Let's talk home brew....

[Manipulator]

I have always wanted to make my own home brew. Now that I have a large basement with the proper conditions (temperature), I think its time. Any suggests on buying a kit, where to buy supplies etc? Since I'm an amateur I'm looking to start with Ales, which I hear is easier to make than Lagers. BTW, anyone into Belgium Ales? A friend of mine came into town last weekend; we went to a place that has over 300 beers. He is a beer man and insisted on Belgium Ales so that what we drank. Talk about getting tanked. After a few, I took a look at the bottle and it was 8% alcohol!

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I can't give you any advise but a friend of mine got into homebrewing in the basement and within a couple years bought an operating microbrewery and is doing very well making a living with his hobby. Maybe you've seen Central Waters beers?

 

[brother chris]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

Originally posted by Manipulator:<br /> I took a look at the bottle and it was 8% alcohol!

Dude....most of our beer is 5%.<br />About 20% of our beer is between 5%-7%.<br /><br /><br />I don't know much about home brewing..can't help you on that topic....sorry....but I am sure there will be lots of people here who know about it.

 

[one more cast]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I tried a batch back in the 80's. I bottled it to soon and the whole case blew up one bottle at a time in a chain reaction. What a mess. Been thinking about trying it again.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I suggest you look around brewboard.com and buy your supplies from their store at homebrew.com. Very good service and fresh ingredients. <br /><br />Something like this would be great to start out with:<br /> http://www.homebrewadventures.com/s...ROD&Store_Code=homebrew&Product_Code=BREW-004 <br /><br />Some of my beer has been between 8% and 11% alcohol. And I put it in 20oz bottles. Tanked indeed. (and taste good too!)

 

[heycods]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

Originally posted by ZmOz:<br /> I suggest you look around brewboard.com and buy your supplies from their store at homebrew.com. <br /><br />Some of my beer has been between 8% and 11% alcohol. And I put it in 20oz bottles. Tanked indeed. (and taste good too!)

Your to young to drink whats more brew

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

Originally posted by heycods:<br />Your to young to drink whats more brew

If you can't buy it you gotta make it...

 

[nothreat]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I have been brewing off and on for about 10 years. I make primarily ales (dopplebocks, porters, IPAs and Scotch ales). I have tried some fruit beers (raspberry) and flavored (butterscotch) but they didn't turn out like I wanted. I recently made a Pete's Wicked Ale clone that was good and a Belgian Trippel clone that wasn't too bad. I use malt and some grains, but haven't graduated to all grain or kegging. I have purchased from these places with very good luck.<br /><br /> http://www.morebeer.com/phpBB2/ <br /> http://www.midwestsupplies.com/ <br /><br />It is a great hobby and you can get started in a basic way for about $100. Both of the sites above sell kits. Relax, have a homebrew.

 

[AzMeadMan]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I would suggest finding a brew store close by and talking to them. Their experience will be valuable to you. You could also look into attending some brewing competitions. Most home brewers are happy to lend their advice. <br /><br />The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian is a great book to start with. Simple instructions, easy to follow and understand. It will give you a good idea of what is needed and how to go about starting. <br /><br /><br />It is a great way to spend a few hours and even your failures are usually drinkable.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I've been wanting try it myself also. Where can a person go on the net to find out the legal restrictions. I don't want the revenuers come busting up my stuff.<br /><br />The History Channel had a special on brewing all kinds of alcohol. I never new that hops is in the cannibis family. Maybe that is why so many people love their beer!

 

[AzMeadMan]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I don't remember the US title it is under, but you can make 100 or 150 galons a year per adult in the household. That is beer and wine or anything that you can ferment. None of the ingredients are monitored are regulated that I know of and about the only way you can really get in any trouble is if you sell the product. I believe the statute is named in The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.<br /><br />I did not know about the hops/cannibis connection. I guess that is why, when I was 5, I use to have a small glass of beer before bed. Dad kept a pony keg in the fridge and Mom always thought I was getting a glass of water. Took them several months to find out what I was doing. Dad stuck to bottles after that.

 

[AzMeadMan]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

This link should give you the laws in you state.<br /><br /> http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/legal.html

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I've been brewing for 5 or 6 years. DOn't worry about how much you brew... you couldn't drink enough to ever worry about it. I agree with the above suggestion to get The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian. Excellent book. My two favorite brewing forums are morebeer.com and northernbrewer.com . Spend a lot of time reading around and you wont have any trouble. Brewing is easy.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

Statute:<br />Kentucky statute, Title XX, Chapter 244 prohibits the possession of apparatus used in the unlawful manufacture of alcoholic beverages. Beer falls within the definition of "Alcoholic beverage" in Kentucky.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

Originally posted by SS Mayfloat:<br /> I've been wanting try it myself also. Where can a person go on the net to find out the legal restrictions. I don't want the revenuers come busting up my stuff.<br /><br />The History Channel had a special on brewing all kinds of alcohol. I never new that hops is in the cannibis family. Maybe that is why so many people love their beer!

For you SS:<br />Statute:<br />Ohio statute Title 43, Chapter 4301, §4301.01 defines Beer, Malt Liquor, and Malt Beverage as all brewed or fermented malt products containing one-half of one per cent or more of alcohol by volume but not more than six per cent of alcohol by weight. §4301.20 provides for the exceptions to Chapters 4301 and 4303 of the Ohio Revised Code. §4301.20(C) provides for the manufacture of cider from fruit for the purpose of making vinegar, and non-intoxicating cider and fruit juices for use and sale but does not include a provision enabling the home manufacture of beer for personal use.

 

[one more cast]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

" I never new that hops is in the cannibis family. Maybe that is why so many people love their beer!" I know a guy that claims to have grown "Hopped up hops"some years back. A cross between pot and hops.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I've brewed several batches of beer - you can make better stuff than the big commercial beers, but not necessarily cheaper than buying. I stopped when really good beers became available in grocery & liquor stores. Start with kits, go from there. <br /><br />I used champagne bottles. it's like two beers in one. also more efficient because the ratio of drinkable beer to sediment is better. You can use ***** hose as a strainer when bottling. Bottle capping machines are cheap to rent.<br /><br />Took a trip to Belgium a few years ago. The best beer anywhere is in Belgium. Every town has their own brewery very little of it is made for export. On the train to Netherlands I was talking to a Dutchman. Asked him what's the best beer in Holland - his answer was "the best beers are in Belgium."<br /><br />They got a kind of beer called gieuse or something, it's pronounced kind of like "a-hoo-sa", a flemish word. Amazing stuff.

 

[nothreat]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I think Jimmy Carter signed the law that allowed people to homebrew up to 200 gallons per year. It has to be for personal use though. And they are serious about that. I had a buddy who was contacted by a couple of small hobbyist clubs (ARRL and some other) to brew a keg for their Christmas Party. He was a bit nervous and call the ATF. They told him it was illegal even if he did it for free and that they watched for such things. I concur with the Papazian recommendation and I also like some books by Dave Miller, specifically the "HomeBrewing Guide" (ISBN 0-88266-905-2). I am sitting here drinking a PWA clone and contemplating my next batchas I read.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Let's talk home brew....

I wouldn't go to a beer brewing forum to get boat advice and I definately wouldn't come here for beer brewing advice. You've heard some good stuff here and a LOT of BS. Go to any of the sites posted for good advice on the how-to, what-for, legalities, etc.