Brewing supplies for the newbie

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Permalink Reply by Sun Dog on March 6, 2008 at 9:47pm

Hi...I took a look at the Tru Brew II Kit and I think I would add a thermometer so you can monitor the boil and measure the temperature of the wort when you pitch the yeast. There is also a mesh/strap carboy carrier available for under $15 (probably available on-line) that I like better than the carboy handles. I use both but always use the strap carrier if I have to move the full carboy any distance. I much prefer glass over plastic but you can buy another carboy later. You will want to buy a better capper at some point. There is also a high pressure spray attachment that fits on your kitchen faucet that will be helpful in cleaning up your carboy and the individual beer bottles. It works better than the kitchen sprayer hose.

Anybody have any other ideas?

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Permalink Reply by usemoreglue on March 10, 2008 at 12:17am

I was glad to see it included a glass carboy, a big upgrade. "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" has been an extremely useful resource for us as well. And if I'm thinking of the right book, parts of it are pretty hysterical. Fun reading.

We actually use a lot of milk crates to tote carboys around, they work great, fit perfectly, and ensure that if you're setting a glass one down on hard flooring, it won't get a little fracture/crack if the glass goes weak.

I second the high pressure sprayer, it was a new phase in bottle-cleaning for us. We eventually broke down and bought one of those hip little bottle-trees, kind of space-consuming if you're brewing in a "shared space", but a great way of keeping bottles you plan on using sanitized, dry, and relatively out of the way.

What kind of siphon clip does that one come with? We've gone through a few different types this past year, but have realized more and more that the fancier the siphon, the more practical it actually is (instead of just being more fancy...like a Rolex vs. a Timex). I can't think of enough specifics to recommend a particular one, but just consider what's more convenient for you. Can you risk spilling more potential brew for a simpler tool? Do you have more than your own set of hands involved in the bottling process? etc.

Personally, I'm fond of the capper included in kit 2. We recently bought a new bench-capper type thing that just seems super inefficient and overly powerful to me. The benefit of a capper that doesn't involve your hands up close is that if you break a bottle (frequent occurrence if you scrounge old ones from your friends/bad manufacturing.....damn you PETE'S!!!!) you don't risk slicing major wrist arteries or nerves. Yay.

Anyyyyyyyway, have fun! And remember the obvious, there's always time to add more complexity to the operation later. Plus, there are surely groceries to buy too.

-Monet

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Permalink Reply by Neonnoodle on March 11, 2008 at 12:24am

Thanks for the input :)

I like the milk crates idea, Usemoreglue. I'll have to keep my eyes open for some. I'll probably be doing most of the brewing, but my SO has expressed interest in lending a hand as well.

I have no idea what kind of siphon clip it has. I'll probably pick up the home brewing book you mentioned and then waltz on down to the store a wee bit more informed about what I need. I figure keep it simple at first, and then add/replace parts as I see fit down the road.

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