I am a big fan of microbrews and now would like to create some of my own as a homebrewer. I am just not sure where to start equipment-wise as there are so many beginner kit choices out there. Has anyone heard of or used the kits made by the Brooklyn Brew Shop?
I’m still fairly new to homebrewing (5 months and 5 batches) and I was given the Northern Brewer Deluxe Starter Kit because I liked the idea of having 2 carboys in case I wanted to do some stronger beers and it came with starter equipment plus anything I would need to get more advanced. It has worked great for me so far. However, if you are not looking to spend much they have a basic starter kit for about $75. You can also look to see if you have a local homebrew shop that sells equipment and I am sure they would be glad to help you out with getting started.
I’d recommend checking over this review as a decent starting point for equipment kits.
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=2583.0
You can pick up a good starter kit from either your local homebrew shop or an online retail like www.morebeer.com or www.northernbrewer.com.
I’d highly recommend picking up a good homebrewing book as well. John Palmer’s “How to Brew” is a great book to start with and wilol apprize you of everything you will need to get started.
bschold-
Jump on in!!
This is the minimum you will need to produce a batch of beer in your kitchen. I recommend this route for an absolute beginner because it’s cheap and easy and a small commitment in equipment.
From the homebrew shop or online:
- Hydrometer $6
- Red-Baron bottle-capper $18.50
- Caps $3-4
- Autosiphon $8-10 (optional but will make life easier)
From the Lowes or Home Depot:
- Two five gallon buckets and lids $7
- Some flexible tubing 5-6’ $1.25
About $40-50 or so depending on taxes and whatnot.
You’ll need a pot that’ll hold at least 12 quarts but bigger is better. Eight quarts is possible but ill-advised.
Lastly, a copy of John Palmer’s How To Brew is invaluable; however, his site contains everything you need to know: http://www.howtobrew.com/
But you might like this from Northern Brewer: http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits/basic-starter-kit.html
The only reason I would buy NB’s kit is the buckets are bigger and one is pre-drilled with a spigot, but you don’t need that with the autosiphon. And the brush, fermentation lock and bottle washer aren’t needed either.
Good luck and RDWHAHB! 
Or find a local club. There’s frequently somebody that is willing to take a newbie under their wing and loan equipment to them, until they are so hooked on the hobby that purchasing equipment is more important than feeding the children.
First get “How to Brew” to help you decide just what it is that you want in a starter kit based on what you decide you want to do. What worked for me as the best next step is Craigslist. There seems to be a constant flux of folks either getting out of the hobby or moving up. In both cases, they often have a nice collection of starter equipment to offer.
Thanks all for the great advice. Looks like the next step is to buy the book and look into all the starter kits/websites that were recommended. I’ll let you all know what I bought and how the first batch comes out! 