# Starter Kit



## katmike (Apr 29, 2005)

The mead making kit in the recent Dadant catalog got me thinking I'd like to try this.

Is this kit a good place to start?


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

If you have a local home brewing supply store, I might recommend stopping by there first to see what they have. For about the same price I got a kit without many of the smaller items, but with the bucket plus a 5-6 gallon glass carboy instead(normally ~$20) which probably more useful and other things that I found useful.

This is the link for my local store's kit:
http://www.makeyourownwine.com/_Make_Wine/Makingsupplies.html

That being said, if for some reason you can't, you could probably do most of what you want to start out with what they have in theirs kit. Most people brewing prefer the glass for many different reasons, but glass carboys are costly to ship.


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

This is a very affordable mail order site that I use. They have all sorts of equipment as well as some mead making package kits which include all the honey, yeast, and other ingredients you will need.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

I like "the Grape and Granery". There fast, knowlegable and don't have huge markups. My startup kit would be:

1 gal of your own honey
1/4 cup whole coriander, gently crushed
1/4 cup fresh ginger, coursely grated
5 ft of siphon hose
2 cases of 12 oz bottles
bottle caps
Red Baron hand capper
1 package of Montrochet dried yeast (lalvin)
1 package of 1118 Champagne (lalvin)
5 gal glass carboy
7 gal plastic fermentor with spicot for primary/bottling
sanitizer
4-5 gallon capacity stainless pot
3 gallons very soft spring water
yeast hulls or yeast nutrients
One copy of a good hobbiest book (really like the chapter in "the Joy of homebrewing"


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Scads is spot on about the carboys. They cost $$$ to ship.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

I'm also going to recommend finding a local shop. The carboy is a very good recommendation and is available locally for a lot less than shipped. Items like Dadant's energizer don't say what they are ("energizer" is not a standardized term and could be nutrients, diammonium phosphate, yeast hulls, etc. or combinations thereof), and items like the foil, T-corks, and labels are optional or could be substituted more effectively depending on what you'd like to do. 

Depending on where you are in IL, there are sure to be some shops nearby. Lacking that, there are a lot of internet vendors of good quality that'll have better prices and certainly better selection and expertise to support your inevitable questions. Local shops though are great in that they're good for last-minute items, personal service, and you know where to find them if there's a problem







. 

Check out the Intro too for getting started.


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

The carboys are the only item that I did buy at a local brew shop. I got 5 gallon glass ones for $15 each


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