B00AC55H24/

That Amcyl pot in the kit OP linked to goes for $200 retail.

http://www.homebrewsupply.com/amcyl-10-gallon-brew-kettle-w-3-piece-ball-valve.html

That still only adds up to $317 for pretty much the exact same gear. So as far as I can tell, the only benefits to buying the kit from Barley Haven would be same day pickup and supporting the LHBS.

*I'm not affiliated with any of these companies.

Hello! First off I want to thank you so much for this contest! That is an awesome thing to do! I hope my comment doesn't get too buried but here we go.


I am listing items that somewhat define me as a person. This might help you learn a little more about me and maybe even help you find something of interest. These items are entertainment, music, coffee and beer.

1. [Amazon Fire TV](Amazon Fire TV https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U3FPN4U/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_sewOwbZ2BH5MS) - Entertainment. TV, games, movies, I am all about entertainment. We have cut the cord in our house so this would really help with entertainment.
   
   
   
2. [A record player](Audio Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Stereo Turntable System, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GYTPAE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_LiwOwbZXCJCTP) - Music. I am very passionate about music and I recently have gotten the idea to get into vinyl. I like the idea of having the records for music but also to be able to display them as art.
   
   
   
3. [Luwak Coffee](Luwak Star Gourmet Coffee, 100% Arabica Sumatra Gayo Luwak Coffee from Indonesia (or Kopi Luwak) Whole Beans, Medium Roast, 100 Gram (0.22 Lb) Bag, Roasted in the U.S https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OCU80Q/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_blwOwbHR0DSYH) - Coffee. There's almost nothing I love more than a good cup of coffee. I love trying different coffees from all over the world. This coffee that I have listed is one of the most exotic and expensive coffees in the world. If you are not familiar with this coffee, here is some info. The cherries of this coffee are eaten by a wild cat like animal in Indonesia. Farmers then collect the feces of the animal and pick the coffee beans out. Supposedly the mix of the coffee cherries and stomach acid enhance the flavor of the coffee. I absolutely must try this coffee someday!
   
   
   
4. [Beer Home brew kit](Monster Brew Home Brewing Supp Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 Gallon Glass Carboy, Gold https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01467U8KY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_YswOwb3CG9E9B) - Beer. I took my love of beer to the next level and started home brewing my own. The problem is that it is a very long process, 6-8+ weeks. So I wait 2 months for the beer to finish and then after I give some to friends and family and drink a few (okay a lot) myself it doesn't last very long. With this kit I would be able to double the amount I make at a time so it would last longer.
   
   
   This last one is actually something for my wife. [Jawbone activity tracker](o UP2 by Jawbone Activity + Sleep Tracker, Gunmetal Hex (Dark Gray), Lightweight Thin Straps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01649SM6O/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_XwwOwb78E30GT) - like many people my wife has made a resolution to shed some pounds and get back in shape. This would be very useful for her to help accomplish her goals.
   
   
   Thanks again for doing this!

Would something like this suffice for a kit? It says Beer, but it's one of the results when typing in "mead making kit"

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Brew-Home-Brewing-K6/dp/B01467U8KY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1453592482&sr=8-4&keywords=mead+making+kit

Just pop the caps, put in the carbonation tablets and cap them again. Its no big deal, just a little extra time. These are the easiest things to use. https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Conditioning-Tablets-Count/dp/B006O2D9RE

Oh, sorry. I'd be happy to provide the information!

I'm still pretty new at the game and dont have any homebrew shops in my area, so this is an extract kit that I bought from Amazon. Tru Brew Oktoberfest is the kit. It is very tasty and not expensive at all.

I left it in the fermenting bucket for 3 weeks, then moved to bottles and let it sit for 4 weeks. It came out a lot more clear than I thought it would. There is hardly any sediment in the bottle at all!

Sounds about right, I get 1 gal/hr on my electric stove.

I use these ones, they're tiny so you can adjust based on desired carbonation. Just reading now they have some bad reviews, not sure how these people are messing it up, it's basically just pressed sugar lol.

I would recommend this brewers best kit. It's a comparable price and it also includes an auto-siphon racking cane, which is hugely useful. I would also say don't hold back on getting top notch equipment in order to get ingredients right away. The equipment can pretty much be around for ever. It's worth waiting to start your first brew if it means subsequent brews will be that much better and easier.

Here is the list of what the BB kit contains. It's widely available at pretty much any brew store.

You can order the equipment and kit now for sure. I started on a similar budget and just added to my equipment piece by piece over the years.

http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Beer-Making-Everyday/dp/B005G20IIG

Here's a direct link to avoid OPs shopten spam.

I've been using this Northern Brewer kit for years: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IOVdBbVZ3TRG5

Only grip is it doesn't come with a hydrometer, buy one of those.

• Something that helped me save time and sanatizer. Don't put the Star-San in the bucket and fill the bucket up, mix it up in a spray bottle and spray your equipment. Been using the same mix in my spray bottle for over a year now.
  
  
• If you think you're sanatizing too much, sanatize some more.
  
  
• If you have a dishwasher sanatize your dishwasher rack and use it to drip dry bottles.
  
  
• Don't bother with the secondary, just keep it in the primary. I only transfer to my secondary when I'm ready to bottle.
  
  
• Follow up to the previous bullet point, never use those individual priming tablets, they suck. Mix up your priming sugar in boiling water for a few minutes, put it in the bottom on your seconday/bottling bucket, add a few ice cubes to cool it down, and syphon your beer in.
  
  
• Use this priming calculator: https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

OP never said anything along those lines, so how about being less of a dick, hmmm?

and you can't buy whole beer, but you can buy a homebrew kit

$20-$50 Mr. BEER! Who doesn't want to try their hand at it?
$10-$20 Stanley Camping Cook Set Being able to cook on the go is nice!
$5-$10 Mimosa Pudica Touch Sensitive plant that pretends to die when touched, HOW COOL IS THAT?!
$0-$5 Rose Kissed Jasmine Tea You need to be able to unwind with something after playing with all the new toys, right?

Long story short: Is my yeast dead?

I started my first brew on Saturday, using the recipe and ingredients that came with the Northern Brewer kit (this one).

It's been about 4 days now, and there's been exactly zero activity in the airlock. I checked around a bit, and it looks like that can happen when fermenting in a bucket.

However, I got out my laser thermometer today and its reading a temperature of 63.5-64 F on the bucket. The surrounding walls are at 64. So, I pried the lid off and took the picture in the link up top about 20 minutes ago, and it doesn't look like what I expected to see (based on google image results).

tl;dr: Not sure my yeast is actually doing anything. Is it possible its dead? If so, any way to rescue this?

EDIT: I pitched the yeast at 74 F, so I don't think I cooked it to death.

This

&

This

Just take the extra from the ten dollar contest prize if I'm chosen :)

If you're worried about wasting a significant investment, get one of the cheaper kits at Amazon, seems like a good way to test the water/beer.

This kit has everything you need to start out.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0179ZH89Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1464722380&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=brewing+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51diP37JBsL&ref=plSrch

I woke up this morning after night of heavy drinking to find I made a drunken amazon purchase the previous night of a beginners brewing kit. this one specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008I3B0HS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And after doing a little bit of extra research during my hangover recovery I realized I didn't have everything I might need to make this work, so I purchased a 5 gallon pot, giant spoon, and a thermometer as well. can anyone confirm for me that I have all the basic equipment to start brewing some beer? Short of ingredients, which I have no idea the best place to source that from.

Not a bad plan there. I'd actually considered buying some original just for my root beer extract. I like to add a bit of Stevia and root beer extract to heated milk when I'm craving some Starbucks (I quit caffeine almost completely, other than a random Chai at said Starbucks).

If you want to try the extract, this one I bought I like: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JMJZWI0/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Could be good, but betting you'd need a bit of Stevia or some sweetener or it might taste odd with just original and root beer extract mixed :)

I purchased this stuff. I didn't know too much about nutrients (I'm just beginning to learn all about fermenting) so I just went with the one that had the best reviews. I read a bunch of the amazon reviews and it seemed good.

I'll be using EC-1118 just like the guy in the thread you linked. I currently have a batch fermenting (for about a week now) in a gallon of strawberry juice that I added 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of nutrients to. I plan to do the following:

Use 1 campden tablet to get rid of chloramines in the water then mix 12lbs of sugar, 2 tablespoons of nutrients, and pour 1 cup of the fermenting strawberry juice in there for the yeast. I then plan to use ph strips and citric acid to get the entire 5 gallons down to a ph of 4.0'ish.

I figured I'd go with EC-1118 since I also planned to use the yeast in fruit juices I wanted to drink straight up. I heard it was one of the better yeasts for that purpose. Since it also can get up to high'ish ABV, it seemed like a good yeast for both my purposes.

I'm curious to taste the sugar wash once it's done too. I heard some bad stuff about how washes taste, but I'm assuming mine will be more like a "sugar wine"? If it doesn't taste too bad, I might run batches of it just to drink straight up with flavorings (like coolaid powder, ice tea powder, etc).

Would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions you may have? Always nice to get advice from someone experienced.

Thanks for the response,

I will pick up some Star San for the next batch.

​

For your measuring question. Do you mean when adding the Water/Honey? I used a scale. Similarly TBSP/TSP for adding nutrient. Or where you refering to the hydrometer? This is the one I bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CITP03W/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I think I maybe should have waited longer to start the secondary fermentation based on the other comment.

I also plan on getting a yeast energizer for the next batch as well.

​

​

I bought a kit initially just to get past any worry that I would miss something....it got me started anyways. If I would do it over I would just buy a gallon glass jar (wide mouth), some black tea, a starter scoby with liquid, some sugar, a flexy funnel (for bottling), and some flip top bottles. The kit added about 15 extra bucks to the cost if I had bought everything by itself. I also bought a few large glass pyrex jars for scoby hotels and/or to hold the scoby if I don't re-make a fresh batch that day. I also bought fresh cutting boards, saucepan and wooden spoons so I can keep that separate and really clean away from any other cooking I do.
Kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LW7OR4A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bottles: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011SGS8U8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the cover I have been using a coffee filter with a rubber band and it's been working super.

I've had no issue with mold or worrisome stuff happening to my kombucha. Each time it works perfectly and forms a nice healthy pellicle/scoby for the next batch. I think a few things you can do to make sure it doesn't 'go bad' is to remember to get all liquids to room temperature before dumping it in, don't use metal on it, wash your hands well before touching, don't use antibacterial cleaning products near it, and clean utensils with white vinegar before using. That being said, it appears to be sort of hard to kill it so it's a pretty beginner-friendly hobby.

Thanks! I'm now looking at the Midwest Supplies kit, because I already have a pot. I'm a bit confused about the difference between the difference between the auto-siphon and the siphon that this kit has; is there a huge benefit to the former in the case I'm only doing 2.5 gallons rather than a full 5 gallon batch? Also, can I just use any large spoon, or is there a purpose to the stainless ones?

I just performed my first home brew today. I purchased the Northern Brewer starter kit, this one here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0179ZH89Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just finished the amber ale that it came with. I was following this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jtCgQOB85E

When I transferred the wort to the carboy (I bought a 6 gallon carboy) it doesn't look like I left behind the sludge like it showed in the video. It looks like the sludge is at the bottom of the carboy. Will this be a problem?

In the video it shows to mix the wort with the water before adding yeast and I totally forgot to mix it around.. Wondering if that will be an issue?

Also I put the yeast in before I moved the carboy and I think it might have mixed it in a little so it's not all laying on the top, will this be OK? Thanks.

beer, technology and science all in one kit!

One of the "hidden" costs of brewing is upgrading equipment. If it's something you really think he'd be in to, getting some equipment that's worthwhile can save you/him money in the long term. I've had a few friends that got in to it, purchased cheap/small stuff, and spent the next year upgrading things again. Buy it once. Now, I'm not saying refit your garage into a full HERMS setup, but getting not-dirt-cheap items & items you can grow with really is invaluable.

When I started, I went with this which has most of what you'll need. The only things left are the kettle, mash tun, propane burner, and a good metal spoon. Here's what I went with, and still use.
Kettle
Spoon
Burner

For the mash tun, I went with a 10g igloo and converted it over following these instructions. I've since upgraded that to a 15g stainless steel pot w/ false bottom, but the igloo definitely served its purpose.

2 weeks 3 days, this kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SSFG7I

Do you think he would be interested in Brewing his own beer?. These kits are pretty nifty and come with all of the supplies needed to attempt your own brew. If he's into stuff like that, a lot of people would love to try to come up with their own recipe. It makes quite a bit too so he could share with people once he got a batch he was proud of. Just an idea, happy holidays!

Would you guys recommend something along these lines? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008I3B0HS/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=#product-description-iframe

It's the True Brew Oktoberfest 5 gallon kit

Edit: wrong kit

Thank you for your response.

How do you feel the linked kit compares to the following kit from amazon? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BCFUBU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

>True, but distill liquor in your own home and see what happens.

http://amzn.com/B001BCFUBU

I sue Amazon for selling an illegal product?

Start with a Mr. Beer kit. Do 3-4 batches, if you like it, then get yourself set up for LME brewing. If you do 5-6 batches of that and still want to brew, then look into all-grain.

These Brooklyn Brew Shop brew in a bag kits got me into brewing. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G20IIG. The things you need that it doesn't come with: strainer, funnel, pot, bottles, bottle capper. You could get him some basic equipment and some of those kits.

Maybe beer carbonation tabs?

https://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Best-Conditioning-Tablets-Count/dp/B006O2D9RE

Or the classic