Home Beer Brewing

Question: Discount/cheap home beer brewing supplies?

(Posted by: J on 2009-04-24 15:01:36)

I am just starting home brewing. I got a starter kit with everything needed except the 30 quart pot and the bottles. Is there any place online that has low prices on either of these items? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

Posted by: ejwaxx on 2009-04-24, 17:58:11

Cheapest place to get bottles is the grocery store to buy pry-off beer. Sure, it's a little bit more expensive than purchasing bottles from a homebrew store, but you get the beer too! Another alternative means of obtaining bottles is to visit local bars (especially if they keep a large beer selection) and see if they can donate -- I got enough bottles from the Ginger Man in Houston for a whole batch just from asking a bartender! Any place you might conceivably purchase virgin bottles is gonna have a large markup -- you're better off reusing other bottles. As to the brewpot, I got my first brewpot from Big Lots for 9.99 -- it's not full size, but when you're extract brewing you can get away with boiling about half the volume with your extracts and hops, and watering it down when you rack it to the fermenter and pitch the yeast. Also helps the wort cool quicker to avoid spoiling, since you probably don't have a wort chiller or anything like that.

Posted by: oikos on 2009-04-25, 10:38:58

I got my bottles from a beer distributor for the cost of the deposit ($1.50 per case).You do have to clean them but you also get the carton to keep them in, a big plus. I am slowly picking up more swing-top bottles at flea markets and yard sales, 10 cents each if you get lucky, $2 each if you are foolish enough to pay collectors' prices. Some people go to bars, restaurants or recycling centers for them. My first brew-pot was the stock pot my wife uses to make soup. I was lucky enough to find a 10-gallon stainless steel pot with spigot and false bottom at a flea market and paid all of $10.

Posted by: fratermus on 2009-04-26, 11:31:06

KETTLE Many folks buy a turkey frier setup to get the 30/ 40qt pot, and consider the propane burner a freebie. Works fine, and they can be found at amazon or elsewhere for $40 for the whole frier setup (minus the propane tank, of course). Other possibilities: * craigslist * freecycle * garage sales * if you have a keg hanging around you can get a welder to cut a big hole in the lid and brew in that. It's called a "keggle " (keg + kettle) and is the cheapest way to get a really big pot that you will likely never outgrow. A keggle is a 62qt pot. BOTTLES *Craigslist * freecycle *your local recycling center *dumpster diving if your city allows it *make friends with a bar owner *or get a bench capper and cap normal twistoffs. * ask the local brew club; many folks move to kegging and give away their bottles