bitter beer face wrote:
Homebrewing is like going fishing or hunting for an entree. You can get far better quality at the store and it'll cost way less per consumable unit. I wish I had a dollar for every horrible tasting beer some homebrewing knob has pushed on me.
I see you there hiding under that bridge...
bitter beer face wrote:
Homebrewing is like going fishing or hunting for an entree. You can get far better quality at the store and it'll cost way less per consumable unit. I wish I had a dollar for every horrible tasting beer some homebrewing knob has pushed on me.
I have to agree that most home brews don't compare to what you can get at the grocery or at the local microbrew. I do think that by dabbling in the home brew I appreciate the differences in the various beers better than I did before hand. I don't pretend that I can make better beer than commercial operations with big dollars at their disposal.
But.... Some times you do things because they're fun. It's like a big science experiement you can drink.
Homebrewing is cooking. If you don't like cooking, you most likely won't like homebrewing. And you have to sterilize everything really really well. Lots of time, patience and I really think you need to be a student to make a good homebrew. Read everything you can get your hands on.
Biggest advice is to kick down the $90-100 bucks and get a 5 gallon cooking pot. Having a Gas stove is the best too (helps prevent boil overs). I actually recommend cooking inside the house, my wife and I love the smell!
Next best thing to own is a wort chiller---saves a lot of time!
Good luck and be sure to drink a beer while you brew---makes the process fun. Also, support your local homebrew shops.
If you are going to invest in a wort chiller, why not skip the 5 gallon pot and buy a 30 qt turkey fryer with outdoor propane burner so you can do full boils. I bought one of these for like 20 or 30 bucks on sale a few years ago, and it used it for about a dozen or so batches before I got my hands on a converted keg to I could do larger batches.
Outside is more fun than inside and if you can get a turkey fryer that comes with a big pot, it is cheaper than any cheap 5 gal pot anyway.