I'm moving into a house from an apartment and have decided that I'm going to start brewing my own beer at home. I have been trying to find a place in Toronto that sells the equipment I need(preferably east-end by the beach, but I'm willing to drive anywhere within 45 minutes of Kingston Rd. and Vic Park). I'm not one to spare the expense if it means a better beer, however I don't want to blow a fortune. Can anyone suggest a good supplier, and give me an idea of what I might be spending to get set up? I'd like to start with pale ales and amber ales and then move to stouts. I want to use all natural ingredients versus kits and powders (is there a big difference?). I'm sure it's a complicated process, but I'm looking forward to the rewards.
Cheers,
Kinney
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kinney on 2003-04-29 13:43 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kinney on 2003-04-29 13:45 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kinney on 2003-04-29 13:52 ]</font>
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Need home brew equipment - where and how much?
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- Posts: 269
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2001 7:00 pm
Hi Kinney,
You are in luck for your location. The best supplyer for homebrewers happens to be located in your neck of the woods. The man you need to get in touch with is Barry Pilatske who used to own the Brew Your Own store on Augusta. He still supplies via his home which is located at 26 Richard street near Greenwood and Gerrard. I would call him first to let him know what you want (416) 466-6442. You can also contact him via email: brewyourown2000@yahoo.com.
Barry has been catering to the homebrewer as opposed to the wine maker for some time now. He carries very hard to get liquid yeasts, the greatest variety of specialty malts you will find east of Saskatoon and other hard to get ingredients such as bitter and sweet orange peels and candi sugars for belgian styles and a ton of other stuff. And he's cheap since he no longer has much overhead.
He is also a certified beer judge and a very active homebrewer. In this capacity, Barry can give you invaluable advice and feedback on your beer and how to improve them. This makes him an invaluable resource for the novice to intermediate homebrewer.
I noticed that you wanted to brew a pale ale first, then a stout. I would suggest based on my experience that stout is the easiest style to brew well and should probably be your starting point. It is fairly easy to make stouts that are extemely drinkable because the malt and roast complexity and relatively high hopping rates will hide alot of the "flaws" novice homebrewers often get when they start. Anyway, that's just my humble opinion. If you really like stouts then that is a great and easy starting point.
Also, joining the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association is an excellent way to increase your learning curve 10 folds. Visit http://www.homebrewers.ca.
Best of luck. It is a great hobby and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Daniel
You are in luck for your location. The best supplyer for homebrewers happens to be located in your neck of the woods. The man you need to get in touch with is Barry Pilatske who used to own the Brew Your Own store on Augusta. He still supplies via his home which is located at 26 Richard street near Greenwood and Gerrard. I would call him first to let him know what you want (416) 466-6442. You can also contact him via email: brewyourown2000@yahoo.com.
Barry has been catering to the homebrewer as opposed to the wine maker for some time now. He carries very hard to get liquid yeasts, the greatest variety of specialty malts you will find east of Saskatoon and other hard to get ingredients such as bitter and sweet orange peels and candi sugars for belgian styles and a ton of other stuff. And he's cheap since he no longer has much overhead.
He is also a certified beer judge and a very active homebrewer. In this capacity, Barry can give you invaluable advice and feedback on your beer and how to improve them. This makes him an invaluable resource for the novice to intermediate homebrewer.
I noticed that you wanted to brew a pale ale first, then a stout. I would suggest based on my experience that stout is the easiest style to brew well and should probably be your starting point. It is fairly easy to make stouts that are extemely drinkable because the malt and roast complexity and relatively high hopping rates will hide alot of the "flaws" novice homebrewers often get when they start. Anyway, that's just my humble opinion. If you really like stouts then that is a great and easy starting point.
Also, joining the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association is an excellent way to increase your learning curve 10 folds. Visit http://www.homebrewers.ca.
Best of luck. It is a great hobby and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Daniel
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- Posts: 269
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2001 7:00 pm