New brewer (Cole Harbour)

wader98 · Post by **wader98** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:04 pm

I've been creeping the boards for a while now and finally decided to do my 1st post. I've been doing some reading/watching videos and still unsure what I want to attempt for my first brew. I'm guessing i should try extract before even thinking about all grain? I've also looked up Brooklyn brewshops kits and wondering if anyone has had any success with these small all grain kits?
Or......should I just go see either everwood or noble grape or soemthing like that for suggestions.

Any help would greatly appreciated.

joe_r_harvie · Post by **joe_r_harvie** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:58 pm

Yes, try extract first. You can get some good extract kits from your local homebrew shop. The good ones are $40-50ish and don't require corn sugar and make 20 litres. There are lots of styles to choose from. These kits will help teach the basics and you'll learn that sanitation is crucial with all your gear. Then once your comfortable move on to partial mashes and all grain. Good luck and welcome aboard.

jeffsmith · Post by **jeffsmith** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:08 pm

There's no harm in jumping into all grain first either. There's many brewers in these parts that started that way and never looked back.

You can get great 1 gallon all grain kits from Everwood that will let you get a feel for the process on a small scale.

CorneliusAlphonse · Post by **CorneliusAlphonse** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:32 pm

A third possibility is festabrew- limits it to fermentation, with minimal equipment investment, get decent beer out the other end

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:24 am

I've done all options I know of.... Festa, extract, partial grain and all grain. Pop out for a brew day with me (MSG me), and we can brew a beer of your own. I'm in Lr sackville and brew frequently.

Post by **LeafMan66_67** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:05 am

Welcome! I started with Festabrew (something my wife now regrets getting for me) moved on to extract, partial mash, 1G all grain (from the Brooklyn Brew Shop book) and then 5G BIAB all grain and now choose from either 5G BIAB or 10G 3-vessel brew days, depending on what I'm making.

As mentioned, Festabrew is an excellent way to get started, nail down sanitation and fermentation with minimal investment, and make good beer. Seconding Jeff's comments, Dave at EverwoodAveBrewShop has a great collection of 1G all grain kits to choose from, should you choose the all grain experience as your first brew. The 1G is also a good starting point with minimal investment in gear.

Whatever route you choose, ask questions, and dive right in!

Post by **mr x** » Fri May 01, 2015 1:08 pm

wader98 · Post by **wader98** » Fri May 01, 2015 3:34 pm

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Looks I will give the one gallon all grain a try since I don't need a mash ton and worth chiller right???

mstead · Post by **mstead** » Fri May 01, 2015 7:25 pm

My first kit was a festibrew kit and I did that a couple of times. Then a friend invited me over for an all grain brew day and after that I knew I was hooked. I did one extract kit after that and decided all grain was what I enjoyed best. Find someone to show you the ropes and you'll know if you wanna invest in all grain brewing. Bet you'll love it!

mackay85 · Post by **mackay85** » Wed May 20, 2015 7:08 pm

if yer looking to jump in for an all grain brew day, let me know. I'm in Cole Harbour and will have you over next time I brew...which actually might be this weekend!! Send me a msg if yer interested. I also started with Festa-Brew, then did some Extract kits, then went all-grain. Believe me, all grain is the way to go! Also, I did the mash tun and wort chiller on the cheap, so I can give you some pointers on how to get it done without costing a fortune.

Post by **chalmers** » Wed May 20, 2015 9:10 pm

Welcome aboard!

For the 1gallon batches, a mash tun isn't required, but then you'd be kinda-sorta be doing a Brew In A Bag (BIAB), as I imagine you'd be steeping the grains in your pot, and then lifting them out and boiling. Totally legit method, many of us do that on a 20-40-60 litre basis.

mthibodeau · Post by **mthibodeau** » Sun May 24, 2015 9:32 am

Only problem with doing the 1gal all grain is that you only end up with 1 gal of beer

akr71 · Post by **akr71** » Mon May 25, 2015 8:32 am