Thoughts on beer making?

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by AxesAreBetter, Jul 27, 2018.


  1. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    Hello again. Looking over some new hobby possibilities, and I think I'm about ready to try my hand at beer making. The fact that a 4 pack of Irish is $14 has nothing to do with it...anybody have any thoughts on the matter or advice?
     
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  2. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    Home brewed beer is doable, and a thrifty way of becoming self reliant in producing a tasty social lubricant.

    There are a heap of youtube clips to tutor the beginner brewer...







    Packaged brewing ingredients are convenient, and although they will usually deliver consistent results, they are not absolutely necessary. A good brew can be achieved by using home grown ingredients...malt, hops, sugar etc.



    Homemade Kentucky Beer
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2018
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  3. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    How much do you already know? Are there other home brew makers in your area?

    Rancher
     
  4. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Drimkin itsss lot more funne
     
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  5. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    None that I know, azrancher . I've read up on it and watched videos and whatnot off and on for 3-4 years now, but no hands on experience with it. The all in one starter kits are fairly inexpensive, and it is a skill I would like to have.
     
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  6. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    Well, duh. Haha. Seriously, though, nobody carries my brand.
     
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  7. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    I started with a kit, a banjo burner, a stockpot and, a plastic 7 gallon conical fermenter. Since I wanted to enjoy my brew without having to wait for bottles to condition (carbonate the beer) I bought a kegging kit so that I could force carb in a couple of days and enjoy my brew.

    Go for it!!

    Why Should I Learn to Home Brew?
     
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  8. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    Yeah what Dunerunner said... but let me give you a few years of my experience.
    You can start out with a kit from any of the big Home Brew distributors.
    Go with the one that they provide you the malt in a jug.
    Pick something you think you might want to drink after you finish.
    All of them make "Clone beer kits" i.e. if you like Moose Drool, then they have Caribou Slobber (pretty darn good dark beer).
    You can then progress to cooking the already "malted" grains into a beer.
    Or then you can graduate to going to the feed store, malting your own barley and wheat and then it gets real cheap.

    Basically malting grain is getting it to start growing, the root comes out first, then the stem, when the stem erupts, you stop it all and dry it, then roast it like you would coffee. What you are doing is converting the starch in the grains to sugars, the roasting is converting the sugars into caramels... which is why I said start with the malt in a jug.

    After you're all set up with the banjo burner, or turkey fryer and the pot that comes with it, bottles, caps, or old Grolsh bottles is what I'm up to now, a couple of 5-6 gallon GLASS Carboys, a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a spout, a few airlocks a thermometer, etc. You can brew about 50 bottles of beer for about the same price as a case of your favorite Bud.

    It is fun, do you save a bunch of money... well no.

    Suggested supply houses. Austin Home Brew supply, or Northern Home Brew supply.

    Rancher
     
  9. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    The best part of brewing your own is you can choose any thing you want, and if you do your home work and keep a detailed journal, you can make some seriously good beer! A perfect example, I'm a YUGE fan of Samual Smith Cream Stout, but it's super hard to find and expensive when you do find it! So, I learned how to make it, and after tweaking the first batch, I nailed it, and am brewing it 5 gallons at a time! I keep it in a Kegarator, and it's always ready to go on those fine summer afternoons!
    Once you have a handle on brewing beer, you can step up to more potent things like Mead, or SourMash, or Vodka! The sky is the limits!
     
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  10. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    My thoughts can be summed up as:
    Yes.
     
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  11. Zimmy

    Zimmy Wait, I'm not ready!

    Start simple with a kit. Don't let someone beer snob you into going the hard way at the home brew store.

    Don't go old school right at the start. Beer from scratch is by far the most complicated and labor intensive of alcoholic drinks. I'm amazed mankind even figured it out.
     
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  12. AndyinEverson

    AndyinEverson Black Powder Monkey

    Whoa...we have a beer brewing thread....?
    I knew there was a reason I joined this forum....:D

    While I have no advice here to add...
    I am grateful that folks do indeed brew their own...you get to keep an art alive and have fun as well.
    Very cool thread...!
    Andy
     
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  13. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I just started this past winter. Found a "kit" in a discount store, it was an all grain and 1 gallon. Tried it out and I was hooked. I now have the big mouth bubbler starter kit from Northern Brewer. I've brewed about 4 different 5 gallon batches. Had one that I just couldn't drink. Way too hoppy for me.
    My favorite so far is the Gaarden Hoe Wit beer from NB.

    I'll probably start doing some BIAB soon as a transition to all grain brewing with a mash tun.
     
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  14. SoaySheep

    SoaySheep Monkey

    If you need sugar to add and your recipe calls for corn sugar, you can substitute corn syrup as long as it does not contain any preservatives. Those are usually the cheaper ones anyway. Honey works well too. You can invert cane sugar (a disaccharide that the yeasts often can't properly digest and will produce off flavors) into a mix of monosaccharides that they can digest, fructose and dextrose, by boiling it in acid. (a cup of water, a cup of sugar, a glug of lemon juice or vinegar and boil until the crystals dissolve easily usually 5-10 minutes depending on altitude) Then add to the wort. Pick an acid that won't fight the flavor of the beer and do that as a separate boil otherwise you need too much acid if you try to do it to the whole wort. That kind of pH alteration might kill your yeast.

    Whatever time the recipe says to let it age, let it age double
     
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