Look what I got for Christmas!:
I’ve always wanted to try making beer…looks like this will be a fun introduction!
Redwolf
Looks like fun. I wish you better luck than I had with wine making. 
Tell ya what… after you perfect your routine, bring it on over to the middle of the country here and we’ll have another party! LOL!
Good dark stuff, for me, please!
Cool! It looks like a much cooler version of something I got for my birthday recently:
http://store.yahoo.com/mrbeer/brewkitsmain.html
They sell a neat apple cider base that turns out pretty good. It’s pretty easy to use for beer…I hope yours works out! From a couple decades of mead-brewing experience comes the best advice I can give: sanitation sanitation sanitation.
Be careful of them revenooers. 
My oldest brother tells stories about when he was attending the University of Missouri - Columbia and they used to make beer in their dorm room back during the animal house era of the early '60s. He said they purchased a laundry hamper and lined it with a heavy plastic bag for the purpose of mixing and fermenting the brew. They kept the lid on the hamper closed and a lot of junk stashed on top to keep out prying eyes. He also said that it tasted good, but when you’re that age anything you can get away with tastes good.
Will O’Ban
WOO HOO!! I’ll bring the cookies! 
Have you made your first batch yet? I’ve always wondered how it tastes.
I have the texas statute concerning homebrewing taped to my closet door (where my brewing occurs), in case some over-zealous copper decides to take exception to my legal activities 
I’m allowed to brew 200 gallons a year for myself and my family, tax free and all that. No way we can drink that much..I think the most I’ve ever made is 15 gallons in a year
Very cool RW. I used to make homemade beer about 5 years ago. I made ales which ferment at room temperature. I would have liked to have tried lagers, but I didn’t a fridge that I could use for fermentation. (I was making this stuff in 5 gallon batches) Eventually, I decided that it was too much work, and I could find decent American micro brews at my local packie. So, I retired the equipment.
What’s your first recipe going to be?
That’s cool, Redwolf. You’re really going to enjoy it. I was talking to my wife yesterday about getting back into it. It smells wonderful when you’re cooking up a batch.
Good luck!
I’ll probably start with the mix that came with the machine, just to get my feet wet.
I’m trying to figure out where to put the container for the fermentation process, which is supposed to take place at room temperature (between 65 and 70 degrees). The garage would be too cold. I’m thinking of using our otherwise pathetically useless spare bedroom, but it’s hard to control the temp in there too…if the door’s closed, it gets quite hot in there when the heat’s on (but if I don’t close the door, the critters can get in there).
Redwolf
How I ever missed a beer thread is beyond comprehension.
I’m sure we’d all like to hear how it comes out!!!
I’ll be sure to let you all know!
I finally figured out that I can put the unit in a big dog crate I have during the fermentation stage…it will keep the animals away from it, and even has a heavy-duty plastic tray that will protect the floor from any potential accidents. That way I can put it in the spare bedroom but keep the door open so the temperature stays constant.
I’m still waiting for a call-back from our water people on whether or not our tap water is chlorinated (it’s a private well system, not a city water system), so I’ll know whether or not I have to buy bottled water.
Redwolf
Paul–thanks for reminding me of the smells. I loved dropping the hops into the boiling wort just to get that rush of hops smell.
RW–I always bought my water at the supermarket, so I didn’t have to worry about chlorine. I also refrigerated the couple gallons that get added to the boiling wort in order to cut down on the time needed to get the temp low enough to add the yeast. If you want an excellent book on home brewing, check out a book called “The Joy of Homebrewing” by Charlie Papazian. It will walk you through the entire process with plenty of illustrations. Enjoy!
P.S. Redwolf–I was in your neck of the woods in July. Ever go to a Sri Lankan restaurant in Santa Cruz called something like “Malabar”? I did–it was great.