As some of you have read, my first kit is arriving on Monday. I am feeling quite overwhelmed because I’ve realized that I will have to purchase some sort of propane burner as well as figure out a unique cooling solution for my wort (Florida warm water issue). I’ve actually considered (gasp) returning the kit. I have a passion for craft beer, but I’m wondering if I’ve prematurely gotten into this hobby. Am I over thinking my first brew? Thanks to everyone for the support so far.
relax. don’t worry. have a (home) brew!
take delivery of the kit. make the beer. don’t worry about a burner or big kettle or chiller. enjoy the process. it is simple and fun. take a step back and don’t get caught up in advanced things before you’ve even brewed a single beer. it may not be perfect but, if you choose to move forward, learn from any and all mistakes. it’s only beer.
RELAX. DON’T WORRY. HAVE A (HOME) BREW!
i didn’t get a chiller until about beer number 8 or 9. and i didn’t get a burner until further in on the process. you don’t need these things to make beer. i have done 3 gallon biab batches on the stove top. don’t feel like you need any single piece of equipment until you figure out your brewing process.
Just make a big ice bath and you will be good to go!! My biggest piece of advice is to put your carboy/bucket into a water bath to try and maintain fermentation temps. It WILL make a ton of difference in your final beer. Have fun!!
Wait…
Why do you have to buy a burner or chiller? Perhaps what you should start with is a no-boil kit like a Coopers or Brewferm. What is most important is sanitation at key points and the proper fermentation temps: both which are easily achievable with a first try at making beer.
There is no reason you can’t make 5 gallons of fabulous beer with an ordinary household 2 gallon stockpot in the kitchen. Can you explain why the kitchen stove is off limits? All you have to do is heat the water…
Well it’s not off limits, but boiling smelly wort for an hour on our gas range will most likely cause my better half to disapprove of my new hobby quickly. I assume using our nat gas range top would be much more expensive over propane. Lastly, I fear both a boil over and potentially damaging the range ( maybe what I’ve read is damage to glass top stoves).
I’m currently working out batch number 11 and I still don’t have a burner or chiller. As of now I’ve been doing stove top and when I bumped up to all grain I just ended up doing the boils in two 5 gallon pots. As for chilling, I live in Wisconsin so my ground water comes out < 50. I just fill up the bathtub and dump in a couple 5 gallon buckets of snow from my driveway. I think I was below 80 in about 45 min on my last brew.
Now that summer is coming around I’ll look at getting a chiller and a burner so I can move outdoors. Otherwise who cares, you’re making the beer so you’re going to love how it tastes regardless. I’m sure some of mine were pure crap and they still tasted fantastic to me
Ditto. Keep in mind the variety of experience on this forum. Anything from guys like me who have brewed 20 batches in 6 months to full on pros who know all there is to know. Don’t panic. Make a batch and ease into it. Remember that 1000 years ago no one had starsan or plastic or stainless steel or etc and they made beer
“Freedom is temporary unless you are also Brave!” - Patriot
Well I can help you as others can if you want. My advice will be sincere, simple and easy to follow.
Ha I hate double posting but here goes…
flbrewer what type of kit did you purchase and do you possess the equipment such as buckets and capper etc… in order to ferment and bottle your beer?
Perhaps the kit was an intermediate or advanced variety?
I ordered the below kit with the glass carboys. I also ordered a case of 22 oz. bottles.
Thanks for the offer!
Thanks guys, good advice here.
i used to add ice directly to the wort to chill it instead of topping off with water, especially when brewing partial mash/extract. this cools it instatntly and i never had an adverse effect. yes store bought ice. i know this is contraindicated by many but it worked fine for me for many batches.
So which beer did you choose along with the equipment in the link? It probably has steeping grains and hop additions which are easy to work with. If this is the case we can examine your choices in approach. However, dipping a toe into the brewing experience can be done with less complexity and with excellent results. Then you can decide if you want to proceed and learn more.
Brewing is a lot more robust and forgiving than many would admit. 
So the long and short of it is this…go slow, start easy, realize there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain in the process. We’ve all started off as novice brewers, and we’ve all got much to learn and improve upon after countless batches. That’s the beauty of this hobby. I started with the simple LME kits and basic equipment, and made the transition to all grain and more sophisticated equipment and procedures when I was ready. It’s an evolution, and it can be as painful or enjoyable as you make it. Choose the latter, and just read, ask questions, and move at your own pace…you won’t be disappointed. Good luck and keep us in the loop- we are all here to help.
You can do a “partial boil” by boiling in the biggest pot you have and then topping up with water. Your NG stove will be much cheaper than a propane burner. And SWMBO will learn to appreciate your fine brew and its wonderful aromas throughout its process.
I started out brewing on an electric top stove in a small apartment and used a wet towel and fan to keep my wort cooled. Now I own a 15 bbl brew house and back to back 30 bbl batches and distribute been all over the state. Don’t turn the kit back, grow as you allow yourself to grow. The propane burners and copper heat exchangers and temp controlled chest freezers will all come in time.
I started out with partial boil extract kits on my glass stovetop, with water baths to cool. I quickly moved to designing my own all-grain recipes after I got comfortable with the process, and I’m still doing it indoors on my stove and chilling in my sink. My wife hates the smell, so I just plan on doing it when she’s not around. In other words, it may take some planning but brewing is still doable in your situation. You can still make very good beer even with the most basic setup.
As others have said, don’t give up.
I started out on the kitchen stove with no chiller. My wife got a candle hobby out of it. 8^)
I used RO water from the store. I would buy 6 - 1 gal jugs. Boil 2.5 gals and put the rest in the freezer for 5 or 6 hours. Then I’d use the now chilled water to top off the fermentor. Depending on how close to frozen I got the water in the freezer, I could easily drop the temp into a good range.
Relax man, you’ll get there.
Paul
Thanks everyone, very reassuring.