My counselor tells me I need a hobby; so I picked brewing beer.

Do any present VSers make beer, and if so; how expensive is a decent startup kit?

...I was amazed that anxiety is not considered a hobby.

I know Styg used to...but he's disappeared from WoW. I'll give him a nudge in this direction.

I just started my third batch, so I'm no expert.

You'll probably start with extract brewing, meaning that instead of boiling grains to make your own malt, you'll buy a container of malt extract that someone else has boiled for you. Extract brewing is way easier and much less expensive. And it results in very tasty beer.

My Local Homebrew store also runs a huge online store. Here are their starter kits: http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits

I'd get either the Better or Deluxe. And I'd pick the glass fermenters.

The one thing the kits do not provide is a pot in which to boil the beer ingredients. You'll need one that can hold at least 3 gallons. More is better in this case, but you still need a pot that can fit on your stove. Northern Brewer does sell a decent 5 gallon pot:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-equipment/brew-kettles?cat=82

Then pick yourself an ale kit and go to town.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits?cat=221

For your first beer you'll probably want a beer that's ready in 4-6 weeks. Try to keep the number of ingredients to a minimum, just to keep the process as easy as possible.

Hey folks!

Northern brewer is a great site to order from. I ordered my stuff through them when I was brewing all the time. I have a local home brew store that I get my ingredients from, but the equipment was just cheaper through there.

The starter kits are a great way to get going, and for the price you might as well get the deluxe option. As far as fermenters go, I actually prefer plastic to glass. They are cheaper and they are less likely to break and cut you to ribbons. I haven't had any incidents with my glass carboys, but I do know a couple people that have had them break while setting them down and gotten some pretty serious cuts. I like "better bottles" for my plastic carboys. In the end it is personal preference, but 5 gallons of beer is heavy enough without adding the weight of glass to the mix.

As far as pots go, Northern Brewer is very fond of their pots. I got a 5 gallon pot at Wal Mart for about half the price. If you have more questions email me directly at devilbunny77@gmail.com.

Happy hunting guys! :D

I think I need to take this up too.

BTW, Pils, I got a 6 of your beer (Noble Pils) last night, it is quite good.

My counselor tells me I need a hobby; so I picked brewing beer.

Do any present VSers make beer, and if so; how expensive is a decent startup kit?

...I was amazed that anxiety is not considered a hobby.

I thought WoW was a hobby... I'm so confused... does this mean I don't have a hobby?

Gleja, Styg...I hearby order you both to quit your foolish attempts at real lives and return to the collective NOW...

My counselor tells me I need a hobby; so I picked brewing beer.

Do any present VSers make beer, and if so; how expensive is a decent startup kit?

...I was amazed that anxiety is not considered a hobby.

Never, ever, under any circumstances, LISTEN TO YOU COUNSELOR!!! EVER!!!

Just pay the sucker.


Just kidding. If your counselor says "Make beer" who am I to argue?

:D

I brew quite a bit. Gleja and Styg have great ideas. I think the most essential thing to getting a good beer is proper sterilization. Make sure everything your wort comes in contact with has been washed, rinsed and sterilized... I've had more success using liquid yeast, rather than dry...start with a nice basic IPA recipe with malt extract, and make sure you write down any changes you make. My favorite batch (the bestest beer I ever ever tasted) was an experiment that I failed to write down, and thus failed to replicate.

Be prepared for your whole house to smell like malt and hops (a smell I love, but my wife hates). I had to start using my propane burner and cooking outside.

Bottles are a HUGE pain in the ass. I switched to cornelius kegs (5 Gallon), and CO2. I've got 2 inside my garage fridge, and tapped them through the side wall. I usually keep a light/dark combo, and the garage is always open for neighbors. :)

I just realized I got ahead of myself...a good "kit" or starter setup shouldn't cost more than about $100. Then, each batch should run around $20-25 for 5 gallons. It's a GREAT hobby (lots of opportunity for obsessing).

EDIT* I just noticed that Deluxe Starter Kit Gleja linked for $159. I'd second that suggestion.