Anyone here home brew beer?

[JelloStorm]

I'm looking to get into home brewing my own beer. My buddy just got started and recommended the Brewers Best deluxe kit since that's what he uses.

What do you use and got any tips, useful info, etc..?

He's making an IPA and I'll probably do the same to start but my favorites are stouts and lagers.

 

[cav has been]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Kits are ok, mostly a starting place. They help get your technique down. Northern Brewer seems to have a pretty good selection. I use them as a supplier for some of the things not readily or cheaply available locally.
If you like stouts and lagers why in the world start with an IPA? The whole point is to brew what you like. Interestingly enough a lot of folks who claim to like lighter/girly beers lick their lips and come back for seconds on some of my dark concoctions,ie; brown ale, oatmeal stout,dopple bock whitbeer etc. Best of luck and enjoy the brewing as well as quaffing the results.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

The IPA ships with the kit and I won't feel any substantial loss if I have to dump it out LOL. Plus it takes the least amount of time to brew so it'll make a good trial run / tutorial.

Got any pictures of your setup? And are you using the plastic buckets?

 

[cav has been]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Sorry, eqipt. is all on the rack. I use a plastic pail as a primary fermenter, siphon off to a glass carboy for secondary ferment,then siphon back to a plastic bottling pail. Cleaning and sanitizing bottles is the worst pita. They make an attachment that screws onto the faucet on the kitchen sink for rising bottles that is worth its weight. Siphon tube/ hose, clip valve for siphon hose, wort chiller, carboys, thermometer, corks, air locks, hydrometer, bottle capper, just takes a while to get your stuff gathered up.

 

[mexicanmatch]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

When fermenting get an oxygen tank, a long piece of clear plastic tubing and a long stone you see in fish tanks. Hook it all up and open the valve so just enough oxygen comes out of the stone not to much. It really helps with the taste. MM

 

[Switchblade]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

IPA's are so much better when they are 'dry hopped' too. Wait until the wort cools, then add dry hops before the fermentation process. At bottling, add a 1/4t of sugar in each bottle to kick up a nice three week aging that will net 'around' a nice 5.5 - 7.0' ABV. The sugar is just enough food for the yeast to consume so that the alcohol content goes up and carbonation is maximized. Great Summer or Equinox brew.
For the dark winter brews that exhibit the traditional malty flavors of winter brews, the added roasted malts add extra flavor and suagrs for the yeast to kick up to 8.0 stouts and porters. If you cook down a little raw sugar(simply bring it to a bubble so it is totally free of crystal) and add that to teh wort, you make a seriously good 'carmalized porter' that really kicks ass with vanilla ice cream and apple pie, or holds up to a good steak or pizza

 

[cav has been]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

I differ a bit on the use of sugar. 1/2 cup disolved corn sugar well mixed into the batch when in the bottling bucket is all the sugar I use. That is mainly to carbonate the brew. Sugar + yeast= alcohol+Co2. The downside to adding sugar is the "bitter" taste it imparts. Alcohol from malt costs more, tastes better.
Absolutely agree on the winter brews! YUM! One of my next ventures will be a serious Scotch ale for those cold winter eves.
With time and experience the yeast gains in importance. Some folks can't tell the difference, but the wrong yeast ruins the finish for me. YRMV
I heartily recommend "The Brewmasters Bible" there are some absolute knockout recipes.

 

[1911fan]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Haven't brewed for years, but that's how I did it too. I was working on more/different sugars for taste and CO2 levels, but (..long story) quit brewing. One of my favorites was a take on Red Hook's Double Black, a very dark stout with coffee in it. Actually got my relatives in a pretty good argument at a family reunion over who got the leftovers.
OP, welcome to a whole new world of beer! Custom-crafted just to your taste. I sanitized my bottles on a bottle tree, well worth the money. Also, when you bottle, set the bucket on the kitchen counter, open the dishwasher, and use the door for a bottling table. Any messes go away when you close the door, and if something gets way out of control you can just lift up the door a bit and it all goes into the dishwasher. Don't ask me how I learned this.


1911fan

 

[rrflyer]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Check out Austinhomebrew.com

Have a great selection of kits/recipes.

I've done a few of the brewers bet kits and they've been good.

Temperature control the first 2 weeks after brewing has made the biggest difference in taste.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Awesome insight guys! I still have yet to pick a kit and run with it.

What do you guys recommend? I don't have a lot of money to pour into the craft so I'd like to get a setup that I can scale up later on and maybe start with like 5 gallon batches?

Thanks for the help!

 

[1911fan]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Five gallons is kind of the minimum, I think. If there's a good homebrew store in your area, there's probably a few guys who brew together. See if you can go to a brew session, and ask about equipment.
I'm not a fan of kits- you get a lot of entry level stuff you'll want to upgrade, and some stuff you don't really need.
Bottle tree, bottles, caps, hydrometer, big pot (enough to boil five gallons safely), glass carboy or five-gallon bucket to ferment in, long paddle to stir with. I'm forgetting something, but those are your basics. A good beginner's guide to homebrewing will be essential.



1911fan

 

[rrflyer]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

Most local homebrew shops will have a basic kit for about 100 bucks. That should include your first kit as well. Standard brews is 5 gallons.

Buy that and roll with it. Only thing thats not usually included with the kits will be bottles and a big pot to brew in.

http://www.finevinewines.com/Z_ProdListSPBEO.asp

This is the place thats local to me and shows there beginner kits.

 

[zazenist]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

If you enjoy the process it can get really interesting pretty quick. I started with an extract kit and the basic brew kit like you are talking about. In about 3 batches I had switched to an all-grain process using a 10 gallon cooler as a mash tun and have added some extra carboys, a stir plate for yeast propagation, and a chest freezer with digital temp controller for fermentation. Next upgrade will be kegging.

Check out HomeBrewTalk for a wealth of great information.

 

[Switchblade]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

I miss my friend from upstate(he decided to stay offshore contracting, found a new woman and as a dual citizen decided Brit is home now). He never brewed less than ten gallons at a time, usually in batches of two gallons so he could make five brews. The man was an artist with the brew from Stouts to the lightest unfiltered heffewiezens. His IPA though, man it was good. He even went to bat to see if he could beat out Petaluma's Hop Stoopid and dammit if he didn't. Bad on him for leaving a darn good woman, but she and the boy are very well taken care of and they come around here quite often...now if I can only get her to come mid month instead of EOM...two wiommins with teh cycle at a time in MY house and NO BEER is ever enough!

 

[SilentStalkr]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

I tried it, never could get the interest, took too long to do, etc. So, after the first batch I packed everything back in the box and it is sitting somewhere in the house to this day. I would rather just go buy some good stuff somewhere and enjoy it rather than wasting time making it and letting it do its thing for like 2 months. I feel bad my wife wasted her hard earned cash on it to be honest.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: Anyone here home brew beer?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SilentStalkr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I tried it, never could get the interest, took too long to do, etc. So, after the first batch I packed everything back in the box and it is sitting somewhere in the house to this day. I would rather just go buy some good stuff somewhere and enjoy it rather than wasting time making it and letting it do its thing for like 2 months. I feel bad my wife wasted her hard earned cash on it to be honest. </div></div>

I will gladly take it off your hands!