New to the Brew

[talleymonster]

Hello everybody. My name is Talley. I'm 21 and I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am a union carpenter. LOCAL 897. I'm new to home brewing but I am anxious to get started. Right now I am in the process of deciding what equipment to buy/make. I've got a prety decent sized garage and plenty of room, so I'm eager to set up my brewery. Then it's just a matter of deciding what to brew for my first batch. wish me luck.
-Talley

 

[Caplan]

Good to see you on board! Enjoy!

 

[joutlaw]

I just started in August and finally got to where I wanted to be supply wise. I haven't purchased anyone's beer in almost 2 months.

I will warn you though, my beer belly has grown a good bit since I started. All in all this is a lot of fun. And its a great sense of satisfaction when someone tries your brew and says "Hey... this is really good".

 

[Orfy]

Welcome.

With the help and inspiration of the guys on here I just did my first AG today.
You'll get all the help you need.

What Quantity of brewing do you want to do?
Do you have a budget?

 

[talleymonster]

Well, I am still trying to put it all togehter in my head, and I am still open to suggestions. I have been doing some pricing on some different websites and the starter kits are all pretty similar. as of right now I think I will get a two stage setup, with glass carboys. I'm thinking of getting a turkey fryer with a think ss pot, or just converting a keg. i drink plenty of beer so I figure by the time I get started I could have plenty of dark bottles for bottling. I have everything I need for a kegerator, minus the keg, So i might look into kegging my brew. like I said I've got a garage and I am willing to dedicate a portion of it to operations. budget-wise, I'm a beginner, So I want to start out kinda cheap, you know?
question:
-I've been reading the post's and i've noticed that the brew needs to be kept within certain temp ranges during fermentation. My garage is not climate controlled. How would I fix that? Would I keep the carboy in a fridge during fermantation? is it possible to retro fit an old fridge with an adjustable thermostat?

 

[Walker]

is it possible to retro fit an old fridge with an adjustable thermostat?

You can buy external thermostats from many places. you plug them into the wall and then plug the fridge into the device. it has a temp probe that you place inside the fridge and a dial to set a desired temp. the device will turn the power to the fridge on and off as needed.

I have one for the fridge in my garage, and it cost about $50. The temp is allowed to fluxuate +/- 4 degrees from the set-point. I just set mine at 66F for my ales, and it keeps it within the 62F to 70F range.

-walker

 

[Truble]

Sounds like you are doing your homework!! I just started in Sept/October, and I love it. I have found that while equipment is good, knowledge is better. Seems like you got a leg up on the research, though. My advice for the first batch would be to keep it simple. After the first batch, I had a better understanding of what a lot of people and books talk about, and it allowed me to be a lot more confident going into my subsequent brews. I am now in the process of deciding how to go about my All grain Rigging. This site can teach you a lot!

Happy Brewing!

 

[BlightyBrewer]

Welcome to the forum. You'll get just as much out of this forum as you will out of the brewing...Enjoy!

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

cool deal. welcome on board and glad you found us. what type of brew's do you like?

 

[talleymonster]

Well I pretty much like any beer. Obviously I'm not talking about beers like Natural Ice, but If its all thats there Ill drink it. I really like Newcastle, Killians Irish Red, Sierra Nevada, and I'm starting to develop a liking for Guiness. I couldn't drink it at first, but lately I've found myself buying it more and more. I'm eager to brew all kinds of different brews. I'm eager to do my first batch, something safe that I'll have less of a chance of screwing up. But after that I'm gonna try to do a different one each time.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

hit one of the local brew pubs and try their stouts to give you a idea of the different styles of stouts. there should be a handful in Vegas hu?

 

[talleymonster]

yeah theres one right down the street called "the chicago brewery". the guy from the 80's hair band Flock of Seagulsown it....he still has the hair-doo too. Its a pretty cool place.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

yeah theres one right down the street called "the chicago brewery". the guy from the 80's hair band Flock of Seagulsown it....he still has the hair-doo too. Its a pretty cool place.

your kidding? he still has that funky do going on? good marketing tool

 

[El Pistolero]

your kidding? he still has that funky do going on? good marketing tool

It's a marketing tool? I thought it was a freak flag.

 

[Caplan]

yeah theres one right down the street called "the chicago brewery". the guy from the 80's hair band Flock of Seagulsown it....he still has the hair-doo too. Its a pretty cool place.

I guess it isn't really the Gadus faced badly barneted Ex Hairdresser Mike Score? I wish it was.......

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

hey, it's Vegas remember? no such thing as bad publicity......

 

[homebrewer_99]

Welcome!

 

[Beer Snob]

Equipment kits are the best way to start out. I'm not much into the primary bucket. I like to se whats gong on wihout having to take the top off. I like to primary in 6.5 Gal carboy. You go online and there are soo many diffeent kits to choose from nowdays. Best advice I suppose I can give is that if you think you will get hooked..... dont get teh cheapest stuff... and don't get the most expensize stuff either.... go somewhere in teh middle road. You'll have the most fun there.

 

[usmcruz]

Ok if your just starting out, one of the kits online or at a brew shop for a $100 will do you just fine seeing how it has everything you need, primary, secondary, capper, brushes, airlocks, sanitizer, etc all comes included. that will get you started. When you get good at extracts and you have the extra money you can jump into all-grain which not only will you need more equipment, but more knowledge so start reading!!!!