home brewing beer

[mikeatfhc]

I have a great time brewing beer. I don't get to do it often as I like but I understand the process now and get consistently good to great beers.

Two words of advice in addition to all the great advice above:

1. Keep everything sterilized and protected after the boil.
2. Cool fermentation dependent upon the type of yeast used, the lowest side of the recommended range if possible.

Here is a firm on the west coast I use that has free shipping and a very helpful staff:

Home Brew Starter Kits | MoreBeer

And here's a couple of gratuitous shots of my beer stand

[Hawkney911]

Thanks for all the help!

Ordered my first set up and ingredients from austinhomebrew and its on its way to me now.

Shuie - the link you provided was a great read into what to expect before I ordered the kit.

The next question I have is on bottling. Everything I have read says kegging is the easiest but I think that is more of a down the road option. Im guessing the first few batches will be sub par.

So what beer bottles work the best? I cant use twist off with the wing capper provided and I don't think I can stomach or afford 2 cases of grolsch.

Im guessing any brown pop top with a thick lip would work right?

[Shuie]

Bottle conditioned beer is great, it's just more work. My only issue with bottling is the turn around time. I do not like waiting 6 weeks for beer. But, bottles are very portable and easy to give to the neighbors. The Grolsch style flip tops are really nice. I save 23oz Sierra Nevada & Kirin Ichiban bottles. You cannot re-use the twist offs.

[recycled sixtie]

You have such good setups that a microbrewery is one small step away.They have wine tours, so how about a Trans US beer tour?

[mikeatfhc]

Originally Posted by Hawkney911

The next question I have is on bottling. Everything I have read says kegging is the easiest but I think that is more of a down the road option. I'm guessing the first few batches will be sub par.

So what beer bottles work the best? I cant use twist off with the wing capper provided and I don't think I can stomach or afford 2 cases of grolsch.

I'm guessing any brown pop top with a thick lip would work right?

Here is an example - there are others 22oz makes it easier, less to fill/wash/sanitize.

Bottles - 12 oz (24) | MoreBeer

You can just go to your local liquor store and pickup a good micro brew beer that has brown/dark bottles that are not twist-off. Drink the beer, wash the bottles good, re-use/recycle.

Another option is Craigslist - lots of folks fall into and out of this hobby.

The keys to good beer is great basic ingredients, good water, follow instructions, and careful sanitation (I can't stress this enough). It took me a while to get the sanitation thing - not usually a problem for me in the fall/winter, but is in the spring/summer - must be some wild stuff floating around my area those times of the year, if I am not diligent I can get some off flavors. Nice thing is, even if it is not the best nothing can live in it that can kill you so you can still drink your mistakes!

It is crazy easy - or as complex as you could ever imagine.

[Rusty Heap]

Long time brewer here in my past life.

3 tier full mash system, I've pushed 12% alcohol, up to 20 gallon batches, had NINE 5 gallon corny kegs at one time, with 3 different flavors on tap.


For the newbie brewer, don't worry about grain or patial mashes, and you don't need that much equipment, even bottles. I had ZERO issues even using 2 liter Coke plastic pop bottles. It's food grade plastic, the cap is reusable, and I honestly got darn tired of bottling 12-16-22oz bottles when I was brewing 12-15 gallons almost every weekend.

My local home brew store north of seattle that ships kits and ingredients, another fun part of brewing is growing your own hops, and these guys sell rooted hop starts in the spring/summertime.:

StoreFront -- Homebrew Heaven Online Store

[sketchers356]

Originally Posted by TimT

I have made some amazing tasting brews.... I have also made some craptastic tasting brews..

As you learn you what each yeast brings to the game, same with combinations of malts and hops...you can really craft some nice drinking beers

You can grow yeast from any beer sold... who the eff would want to culture the Coors Light yeast... A yeast from a Belgian Abbey brew would be worth culturing...

People don't home brew to make Coors Lights... that crap is cheap and nasty...

What? Coors Light is pasteurized.

[Shuie]

And filtered.

You can definitely harvest yeast from the sediment in the bottles for some of the craft ales & Belgians. I know someone who spent ~2 months collecting Hoegaarden yeast because there was no real commercially available strain at the time. He would just pour the beer into a glass and swirl the last little bit in the bottle before dumping that into a mason jar. It worked.

[Rusty Heap]

I tried making a "bud" or "coors" batch once instead of grain, I used rice (what the big brewers use to turn out that crap) but I added a bunch of hops at the end.

I called it a "Bud Bitters" recipe. Something to be super light for summer hot weather lawn mowing.


turned out thin and bland, just like the mass produced crap.

Miller is the name of the horse behind the bar.


I once hosted a brew-fest and pig roast. We had FIVE three tier all grain systems going all day with 2 or 3 batches through each. I think we brewed 125 gallons of beer that day. I spit roasted a 65 pound weiner pig. Good times.

[TimT]

The next question I have is on bottling. Everything I have read says kegging is the easiest but I think that is more of a down the road option. Im guessing the first few batches will be sub par.

When I bottle a brew, I use 22 oz bottles, 12 oz bottles and those little Dinkelacker kegs...For some reason the amount of priming sugar to use in the kegs is not the same as for the bottles... I had a few explosive results

I do not like waiting 6 weeks for beer.

Neither do I... after you get set up and brewing every weekend or other weekend you have a steady supply..

If you sparge into a sterile carboy you can hold that wort for months...And always have homebrew in the pipeline...

I have really backed off my brewing... just a few batches a year now... Usually Belgian.... though I always make an Octoberfest and a Marzen.....

[Gordo2]

I've been brewing for about 2 years. I'm on the slippery slope mentioned previously, but some of the folks on this thread have fallen off the edge of the cliff - very nice brewing set ups

I just got my younger brother into brewing - focused him on getting into it much cheaper than I did. If you are patient, you can find a very good set of equipment on Craiglist for ~ $200.

Gordo

[Hawkney911]

well guys the fermentation has started! She is bubbling pretty good so I must have done a couple things right.

I went with a lawn-mower ale for the first batch, figured a simple pale ale would be a bit easier and arrive just in time for the start of yard work. I hope it has a little more flavor than the big brewers rice stuff like mentioned above. An Irish Red is next in line as soon as the primary clears.

Thanks again for all the suggestions

[Shuie]

Nice. That's a good idea to put the fermenter in the bucket like that. You can fill those tubs with cool water to help insulate the fermenter and lower your fermentation temps during the warmer months. The Svedka in the airlock is a good idea too.

[notmytarga]

Sam Adams bottles have the foilish labels and are hard to get off. It is nice to have a collection of non-screwtop bottles with the labels removed to bottle into. 48 does a 5 gal batch. I moved to kegging fairly early - much easier and you can adjust the carbonation level over time if needed. I only occasionally break out the counter pressure bottler. I usually just go ghetto and use soda bottles. But the idea of growlers is appealing.

Yesterday a friend asked me what he should do with the empty growler he had..hint.hint.. I told him to bring it by and fill it up - but bring an extra growler for me as incentive!

Enjoy the brew!

[Superman]

Originally Posted by aigel

I want to start brewing badly. But it is another hobby where you need a lot of stuff that uses up a lot of space. Last time I moved we already filled a whole semi (including an SUV in the last 1/4 of the trailer).

Throw some stuff away. Couches for example, take up a lot of room. Beds, too. If you're tipsy enough at bedtime, you can sleep anywhere.

Originally Posted by aigel

Also, having a keg of beer sitting around (I'd skip bottles) isn't a good idea either every day if you try to stay lean and away from carbs ...

Stop eating. Okay, I'm kidding. Just cut WAAAAAAY back on your eating, and you can enjoy several pints each day. Ask me how I know.

[Hawkney911]

I bucketed the fermenter with a fish tank heater to help raise the temp and its about 58 deg in the basement. The heater is bringing the ambient temp to be around ~63 I just hope that will be warm enough

I even was able to design some labels while everything was boiling.

I will send out some Porsche swag if anyone can make the Scottish connection on the name. (Excluding family members)

Will growlers handled the bottling pressures? I dont know if I would trust the American style screw off.

[NYPorsche]

Originally Posted by Hawkney911

Thanks for all the help!

Ordered my first set up and ingredients from austinhomebrew and its on its way to me now.

Shuie - the link you provided was a great read into what to expect before I ordered the kit.

The next question I have is on bottling. Everything I have read says kegging is the easiest but I think that is more of a down the road option. Im guessing the first few batches will be sub par.

So what beer bottles work the best? I cant use twist off with the wing capper provided and I don't think I can stomach or afford 2 cases of grolsch.

Im guessing any brown pop top with a thick lip would work right?

Any pop top bottle will work (no screw offs). I've noticed that the Bass ale bottles tend to give me a problem getting caps to seal, but beyond that I've had no problems.

As long as you get a comfortable system set up - bottling isn't nearly the headache everyone makes it out to be. For removing the labels - oxyclean and hot water are your best friends. Use a butter knife to scrape, then hit the glue with a metal scrubby and rinse. I can de-label about 100 bottles inside of an hour.

For the bottling itself - a jet washer and a vinator are worth their weight in gold. And if you are using iodophor or star san - they are contact no rinse sanitizers - no need to soak, a spray will be sufficient.

Use a 2 inch piece of siphon hose to connect your bottling wand to the spigot, then you can simply push each bottle up onto the wand rather than having to balance the wand and bottle together.

Using this set up, bottling a full batch takes less than a half hour with a friend of mine.

www.homebrewtalk.com is a great resource - very friendly and an amazing amount of knowledge.

[red-beard]

I wrote this many many years ago for a buddy who wanted to try brewing. It keeps the cost low and the techniques are good.

Buy three 1 lb bags of light DME (Dry Malt Extract) ($9), 1 oz of Cascade hop pellets ($1) and 2 packets of dry ale yeast ($1), an air lock and a #6.5 stopper ($3), and 5 feet of 3/8 plastic tubing ($1). What you are going to do is make two 1 gallon batches of beer. If you like brewing, a regular 5 gallon brew kit can be had for less than $50, even cheaper if you scrounge.

First, buy a 1 gallon bottle of spring water from the store. This is going to be your fermenter. You can use the spring water for your first batch of beer as well. Do not lose the cap, as you will need this too.

Pre-boil in a pot with a lid about 1/2 gallon of water for 15 minutes. This will be make up water for later. Make sure it is down to room temp before starting the next step. Keep the lid on.

Add 1 gallon of water (You can use the spring water) to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer the water for 5 minutes, to de-aerate it. Open 2 of the bags of DME. Out of the first one, measure 1/4 cup out and save it in a small plastic baggie. Add the rest of this bag to the water and 1/2 of the second bag to the water. Stir it in carefully. Do not worry if it clumps up, it will dissolve. Continue heating this until it boils. Do not turn your back on it, as it can foam up and boil over. Keep stirring, gently, do not splash the wort. As soon as the foaming subsides, you will be ready to add the hops.

Carefully store the rest of the DME in well sealed plastic bags, or it will turn hard, making it hard to dissolve. Store the second yeast package near it, but not in the same bag (Tape it to the outside). Store the other half of the hops in the freezer (See next step).

Divide the hops in 1/2 and save the other 1/2 for the next batch of beer. Take the remaining hops and remove about 1/4 of them (1/8 ounce), set them aside for a little later. Add the main part of the hops to your pot (3/8 ounce). Boil this mixture for 45 minutes. It should be rolling a bit, but not splashing about.

While the wort (this is what the boiling liquid is called) is boiling, you will need to sanitize the following: A Funnel and the spring water bottle, the cork and the air lock. Add 1/4 cup of bleach to 2 gallons of water, preferable in a plastic basin in your sink. Make sure you sanitize the cap. Just before you use each item, rinse it well, until you do not smell bleach. The contact time for sanitizing each item is about 15 minutes, so make sure they are in solution for at least that amount of time. You can sanitize the fermenter by putting some of the bleach water solution into the fermenter, and shaking, then letting it sit with the bleach in it for 15 minutes.

After the 45 minutes, add the remaining hops and boil for 15 more minutes. Place the strainer (Stainless steel mesh type) in the pot with the boiling wort. This will sanitize it for the next step. While this boil is going on, fill your sink with cold water, as cold as it runs from your tap.

At the end of the 15 minutes, remove the pot with the wort from the stove, leaving in the strainer. Place this pot into the cold water. Try to circulate the water around the pot. You can drain and refill the sink if the water gets warm. You want the wort down to room temp (Cool to touch). Don't let any of the sink water get into the pot. Test the temperature by touching the side of the brew pot. Never put your hand, or anything else, into the wort, unless it is sanitized first.

While this is cooling, rinse the fermenter and the funnel. Place the funnel in the fermenter and add your dry yeast to the funnel. Now add 1 cup of water from the make up water to wash the contents of the funnel down in (Make sure that the liquid measure has been sanitized, or pour directly from the pot). This will rehydrate the yeast. Make sure it is rehydrated for 15 minutes before adding the wort to the fermenter.


After the wort is cool, add it to the fermenter. Use the strainer to remove as much of the hops and other junk as you can. Don't worry if you get some in the fermenter. Now, use the make up water to fill the container. You do not want it full. Leave about 1.5 inches from the top of the fermenter. Cap it and shake it for 10 minutes. You want to aerate it as much as possible. Air is good _only_ at this time. Getting air into the wort when hot is very bad (Splashing while hot). Getting air in after fermentation is also bad. Try to minimize air at other times.

At the end of 10 minutes, rinse the airlock and rubber stopper, remove the cap and install the air lock and stopper. Fill the air lock 1/2 way with some of the make up water.

Place the fermenter in a place, away from directly sunlight, where the temperature can be kept between 65-75 F, preferably at 68 F. It should take 3-7 days to ferment. When the bubbles in the air lock stop it is time to bottle.

Take the 1/4 cup of saved DME and add to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, being careful not to boil it over. Cool it like you did the original wort.

Take two 2 liter soda bottles with caps and sanitize them like you did the other stuff. Also sanitize the plastic tubing. Rinse both bottles and caps. Remove the air lock from your fermenter. Thoroughly rinse the tubing and fill with water, hold your finger on one end to keep the water in the tubing. Insert the free end of the tubing into the fermenter, about 1 inch below the beer level. Pinch the tubing in the middle to shut off the flow, and insert the other end into the first 2 liter bottle until it is almost at the bottom. Let go of the pinch and the flow should start. You have to keep the 2 liter bottle below the level of the fermenter. You have to keep the tubing in the fermenter below the water line, but try to minimize how much of the stuff in the bottom you get. When the bottle is almost full, raise it to the level of the fermenter, pinch the tubing and move the tubing to the second bottle. Fill it the same way. You want an inch or so head space in the bottle. If your tubing is near the bottom, and you fill the bottle to the top, when you remove the tubing, you will leave a proper headspace.

Now carefully pour 1/2 of the cooled 1/4 cup DME into each bottle. Try to be even between the two. Use a sanitized liquid measuring cup. Now rinse the soda caps and place them on the bottles. Squeeze the air out of the bottles and twist them shut. Place these in the same place you fermented and in about 2 weeks, the beer will be ready. You can feel the swell up and the air space near the cap will fill up with CO2. When they feel as tight as a regular bottle of soda, they are ready. Chill and enjoy. You'll have to learn how to pour the beer out while not disturbing the yeast at the bottom of the bottle. For 2 liter bottles, decanting the entire 2 liter bottle into a pitcher works best, then pouring individual glasses from the pitcher.

Go back and do it again with the second set of ingredients.

[Superman]

I never thought of trying to save the yeast. How does that work? How long can the yeast be stored for.
I just transferred a batch from primary to secondary, so I've got a ton of gook in the bottom of by bucket.

[Shuie]

There will be more in the the secondary after you bottle or keg the batch. The stuff that comes out of the secondary will be cleaner and shouldn't have all of the hop break funk, etc., that you have in your primary. Either way, you can wash the sediment out of the fermenter with cool distilled water and store it in sterilized mason jars in the fridge. Or, you could schedule your next brew day on the day you bottle or keg and then dump the new batch right onto the yeast cake that is left in the secondary fermenter.

I have never pitched a new batch of beer onto the yeast cake in a primary fermenter. It just seemed like too much of a risk for tannins & off flavors with all of the break funk. I have washed & reused yeast from a secondary without too many issues, but I just didn't get enough good healthy yeast to say it was worth the effort.

The absolute easiest way to harvest a lot of good healthy yeast is to get it from the drain valve on a conical fermenter. The trub & break material gets dumped off after 1-2 days. 3-5 days after that and you can easily get a full tupperware container of good yeast that will get you through the next several batches. Put it in the fridge and scoop a cup of it into your next batch with a sanitized spoon. You will usually have airlock activity with 2-3 hrs.

I got rid of my stainless conicals when I moved to 10 gallon batches. I also stopped harvesting yeast after I got rid of my conicals.