Setting up a new homebrew system

[Rathers]

Hey,

I am kind of new to Halifax and looking into getting back into homebrewing. Ive got a plastic fermenter, carboy and a few other pieces of equipment. However I would like to do some brews with just pale malt extract, one hop and to keg it. So I am looking for where I can buy a big pot, a keg, co2 and some interesting hops.

The best deal I have seen for a pot is from Rona at $60 for a 48l pot. http://www.rona.ca/en/stock-pot-0836500 ... tore=05505" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The keg I was thinking of getting from Noble Grape but if anyone is looking to sell a keg or co2 tank and regulator I would be interested.
My last question is where do people get there hops from? I am looking for some fairly unique varieties like El Dorado, Calypso and a few other experimental ones but the only places that seems to do these are all in America and charge $30 for shipping. I would be happy with anything slightly unique and I would prefer to buy from Canada.

Any views or help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Andrew

[LiverDance]

Check out our vendor section for some hops that may not be available at noble grape. I seen a 60qt aluminum pot at the cash and carry today, I forget the price thought (may have been $60ish) Noble grape my be your best bet for kegging gear if you need it right away, other than that keep checking Kijiji.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

I think the pots at cash n carry are more expensive, but they're much better quality aluminum - thicker. That said, I've got the hardware store 48L aluminum pot and I've brewed with it for 2.5 years of all grain, only issue is that it dents easy-ish, and I can't quite do a 10gallon batch in it.

[jason.loxton]

If you can afford the extra cash, I'd strongly recommend going with an Ontario Beer Kegs stainless pot. They're on sale for $120 right now, and 15 gallons will allow true 10 gallons batches down the road. (They have 9 gallon too for $90.) They have a $15 flat rate shipping deal, and a good hop selection, so you could throw in a bunch of hops for $0 on shipping. My 2 cents. I love my OBK pot.

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/15_Gallo ... -2weld.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sleepyjamie]

If you can afford the extra cash, I'd strongly recommend going with an Ontario Beer Kegs stainless pot. They're on sale for $120 right now, and 15 gallons will allow true 10 gallons batches down the road. (They have 9 gallon too for $90.) They have a $15 flat rate shipping deal, and a good hop selection, so you could throw in a bunch of hops for $0 on shipping. My 2 cents. I love my OBK pot.

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/15_Gallo ... -2weld.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

second that. these pots are awesome and will never need to upgrade.

[jason.loxton]

As an aside though, I am 99% sure that the Rona pot you posted was my old pot before I upgraded to OBK. If it is, it is a good pot too. It has a nice wide footprint and can sit over two burners, if you get lazy or cold and want to boil in your kitchen. I made a lot of beer in that pot. It gets the job done. That said, get the stainless one with a ball valves. The valve in particular is a life changer.

[Rathers]

Thank you for all the advice. My flatmate has a festabrew so were going to make that one today. So I will probably pick up a keg and do a test run of that first. So I checked out the Noble Grape today for a keg (probably buy one next week) and just looking for Co2 and a regulator now.

Thanks for the kettle advice. If I was going to be doing more brewing or large batches I would go with the Ontario Beer Kegs kettle but at first Im just wanting to make 20l batches to experiment with new hops. I will maybe upgrade at a later date but I think a mash tun would be the next upgrade.

Thank you very much for all the help and advice.

Andrew

[ethier.sc]

If you do plan on filling (exchanging) your Co2 at Noble Grape, they will only exchange cylinders bought from them, or so I'm told. I bought all my kegging goodies from OBK but I bought the Co2 from Noble Grape for the simplicity of the exchange program.

[mr x]

There is a good CO2 source in Dartmouth now.

[ethier.sc]

There is a good CO2 source in Dartmouth now.

Well didn't I piss away good money that could have been spent elsewhere? I thought the only real local place was Brenton's.

[jeffsmith]

There is a good CO2 source in Dartmouth now.

Well didn't I piss away good money that could have been spent elsewhere? I thought the only real local place was Brenton's.

Nope, cheaper than Brenton's and very happy to cater to home brewers from my experience.

[Jimmy]

There is a good CO2 source in Dartmouth now.

Well didn't I piss away good money that could have been spent elsewhere? I thought the only real local place was Brenton's.

Nope, cheaper than Brenton's and very happy to cater to home brewers from my experience.

Agreed. I forgot they only accepted cash; buddy offered the fill for free! Luckily Becky had cash on her.