What does it take to start home beer brewing?

Several years ago my roommate bought me a "Mr. Beer" home brewing kit. What I didn't really like about it is that it seemed "dumbed down" - for example, all the yeast, sugar and stuff was pre-measured and it all came in pre-packaged flavors. I want to experiment a bit with different ingredients. What will it take to make a beer from scratch? I'm looking for input on things like equipment, tips, and difficulty level. Another thing I would like to know is if I'm getting in over my head. Thanks in advance.|||OK, some background here...I've been home brewing for several years, I've metaled in several contests and I brew at least i batch a month year round.





The first thing you need is a good kit. I recommend this one because it comes with a carboy for clarification and sanitizer*-





http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-s鈥?/a>





You may wish to get a book a book, How To Brew by John Palmer is the homebrewer's bible. Beauty of it is the old edition is available only for free from John himself here -





http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html





Get the book online or at your local book store if you become serious about brewing. I also recommend Randy Mosher's Rasdical Brewing ( http://www.radicalbrewing.com/ ) and Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beer ( http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Great-Be鈥?/a> ) if you become serious about it.





In the absence of a book you can watch Alton brew a beer and take good notes. This is how I started and I don't regret it. The ice trick really works until you invest in a wort chiller. -





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlv1wBy7Z鈥?/a>





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7jQ6Wwn鈥?/a>





Next you'll need a recipe, I recommend going partial mash your first time out. All extract tends to be bland and lifeless, all-grain is to expensive and complicated for a beginner. Make sure you know if your recipe kit comes with priming sugar for bottling and if it doesn't you'll need some. If your local homebrew shop doesn't have ready made kits you can get them from Midwest Supplies also -





http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewi鈥?/a>








Let's see...you'll need a large stock pot to boil your wort in. Wort is beer before it is beer. If you don't have one already, don't spend a lot right now. Go to Dollar General and get a 3 gallon pot for under $20. You'll need this for boiling you wort.





You'll need bottles. This I highly recommend picking up locally. Shipping cost and possibility for damage are both high. If you and your friends are up to it you can save and wash and sanitize* them. You'll need two cases and a six extra. Chances are you won't need all six extra, but you want them just in case.








Advice for a beginner -





Start simple. Don't go big your first time out. I did this and I wasted money and time. I brewed a stout that was undrinkable.





If your tap water is drinkable without chemical treatment it is good enough for brewing...no mater what Alton says. Just fill your bottling bucket and let it sit overnight so the chlorine can evaporate out.





Be patient. Brewing takes time, but it is rewarding.





Do a web search for home brew clubs in your area. Here in Chicago I'm a member of CBS (Chicago Beer Society). The one thing you'll learn about brewers is we LOVE to share what we know and we love to get other people addicted to the hobby. There is also homebrewtalk.com and Beer Advocate's forum as a home brew section.





*SANITATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP AND SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED!!!!!


Imagine that last line underlined, bold, 25 point and bright red...maybe flashing.|||Wow, thanks Mayor Adam West. Glad you had time to take off from Family Guy. Home brew kits differ in price and content but the essentials are basically the same. What really makes the difference is learning the proper techniques. There are some great learning guides that will get you up to speed.

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|||Dont worry about it you are not getting over your head. The best book to get you started is The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. It really helped me when I first started homebrewing. Also get on the net and try to find a local group of homebrewers they will be more than happy to help someone just starting out homebrewing.