Which HB Starter Kit?

vitalogy · Post by **vitalogy** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:02 pm

Hi,

Sorry if this has been covered in another thread previously, but I couldn't find it anywhere...

I'd like to get into home brewing, but I'm not sure which starter kit to buy. I've heard good things about both the Coopers and the Tooheys kits. Is there any difference between them? Does one give better results than the other?

Any advice appreciated.

Wassa · Post by **Wassa** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:11 pm

This is very much a moot point and one that people will argue about for ever.

I have made Tooheys kits which I think are fantastic and I have made Coopers kits likewise. The secret with brewing is cleanliness and using the best ingredients you can.

With the Tooheys kits I brew the Tooheys Dark Ale frequently becuase I am a Tooheys Old drinker. For this kit I usually use the kit with 1kg of Country Brewers Stout mix (600gm dark dry malt and 400gm of maltodextrin) and a Willamette hop teabag and make the brew up to 23 litres and have found this to be that close to Tooheys Old that Old drinkers can't tell its homebrew.

I have also put down several Tooheys Lager kits and for these I use 1kg of light dry malt and usually use 12 to 20gm of Hallertau hop pellets added tdirectly to the fermenter. Again a top drop by anyones standards.

With the Coopers kits I frequently make the Lager, Bavarian Lager, Canadian Blonde and Sparkling Ale kits and again these are fermented with malt and Hallertau hops are uses with the lagers and no hops with the others.

Good luck with your brewing.

vitalogy · Post by **vitalogy** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:24 pm

Hi Wassa,

By Starter Kit I meant the Micro-Brewery kits (fermenter, hydrometer etc). Sorry I wasn't clearer, not up with the lingo yet

And I realise this is probably one of those religious-type questions where everyone swears by one or the other, but I was just wondering in terms of the actual hardware that comes in these kits is there any difference?

Cheers.

Bruiser · Post by **Bruiser** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:32 pm

Vitalogy,

Personally I don't think it matters. I bought a mate a Tooheys starter kit for his 30th, and it came with all the necesarry things (except for the sugar measurer for bottling). I bought a kit from a homebrew store about 10 or 11 years ago for myself. Whatever you get, it'll help you make better beer than the local swill you buy now.

Cheers

vitalogy · Post by **vitalogy** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:36 pm

Thanks Bruiser.

In that case I'll probably go for the cheapest option (the Coopers kit).

Hope it turns out alright. My local swill is Boags, which would take a little bit of beating IMHO

The Carbonator · Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:40 pm

I have 3 cooper kits.

They are tops.

Brew on, Brewer.

undercover1 · Post by **undercover1** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 12:41 pm

Don't just grab the cheapest one for the sake of getting started, Vita.
Have a look at the packages that your local HB shop offers- they are often a better deal.
Or try ebay- this quick search http://search.ebay.com.au/search/search ... category0= found five kits, all of which look to be in good nick, and most of which include stuff like extra fermenters, bench cappers or bottle trees etc, for a lower price than an off the shelf starter kit.

silkworm · Post by **silkworm** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 2:14 pm

Spot on Undercover1.

Same advice here.....
______________________________
If you live near a HB shop they have some good advice as well as the different brands to look at.
My local HB shop is Asquith, NSW and the starter kit there was perfect.
Also for cost look at the kits for sale on ebay.
I picked up 2 fermenter barrels, all the extras (taps hydrometers etc) plus a bench capper and caps, books, bottles for $47.
______________________________

Jay · Post by **Jay** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 2:23 pm

Agree with both the two previous posts.

Have a good long talk with your HB supplier and see what you need to start with. Sometimes you can trade odds and ends that come with standard kits, that you will never use, with bits and pieces that you will use. They can also throw in other things you may need like extra taps, fermenters, airlocks and other shit for a good price.

Remember that they will want you to come back so they should be quite willing to give you a bargain. If they're not find another store.

Cheers,
Jay.

Lebowski · Post by **Lebowski** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 2:57 pm

HB shops might have some christmas specials also?

Where about do you live vitalogy?

Beerpig · Post by **Beerpig** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 3:05 pm

Just to get started go to Woolies, K mart or Coles & grab yourself a Coopers Kit, it has everything you need including bottles

When you want to get more adventurous go to a HBS for specialty items (eg. grain, hops etc)

Cheers

vitalogy · Post by **vitalogy** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 3:11 pm

Thanks a lot for all of the replies guys.

I'll check with the local Home Brew shop and see what they've got, otherwise I'll grab a Coopers kit and get brewing

Only thing I was dubious about was using the plastic bottles rather than glass, but from what I've heard the plastic ones are perfectly fine.

I figure a Coopers kit plus good ingredients should knock out a nice (and cheap) beer.

Thanks again for all your help.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 3:29 pm

plastic should tide to you over just fine until you get a collection of glass up.

Jay.

shmickvl · Post by **shmickvl** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 4:28 pm

i actually bought a morgons kit from "The Homebrew Shop" in kedron, brisbane.

i went down this path because they are there to help if ya have any troubles

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Wednesday Nov 23, 2005 6:13 pm

I'd go the HBS route, that way if tyhe shop is a good one you get helpful advice as well!

You can also then pick up individual items as the budget allows!

Grab

Tyberious Funk · Thursday Nov 24, 2005 10:17 am

To be honest, I'm not a fan of starter kits. My first homebrew experience was with a starter kit and it was an absolute disaster. But by researching on the 'net about all the things I needed to put together my own starter kit, I learnt a tremendous amount. It was a much more worthwhile experience.

I also saved some money...

NickMoore · Post by **NickMoore** » Thursday Nov 24, 2005 12:06 pm

speaking of such things, Kmart catalogue that arrived today has advertised the tooheys micro kit for $55, save $15.

scblack · Post by **scblack** » Thursday Nov 24, 2005 9:35 pm

One thing with a starter kit, I'd suggest going for a pail type fermenter rather than the carboy style - it's much easier to clean, has less places for infections to get a hold, and the lid is easier, I think.

Thats my preferred fermenter.

Tipsy · Post by **Tipsy** » Thursday Nov 24, 2005 10:10 pm

scblack wrote:One thing with a starter kit, I'd suggest going for a pail type fermenter rather than the carboy style - it's much easier to clean, has less places for infections to get a hold, and the lid is easier, I think.

Thats my preferred fermenter.

I have 2 Coopers and 1 pail type fermenter and would have to agree with scblack. Get a pail with a tap at the bottom if you can. just my 2c

vitalogy · Post by **vitalogy** » Friday Nov 25, 2005 7:12 am

Hi Fellas,

Well I ended up picking up a great setup from my local HB shop. It's apparently a Coopers-authorised kit, and it's pretty much the same as the normal Coopers kit in supermarkets. However, it comes with a taller, skinnier fermenter (as opposed to the short, squat one in normal Coopers kit), and a can of Coopers Sparkling Ale to get me started.

So it seems pretty good. The guy in the shop was great. I'll start a brew on Saturday and see how it goes!

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.