TroyH wrote:
MitchK - that why I'm pretty much dead set on starting with super small batches (1-2.5gal) unless you guys think otherwise.... 1) so the expense for supplies is reduced, and 2) so I can brew more often and perfect the technique while minimizing the the costly strain of guaranteed bad batches the first little while.
I haven't done more than a couple of small batches in the two and a half years I've been brewing, but mostly what I've determined is that there isn't a whole lot of time savings. You're still committing to a good 4 hours. And while it might be easier work than a 5 gallon (or bigger) batch, if I'm going to put 4+ hours of effort in I want to maximize, within reason, my return on that time. Five gallons is an excellent starting point. It requires no scaling to start kegging and at the same time you can bottle it in a reasonable amount of time. Grain and hops are pretty cheap. Dry yeast too (and there's nothing wrong with using dry yeast, especially for your first few batches).
In terms of the cost of gear, getting in at the 5 gallon size means not having to upgrade some or all of your kit when you do scale up. Sure, you can hold on to the gear you have for when you want to make smaller batches, but again, if you've got the chance to make 3 gallons of beer in 4 hours or 5 gallons of beer in 4 hours, most of the time you're going to make the bigger batch.
Lastly, you're far from guaranteed to make bad batches at the beginning. You're doing the right things by reading up, contacting folks on the forum and really, and just by putting in sober thought before you go on a buying spree. I went straight to all-grain in my first brew in January of 2014. I had fermented a couple of wine kits at that point, but nothing more. I had a colleague at work who was a Brewnoser and came over and helped me with my first brew day. In 2.5 years I've made 161 gallons or so. Not all of them have been brilliant, but some have been pretty okay. Every batch has been educational and with one exception, drinkable.
I highly recommend attending someone else's brew day, a couple if you can. It's worth seeing other people's setups and how they can be different. If a Grainfather or other all-in-one unit is even a remote consideration for you, try to go watch someone who's got one. DIY electric is also worth seeing if you think there's a chance you might go in that direction. But the classic cooler and pot rig is probably the best baseline because that's the easiest kit to get into. Also gear gets recycled on here pretty frequently. As we get into Fall and folks start brewing more, I suspect you'll see more equipment available in the Classified section as people upgrade.
My only other two pieces of advice are: 1. Sanitation. Sanitation. SANITATION. 2. Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.
