Hmmm. It's too darn hot for woodworking; and you have piqued my interest. Do you have a website for a beginner...or something you could recommend from experience? We drink a fair amount of beer, and I might just try some home brewing...except I would prefer something a little bit more sophisticated than what we made 50 years ago. Neither my shop nor my garage are air conditioned, but I suppose that could be arranged if necessary. I really don't relish brewing in the kitchen or in a hot garage. What tips do you have for a beginner?
I order from Alternative Beverage out of NC, but you can use any online place.
Here is the system I use:
2-stage system w/carboys
I use mini-kegs instead of bottling, as it is simply faster, easier and allows for instant drinking (no post-bottling fermentation time, since co2 is used). The mini-kegs will add an extra $130 to the price, but you only buy them once. After that you just buy co2 cartridges for BB guns to power them (dirt cheap). If you forgo the tap for the minikegs, it is far cheaper (only $~50 extra), but then you are waiting for post-kegging fermentation to take place, since you have no means of co2 injection.
Bottling, however, is great for gifting to friends and coworkers. I assure you, if you aren't the most loved person in your workplace now,
you will be once you gift some homebrew to coworkers. Even the biggest butt-kisser in the universe can't hold a candle to free homebrew!
I highly recommend calling the brewing place to place your order, instead of doing it online. They really know their stuff and can get you exactly what you will need to brew. They will not sell you crap you don't want. They know if they get you to enjoy brewing you will come back over and over for brew batches. Trust their opinions, they are pros. Frankly, whatever I tell you should be secondary to their advice. I'm a newbie in comparison. Their advice line is 704.527.2337. Call them and tell them you want to brew a beer just like XX (pick any) and they will set you up within your price range. If they recommend something more expensive, consider it, they are saving you money in the long run.
The cheapest kits get you started, but almost none of it is useful once you get into the hobby. Better equipment means better tasting beer. Think the difference between a snorkel and a SCUBA outfit. There is a wide range of stuff you can get in brewing, depending on how serious you want to get. What I use is considered a high end snorkel kit, where forgeblast (above) has a SCUBA kit.
As for where to brew, it doesn't really matter. Some people brew using a turkey fryer (stainless,
not aluminum) on their back porch. The only temperature sensitive part is when it is in the carboy fermenting. Then you want it in a cool, dark place with zero UV light (a closet works well, as does an unused bathtub). Bathtubs are great because you can fill it with water, which causes a cooling effect on the carboy, lowering the fermenting temp a few degrees.
Pro-tip for brewing:
Sanitize, sanitize, then become paranoid about sanitizing. Eat, dream, sleep, breath sanitizing efforts.
If you itch your nose while brewing, sanitize your finger. If you touch a non-sanitized counter with your hand, sanitize your hand. It sounds over the top, but A: it is quite easy (you just wipe your hand with a sanitizing cloth) and B: your beer comes out far, far better when you are paranoid. Even a little outside bacteria can go wild while fermentation is happening, drastically altering the flavor (in a bad way). Remember, the entire process of brewing beer is breeding the bacteria you want (yeast) and this same environment is a breeding heaven for all forms of bacteria, not just the ones you want.
Not sanitizing is a little like shipping a container crate full on fresh fruit across the Atlantic with a couple of cockroaches inside. When it arrives, that fruit is a far cry from what you intended to find in the container. Now, don't let that scare you.. it isn't difficult to prevent, it just takes conscious thought while brewing.
