Homebrewers - Whats in the fermenter?

[Salvelinus]

You get better hop utilization, you can brew all grain if you choose to, some say you don't get an extract twang. FWIW Zainashef mentions full boils being a key to making great beer, along with pitching the right amount of healthy yeast.

Very big con: You're going to want a wort chiller.

If you save $50 by not getting a 5 gallon pot with the kit you can get an 8 gallon pot from Amazon for about that much. It'd just be a part of your system that you didn't need to upgrade if you decided to fall further down the homebrewing slope. You can always do a partial boil in an 8 gallon pot, you can't do a full boil in a 5 gallon pot. You can make good homebrew so many ways though, tons of people make great homebrew doing partial boils including my pal Jamie who's beers I'm always jealous of

[forgop]

Originally Posted by Salvelinus

You get better hop utilization, you can brew all grain if you choose to, some say you don't get an extract twang. FWIW Zainashef mentions full boils being a key to making great beer, along with pitching the right amount of healthy yeast.

Very big con: You're going to want a wort chiller.

If you save $50 by not getting a 5 gallon pot with the kit you can get an 8 gallon pot from Amazon for about that much. It'd just be a part of your system that you didn't need to upgrade if you decided to fall further down the homebrewing slope. You can always do a partial boil in an 8 gallon pot, you can't do a full boil in a 5 gallon pot. You can make good homebrew so many ways though, tons of people make great homebrew doing partial boils including my pal Jamie who's beers I'm always jealous of

As in I'm going to WANT or I'm going to NEED a wort chiller?

I've inquired on substituting the 7.5 gal pot they sell in lieu of the 4 gal pot. I'll see what they say. I'm also wanting to substitute the Hank's Hefeweizen kit in place of the 3 kits they offer with it.

[replicant_argent]

Originally Posted by forgop

As in I'm going to WANT or I'm going to NEED a wort chiller?

I've inquired on substituting the 7.5 gal pot they sell in lieu of the 4 gal pot. I'll see what they say. I'm also wanting to substitute the Hank's Hefeweizen kit in place of the 3 kits they offer with it.

You should see if they honor any competitors coupons.

[Salvelinus]

Originally Posted by forgop

As in I'm going to WANT or I'm going to NEED a wort chiller?

I've inquired on substituting the 7.5 gal pot they sell in lieu of the 4 gal pot. I'll see what they say. I'm also wanting to substitute the Hank's Hefeweizen kit in place of the 3 kits they offer with it.

I chilled with the lid on the pot in an ice bath for a long time before I finally got a wort chiller. The chiller just makes the process a whole lot faster. I got my chiller on craigslist for $15. It's something you could hold out on until you found a good deal.

[rack04]

Blew my first stopper and airlock during the night. Made quite a mess in the chest freezer. I keep telling myself that I should use a blowoff tube for the 1st week with every batch to be safe. Lesson learned.