Starter Kit or The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Kit

[Jordanmk10]

Hi all,
Will try to keep this brief.
Looking at starting to brew my own. Trying to do it right by reading up as much as I can before leaping into a starter kit. Currently reading Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" and have gotten to the section where he informs you of the recommended materials to assemble a kit etc. My question is:

Do I purchase and assemble his recommended materials and follow his initial recipe?

Or

Is there a generally recommended starter kit out there that I should go with?

Would really appreciate any help,
Cheers.

(Apologies if this is the incorrect thread, would be happy to be redirected).

 

[chalky]

Hi Jordanmk10,

What does Charlie recommend you acquire in his book?

I have been brewing for many years and have spent thousands on fancy equipment. But, I also have a coopers starter kit from Big W that does what you would expect - enable you to brew beer from cans of goop.

Where are you located? There are some very good homebrew stores across the country.

—Chalky

Hi all,
Will try to keep this brief.
Looking at starting to brew my own. Trying to do it right by reading up as much as I can before leaping into a starter kit. Currently reading Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" and have gotten to the section where he informs you of the recommended materials to assemble a kit etc. My question is:

Do I purchase and assemble his recommended materials and follow his initial recipe?

Or

Is there a generally recommended starter kit out there that I should go with?

Would really appreciate any help,
Cheers.

(Apologies if this is the incorrect thread, would be happy to be redirected).

 

[Jordanmk10]

Hi Jordanmk10,

What does Charlie recommend you acquire in his book?

I have been brewing for many years and have spent thousands on fancy equipment. But, I also have a coopers starter kit from Big W that does what you would expect - enable you to brew beer from cans of goop.

Where are you located? There are some very good homebrew stores across the country.

—Chalky

Hey Chalky,

Thanks for the reply.

Charlie lists out a set of different materials that can be assembled to create a basic brew kit.

I think the starter kit might be a good introduction, but assembling my own kit might provide me with both an introduction as well as more room to move down the track if i want to progress past cans of goop.

Im in Sydney, theres a brew shop near Lugarno that I want to check out so maybe im best off going there and asking. Just thought i'd get an idea of peoples experiences in starting out and the roads that they initially embarked on.

Thanks again for your response!

 

[MHB]

The Complete Joy... Is pretty dated, there is even a New Complete Joy...
What you need is going to depend on how you intend to make beer loosely Kit, Extract or All Grain.
When Charlie wrote his books BIAB hadn't really come on to (or back on to for some) scene.
As an Australian brewer I would rank a decent temperature controlled environment (fridge, STC 1000 or similar and a small fan no need for a heater) above going AG.
Good sanitising and cleaning chemicals would be up there to.

So what sort of brewing are you planning?
Mark

 

[golfandbrew]

I agree with MHB. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing was written in a completely different era of Homebrewing. It is still very relevant and timeless but you may find it easier to buy a ready made kit (something that wasn't available for CP) from your LHBS. Consider your budget and time you want to commit and people will be better able to guide you on where to start.

Cheers