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The wife surprised me with a starter brewing kit. What sites do you recommend for research and do you have any pointers and pro tips for a newbie?

Thanks,
James

[url=http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html]http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html[/url]

Lots of great info here... I did a lot of home brewing 20 years ago, and I got all my info from books then, and just got back into it this past year.  So many great beers on the market now, and I love IPAs... so I did 4 beers this year, a coconut/vanilla porter, 2 IPAs (a Ballast Point Sculpin clone and a Bells 2 Hearted Clone), and I will soon be putting my Bourbon Barrel Ale (made with Four Roses Single Barrel) on tap (its sat on oak chips for close to 5 months so far).

There are a lot of good sites for recipes, and there is tons of info everywhere online.  If you need any help, feel free to shoot me a pm.

Have fun.

Looks up the books by Charlie Papazian. He's got so much usefully info out there for homebrewers. Looks for Homebrew clubs in your area. They will usually have brew days and always welcome new guys to the hobby. If you have a local homebrew supply place they will be able to point you in the right direction. Start will kits and then move on to all grain. Biggest tip I can give is SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE

[quote author=Direwolf link=topic=30389.msg129171#msg129171 date=1415020088]
Looks up the books by Charlie Papazian. He's got so much usefully info out there for homebrewers. Looks for Homebrew clubs in your area. They will usually have brew days and always welcome new guys to the hobby. If you have a local homebrew supply place they will be able to point you in the right direction. Start will kits and then move on to all grain. Biggest tip I can give is SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE
[/quote]

+1

Great advice here.

Starsan is a great sanitizer and available everywhere... I always clean my equipment thoroughly when I am done, and it makes starting my next batch down the road a lot easier.  Never store your brew kettles, glass carboys, or anything stainless with residual wort or sediment...

I recommend Midwest Brewing supply for kits and supplies, I have been very happy with their equipment and customer service, and their kits are fairly priced.

Homebrewtalk.com been brewing for about 3 years now

Thanks for the tips and homework.

Can I use flip-top growlers or is it better to get dedicated 12-16 oz bottles?

You can use "grolsh" style bottles just use new seals. You will find that your goal will end up being kegging. Bottles take a lot of time cleaning and capping lol.

[quote author=James40 link=topic=30389.msg129190#msg129190 date=1415033578]
Thanks for the tips and homework.

Can I use flip-top growlers or is it better to get dedicated 12-16 oz bottles?
[/quote]

A bottle capper and caps are cheap, but the Grolsch style bottle work well too.  I keg all of my stuff anymore intgo 5 gal Cornelius kegs, and once you go down that road, you will never bottle again.

Great info!  Thanks!  Another hobby I need to resurrect!  :)

All great advice!

My three rules: Sanitize, keg, don't worry!