Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

[lowkee]

The wifey and I are looking into migrating to a dry county and love our beer, so that means either stockpiling cases of beer (which isn't an issue) or.. brewing our own stuff, which sounds WAY more fun!

Anyone on here brew their own beer? If so, any tips for the newbie brewer?

We can't wait to have pumpkin ale any time of year! hehe

 

[nothreat]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

I have been brewing off and for about 15 years, the last three pretty much on. I am an all grain brewer, but I started with extract brewing which I recommend. I recently helped a friend get into brewing and he has now brewed 6 beers in about 4 months. I think this will get you started:

You will need the following things:

A starting kit. This one looks good http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6874
There is also a slightly cheaper one, but if you can swing it, this one is better. I use this online vendor because they have treated me well. There are lots of goods ones out there. Just search on Homebrewing to find more.

You will also need a brew kettle that is at least 6 gallons. I recommend getting a turkey fryer kit. You get a burner and a kettle (go for the 7.5 gal kit). Most big hardware or sports chains carry them. You can brew on your stove, but it takes a while and you risk a real mess with boilovers.

You will need bottles (at least 48 - 54 is better). Make sure they are not twist off and the brown ones are best. I like Sam Adams bottles, but any will do. If you have a dark place to store them, a few Corona bottles are good for judging clarity of your beer.

You will also need an extract kit. It comes with malt, any special grains, hops, and yeast. There are lots to choose from.

You should also pick up John Palmers How to Brew. It is the bible of Homebrewing.

Be forewarned...this is a hobby that consumes you. I went from simple extract to all grain and kegging in a matter of months. I also went from simple pales ales to lagering. It can be as expensive or cheap as you want though. I try to make as much of my brewing equipment as I can. You won't be sorry. It is a great hobby. Drinking the beer almost becomes secondary to the process in enjoyment. Have fun.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Brewin' yer own is pretty easy and fun. The biggest thing is cleanliness, I use clorox bleach on everything I use for brewing. The biggest hassle is collecting enough non screw top bottles (screw tops won't seal right). AND THE BEST WORD OF CAUTION.... when you are boiling your wort, watch it like a hawk, if it boils over you get one god awful sticky mess to clean up. If you need recipes for different brews, check out the "cat's meow" website.

EDIT: the website is "cat's meow 3"

 

[nothreat]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Rockyrude is right. Cleanliness is critical. I clean with bleach and then during the process I use Starsan to sanitize everything one more time. Another great recipe site is beertools.com. It has recipes and some tools you can use when developing recipes

 

[i386]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

I like the kit that nothreat linked. Mine is similar to the cheaper one he mentioned. The difference is the lack of the 2nd fermentation vessel which I don't have. Without the secondary fermentation step you'll have sediment in the bottom of your bottles which you want to take care not to drink.

Random thoughts...

I boil mine up on the side burner of my gas grill for 2 reasons. One because it boils faster than my electric stove and two so it doesn't stink up the kitchen.

I like the True Brew brand kits. Their "Porter" kit is my favorite.

Start saving good beer bottles, no twist-off. I used Bass Ale bottles.

Taste every ingredient you put into your beer. You'll learn quickly what makes certain beers taste better than others to you.

Take a whiff of the gas bubbling out of the air lock once fermentation starts. It's mostly CO2, but I just like the smell.

After you've made a few batches from kits you might want to move on to brewing from recipies.

Clean clean sanitize and clean.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

oh man, you all are gonna make me take on another hobby and really upset the girlfriend......this sounds like alotta fun!!!!

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

The two things that have not been mentioned yet. The water you use plays a big role in the taste.I like to use distilled water. The second thing is to buy new carboys and equipment that will come into contact with your brew.The reason for this is if the equitment has been use for wine making the yeast is different from beer making and will kill the beers taste. Sugar also plays a big part of it as some people like corn sugar and others like cane sugar (table sugar).

Good brewing

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Good point about the water, sometimes we forget the details we do all the time. If you have city water with chlorine and fluorine in it I've been able to get good results by pouring about twice what I need and let it set for a day before I need it to let the "bad stuff " get out.

 

[v1_0]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Papazian

I'm waitin for the movie..

 

[lowkee]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Well, we just put to rest our very first batch of Pumpkin Ale! 5 gallons took us almost 3 hours to whip up , but we have it filtered and in the carboy, which is sitting in a cooler with water and towels around it to keep things cool. We bought the whole setup today, two carboys, bottling bucket and a bunch of 'party kegs' which use small co2 cartridges and hold 5 liters each.. perfect for taking boating and camping!

Here's hoping we wake up to some bubbling brew and it doesn't taste like toilet water a month from now

5 gallons of home made beer.. I freakin love it! ..and it smells awesome already.

By the way, for anyone starting out, we ended up buying about $280 worth of equipment, which should be everything we'll need for the next 6 months at least, including the kegs and bottling equipment (I want to bottle some of it for aging). A lot, but I'm hoping overall it will be cheaper and the beer will be well beyond what any store sells, plus it makes for a super fun family night as we discovered.

 

[insanity]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

I thought brewing beer took more than 3 hours, or is that just larger amounts?

 

[i386]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

I thought brewing beer took more than 3 hours, or is that just larger amounts?

Brewing only takes a few hours (at least in my kitchen) but that's just the first step of the process. Next is one or more stages of fermentation which IIRC may take over a week. This is when most of the alcohol is produced and CO2 escapes through the air lock. After that it's bottled with a little "priming sugar" added. Yeast will feed on the sugar and make a little more alcohol. But most importantly at this phase the yeast expels CO2. Since the beer is in a sealed bottle it becomes carbonated. Once bottled, it's often recommended to let them sit for several weeks at minimum before drinking. That doesn't mean you can open some early for "testing". *This might not be 100% accurate but close enough to get a general idea.

I never did any kegging so I'm not very familiar with that process.

 

[insanity]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Brewing only takes a few hours (at least in my kitchen) but that's just the first step of the process. Next is one or more stages of fermentation which IIRC may take over a week. This is when most of the alcohol is produced and CO2 escapes through the air lock. After that it's bottled with a little "priming sugar" added. Yeast will feed on the sugar and make a little more alcohol. But most importantly at this phase the yeast expels CO2. Since the beer is in a sealed bottle it becomes carbonated. Once bottled, it's often recommended to let them sit for several weeks at minimum before drinking. That doesn't mean you can open some early for "testing". *This might not be 100% accurate but close enough to get a general idea.

I never did any kegging so I'm not very familiar with that process.

Ok thanks for explaining that I have made wine before so I know the whole sugar and yeast deal.

 

[nothreat]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Boy! That was fast. Welcome to the hobby. Three hours is pretty typical for brewing an extract beer (not including cleanup at least for me). When I all grain brew, I hit closer to 5 hours. I typically let it ferment in the primary for a week until the Krausen (foam on top) falls. I assume you got a hydrometer with your equipment. After the week, take a sample and see if the specific gravity has fallen enough. It will probably be in the 1.010 -1.017 range. If not, let it stay a few more days. Do not trust the bubbling airlock to tell you it is done. If you don't have a hydrometer leave it in the primary for another week. If you have a secondary bucket, transfer it to the secondary for a week. It gets the beer off the dead yeast in the primary and lets it clear up some. It is important to let it ferment completely before you bottle it. If you don't and add bottling sugar (corn sugar), you could end up with bottle bombs. I generally put the bottles in a warm, dark closet. After a week, I put a beer in the fridge when I go to work and test it that night (I cannot wait). You will have some carbonation. I rarely need more than two weeks for it to carbonate enough. It is now time to begin planning your next batch. You need to brew a stout, a porter, an IPA, etc., etc. Have fun.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

I've found I haven't exactly saved money, figure 5 gallons makes about 3 cases of bottles. Spread your ingredients across 3 cases , it's a little pricier but it's fresh and exactly (hopefully) what you were looking for.

 

[nothreat]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Why do you only end up with three cases Rockyrude? I usually end up with between 46 and 50 bottles when I bottle. When I keg, I usually end up with a little over 4 gals in the keg and 8 - 10 bottles to share with people. Of course, you are still right. By the time you get all the equipment - you aren't saving anything. I figure I have invested roughly $600 in equipment (even with making all I could). With all grain and buying grains and hops in bulk, I have a 5 gallon batch down to about $15 - $20. It is fresh and the beer I want though.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Here are some photos from my first ever batch of beer:

Wrapped inside this blanket is a 6 gallon carboy (fancy name for a glass jug) filled with 5 gallons of wort (beer before it is fully fermented). I have it sitting in a cooler filled with water and wrapped in a blanket in order to do multiple things: The water and blanket keep it slightly cooler than the air temp in my house (the water thermometer reads 68F) as well as regulate the temp, since I keep the windows open this time of year. The reason it is in the closet is to keep UV light away from it, as UV kills the yeast and causes bacteria to grow, both bad things for beer making.

Here is the magic in the making. The foam you see is a byproduct of the fermentation process and will go away as fermentation completes. The beer, at this stage, is still pretty cloudy, but should clear up in a few more days. This being day 4, after 7 days I will siphon the beer into another carboy where it will remain for another 2-3 weeks. From there it should be drinkable, so I will move it (via siphon again) into my mini-kegs.

Now these are what makes beer brewing all worth it! These little guys hold 5 liters of beer and dispense just like a bar tap. They are small enough to fit in my bar fridge and portable enough to bring camping or boating or just bring outside while you enjoy some frosties. I considered a full keg system, but I have no fridge space for the kegs themselves, so I went with these, which seem to be a much more flexible in their uses.

I'm biting my nails waiting for this stuff to be ready! I'm so excited! Beer rules.

 

[mike64]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Congrats on your new hobby!

One tip I found out the hard way after my first batch of beer was weak: don't pay too much attention to what the recipe says for how much sugar to add to get a specific alcohol content-- check the initial specific gravity to make sure the end result is going to have the kick you want. I like a beer around 6% alcohol, and I followed the recipe for a 6% alcohol beer to the letter, but my first batch was probably more like 3-4%. I used almost twice as much sugar the second batch, and got a beer with a nice 6-7% kick.

So if you use a recipe, take it as a general guideline and closely test initial gravity to figure how much sugar to add to get it the way you want.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

Well, my first batch of beer is complete! I bottled 10 brown bottles, 2 clear bottles and 3 minikegs (5 liters each) with pumpkin pale ale.

Here are my findings:

At just over 3 weeks I tried a few of the brown bottles. The bottles were almost undrinkably skunky. I only intend to drink the brown bottles, as the clear ones were bottled mainly for color and clarity examples. I think the skunky taste and smell are from some trouble I had straining the beer into the brewing bucket. The strainer kept getting clogged and I ended up having the wort exposed to open air for a good 30 mins. I'm sure there was plenty of exposure to wild yeast and other contaminents during that time. It also cooled off too much while fighting the strainer.

At one month (last night), we tapped the first of our minikegs. What a difference! The kegged ale was super smooth and had very little skunk to it. Unlike the bottled ale, you couldn't smell the skunkiness, you just got a slight aftertaste of it. The alcohol was more than Bass or Newcastle, maybe 6-7%, as after the first glass I could feel a buzz coming on. The pumpkin flavor didn't stand out. At best you could tell something was there, but you couldn't tell what the extra flavor was. The beer was slightly hazy with no floaties and a wonderful amber color.

After trying a fe skunky bottles, I was worried about the future of the entire batch, but the kegged beer came out much better than I was expecting. In all, kegging is the way to go! I put the minikeg in the beer fridge 2 days prior to tapping it and we got 7 glasses of wonderful pumpkin ale from it. Yep, we drank our first keg dry all last night, hehe! I'm still a bit buzzing as I write this review, which will stand as a reminder not to do that again

On to the media!

Tapping video: Draft beer, at home!

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Any brewmasters out there? (home brewing)

The difference between the bottles and kegs is more likely a cleanliness issue with the bottles...and you did not say where they were stored.

What are the mini-kegs made of and how do you carbonate the beer?