so much beer talk lately! How many homebrewers on here

VINMAN · 07-15-2008, 04:23 AM

With all the beer threads on here, I was wondering how many homebrewers we have on here? Been doing it about 8 yrs or so myself.

Freybird · Freybird's Garage

I made my first extract beer with a friend in 1994. It was a Quaker's oatmeal Stout. Turned out great! I had to buy a mail-order kit the day we tasted that stout. Next was Glass carboys, then liquid yeast, then full grain after 2 years of extracts. My composition notebook is stained and full of recipes and tasting notes. I've made some fine beers and some flops, including a Belgian that I had to ferment with Beeno.
My kegerator sits empty in its box in my garage. It has been 2 years since I've brewed and I'm eager to be bitten by the bug again.

Joeaksa · 07-15-2008, 04:55 AM

Did it for several years while based in Saudi but not since. Just tried a friends home made mix and it was pretty good. Thinking about doing it again and its not that hard.

KevinG · KevinG's Garage

I brewed my first beer in 1971, when some friends and I found a couple cans of Blue Ribbon malt in a grocery store. It didn't turn out too well - that's a long story in itself.

Fast forward to 2001, and I got involved in a home-brew competition at work as a team building exercise. We did an all grain amber ale and I got hooked big time. I use a home-made 15 gallon system, and brew 2-3 times a month. In the cooler right now I have:

English Barleywine
Extra Special Bitter
Eye of the Tiger Imperial IPA
Double Vision Double IPA
1130/286 Triple IPA
The Black Perle Black Double IPA
American Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada clone)

The overbalance of big IPA's is from a club DIPA challenge.

In the fermenters:
Apricot Hefeweizen
Strong Dark Belgian

Kevin

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Haven't done it in a couple of years, but greatly enjoy it. Perhaps I'll get a batch going in a week or two. . . Hmm. . . Summer. Heffeweisen?

Tishabet · 07-15-2008, 06:09 AM

Random coincidence, I was up late last night with the wort cooler... normally I brew stouts and wheats with the occasional IPA, but last night's batch is my first attempt at a classic pilsener style.
I started out doing hopped extract brewing in a single vessel, but nowadays I typically do "mini mash" brewing with malt and liquid yeasts and two brewing vessels. Still haven't gone to kegging... but I've thought about it!

krichard · krichard's Garage

Got a Belgian Wit in the secondary right now. Been in there for a week and a half, probably keg it this weekend.

Superman · 07-15-2008, 08:24 AM

Pilseners are a PITA, according to what I hear. My preference is IPA's anyway.

I've been doing it for about six months now but I've done five batches now. Bottled one last night (Liberty Bay) and transferred one (Simcoe).

Mmmmmmmm..........Beer.

VINMAN · 07-15-2008, 08:34 AM

My last few batches have been IPAs . Always had good luck with them.
The two times I attempted a porter , I totally butchered them.

dtw · 07-15-2008, 08:39 AM

Used to have 2-3 batches going at a time, when there weren't any 5 yr. old girls running around, and I didn't have car projects going on at all times. This morning, for example, there are 4 911s in my driveway - and I'm waiting for my HOA to send me a friendly "WTF" letter. Nonetheless, I've promised my long-suffering wife (and beer-loving neighbors) that when the '72 is finally assembled (that's in my court now, can't blame the painters anymore), I will epoxy the garage floor, install a 2ary fridge w/high-zoot temperature regulator, and start brewing again. Our local brewery is mostly ales, so I will probably experiment with some lagers. I have only done one before, and with poor temp regulation, so it was only 'decent'.

Have tried 2 batches before w/dry-hopping and they both went rancid - how long are you supposed to dry-hop? The guy at the shop who was advising it said to pitch in the 2ary fermentation right at the beginning, and that always seemed like an awfully long time. The thing that blows about a bad batch of beer is you can't bring yourself to throw it out - well, I couldn't. So we'd end up drinking 2-3 bottles (@ 24oz/bottle) of the good stuff, then we'd switch over to the rancid swill after our taste buds were shot. Great strategy...

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

I brew, I have a ton of equipment. I do all grain, mill my own grains in most cases. One of my lagers won a minor award at GABF last year. As far as dry hopping goes I add it to the secondary in a sock with a few marbles in it to sink it. I then let the secondary go for an extra week.

goat · goat's Garage

Been brewing for many years. Entered a few types over the years to local competitions.
Scott... Even a minor award at GABF is pretty darn cool!!!
I am looking at growing my own hops soon, so many types are disappearing, every time I break out an old recipe I find myself substituting to another.....