Anyone here Homebrew?

[HTH 95]

How much does it cost to get started? Is it complicated? How long does it take to get a finished product? Best recipes?

 

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/

 

http://realbeer.com/

[itsbigmoni 1]

I saw a kit at save mart that came with pretty much everything you needed to brew your own beer. I would love to experiment and make the perfect heffy or cerveza. I might give it a try. Probably won't use that one because its probably crap, but i'll look around and use the forum you linked.

[TommyGavin 790]

I used to homebrew and make my own beef jerky but both STINK up the house for days so I've been cut off

[DuckStupid 40]

You should be able to get into it for under a couple hundred. I bought a kit about 10 years ago for a buck 25. It's a blast and I'd highly recommend it.

 

ETA: Time frame for brewing is a couple of weeks, I let it sit for a month or so after and carbonate before I start drinking it.

[supermike80 2,102]

The initial kit, a good one, will cost around $100. Not totally unreasonable. I would buy brew kits from a local brew store that would run about $20-$25 depending on the type.

Brewing is fun and I enjoyed it. I ws able to brew up some very good stouts and red ales. Bottling etc is a blast.

Save your bottles.....especially brown ones. Green are OK, clear is bad.

 

Check out the web..Lots of resources you can use to help you.

[dj_stouty 0]

www.northernbrewer.com

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a kit from these guys up in MN.

[texasmouth 1]

My brother homebrews. He was telling me something about some grain kit that some guy makes that was made from two kegs. It cost $175 as opposed to the $600 set up. I really dont know a lot about it though.

[Big_Pete 0]

I used to homebrew and make my own beef jerky but both STINK up the house for days so I've been cut off

I make some of the best homemade beef jerky (says everyone who's ever tried it)

I'm gonna have to build a smoker and make some more, SOON!!!

[DuckStupid 40]

I make some of the best homemade beef jerky (says everyone who's ever tried it)

I'm gonna have to build a smoker and make some more, SOON!!!

 

I make a bit of jerky and snausage myself. If it's as good as you think, care to share a recipe?

[Tarheel Boy 0]

You should be able to get into it for under a couple hundred. I bought a kit about 10 years ago for a buck 25. It's a blast and I'd highly recommend it.

 

ETA: Time frame for brewing is a couple of weeks, I let it sit for a month or so after and carbonate before I start drinking it.

 

 

A buddy of mine at work has done it for a few years and loves it. LIke Duck said, the time frame is probably 5 or 6 weeks from brewing to carbonation. He drinks it and says he'll never go back to any other kind of beer. I haven't had any yet, but probably will in the next week or so.

 

[DuckStupid 40]

 

A buddy of mine at work has done it for a few years and loves it. LIke Duck said, the time frame is probably 5 or 6 weeks from brewing to carbonation. He drinks it and says he'll never go back to any other kind of beer. I haven't had any yet, but probably will in the next week or so.

 

 

 

You'll enjoy it, I've never made a batch I didn't enjoy. Speaking of which, I haven't brewed in over a year. I'm thinking I'll stop by the brew store on the way home tonight, pick some up and get a batch going.

 

The biggest thing to remember is to keep everything CLEAN.

[dj_stouty 0]

You'll enjoy it, I've never made a batch I didn't enjoy. Speaking of which, I haven't brewed in over a year. I'm thinking I'll stop by the brew store on the way home tonight, pick some up and get a batch going.

 

The biggest thing to remember is to keep everything CLEAN.

 

YEah....I haven't made a batch in over 6 months so this thread was a good reminder. I think I'll do an IPA this time around.

 

Yes, its amazing how much you need to clean things when homebrewing. IF not, then bacteria can spoil the batch.

[Rusty Syringes 479]

I've been home brewing for years, and I love it.

 

I get all my stuff from here:

 

http://www.defalcos.com/

 

The first batch I made, a wheat beer out of a can, tasted like urine.

 

The second batch tasted like Shiner Bock.

 

I've rooned a few batches, but mostly I make pretty good beer. The last couple of batches have been like Arrogant B@stard Ale, only not as hoppy.

 

You can make it as simple or complicated as you would like.

 

You just have to treat it like surgery, making sure you properly clean your equipment.

 

They say to leave the beer brewing in the bucket for a week or two, but I leave mine in there for three or four weeks, and not only is it better, it has a higher alcohol content. I estimate my beer's alcohol content to be midway between regular beer and wine, around 9 percent or so, like some of the Chimay beers.

 

After it's in the bottle, I leave it in the cabinet for at least two weeks before I pop one in the fridge and try it. The ideal time is around four weeks.

 

All added up, it costs about 50 cents per bottle, which actually saves money in the long run and produces better beer than you can buy at the store.

 

It's a little messy and smelly during the initial process, but it's kind of relaxing and fun.

[HTH 95]

Schweet! Thanks for the info/advice.

 

I'll prolly start with the Classic Pale Ale Kit and an Irish Stout or Red Ale Kit.

 

Probably better to save the Belgian Dubbell kit for after I get more experienced.

[Rusty Syringes 479]

Schweet! Thanks for the info/advice.

 

I'll prolly start with the Classic Pale Ale Kit and an Irish Stout or Red Ale Kit.

 

Probably better to save the Belgian Dubbell kit for after I get more experienced.

 

 

The real serious guys buy all their ingredients fresh.

 

The last batch I made, I had to boil up a big bag of stuff and make a kind of beer tea before adding other stuff.

 

The process can take up a Saturday afternoon, and it can be as complicated as you want to make it.

 

You have to sit there for a long time to watch the pot and make sure it doesn't boil over after you had the hops.

 

If it boils over, you lose all kinds of stuff you'll wish you hadn't loss.

 

[dj_stouty 0]

I've been home brewing for years, and I love it.

 

I get all my stuff from here:

 

http://www.defalcos.com/

 

The first batch I made, a wheat beer out of a can, tasted like urine.

 

The second batch tasted like Shiner Bock.

 

I've rooned a few batches, but mostly I make pretty good beer. The last couple of batches have been like Arrogant B@stard Ale, only not as hoppy.

 

You can make it as simple or complicated as you would like.

 

You just have to treat it like surgery, making sure you properly clean your equipment.

 

They say to leave the beer brewing in the bucket for a week or two, but I leave mine in there for three or four weeks, and not only is it better, it has a higher alcohol content. I estimate my beer's alcohol content to be midway between regular beer and wine, around 9 percent or so, like some of the Chimay beers.

 

After it's in the bottle, I leave it in the cabinet for at least two weeks before I pop one in the fridge and try it. The ideal time is around four weeks.

 

All added up, it costs about 50 cents per bottle, which actually saves money in the long run and produces better beer than you can buy at the store.

 

It's a little messy and smelly during the initial process, but it's kind of relaxing and fun.

 

Leaving beer in the fermentor for longer times dos not necessarily make it stronger in alcohol. I'm pretty sure the final gravity won't change much with time, since the fermentation process offically stops when it wants to, and anything after that won't change it much. It will, however be clearer to the eye, as all the yuck settles to the bottom.

 

To the guy who started this thread~ Make sure you get a brewing kit that contains a 2nd fermenting carboy. This will clear up the beer a ton...and the extra time in the 2nd fermenter really smooths out the brew. And Rusty is right...definitely keep the beer in the bottles at room temperature for a few weeks before throwing them into the fridge. The less you rush the beer, the better it will look and taste.

[itsbigmoni 1]

How does wheat beer turn out? I'm a big fan of heffy but i'm kind of picky about it. I've never had a great heff out of a bottle. Also, i think blue moon is a wheat beer but i can't stand that crap. I'm surprised i didn't like it because all of my friends who like heff liked blue moon better. But yea, i would love to brew my on wheat beer. How does that turn out? What about cerveza/mexican beer? I'm not a fan of ales and things like newcastle. I'd say my favorite beers are heff, heineken, dos equis(mexican version), things like that. Sam adams isn't so bad either. Does home brewing work for any kind of beer or does it work for certain kinds of beer over others?

[itsjjw 1]

I'd say my favorite beers are heff, heineken, dos equis(mexican version), things like that. Sam adams isn't so bad either. Does home brewing work for any kind of beer or does it work for certain kinds of beer over others?

My friend's hubby makes his own. Great stuff. Learn the difference between a lager and an ale before you think about this. The man goes on and on about it. He's obsessive compulsive about temperatures.

[dj_stouty 0]

Learn the difference between a lager and an ale before you think about this. The man goes on and on about it. He's obsessive compulsive about temperatures.

 

I agree. If you don't like Ales, then you are probably better off not getting into the hobby. Ales are easy to ferment since they only require room temperatures during fermenting. Lagers, on the other hand, need cooler temperatures which are harder to regulate unless you have a spare refridgerator laying around.

[jerryskids 7,127]

I used to brew a lot, haven't done it in years though. A few pieces of advice, some of which I'm sure are repeats:

 

- Start basic with just the canned malt. After a batch or two you can experiment with added grains for color and taste (still with the canned stuff). You'll want to do it for a while and be comfortable with it before you try to get the sugars from malted grains.

 

- Stick with ales; ferment faster and easier, and temperature isn't as important.

 

- Rusty is full of shiot about the 9% alcohol. You need a wine/champagne yeast to get that. It can be done, but I wouldn't try it at first.

 

- Somebody mentioned the second carboy, I agree. I used plastic for the initial fermentation, then glass for the second. That way you can see the clarity.

 

- I always bottled and I would start with that. Eventually you can move into filtering into a keg with CO2. I had planned to do this but stopped brewing.

 

- ABSOLUTELY buy one of those propane lobster cooker thingies. You need to boil 5+ gallons of liquid; if you try it on your home stove it will take hours and stink up the house. You can boil it in an hour, outside, with one of those babies.

 

- I also recommend an 8 gallon stainless steel pot (not always easy to find, and kinda expensive if I recall) but you may want to wait until you see if you like it before you invest.

 

- I used that realbeer site more than any and had nothing but good results.

 

[BiPolarBear 497]

I've been home brewing for years, and I love it.

 

The first batch I made, a wheat beer out of a can, tasted like urine.

 

The second batch tasted like Shiner Bock.

 

I hope you were able to recover to at least the urine level of brewing by the third batch.

[itsjjw 1]

I used to brew a lot, haven't done it in years though. A few pieces of advice, some of which I'm sure are repeats:

 

- Start basic with just the canned malt. After a batch or two you can experiment with added grains for color and taste (still with the canned stuff). You'll want to do it for a while and be comfortable with it before you try to get the sugars from malted grains.

 

- Stick with ales; ferment faster and easier, and temperature isn't as important.

 

- Rusty is full of shiot about the 9% alcohol. You need a wine/champagne yeast to get that. It can be done, but I wouldn't try it at first.

 

- Somebody mentioned the second carboy, I agree. I used plastic for the initial fermentation, then glass for the second. That way you can see the clarity.

 

- I always bottled and I would start with that. Eventually you can move into filtering into a keg with CO2. I had planned to do this but stopped brewing.

 

- ABSOLUTELY buy one of those propane lobster cooker thingies. You need to boil 5+ gallons of liquid; if you try it on your home stove it will take hours and stink up the house. You can boil it in an hour, outside, with one of those babies.

 

- I also recommend an 8 gallon stainless steel pot (not always easy to find, and kinda expensive if I recall) but you may want to wait until you see if you like it before you invest.

 

- I used that realbeer site more than any and had nothing but good results.

 

 

From what this guy tells, me Rusty is full of it about leaving it longer increases the alcohol. But this guy make 9% beers all the time. Mostly stouts and crap like that, that I won't drink.