Any home brewers out there?

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

I received a "Mr. Beer" brewing kit for the holidays, followed the directions, and I'm now waiting for the results (Bottled the wort one week agao, waiting another three weeks to sample the finished product).

I went to a brewing supply store and saw a $165 kit to brew beer. I live in an apartment and am asking for advice: keep using "Mr. Beer" or get the full-on kit if I want to get into the brewing hobby?

[bif]

1. I used to make it years ago

And most of it was pretty bad. But at 12% alcohol, it certainly did the job.

[Brother Buzz]

2. Brewing is a true pain in the ass in a kitchen

I used to really trash the place brewing in the kitchen. The faster one moves outside, the better for domestic relationships and kitchen.

That being said, what does a $160 dollar brew kit entail? Can you scrounge up stuff and make your own kit? Thrift store canning pots make fine brew pots. Carboys are out there if you look. Bottle capers can be had for a song at a garage sale. Twenty dollars spent in a wine/brewing supply shop will make up the difference.

[msanthrope]

3. Buy only "Homebrewing for Dummies" read it twice, and then you can

assess if yo really need the 165 kit....you probably don't.

HfD is a very good starter guide, and will give you more realistic picture of what you will need, and how much time/money/space you must commit.

The only advice I have is to keep everything super clean--makes a difference.

[Kali]

4. you don't need anything other than bottles or a soda keg

some tubing, airlock, and a big pot, but it is sure fun to spend $100s on gadgets and new equipment if you have the cash!:P

seriously, plastic buckets are handy, a copper cooling coil is nice, thermometer, hydrometer, fancy bottle washers are fun, sparging and other equipment for WHEN (not if }( ) you decide to try all-grain brewing

but an old second hand fridge and a thermostat/regulator for it is truly the best investment I ever made.

[pscot]

5. Keep it simple

Gilgamesh was a beer drinker. We've been doing it for a long time.

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

6. thanks for the advice

n/t

[doc03]

7. I received a Mr. Beer Christmas of 2009 and have made

several batches with it, I have had only one bottle turn skunk. Just make sure you clean and sterilize everything, if you get a stray bacteria in it it will ruin the whole batch. Check out the recipes on the Mr. Beer site, there are almost 200 of them. A suggestion I have is go out and buy some glass long neck bottles, the beer tastes better and I think it carbonates better. I think my favorite recipe so far was Howlin Red Ale it is similar to Killian's Red Irish Ale. Another favorite is Brew Ha Ha Bock, it reminds of the beer I drank in Bavaria. I put a batch of Brew Ha Ha Bock in for conditioning today.

[Initech]

8. Get the full-on kit.

I just tapped my first batch of it on Saturday - it's amazing.