Maggie’s Anyone Homebrew?

[TheLlam]

The Wife got me a homebrew kit for Father's Day. (She also got me a shotgun for my birthday). So besides congratulating me on how awesome I have it...

Anyone else out there homebrew?

 

[xray9]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Used to, not presently however...lots of 'stuff on YouTube to learn from, also Amazon offers "kits" containing ingredients for various recipes. If you do it for awhile, then associate with someone else mashing grains, you'll know what to get into next.

 

[JSF]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I do. One of my many hobbies. If you need any advice let me know. It is actually pretty easy once you figure it out. The biggest thing to brewing is making sure everything that comes into contact with the brew is sterile. Wild yeast is your enemy.

 

[leadbullet]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

A good friend is homebrewing but he only likes IPA which I can't stand.

 

[TheLlam]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

@JSF:
Thanks. I just might do that.
I have some experience with brewing. A few years ago we went to a place in VA where you could use their facilities and brew according to a set of quasi recipes. It turned out pretty good.

I have a pre-measured kit for an American Pale Ale and I'm excited to get started. I figured I'd follow the kits for awhile until I get the hang of it, then start to get creative.

 

[cs2to4]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I've been homebrewing, using all grain, for the past 3 years. If you catch the bug, listen to the shows on www.thebrewingnetwork.com, as well as get John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff's books.

 

[armorpl8chikn]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I make wine and mead, I can help you there but not much for info on beer.
If you are making wine there is one term you need to become proficient with..."Rack it!" It is the real secret to great wine.

 

[Peloton]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I started home brewing 2 years ago. Would love to do it more, but run out of time. I probably do 8-10 batches a year. (5 gallons at a time).

My wife just got me some of the equipment I need for an all-grain system, and hope to get that going this summer. Most of my beer has been good to very good with only 2 batches that turned out bad.

Great hobby and you get to drink beer!

 

[Wolvenhaven]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I've been doing it for a few years, mainly to cut down on cost. Being able to make a bottle of beer for ~$.50 is much cheaper than buying it for $5 and it's a lot of fun.

The biggest thing to remember is sanitation is key. Your brew cycle, temperature, ingredients, and yeast are nowhere near as important as making sure everything is completely sterile.

I love brewing my own beer and it's a lot of fun to invite friends over and show them how it's done, and there's nothing better than sitting back and having a beer you made after a hard days work.

This is a suggestion I took to heart when I first started, take a 6 pack of beer from the batch, label it, and then stick it in your closet and don't drink it for 6+ months. It's really tempting to drink it after you run out of your batch, but you'll be really pleased if you manage to wait. The beer 6 months down the line is completely different from your original batch and will have amazingly mellow flavors and taste delicious. To this day the best beer I've ever had was a bottle from my first batch that I drank 8 months after I bottled it.

 

[beenjammin]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Here ya go:

Try the Barber Belgian Honey Ale.... Best Beer I have ever tasted

 

[TheLlam]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

@Wolvenhaven:
Thanks for that advice.

@CS2to4:
I'm kind of a book whore. I already ordered half a shelf of used book from Amazon on homebrewing. I'll check what I ordered against your suggestions and if I haven't got them already, order 'em when I'm done with the ones I'm getting.

 

[Peloton]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I've found this website to be great to order from.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/

 

[Wolvenhaven]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I use http://www.midwestsupplies.com/ their prices are maybe 1-2% higher than some other sites on certain items, but I pay the extra because they have some of the best CS I've ever seen, a huge selection, and they have great discounts on other items.

 

[Peloton]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wolvenhaven</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use http://www.midwestsupplies.com/ their prices are maybe 1-2% higher than some other sites on certain items, but I pay the extra because they have some of the best CS I've ever seen, a huge selection, and they have great discounts on other items. </div></div>

Nice website. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Cproflow]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

I actually freaked out with homebrewing--going from an obsessive hobby to actually doing it professionally for 5 years. I ended up as the head brewer for a CO microbrewery that did ~18,000 BBL/yr. I even spent a year working for the Institute for Brewing Studies here in Boulder, CO. Charlie Papazian was my boss!

It is a great hobby that can really pay you back with excellent results if you are open to experimenting and playing by a few rules. Another thing that is nice is that the 'cost to play' is fairly low...as compared to shooting! A couple hundred bucks and you got yourself a nice kit.

My 2 cents--it is all about the yeast. Don't even mess with the dry stuff. White Labs is a good supplier, Wyeast is another. I'm sure that are more, but I've haven't homebrewed in years.

Also, as has been mentioned...cleanliness is key. Technically it is not sterility you are after (you can't really do that in the home), it is sanitization you are after. Once that wort gets below ~100F, it is go-time on watching your cleanliness.

Have fun with it!

 

[slyfox]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Get a keg, cut off the top and grind and polish it all down. Install a tap at the bottom and any other trinkets such as thermometer. These make awesome boil pots and are simple to keep clean. Making beer is an art and takes practice, but it is wicked fun.

 

[eli polite]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

one of my best friends does he bottles about 200 bottles a month..

i have wanted to try but i have way to many hobbies

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Many years ago, upon completion of my first batch of beer, the bottles started exploding. Actually, that first started happening about 3 weeks later. That wasn't a fun mess to clean up.

 

[Chingon]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Got the same kit. Made decent beer. I've got the bug but if I follow through, I'm opening up a brewery!

 

[Wolvenhaven]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sean the Nailer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Many years ago, upon completion of my first batch of beer, the bottles started exploding. Actually, that first started happening about 3 weeks later. That wasn't a fun mess to clean up. </div></div>

You were using twist-top bottles weren't you?

 

[Cproflow]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Either that, or getting a little over zealous with the priming sugar

Also, that can come from an infection. Did you try any? If it smelled like band-aids & baby diapers, that could be the issue

 

[TheLlam]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cproflow</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
If it smelled like band-aids & baby diapers...</div></div>

Like Heineken?

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wolvenhaven</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sean the Nailer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Many years ago, upon completion of my first batch of beer, the bottles started exploding. Actually, that first started happening about 3 weeks later. That wasn't a fun mess to clean up. </div></div>

You were using twist-top bottles weren't you?</div></div>
Nossir!
These were 100% glass, 1 litre grenades capped off with a stamped-on metal bottle-cap 'spoon'. Glass shrapnel everywhere.

I was told by another that tried it, that the 'secondary fermentation' took place in the bottle. I never made beer since. Wine and cider, sure. But never any more beer. That shit'll kill ya!

 

[Wolvenhaven]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sean the Nailer</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wolvenhaven</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sean the Nailer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Many years ago, upon completion of my first batch of beer, the bottles started exploding. Actually, that first started happening about 3 weeks later. That wasn't a fun mess to clean up. </div></div>

You were using twist-top bottles weren't you?</div></div>
Nossir!
These were 100% glass, 1 litre grenades capped off with a stamped-on metal bottle-cap 'spoon'. Glass shrapnel everywhere.

I was told by another that tried it, that the 'secondary fermentation' took place in the bottle. I never made beer since. Wine and cider, sure. But never any more beer. That shit'll kill ya!

</div></div>

How long did they ferment in the primary? If the main fermentation wasn't complete(1 month) then yea, I can definitely see them blowing up bottles. The only fermentation that is supposed to go on in the bottles is what happens when you add the bottling sugar, and that's graduated to how much beer there is so that you get a useful and consistent carbonation in each bottle.

 

[Strykervet]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

You need to get the Charlie Papazian book. It is old, but it has all the stuff you need to know to get started and to advance some even. LOTS of good stuff in that book, he is also responsible for getting homebrewing made legal again (under Carter?). I think it is called "The Joy of Homebrewing". Make sure to get his quintessential book on the subject, the early one. He wrote a few later ones you aren't ready for/won't be interested in yet.

Homebrewing can get just as much indepth as shooting. Maybe even more. I got into it first using a couple of glass carboys and some decent gear (easy to get in WA state --the biggest homebrew store around is just a few miles away). My buddy got out of the army, and while I went full bore with shooting, he really got into homebrewing. So between the two of us, we mash our own grains and do it all from scratch. He has a custom built setup that probably cost him thousands to make and we can make 15gal.+ batches pretty quickly and easily.

Extracts are a good place to start, there is a Paulaner Hefe clone recipe that is damn close to the real thing, I was surprised, but most pure extracts don't turn out that great. The addition of partial mashes is an easy next step and that helps, but once you go full grain, that is where the magic starts.

We have brewed beers that are just stellar. Since most hops in the US come from right down the street, we get fresh ones. I also have three half-barrel planters out back with four different rare, hard to find hops strains we plan on using for our fresh batches. We like all kinds, but we gravitate towards IPAs, but not the super bitter ones. Hops can be manipulated for bitterness, but also for aroma and flavor --and fresh hops makes a stellar beer. Not too bitter, more like a pale ale, but with much more flavor and aroma.

Yeah, you can really get into it. But there are certainly better sites dedicated to the craft. Just be leary of the recipes. A lot of folks put up recipes and never go back and tell how it turned out --useless info!

And yeah, sanitation is KEY. Again, read Papazian and he'll go into the difference between sterilization, sanitation, etc. And all the proper methods, etc. The book should be MANDATORY for new homebrewers, it really should. You'll still use it years later even if you really get into it since it covers all grain too.

You can also join local homebrew clubs if you have any available, and the ones around here meet and discuss stuff, learn things, have classes, etc. Good thing is you also usually have access to their knowledge, help, and their all grain gear so you can brew great batches. You can usually store and ferment it there too. The dues aren't all that expensive either, since most clubs are held in stores they figure you'll be buying your grains and stuff from them.

Finally, I'd have to say stick with White Labs Yeast. The yeast lends a lot of the flavor to certain styles of beer, and these guys have it down pat. Large selection, strong yeast count per vial, and if you make a starter (VERY easy, and covered in Papazian like everything else you need to know) that starter will get the fermentation going so fast it'll make your head spin. Almost immediate, no chance for bad microbes to ruin you beer or give it any off tase at all. Can't stress White labs and starters enough.

Good luck, I could go on forever, which is why I recommend looking into some of the online homebrew sites, preferably the good ones (not sure which ones are today --we gravitate in our own circle and have certain recipes lined up already). Here probably wouldn't yeild the kind of info you need. Buy yeah, some of us do. Funny thing is that I seldom drink too, but I thouroughly enjoy brewing, the smells are just awesome.

The leftover grains can be used to make tons of healthy all grain muffins and energy bars too. No shortage of great recipes to recycle that stuff. If nothing else, the dried out stuff makes good animal feed I hear tell.

 

[JSF]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

It was too much priming sugar. The yeast will consume the sugar and produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. If done properly the yeast will consume just enough sugar to give the beer alcohol and carbonate the beer. Yeast will not stop consuming until there is nothing left for them to consume. Excessive sugar leads to overpressure of carbon dioxide which leads to ticking time bombs.

 

[TheLlam]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

Here's what I ordered last Saturday:
The Homebrewer's Answer Book (Answer Book (Storey))
Ashton Lewis

The Homebrewer's Companion
Charles Papazian

The Brewmaster's Bible: The Gold Standard for Home Brewers
Stephen Snyder

I'll gladly take more suggestions.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Re: Anyone Homebrew?

So it's like this. A) thank ya'll for your input, you definitely know much more than I, and you're sharing it too. Cool.

B) I didn't (at the time) know what I was doing, so, I did as I was told by someone else who "knew".

C) I followed the "timing" to the proverbial "T". Except the thing that I wasn't told about, nor did I research in any way, was the "temperature". Even though it was in the secondary for just over a month, it was too cold to work. Then, when I bottled it, things warmed up (springtime) and then things started to work. But I didn't know about it, because it was in the bottom of my dark closet, supposedly aging.

D) Then all the sudden, whilst sleeping,,, things started to go BANG in the dark. I was UP and out of bed like a shot,,,, looking around in my room for any movement or intruder. Not a good way to wake up.

E) And since I don't have the greatest sniffer in the world,,, I didn't know that is what what happening, so the mess wasn't found for a few days. (work clothes came out of the drawer, not the closet) Oh man, what a mess that was.

So the main point of all my additions here, is to "Start from the beginning" and for anyone entering into this, "actually learn how to do it, properly". Don't just rely on someone who claims to know what they're doing. VERIFY.

Just that one thing, would have made all the difference. But I was young then, 10 feet tall, handsome as hell, and bulletproof to boot.

Much like so many here, eh?