Homebrewing beer

[Tatercaster]

I received a great gift for Christmas this year: a home brewing kit! It includes plastic beer bottles and a 2 gallon keg for fermenting my brew. Also included a mix to get started.

Anyone brew here? I was wondering about yeast and hopps and stuff. I've bought 2 gallons of spring water to get started.

 

[Malacoda]

I used to brew when I was younger, single and living in a 400 square foot studio apartment. You can imagine what it smelled like in there with the gasses bleeding out of the vats during fermentation.

I mostly made really dark beers (belgian types, stouts, etc.). Great stuff, good times.

 

[Tatercaster]

I was thinking about doing an IPA, perhaps a Nut Brown Ale, and an American Pilsner or Lager. I really need to learn the terminology. What makes a Lager a Lager and not a Pilsner, etc.

 

[Chancerubbage]

Stick with ales unless you have a fridge. Lagers are made with bottom fermenting yeast that like the cold. If you want the cleaner taste of a lager, some ale yeast strains are cleaner than others. Get several good batches of ales under your belt before you attempt a lager- it isn't really the way to go for someone just getting their first all in one kit. A pale ale, a nut brown, are good popular starts. An IPA may teach you how much or how little you know about hopping and keeping a beer balanced. There are some excellent kits out there
using canned or bulk extract and partial grain, some that provide ready to go wort, with a good strain of yeast, and some, frequently full dry malt kits, that merely take advantage of the gift market and turn people off brewing forever. But some kits have award winning recipes and can be excellent.

The Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian is a good resource for beginners as is Zymurgy magazine. Start collecting bottles, and friends to share your batches with. You could even have a free gig with free beer possibly, without breaking any laws. Most cities have Homebrewing clubs, the specialty brewing hobby stores would know of them, they usually judge the state fairs.

Homebrewing is possibly less healthy as a hobby since it has become easier to get specialty beers everywhere, but actually, I think the current microbrew market is overcrowded with those knowing more about marketing than brewing, and many classic style defining brands have actually become HARDER to find, and homebrew can taste relatively better than beer from those who have entered the mkt in the past 10-15 years.

Good books on some of the old school beers of the world were by Michael Jackson, of Great Britain who died a few years before Michael Jackson of Gary Indiana. Your local Library may have some.

Have fun and good luck.

 

[Tatercaster]

The kit I have appears to be one of the canned, all dry ingredient kits. Came with bottles (plastic w/ screw on lid) and a 2 gallon "barrel" shaped tank with tap on one end. Can of stuff to brew beer, bag of stuff to clean everything.

Can I brew REAL beer in this thing?

 

[Chancerubbage]

Don't let me scare you- it could turn out great! I'm just afraid of the kits because I have only heard reports of the failures. Success tends not to complain. Almost any homebrew recipe that doesn't get a bad infection produces interesting fresh beer a lot more delicious than what you can buy at the grocery store.

Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher, Stand By Me) uses a plastic fermenter, which shocked me as I used to be pretty snobbish against plastic fermenters, being a glass Carboy guy., but it doesn't break and it's light weight. And some people mix dry malt extract with the canned pre-hopped stuff, etcetera, and it can still turn out fine. Likewise, I never brewed my own wort from mashing my own malt from malted barley, just extract, plus added mini-mash from grains to add more character. You will not find out until you try. If you don't have a local homebrew supply to guide you, see what the Joy of Homebrewing book has to say- it is very positive and supportive, while explaining why some methods might provide better results. At least it may provide some tips that some of the minimal instructions in some kits may not go into.

 

[AndyLowry]

I'll second Chancerubbage's suggestion-- track down a copy of Papazian's book. It's a great way to get started, and has lots of good recipes to play with.

I used to make stouts, porters, and sparkling mead.

 

[Nick JD]

I brew all-grain beers using hops and I ferment under controlled temperatures.

This is the only sure way to make beer at home that tastes as good (or better) than commercial offerings.

Currently in my kegerator, I have a B Saaz Saison, Mosaic IPA, Irish Red, Belgan Wit.

Costs me a dollar a litre - and it's fun.

In my fermenting fridge is a German Pilsner and coming next is a Citra iPA.

 

[goldtopper]

I brew all-grain beers using hops and I ferment under controlled temperatures.

This is the only sure way to make beer at home that tastes as good (or better) than commercial offerings.

Currently in my kegerator, I have a B Saaz Saison, Mosaic IPA, Irish Red, Belgan Wit.

Costs me a dollar a litre - and it's fun.

In my fermenting fridge is a German Pilsner and coming next is a Citra iPA.

Whole grains are more fun and give greater variety, but he's got a starter kit.
My best advice for a kit like this is to follow directions carefully and be meticulously clean.

And if you're into whole grains, take the next step and get a still. You'll forget all about making beer.

 

[hemingway]

I got a cider kit for xmas. Can't brew it till the spring when the temperature is higher. But looking forward to it.

Good luck, fellow brewers.

 

[TC6969]

My bro in law has a Mr beer kit and has done 3 batches so far.

The sample I had on Christmas day was superb! (Had some serious kick too!)

 

[Justinvs]

I used to brew a lot, but haven't lately because if you can believe it I wasn't drinking enough to keep up with my production. It's a great hobby with lots of room to individualize, ie experiment, and fun.

Start with something simple like a stout and keep to the recipe for the first few batches. Homebrew doesn't quite taste like production beer, even some of the microbrews, but to my mind it tastes better. A good glass of beer you've made yourself is like nothing else!

 

[Justinvs]

Whole grains are more fun and give greater variety, but he's got a starter kit.
My best advice for a kit like this is to follow directions carefully and be meticulously clean.

And if you're into whole grains, take the next step and get a still. You'll forget all about making beer.

Now that's exactly what I want to do!

 

[KevinB]

Another plus one for Charlie Papazian's book. If your interest continues I would also recommend Dave Miller's "Homebrewing Guide".

Especially as you are in the US, it's very difficult NOT to homebrew a better beer than you can buy in most local stores, even from the cheapest kit.

See if you can find a local homebrew shop, you'll get lots of good advice there. And if your interest does continue you'll get into brewing with grains, fresh hops and liquid yeasts. You'll also probably move away from bottling to kegging. It's a fascinating (and rewarding!) hobby.

 

[raito]

The brewing kits are a little like guitar kits. Usually not top quality components, but a good introduction to the process. And like guitar building, if you like it, the sky's the limit. Wìth the kit, if you follow the instructions, you'll get something you can drink, just like you'll get a playable guitar from a kit. Maybe not the best, but nothing to be ashamed of.

My wife does the brewing in the family. Because she's got the ChemE degree. For her, getting the process down was a no-brainer. She jumped right up to figuring out her own recipes.

 

[goldtopper]

Now that's exactly what I want to do!

www.coppermoonshinestills.com

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This is all you need to know.

 

[Justinvs]

www.coppermoonshinestills.com

(link removed)


This is all you need to know.

Thanks for the links. Those stills are works of art.

 

[DaBender]

I think I got the same beer kit for Christmas. I'm hoping to brew it this weekend.

 

[bo]

For your first batch just follow the directions and keep it clean. Waiting for it to be finished is the hardest part. That said, do try to let it condition for a month before trying it (even though it'll be fine after two weeks bottled...don't touch it!). Brewing is 90% custodial. Oh yeah, lager(ing) is a process. It's used to make Pilsner

 

[Duncas]

I enjoy brewing and have access to several microbrews. theres a huge home-brew community here in the UK and its fantastic.


end of the day your own beer will always taste good. do what you want and be adventurous.