Best Starter kit for a newbie

[Dog Breath]

I'm sure this has been asked many times, but can someone tell me what I will be in need of for starting my own home brewing venture? I'm sure I can ask at any HB shop but am wary of being sold stuff that I either don't need or for a few extra quid get something that is really going to make a difference to the finished product, seeing as there always tends to be things in a "kit" which aren't all that good or even surplus to requirement.

I like real ales of likes of Sheppard Neame's Late Red & Early bird (nice hoppy ales with a clean crisp palate) plus a variety of IPA's - perhaps someone can tell me how an IPA differs from a real ale? I know IPA means India Pale Ale but I assume it's how it's brewed. Anyway, I digress. Another favourite ale is Hopbeck's Summer Lightening (now that is an excellent brew). Not too keen on lagers of the mainstream type (ie too gassy) but some of the German dark lagers are pretty good.

Hopefully that should be sufficient information for what I'm looking to brew.

Thanks in advance.

 

[WelshPaul]

Are you planning on using extracts or do you want to brew using all grain (AG) recipes?
I've recently started this hobby and I jumped straight in at the AG end - it's great fun and really satisfying!

Anyway, the main pieces of kit that I bought/made, along with their approximate price, consist of:
- Mashtun, converted out of a 32l coolbox (there are loads of tutorials online). £24
- Boiler (I use a large 30l stock pot on the stove). £24
- 2 x 25l fermenting vats. £11 each

Other bits of kit that you will definitely need are a hydrometer and testing tube, some food grade syphon tubing and a thermometer. You will also need something to put the finished product into. I use bottles simply because it's cheaper to salvage them from pubs and friends but a lot of people use a keg.
I'm sure that other more experienced members can add to this list of equipment!

 

[BigYin]

Assuming you want to start out brewing from kits you will need the following :

A plastic fermenter with airtight lid and a bubble airlock.

A hydrometer and sight tube.

A thermometer

A stirring paddle

Some campden tablets

A good sanitiser

A siphon tube, or maybe a little bottler - anything to help you get the fermented beer out of the fermenter and into bottles or a pressure keg.

If you want to bottle, you need enough capacity to handle the kit size, and if they need crown caps you'll need a clappers.

If you go for a pressure barrel, eg a king keg, you need some way to inject co2 into it.

Lastly, you need a good quality kit - I recommend a two can kit - and lots of patience :thumb:

 

[abeyptfc]

i got my starter kit from home-brew-online.com. pretty much all u need for 60 quid including bottles. i would recommend a little bottler aswell