didn't want to take over the thread below me... but it was inspired by it I just made a 5 gal batch of my own special Irish brew. I am excited. I might make a special Ice Race keg if there is enough interest how many other home brewers on here?
My dad did for a few years and I helped him out once in a while. If was fun, but also a fair amount of work. He was bottling about every week at one point. He had two setups going at once. It took a while to work the kinks out of the process. We kept the sediment out of the bottles by transfering to anouther carboy. Also, sanitising the bottles was an issue until we got away from the one-step sanitiser and used an iodine solution and soaked the bottles for a few mintues. The variety was nice. Also, we brewed some very potent beers. Up to 13.25% :biggrin:
I've got two batches waiting in bottles--a wheat and a stout, and a dunkel is waiting for the secondary fermenter. I'm taking a break after the dunkel is done though--this spring I'll start up again.
I know I've helped Ryan (ryan) brew a batch, and I've definitely helped him drink a few of his brews. Mmmm... Tasty.
Well, I know sean you're just waiting for me to chime in. Yes, I brew. I'm about to take my brewing to the next level by kegging. I'm done with bottles. Sanitizing those bastards piss me off. I'm always game for brewing or teaching people how to brew. Just let me know the place and the time, I'll see if I can make it. Also any questions about homebrewing I can help out with. Don't worry about asking a "dumb" question because we all start somewhere. If you want to know what to buy to get started, I can answer all those questions. I haven't dabbed in All-Grain brewing yet, but I might do it sometime way down the line. Your local homebrewer, Ryan
i've been kegging for a little while now... trust me.. life is easier. force carbonating can be a bit tricky as im finding out.
I just bottled a 9 month old batch of dopplebock last night - hope it turns out. I wouldn't be terribly dissapointed if it went bad - my fault for being lazy. I have a sweet mead and a Belgian Tripel Honey ready to start. I'm really looking forward to that Belgian. It's a matter of having time to do it. I haven't brewed lately because of time mostly. And I don't care to heat up the kitchen during the summer. I don't concider my self serious enough a home brewer to get into kegging or all-grain. I'd like to maybe try party kegs some time.
What kind of yeast do you use to handle all that sugar? I haven't had the best luck with the lager yeast I've been using when making stronger beers. I usually buy supplies/ingredients from http://www.midwestsupplies.com - definately recommend them!
https://www.pelicansky.com/productdetail.aspx?id=99&cat=65 Problem solved. External burners are the way to go man. I cook up my beer in my garage.
MW is probably the best spot for picking up anything.. highly recommended and +++ for low pricing. I never played with mead, I just don't want my liquor to taste like children's cough syrup. my specialty is maple syrup beer. om nom nom... but its darn tricky to get it to taste just right.
really hard to make this beer outside of kegging. I buy my own syrup... the mw supplied syrup just isn't enough in my mind.. but if you use there syrup... the trick is to use no sugar and use the syrups sugar to carbonate the beer for bottling. kegging has it's benny of flavoring with syrup after the fermenting proccess to aquire your own taste and force carbonate to the desired level. I don't think i've ever used a box package beer exactly how it's supposed to be made. I have my own recipe now for 3 different flavors, and thought about licensing to sell it.
Yeah, you haven't been over for a while. I got a new burner. Sooo.. with that said. I have an external burner for sale. It's not safe for in-house use at all. The regulator is broken on it, so you have to regulate by using the propane tank. :laugh: It does work, and works great.. but like shibbs said.. it flares up sometimes and doesn't burn very clean (more yellow flame then what you'd normally want). BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK. Asking price: $10 you pick up.
If anyone would like a second opinion on your homebrews, feel free to send me some ...just throwin' it out there!
That's pretty much what I figured. 16oz syrup doesn't go very far in a homebrew. We'll see if there's any extra home made maple syrup from back home -then I'll give it another try. Syrup's too expensive otherwise. Talking about brewing is getting me motivated to start another batch! We should get a list going of who's brewing what!
I too also homebrew, though I am still very new to it. I've mostly done some kits from the local supply and another VERY simple recipe just using apple juice and montrachet yeast. I'm already getting VERY sick of bottling, mostly from time constraints and sanitizing bottles is tedious. Anyone know of anyplace locally to get corny kegs? I'm considering making a trip to the midwest brew supply up in the cities and picking up a dual corny keg system and finding a cheap dorm fridge to put them in. I also want to try my hand at all grain brewing, both because it is more cost effective than extract brewing, and because you get to make a larger volume at a time. Unfortunately I don't have a turkey cooker for outside anymore, though I'm trying to source one. Once I buy a house I am SO going to start growing my own hops too. :rockwoot: -Steve
Bump. Just bottled a Belgian Triple and started fermentation a couple weeks ago on a sweet mead. Might make some root beer this weekend. I'm looking to make a chocolate stout, maibock or oktoberfest next. Thoughts?
give me samples or it didnt happen! just kiddin, Rootbeer would be awesome, I never thought of that. I look forward to getting the chance to start home brewing. Talking to Ryan gets me fired up to do it. Sooner than later I hope.
Do it! homebrew is the only way to go! As for the root beer, has anyone else tried it? I was thinking of adding honey to the recipe. Got the extract from http://www.midwestsupplies.com
got a brew kit from midwest for xmas and currently have an Autumn Amber Ale only 4 days into the secondary. Boy the waiting really sucks but I know the finished product will be mighty tasty. Looking to fill the primary with a Porter to get the beer cycle going. What a great hobby. Mmmm Wort VVV
Alright, I've toyed with the idea of doing this for a long time, but could you run me through what is involved? I honestly don't know the first thing about it and I would really like to get into it. Would you suggest I start with the "Brewing Starter Kit" or everything + a carboy complete kit like this Do I need to be a chemist to do this? Do you guys brew it in the garage, basement? How much space does it take? Does it stink? My wife is extremely sensative to smells. How long does a "starter" brew take? Run me through the basics of it, please.
Well I started into brewing after helping my friend with his first batch and doing a bit of research here-http://www.homebrewtalk.com/ After that I asked santa for this for xmas(mine came with a better bottle)- http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7587 Came with everything I needed(aside from a thermometer) including an instruction dvd and beginners manual. Also be sure to get the grains crushed at Midwest when you get the beer kit or you'll be spending a while crushing them yourself with a beer bottle or rolling pin, I hear this can be a pain. Other than that: - you don't need to be a chemist(unless you get into brewing from scratch) - I brew in my house on my stove, in the garage with a propane burner works as well - Doesn't take much space at all when starting out, further down the road you may aquire quit the extensive set up as far as I've seen at the above site. - As for how long it takes. Seems the 1-2-3 systems seems to work good. 1 week in the primary container, 2 weeks in the secondary container and 3 weeks in the bottle and its ready to drink. Give or take. Its been good fun thus far, wish I would have started earlier. Hell, $25-$35 depending upon the kit gives you 5 gallons(over 2 cases) of home brew. Thats all the nood info i've taken in so far
Yes, what PaulasaurusREX said. I would go with the second option you listed - that way you've got bottles and a kit ready to go. The Irish Red is pretty easy and fail-proof. I think it takes quite a bit to screw one of these up anyway. Just make sure everything is sanitary while working - and don't use bleach or detergent/soap. If your wife is sensitive to smells, best to wait for a weekend when she's not around. The brewing smells great to me but my fiance doesn't like the smell when I add the hops. I do it in the kitchen, but the garage would be better in case of boilovers, its just not practical in winter. As for time, allot 3-5 hrs on the first day for boiling especially for your first time. It takes a while to get things to a boil and to cool it down for fermenting (unless you use a wort chiller). fermenting takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 4-6 months, plus 1-2+ weeks for conditioning. ITS WORTH THE WAIT!!!
Available at midwest for $4.95 or free with purchase. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7031 I'll be making a purchase fairly soon if you'd like a copy drop me a pm
actually, they used to have posted videos on their site. I can't find them anymore. also, this is one of the best online sources I've found for information http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
For xmas my g/f's parents gave me a mrBeer. Can I make something decent out of this? My friend recieved one this summer and we were going to try it out but haven't gotten around to it yet. pretty soon though we're going to have a brew party.
mr beer is the bottom of the ladder for homebrewing. it can make beer but dont expect anything much past drinkable.
Just out of curiosity, what are you guys using for sanitising the bottles? My dad brewed for several years with a friend of his. They found that an iodine solution worked waaaay better than any kind of one-step. I'd like to get into eventually. My space and schedule do not alloy it for another year or two.
I figured, I guess my question should have been phrased, "is it even worth the trouble of tying it out?"
Screw the dvd gridlock. If there is interested I'll brew this weekend. I've been meaning to brew for a while. I'm looking at a ESB at northern brewer for a while, time to just go get it. So, I'm thinking this saturday or next is when I'd do it. If you're interested drop me a PM. Enough interest and i'll make an event on the events page. -Ryan
I'm using a powder-based one-step. It works fine, but i've seen liquid one-step that seems to be a whole lot better. TwoFiveRS: I've never played with MrBeer but it seems to be pretty generic. Maybe not bad if you are thinking about getting into homebrewing, but if you think you're gonna do that at all I'd just step it up and get one of the starter kits from Northern Brewer / Midwest supplies depending on what area of the cities you live in. Like I've always said, if you guys have questions feel free to PM me, call me (if you have my number), etc. I have no prob meeting up with you over a pint and talkin beer. I also always have no problem inviting people over for brewing days.
Ryan, PM Sent, thank you! I wish I were going to be in town this weekend. I'll probably have to get the starter kit and a burner for the Garage so I don't stink up the house... I'll take you up on your next brew session if the calendar permits!! :cheers2:
Screw all this work. Just toss 5 gallons of Grape Kool Aid into a watertight trash bag and then toss it in a dark corner for 6 weeks. Then simply skim and serve.
I enjoyed the aroma. Smelled up my kitchen/dining for a couple days. Wife didn't care for it but I didn't find it bad enough that it would have to be done in the garage. Hoping this weekend will work for brewing up a Midwest Porter.
Sure I would make the Mr. Beer beer. It's still brewing and still fun to watch the fermentation. Beer is like pizza or sex- even when it's bad, it's still good. In my 6+ years of brewing i've found that Star San is the best sanitizer hands down. No smell, no rinse, no stains, measuring device on bottle, good suds, good price. They also make PBW (powder brewery wash) that was developed by Coors many years ago. A 1/4 cup to 5 gallons and a over night soak and it will be shiny and new. Even stuck on hops in a glass carboy don't stand a chance.
