[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How about a beer brewing thread? (since we don't have a dedicated forum) (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/4/2009 12:08:17 PM EDT
I always wanted to make my own beer, but like many people, never had the time. Well, I do now. 
Like most beginners, I chose a kit to start off with. Hard to say if I'll progress to all grain or not. Time will tell. Anyway, the kit I chose was a Brewers Best IPA. This is a little more complex than the 1 can cheap kits as you do have to mash some grain, do a 1 hr wort boil, Plus it has three different types of hops you add to the wort. I did all the stage one stuff yesterday and it's already bubbling away in the primary. I didn't take any pics because to be honest, dealing with malt extract is a sticky mess that continues from the time you add it to the wort until everything is in the primary.  Maybe next time.
5-6 weeks from now, I'll be tasting it. (for better or worse) . 
Edit to add a Nerdy E book link for beginners, by John Palmer. http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html |
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there will be no " worse" as all homebrewed beer is delish. You started well! a Kit will get you MOSTeverything you need and the rest are toys, beware the toys as it is a hobby that can quickly get out of hand. ( I know, I've brewed off and on for over 30 years)
I never understood the time argument. 2 hours This saturday to mix and boil. 1 hour next saturday to rack to secondary. 2 hours the following saturday to prime, bottle and clean. Then you just have to be patient for a month. You can always use that month to plan or start your next batch because the first one won't last long. Enjoy and welcome to this wacky world of brewing |
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I'd recommend changing from the syrups to Dry Malt Extract (DME). DME stores better, allows for lighter brews (the process they use to dehydrate to syrup darkens the extract), and you don't have to deal with the sticky mess. Although it does get clumpy if you let humidity get to it.
I also recommend joining the American Homebrewers Association. They have a daily e-mail digest for Q&A, as well as a great magazine (I think 6/year). Additionally the AHA yearly conference is a BALL! Tons of the best beer you'll ever find in one place (Last year was in Cincinatti, this year in Calif, next summer is Minneapolis). Also the Home Brewer's Digest is a great resource. Unfortunately it has lost a lot of traffic now that the AHA has their e-mail list, but its still worthwhile to subscribe. You'll find that the AHA has more "beginner" type of questions as well as the "I'm traveling to XXX, where is the good beer there?", where the HBD has much more technical/advanced questions, and the answers are solidly backed by fact and experience. I've been brewing for nearly 15 years and went from extracts to an all-grain computer controlled brewery, to now a mix of AG and Extract depending on my mood. One of the best hobbies that I have! K |
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Quoted:
How much room is your kit taking up Waldo?
Corner of a room type thing? Or more of an entire kitchen plus half the garage kind of thing? Well, I already had a good portion of what's needed due to canning,, like a Turkey fryer and some big stainless stock pots. Other than that the only other bulky things I had to add was an ale pail and a secondary. The other tools are small. I'll probably make a wort chiller. |
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Fantastic Thread!
I've been at it for about 6 or 7 years. If you get the basics of brewing beer down, cider, mead and wine could follow. I think they're easier to make and with less fuss. This time of year is great for ciders since apple juice tends to be lower priced. I think I'm sitting on 30 gallons of bulk aged mead and ciders and probably 20 cases of various wines, meads, ciders, and brews. |
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A trick I learned and i know other BIG breweries do it is. Condition your bottles of Ale between about 76 - 79 degrees if you can. This will get them rocking in about 10 days max. Otherwise your ales can take 4 weeks easily to condition. I buy my stuff in bulk from Northern brewer and have my 5 gal partial mashes down to about $40 for 9 - 10% Belgian Ales. Works out to about $2 - 2.50 per 750ml bottle. Considering Good Craft Belgians easily sell for $7 - 10 thats a good savings and makes it affordable to drink. We can all appreciate saving a dime these days. |
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Quoted:
Fantastic Thread! I've been at it for about 6 or 7 years. If you get the basics of brewing beer down, cider, mead and wine could follow. I think they're easier to make and with less fuss. This time of year is great for ciders since apple juice tends to be lower priced. I think I'm sitting on 30 gallons of bulk aged mead and ciders and probably 20 cases of various wines, meads, ciders, and brews. After years and year of belonging to a very active HB club, my experience is that people who can brew a great beer can make a great wine/cider/ mead, but wine makers have always made bad beer in my experience. Learn good sanitary practices with beer and the rest will translate |
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Quoted:
A trick I learned and i know other BIG breweries do it is. Condition your bottles of Ale between about 76 - 79 degrees if you can. This will get them rocking in about 10 days max. Otherwise your ales can take 4 weeks easily to condition. This is strictly CRAZY talk. Sorry, if it works for you. However, I'm certain that you'll get better tasting (normal/non-belgian) beers if you lower the temperature. Follow the temp guidelines on the package of yeast. Lower temp (in the range) is 99% of the time better as the yeasts will throw fusel alcohols and other weird tasting shit at higher temperatures. Storm_Tracker, this may work for you if you reguarly brew Belgian style beers, as those yeasts tend to like higher temperatures, and REALLY slow down at lower temps. However, for a standard ale keep your temps lower 70 or 72 is about as high as I like to go. Temperature can do some crazy things. At one point I was brewing only wheat beers, trying to get the recipe just right. I was always using WYEAST3056 and varying the temps within the range. I stopped at a brew-pub that had a Berliner Weiss on tap that was the BEST Berliner that I've had in the States. The brewer told me that he used 3056 at 84 degrees. Moral: Temperature can make a BIG difference. For those who don't know, a Berliner is a very sour/acidic beer, and this brewer consistantly got the flavor from the yeast, not from a bacterial infection or acid addition. For a beginner brewer, stick with the given temp ranges. Most ales brewed at 70 degrees will finish in 3 days. No more than 5 days, and will be clear and ready to bottle in 10 days. Belgian yeasts are the exception to this. K |
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Welcome to the world of ZYMURGY or brewing. Get a copy of Charlie Papazians book the homebrewers bible, itll come in handy and has lots of delicious recipes. Also look to grow your own hops. Besides being an integral part of beer they have been used as a presrvative for centuries.
And remember that no dangerous microorganism can grow in beer, you can get off flavors, hypercarbonation etc, and that sediment on the bottom is full of B vitamins, drink it up also helsp prevent headaches after sampling your wares. 
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Quoted:
I never understood the time argument. Well, when I decide to learn a new craft, I like to have the time available to learn it without being rushed. Sort of like reloading.
Trust me, when I was working I pretty much had a full plate. Any leftover time was taken up by sleep (because I worked midnights), caring for two properties, or my other passion, backpacking. (I squeezed shooting, hunting and reloading in there somehow) But, now I am an international man of leisure.
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Sounds like you have the patience part down.
I think the single largest problem newer brewers face is that they want drinkable beer immediately. Its simply better when you take your time and don't feel rushed as you mention. The obligatory....RDWHAHB Charlies favorite statement - Relax, Dont' Worry, Have a Homebrew |
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My best brews: Sorry, no recipies...
Virgin Stout: Big Like Bull....Yet Untapped -> one of my favorite Mike and Dave's Dopple Bock - > 15 people asked me to make another. It was a total fluke, we added everything but the kitchen sink and it turnied out great. American Wheat Lager - > Carmel and Honey malty goodness with the light taste of wheat and a 4 inch head and plenty of sugar legs. Vader Double Imperial IPA -> Like Alpha King...but hoppier Braggot -> still bottle softening Milke Stout -> still bottle softening (It's Mooey Mooey Good!) Conservative Victory ESB: "Drink while reloading" -> still bottle softening |
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The first thread of the brewing thread: Equipment and Supply Links
http://www.northernbrewer.com |
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What do you guys on wells do about brewing water? I opted to just buy 6 gallons of "spring" type water (not distilled) because my well water isn't the best. After reading a bit, I see that hard water is preferred. Maybe I'll mix some in next time. It depends on the content of your well water. If you have iron in your water, forget it. Hard water, I'd say try a batch. When I do all grain, I add about a tablespoon of 5.2 powder to the water. This usually ups my OG by about 10 points. On partial mashes, I don't bother with it. |
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Quoted:
What do you guys on wells do about brewing water? I opted to just buy 6 gallons of "spring" type water (not distilled) because my well water isn't the best. After reading a bit, I see that hard water is preferred. Maybe I'll mix some in next time. Try it with the well water and see what happens. Every time I've been sure I've screwed up royally, it always turns out at minimum drinkable, and often it's still good. |
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Water is dependant on style.
How to Brew by John Palmer is a good resource that has some decent info on water chemistry. Different salts effect the percieved hop bitterness and smoothness, as well malt profile. Softer water (not distilled/RO) is actually a great base of water to start from, although if your water is palatable, you'll make palatable beer. Tweaking the salts can make it better, but understand what you're doing. K |
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Anybody try the Phat Tyre clone from Northern Brewers? I think I might try it next. http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/phat-tyre-ale-extract-kit.html |
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I'll go ahead and toss in my opinion on water chemistry.
Understanding it, analyzing it and adjusting it can wait. For the newer brewer, learning the process and making sound equipment purchases is or should be higher on the list. Are you still going to make beer with what you have now? Yes. Side note: I always add some 5.2 powder to my strike water. I saw that you're thinking about making an immersion chiller. If you're going to do that, then I would suggest building a counter flow chiller instead. |
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Quoted:
I'll go ahead and toss in my opinion on water chemistry. Understanding it, analyzing it and adjusting it can wait. For the newer brewer, learning the process and making sound equipment purchases is or should be higher on the list. Are you still going to make beer with what you have now? Yes. Side note: I always add some 5.2 powder to my strike water. I saw that you're thinking about making an immersion chiller. If you're going to do that, then I would suggest building a counter flow chiller instead. I agree 100% on not worrying about your water as a beginner! *unless you've got terrible well water, then store bought (non-distilled/RO) water is what you should use. I've never used the 5.2. That's just for all-grain brewing, right? My vote is for an immersion chiller. Yes, its not as efficient as a counterflow, but there is no unknowns about the cleanliness of it. I can cool 12 gal of wort w/ my 25' immersion fast enough if I keep the wort circulating by stirring it. I'm sure a counter-flow is faster, but I like to KNOW that everything my post-boil wort is touching is clean and sanitized. K |
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I've never used the 5.2. That's just for all-grain brewing, right? Pretty much for AG but I don't see why I wouldn't use it on a partial mash. It fixes up the PH so I simply don't have to worry about it. I like that. Quoted:
My vote is for an immersion chiller. Yes, its not as efficient as a counterflow, but there is no unknowns about the cleanliness of it. I can cool 12 gal of wort w/ my 25' immersion fast enough if I keep the wort circulating by stirring it. I'm sure a counter-flow is faster, but I like to KNOW that everything my post-boil wort is touching is clean and sanitized. K I agree with you that an immersion is fast enough but I also know I'm running clean after recirculating boiling wort through the counterflow. :) |
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I need to start another batch. It's been a few years. My best was an all-grain Barley Wine. It was about 10% alcohol. My better half could only drink one; she would get quite mellow on that. I was given the grain from a friend whose micro-brew restaurant failed. I went through that 50 # bag very quickly. I've only made one batch that was non-drinkable out of 20ish.
One of my current hold-ups is waiting for my hops to produce. The last time I went to the HB store, they had no hops. The online stores (at the time) wouldn't let you buy just hops; you had to buy everything for a recipe. So, I decided to grow my own. In their second year and grown from seed, I finally have some cones starting. This is one of my favorite hobbies that I don't get to do often enough. Sadly (  ) , I have many hobbies that are time consuming and compete with brewing: gardening, reloading, physical fitness (Tae Kwon Do), woodwork, etc.
Don't worry. Have a homebrew. sgt_seti |
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You should be able to purchase hops via freshops.
I bought several pounds before the shortage hit. I also grow my own but sold my old house so this summer basically devoted to bucket growing with root growth. I still got a pound or two from my plants. My cascade did not make it. Sad, sad day. |
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Yep, this year's hop harvest was good. As a matter of fact, those near the Yakima valley can visit the hop fields and pick their fill of fresh hops. The local farms have picked all they're going to this year, and they still have crop on the vines.
Your local home brew store should have anything you need. Otherwise, I'll recommend my friend's shop, Adventure in Homebrewing! K |
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OK, here's what I picked up today for my next batch. Fat Tire clone. 2 lbs dry LME 3.3 lbs Coopers light LME .50 lb Munich Malt .50 lb Carapils Malt .50 lb Crystal Malt 6 oz Biscuit Malt 1 oz Chocolate Malt 1 oz Willamette hops 1 oz Fuggle hops WLP051 yeast Calls for a few months of bottle rest. |
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As a total noob, I'm possibly interested in brewing my own. Couple caveats:
1) I drink maybe a case a year, so I'm not a high-volume drinker. 2) I can probably free up the time to make my own, but in general, how much time am I looking at making say a couple-3 cases a year (I'd probably drink more if it was cheaper than storebought, plus I deny the MAN his tax funds - a win win if ever there was one ).
3) what kind of initial outlay am I looking at? 4) I typically drink basic Sam Adams, so I don't need to get real fancy recreating some Belgian brew. |
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Quoted:
As a total noob, I'm possibly interested in brewing my own. Couple caveats: 1) I drink maybe a case a year, so I'm not a high-volume drinker. 2) I can probably free up the time to make my own, but in general, how much time am I looking at making say a couple-3 cases a year (I'd probably drink more if it was cheaper than storebought, plus I deny the MAN his tax funds - a win win if ever there was one ).
3) what kind of initial outlay am I looking at? 4) I typically drink basic Sam Adams, so I don't need to get real fancy recreating some Belgian brew. Basic noob starting kit: 1 fermenting bucket and airlock 1bottling bucket hydrometer capper some hoses How to brew book ("New Complete Joy of Home brewing" by Charlie Papazian or "How to Brew" by John Palmer) You supply a decent sized stock pot to boil a minimum of 2 gallons Less than $100 Ingredients for 5 gallons (approx 2 cases) each time you brew: $35 (malt extract, some grains, hops, yeast) Brew day from start to clean: 3-4 hrs beer ferments for 1-2 weeks Bottle: 2 hrs start to finish w/ sanitizing bottles and cleaning everything If you only drink 2-3 cases a year, keep buying good beer. Support your local brewer, and enjoy the variety that you can have. I brew 4-6 times a year, 5 or 10 gal at a time and I still buy easily 10 cases through-out the year. I've been brewing long enough that the initial outlay of cash for my brewery is paid for. I also brew "all-grain" which makes my brew day cheaper (approx $15-20 depending on what I'm doing), but my brew day is longer. K |
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I have a carboy of IPA that I lost in the closet for 2 years now. I just found it while cleaning the other day. I had reracked it after primary fermentation, and it looks skunk free. I might bottle it up this weekend.
Fat Tire is one of my favorites, so I do believe I will R&D (rob and duplicate) your blend! |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
As a total noob, I'm possibly interested in brewing my own. Couple caveats: 1) I drink maybe a case a year, so I'm not a high-volume drinker. 2) I can probably free up the time to make my own, but in general, how much time am I looking at making say a couple-3 cases a year (I'd probably drink more if it was cheaper than storebought, plus I deny the MAN his tax funds - a win win if ever there was one ).
3) what kind of initial outlay am I looking at? 4) I typically drink basic Sam Adams, so I don't need to get real fancy recreating some Belgian brew. Basic noob starting kit: 1 fermenting bucket and airlock 1bottling bucket hydrometer capper some hoses How to brew book ("New Complete Joy of Home brewing" by Charlie Papazian or "How to Brew" by John Palmer) You supply a decent sized stock pot to boil a minimum of 2 gallons Less than $100 Ingredients for 5 gallons (approx 2 cases) each time you brew: $35 (malt extract, some grains, hops, yeast) Brew day from start to clean: 3-4 hrs beer ferments for 1-2 weeks Bottle: 2 hrs start to finish w/ sanitizing bottles and cleaning everything If you only drink 2-3 cases a year, keep buying good beer. Support your local brewer, and enjoy the variety that you can have. I brew 4-6 times a year, 5 or 10 gal at a time and I still buy easily 10 cases through-out the year. I've been brewing long enough that the initial outlay of cash for my brewery is paid for. I also brew "all-grain" which makes my brew day cheaper (approx $15-20 depending on what I'm doing), but my brew day is longer. K Thanks for the info. Yes it does not appear that brewing my own would be anywhere near cost-effective given my low consumption rate. 
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Why don't you find someone in your area that homebrews and "help" them. Figure out a beer that both of you like,and split a batch.
I have a friend that is a wine maker. He likes my wheat beer, so I split a batch with him. He either pays for the ingredients, and I do the work, or we exchange product. Either way work out fine. |
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Why don't you find someone in your area that homebrews and "help" them. Figure out a beer that both of you like,and split a batch. Excellent advice! I'd gladly add a brew to my brew day it it meant showing a noob a brew or two. Check the American Homebrewers Association website to search for clubs in your area if you don't already know a brewer. Most clubs will have a contact person and a monthly meeting, and love having guests to share their beers with! K |
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My dad got into homebrewing in the early 70's. His pale ale won a national award. I've been brewing with him since 1988 and on my own since 1996. My gear is overrunning my house though. I bought some of those cheap Plano plastic shelves at wally world and managed to get one installed. The rest are going up this weekend. Here's a pic with about 1/3 of my gear, because this thread is pic light right now.  |
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I've brewed up 2 batches of an ESB clone and really enjoyed it so far. Going to have to modify the recipe some because its a bit on the amber side of things to my liking. Anyone have a favorite English bitter recipe ? Something I've been wondering; what is the purpose of carboys when buckets seem to be a much easier medium for brewing? Carboys just seem like a PITA to me. |
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Quoted: One theory is that buckets develop little scratches which harbor bad stuff and ruin beers. Glass is very cleanable. True. Glass doesn't transfer taste or smell to the beer, its easier to seal with an airlock, its easier to tell if something has gone horribly wrong because its clear and they're cheap. I picked up all mine at garage sales, I've never given more than $5 for one. |
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Something I've been wondering; what is the purpose of carboys when buckets seem to be a much easier medium for brewing? Carboys just seem like a PITA to me. I like to watch whats happening! A good, strong fermenation is a sight to behold! That, and I trust that its cleaner and doesn't have any little scratches that I can't see. K |
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If I had one tip for the new brewers ... make sure that the fermentation isn't so strong that the foam on top of the wort plugs up your airlock. Or just make sure the fermenter is in an area that is easily cleaned, unlike a bedroom ... Or the dining room. I had one blow on me this past summer. Wife wasn't too happy!
K |
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If I had one tip for the new brewers ... make sure that the fermentation isn't so strong that the foam on top of the wort plugs up your airlock. Or just make sure the fermenter is in an area that is easily cleaned, unlike a bedroom ... Run primaries in a 6.5 and don't use an airlock. Use a blow off tube. Smaller carboys are great for secondaries and conditioning and will require an airlock. |
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I noticed its been a while since this thread had any activity, but Im new to brewing
I started my first batch lastnight, im brewing an American Style Light Beer. Its been 24 - 26 hours and the airlock doesnt have any fermentation bubbles in it but I found out I have a small leak in the lid cause I could smell the sweetness near the lid. I wiped the lid seal off and its fermenting cause I saw the foam on top so I guess I didnt kill it that badly. The store instructions said to ferment it for two weeks, rack to the carboy for two more weeks, rack to the ferminter, prime and bottle... is there any flaws with this or can I rack to the carboy in a week then back to the ferminter in another weeks time and standby? |
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Pretty safe to say 2 weeks in plastic, 2 weeks in glass, and bottle for two weeks. In reality, I'd go 1 week in plastic, 2 in glass, and bottle for 2.
Just got back from my club's annual Beer-B-Que. Good times, GREAT beers and meads! Nice to have a mead maker in the club. B-Nectar in Ferndale, MI makes some GREAT meads! Last week they bottled a mead called "Strawberry Love" and its FANTASTIC! It will be released next month. K |
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Quoted:
Pretty safe to say 2 weeks in plastic, 2 weeks in glass, and bottle for two weeks. In reality, I'd go 1 week in plastic, 2 in glass, and bottle for 2. Just got back from my club's annual Beer-B-Que. Good times, GREAT beers and meads! Nice to have a mead maker in the club. B-Nectar in Ferndale, MI makes some GREAT meads! Last week they bottled a mead called "Strawberry Love" and its FANTASTIC! It will be released next month. K Thanks for that tip, I'm actually workin with two plastic 6gal buckets for now. Once I get the hang of it ill upgrade. Now out of curiosity, does home brewed beer generally turn out better then store bought or about the same? |
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Quoted:
I noticed its been a while since this thread had any activity, but Im new to brewing I started my first batch lastnight, im brewing an American Style Light Beer. Its been 24 - 26 hours and the airlock doesnt have any fermentation bubbles in it but I found out I have a small leak in the lid cause I could smell the sweetness near the lid. I wiped the lid seal off and its fermenting cause I saw the foam on top so I guess I didnt kill it that badly. The store instructions said to ferment it for two weeks, rack to the carboy for two more weeks, rack to the ferminter, prime and bottle... is there any flaws with this or can I rack to the carboy in a week then back to the ferminter in another weeks time and standby? I try to let mine sit on the yeast for 2-3 weeks before racking to a brite tank for another couple of weeks or keg. Lighter beers finish pretty quickly though. I just like to let them get crystal clear first. Did you get a hydrometer with your kit? |