Don’t assume you have to jump straight into 5-gallon batches. Do some googling about small batch brewing and no chill brewing. You can probably get started 1-2 gallon batches with mostly the stuff already in your kitchen.
Disengage soapbox.
You want your kettle to be at least 50%-100% larger than your batch size.
I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about glass carboys; you may want to switch to PET when you a chance.
You don’t have to have a chiller – Google no chill brewing.
Looking over the stuff that comes with your kit, it doesn’t mention bottles or caps. If you’re not already set up for kegging, you’ll need about 4 dozen 12 ounce bottles and crown caps.
SS 16 qt (4 gallon) stock pot on your stove would work, according to directions.
I’ve used a 16qt stock pot many times, larger will be an issue on the stove.
Many available in retail stores with different grades of SS, thickness, and cost.
Your recipe procedure adds water to volume.
In my opinion, 22oz glass beer bottles is the way to go, you will need 2 cases.
I use the heavy cardboard cases they came in, for storage and carrying.
Anything over you can put in 12 oz bottles. Much less to bottle,
and who just opens one 12 oz bottle ? I use oxygen absorbing bottle caps,
and dip bottle cap in star-san before crimping.
Bench capper screwed down to a piece of thick wood works like a charm.
Example: Amazon.com
Lowes/Home Depot sells small precut pieces in the fancy wood section that will work,
which is what I did from advice. Section of 2X8 will also work.
Can you? Yes. Should you? Debatable. The exact effects of headspace on fermentation are beyond my expertise. Some brewers do open fermentation (effectively infinite headspace); others go to great pains to minimize even the slightest oxygen exposure.
If you want a small fermentation vessel on the cheap, buy a gallon of apple juice in a glass bottle – minimal headspace and low oxygen permeability. (But hard to clean.) Or some hardware stores sell 2 gallon food safe plastic buckets. (Easier to clean but more oxygen permeable.) Drill a hole in the lid, add a grommet, stick in your airlock.
I’m pretty to new this hobby, too. And when I was first starting, I jumped straight into a 15-gallon kettle and 7.5 gallon fermenter. Both of which have been idle since last July. My idea is that as a new breweer, what I need to do more than anything is just practice, practice, practice. And doing smaller batches lets me do more batches, more often, with lower ingredient costs.
In my opinion, follow the directions in your kit to a T.
I recommend you get a few under your belt, before wandering off the beaten path.
Pay attention to what you are doing, and why you are doing it.
absolutely about the 5 gallon size. i started with a 6.5 gallon carboy and that was just absurdly massive. ive been doing this for a long time and i hope once i get some more value out of my newly purchased 5 gallons, i will definitely switch down to about 2.5 or 3 gallon in the future.
imho 2.5 gallons is a real sweetspot size where you get a fair bit of beer, but your brewday and bottling day are significantly shortened and less stressful.
and yeah, no chiller. if you live in any northern state you can easily cool down your hot wort to pitching temp in 24 hours. 2.5 gallon size, even faster.
