Does anyone brew beer?

[Jackass]

Just got an idea to maybe give this a shot for the hell of it. i could do a google search but figured i'd see if anyone here has any tips to get me started.

[bushwacked]

Si. Any brew store worth it's salt ought to give you some good advice. I would suggest staying away from kits that are too hands off. You can make some really good stuff by investing ~$150 into a basic extract brewing system (3 gallon pot, glass carboy, maybe a 5-6 gallon food grade bucket). Buy malt extract, hops, yeast, and start holding onto your beer bottles.

 

Send me a PM if you have any specific questions.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Si. Any brew store worth it's salt ought to give you some good advice. I would suggest staying away from kits that are too hands off. You can make some really good stuff by investing ~$150 into a basic extract brewing system (3 gallon pot, glass carboy, maybe a 5-6 gallon food grade bucket). Buy malt extract, hops, yeast, and start holding onto your beer bottles.

 

Send me a PM if you have any specific questions.

bushy gave you some good advice.

[gilthorp]

bushy gave you some good advice.

 

You should sell some of that yeast you collect on a monthly basis to the guy!

[Kid Cid]

I used to run a home brew shop in CT and I'm helping a store get into it right now. I've brewed a ton. Also, Rovers is a hardcore home brewer. What bushwacked says is a great place to start. You need to get int the habit of rinsing any beer bottles as soon as you're done with them. In addition to what he mentioned you'll also been a bottling bucket, a bottle filler and a bottle capper.

 

I have several partial mash recipes that turn out very respectable beers should you decide you want to make some specific styles. Just let me know. My initial suggestion though is to make a kit beer the first time out. My personal favs are the Coopers line, but there are plenty of others that makes decent stuff. You're not going to make earth shatteringly good beer with one of these kits but it will make something drinkable every time which I feel is more important in the first run. Once you know you can make good beer you can step up to something only slightly more complex but very much better.

 

Oh one other very important thing. You will not be able to make anything approaching the lightness in color and taste of Budweiser, Miller, or any light beer on the market. Put that out of your head right now. It takes years of dedication and study to learn how to make simple ingredients into something almost entirely unpalatable.

[Jackass]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Looks like i need to head to a home brewing store to get started. And I like my beer beer like I like my women - dark and flavorful - so i won't be trying to make anything similar to that budweiser crap.

[gilthorp]

I have a few clients that do this...one of them grows his own hops, and a few others use those to make their brew. I'll see if they have anything to offer for you JA.

[rhippens]

i've been brewing for about a year so if you want a newbie's perspective, let me know. otherwise, follow the advice above, find a decent supplier and just fire away. seems to me i've learned something new each batch.

[Yukon Cornelius]

You should sell some of that yeast you collect on a monthly basis to the guy!

[bpwallace49]

I am a consumer, not a producer . . . .

[Rovers]

The FIRST thing you need to do is click on this link:

 

http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

Then buy Palmer's book. In just a few quick read chapters, you will know what to buy (and what not to). If you get the book, the chances of having a good tasting first brew vs failure goes up about 500%.

 

Be careful with this hobby. I ended up with a stainless steel fermenting capacity of almost 40 gallons... one 25 gallon SS conical fermenter, and two seven gallon units. My brewery has been shut down ofr a couple of years, and I plan to get it back up and running this fall again. I was doing all grain 20 gallon batches. I need to pump about $400 back into my system to get it back up.

 

You can start on your stove, but you likely won't have the BTU's to do a full wort boil. You can do a partial... sounds complicated? It isn't... just GET the book. Just a word of caution... if you do your first boil on your stove, completely cover the surface with 2 layers of aluminum foil. You will thank me later. When wort boils over onto the stove... it can take hours to get it cleaned up. All the better if you have a turkey frier... but aghain, it's all in THE BOOK.

 

As Kid Cid said... forget American style lagers. You have to stick with ale for now. There are several very good suppliers on the net. The other thing is you need a place to ferment where the temp is correct. Get the book.

 

Did I mention getting the BOOK?

[Jackass]

The FIRST thing you need to do is click on this link:

 

http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

Then buy Palmer's book. In just a few quick read chapters, you will know what to buy (and what not to). If you get the book, the chances of having a good tasting first brew vs failure goes up about 500%.

 

Be careful with this hobby. I ended up with a stainless steel fermenting capacity of almost 40 gallons... one 25 gallon SS conical fermenter, and two seven gallon units. My brewery has been shut down ofr a couple of years, and I plan to get it back up and running this fall again. I was doing all grain 20 gallon batches. I need to pump about $400 back into my system to get it back up.

 

You can start on your stove, but you likely won't have the BTU's to do a full wort boil. You can do a partial... sounds complicated? It isn't... just GET the book. Just a word of caution... if you do your first boil on your stove, completely cover the surface with 2 layers of aluminum foil. You will thank me later. When wort boils over onto the stove... it can take hours to get it cleaned up. All the better if you have a turkey frier... but aghain, it's all in THE BOOK.

 

As Kid Cid said... forget American style lagers. You have to stick with ale for now. There are several very good suppliers on the net. The other thing is you need a place to ferment where the temp is correct. Get the book.

 

Did I mention getting the BOOK?

 

Thanks for the advice. Am i gonna be able to brew something decent on my stove and also in a 1 br apt. I.e. when you say a place to ferment, what are talking about exactly?

[bushwacked]

Thanks for the advice. Am i gonna be able to brew something decent on my stove and also in a 1 br apt. I.e. when you say a place to ferment, what are talking about exactly?

 

You can extract/partial mash some good stuff on a stove.

 

For ales a typical fermenting temp will be ~ in the range of 60-70 deg F. A place to ferment would be like a corner of the room or a closet where you can maintain that temperature and fit 7 gallon bucket or glass carboy.

[rhippens]

agree with rovers on the book. this should help, and i also listed papazians book which was and older "bible" and has been updated through a editions.

 

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-...4720&sr=8-1

 

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing...4649&sr=8-1

 

compared to the cost of equipment, ingredients, etc, these are cheap and a great place to start. they are also interesting reads.

[Rovers]

Thanks for the advice. Am i gonna be able to brew something decent on my stove and also in a 1 br apt. I.e. when you say a place to ferment, what are talking about exactly?

 

Click on the link, and get THE BOOK. All of your questions will be answered. Palmer's book is the best there is. I still refer to it, it is great for getting started, and still has info for an experienced home brewer that never loses it's value, no matter how far you get into brewing.

 

Ales like cooler temps, but each yeast is a bit different. They like slightly different temps depending on the yeast you migh use. A steam, like Anchor steam wanhts cooler temps. Other yeasts can tolerate higher temps. Get THE BOOK. Or, frankly, I'd even say don't bother. Get THE BOOK. Every Q you have will get answered in THE BOOK.

[Trots]

I'm still confused, should he get THE BOOK?

[bushwacked]

Click on the link, and get THE BOOK. All of your questions will be answered. Palmer's book is the best there is. I still refer to it, it is great for getting started, and still has info for an experienced home brewer that never loses it's value, no matter how far you get into brewing.

 

Ales like cooler temps, but each yeast is a bit different. They like slightly different temps depending on the yeast you migh use. A steam, like Anchor steam wanhts cooler temps. Other yeasts can tolerate higher temps. Get THE BOOK. Or, frankly, I'd even say don't bother. Get THE BOOK. Every Q you have will get answered in THE BOOK.

 

He probably is just making sure he has enough room and a proper set up to brew before purchasing the book.

[Rovers]

He probably is just making sure he has enough room and a proper set up to brew before purchasing the book.

 

The link to THE BOOK will help him figure that part of it out. There is a free condensed on line version of THE BOOK at the link I posted. Based on the last question he asked, he hasn't even clicked on the link yet. While brewing isn't all that complicated, there is still far too much one needs to know than what can be learned on message board.

[Kid Cid]

The link to THE BOOK will help him figure that part of it out. There is a free condensed on line version of THE BOOK at the link I posted. Based on the last question he asked, he hasn't even clicked on the link yet. While brewing isn't all that complicated, there is still far too much one needs to know than what can be learned on message board.

While I agree with that last statement Rovers, don't take the fun out of it for him quite yet. Brewing can be as hard or as fun as you want to make it. Yes, the book has a ton of valuable information in it but not everybody learns in the same way.

[chester]

Thanks for the advice. Am i gonna be able to brew something decent on my stove and also in a 1 br apt. I.e. when you say a place to ferment, what are talking about exactly?

 

Just remember that your small apt is going to stink like crazy for a few days.