I believe I'm taking the plunge. I live in a state where you simply can't get some of the best beers. We have a 6% cap on beer, so that leaves a very weak and limited selection. There are different sites that will ship beer, but shipping prices are ridiculous. I also live in a state where homebrewing is illegal. shhh


So I know a few of you BOTL's are homebrewers as well and could probably use some of your advice.

First off, I'm a fan of high alcohol content stouts. Any stout for that matter. (Rogue Chocolate, Old Rasputin, Mackeson XXX,, Sam Smith Imperial Stout, etc.) I'm equally as big a fan of Belgium/Belguim Styles (Chimay, St. Bernardus , Ommegang) but from what I've read probably won't be trying those for quite some time.

I wouldn't mind kegging except for I don't have a separate fridge. I would not look forward to sanitizing all those bottles and the fridge I have now is PACKED with beer. So it looks as if I'm going to need another fridge regardless. Plus kegging is a lot more expensive.

Now, I'm just looking for the best places to purchase essentials (equipment, ingredients, etc.)

Any advice from you wiser than I?