Homebrewing?

[kinzli]

Ok, so what's the "Bladeforums" of home brewing? Any good links, suggestions, etc. for a beginner? Do I wanna brew for a keg or bottles? Suggested place to buy gear? Thanks!

 

[dullone]

I used to homebrew before the resurgence and ready availability of so many craft beers. It was a fun and REWARDING effort. But a fair amount of work and expense. And the WAITING! Now there are just too many good suds available to go through the effort.

Try Google for info on homebrewing, you'll find all that you need.

Good Luck and if you'd like an honest opinion of your efforts, I'm more than willing

 

[mlawson]

I just started my first batch of meade a few months ago, and the wait is bout to drive me crazzy. your best bet is to find a local brewshop. i was suprized when i looked that there was actualy one in my home town.

 

[Temper]

I have brewed about 5 batches (100 gal). The first was great, the last 4 not so good. I would go with less sugar and more malt if the concentrate allows it.

I also wouldnt bother with the sugar in the bottles (5g per 650) It made my stuff wayyyyy too lively.

1 thing, make sure everything is spotless, hot soapy water then once dryish a wipe with rubbing alc.

 

[mycroftt]

Ok, so what's the "Bladeforums" of home brewing? Any good links, suggestions, etc. for a beginner? Do I wanna brew for a keg or bottles? Suggested place to buy gear? Thanks!

3 bits of advice:
Sanitize
Sanitize
Sanitize

 

[TheSkinwalkeR]

3 bits of advice:
Sanitize
Sanitize
Sanitize

Exactly....You need clean gear for good brew...sanitize everything as close to the time you use it as possible and take stepps to keep it sanitized during the process. This is the key to a good batch, and where most folks get stinkbeer from if they neglect it. Them yeasties are crazy, they will eat anything, but you want em on a beer-only diet (like mine). But they will munch on even a tiny microbe of bacteria and fart out something nasty into your beer.

Dont use just soap n water. Use a light solution of bleach in cold water (dont worry it evaporates too quickly to affect the brew.)

Watch that brew pot. You dont wanna have to clean up the sugary syrupy sticky mess that occurs from a boil over.

Drink beer while you make beer to provide inspiration. Regulate intake responsibly so you dont become incapable half way thru the ordeal. I also like to listen to music about beer when I make beer. I think all this stuff helps, its not like cooking or making an ordinary recipe....this is beer...beer is sacred...it must be treated with ceremony.

Most brews take round a month 14 days frementing, 14 days to mature in the bottle. This varies on the recipe, pilsners can be done in 2 weeks and barleywines take for frikkin ever. Mead can ferment for over 2 years it is a drink for the patient but very pleasant.

There is Brewing day and Bottling day....I usually reserve a full day for each so I can make extra sure everything is clean. I do 5 gallon batches in a glass carboy with a blow off tube in water instead of a standard fermentation valve. I like to run my wert thru a mesh when transfering it to any vessel which makes for a slightly clearer brew.

Bottles, I just save my empties and clean off the labels and sanitize them instead of buying new bottles...but even with new, SANITIZE! I do activate the yeast with simple sugar before bottling and have not had overcarbonated beer.

Taste your brew when you add new ingredients to the boiling wert...this will train your buds to be wise in the ways of beer so you can make your own mixtures. One youve brew enough beer you can taste individual ingredients in your favorite purchased beer.

I will post more tips when I think of em...like "Never pet a burning dog" and stuff like that.


Oh yeah.....avoid them all in one kits. I seen nothing but blech come out of those. I started with a pvc fermenting chambeer for my first batch, then I got a glass carboy and been with that since. If you get glass you can see the yeasties work, and its kinda impressive for such small creatures.


-Beery
brewer of Beery-Beer, the beer to fear.

 

[mycroftt]

Watch that brew pot. You dont wanna have to clean up the sugary syrupy sticky mess that occurs from a boil over.

Drink beer while you make beer to provide inspiration. Regulate intake responsibly so you dont become incapable half way thru the ordeal. I also like to listen to music about beer when I make beer. I think all this stuff helps, its not like cooking or making an ordinary recipe....this is beer...beer is sacred...it must be treated with ceremony.

Very good advice about watching for boil overs. If it happens (and it will) and you are boiling on your wife's stove top remove your pot from the burner immediately and mop it up before you go and bake it onto the stove top where it will carmelize and take hours to soak and scrape off and you will probably scratch the finish off the stove top by foolishly using an abrasive pad with as much force as you can muster...(Do I sound like a guy with experience?) The safest thing is to buy a big honking propane burner and do it outside. I bought one packaged as a turkey fryer that came with a decent aluminum pot (yes, I use aluminum and no, it imparts neither a metallic taste nor brain-destroying free radicals). It brings 5 gallons to the boil in about 15 minutes. It CAN be tough to control the temp when doing an all-grain mash where you need to maintain a constant temp for a long time but it can be done with experience using your setup.

I also highly recommend getting a wort chiller so you can go from boil to pitch in as little time as possible. This is when your brew is most vulnerable. You have sterilized it by boiling but once it goes below about 140 degrees F it is like a petri dish for any stray micro-organisms. You want to get it down to yeast pitching temperature (usually around 70 - depending on the yeast) as fast as you can. When I lived in more wintry climes I used to push the brewpot right down into a snowbank! Once you pitch, especially if you have made a starter culture, the yeast will tend to "crowd out" any stray micros and fermentation will be off and running.

I also agree that beer must be consumed in moderation while brewing more beer. The sacrament is just not complete without it.

You are gong to do A LOT of washing. Before using anything that touches my beer I wash and then sanitize. Then I use it, then wash it again and store it away. That's my routine: wash, sanitize, use, wash. I've never had a problem with an infected batch.

Happy brewing - let us know how you make out.

Mike

 

[kinzli]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I have been doing a ton of reading, talking to folks and learning a lot.

I'm going to brew my first batch this weekend. I'm doing it in the garage on a propane burner, since I don't want our new viking stove to get crusted up with boilover, and my wife won't like the smell, I'm sure. Anyhow, I have all the goods (2 carboys, big kettle, good recipes, yeast, etc.) and I'm gonna go to town.

My first brew will be an ESB. I can't wait 'til Sunday morning when I start. I plan on being really anal about the cleaning, and am figuring it will take me 4 or 6 hours for the first step, but I'm totally ready. I'll even put together a checklist to make sure I don't miss any steps, or miss cleaning something. Wort chiller is ready, and I'm gonna be drinkin in 4 more weeks

Loving this hobby!

 

[dullone]

Wort chiller is ready, and I'm gonna be drinkin in 4 more weeks

Let us know if you need help!

 

[mycroftt]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I have been doing a ton of reading, talking to folks and learning a lot.

I'm going to brew my first batch this weekend. I'm doing it in the garage on a propane burner, since I don't want our new viking stove to get crusted up with boilover, and my wife won't like the smell, I'm sure. Anyhow, I have all the goods (2 carboys, big kettle, good recipes, yeast, etc.) and I'm gonna go to town.

My first brew will be an ESB. I can't wait 'til Sunday morning when I start. I plan on being really anal about the cleaning, and am figuring it will take me 4 or 6 hours for the first step, but I'm totally ready. I'll even put together a checklist to make sure I don't miss any steps, or miss cleaning something. Wort chiller is ready, and I'm gonna be drinkin in 4 more weeks

Loving this hobby!

Cool! Post some tasting notes so we can read about how you did.

Regarding the wort chiller - even though I sanitize it I put it in the boiling wort for about the last 10 minutes to make sure it is completely sterile. I use the coiled copper tube variety and i start running cold water through it immediately when I turn off the heat.

Mike