Home Brewing Beer

[Guest]

Next up, a Dopplebock.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/911/2899

[Smokin]

http://beeradvocate....rofile/911/2899

Andech's Doppelbock is one of my all time favorites and is one of the biggest reasons I got into homebrewing.

[drewpey]

Anyone tried 2.5 gal kegs like this? I think I could fit four in my future kegerator...

if you are going to go with child-size kegs then try these:

http://www.homebrewing.org/25-Gallon-Ball-Lock-Keg_p_2823.html?AffId=160

that's only 20 pints though. Won't last a week.

[Bishop]

if you are going to go with child-size kegs then try these:

http://www.homebrewi....html?AffId=160

that's only 20 pints though. Won't last a week.

I have about 6 3gallon kegs laying around for about 3 years I had wanted to get into kegging but then I had to moved into a extremely small apartment and put an end to my kegging dreams. These look pretty awesome though. either do mini batches (that take the same time as a full batch (- the time for the water to boil). If you go that route I would recommend brewing more than the keg can fit and keeping at minimum a 6 pack to bottle condition. If I had the money id defniitely spring for these 2.5's and get a 1.7cu fridge to put them in.

[Duck-Bone]

I have about 6 3gallon kegs laying around for about 3 years...

Any desire to sell a couple? I would love to get a 2.5/3.0gal keg but refuse to pay 3x as much as a 5 gal.

[Day Man]

Coconut oatmeal porter? Did you run out of things to make your beer with, opened the pantry, and grabbed the first things you found?

Oatmeal is used pretty commonly in beer. The coconut is a way to deceive my wife to like dark beers and let me continue the hobby.

[Smokin]

Bishop-

That's kinda of what I'm thinking about for the 2.5 gal. Most of my batches would still be 5 gal, so I could just use two kegs, but I like to have options. That way, I don't have 10 gal of beer tapped at once and I can try small batches of different recipes to see if I like it before I commit to a full batch. Also, the 2.5 seems like it would be easier to take to parties, camping, etc.

-day man

For the oatmeal coconut, I've had oatmeal beers (makes sense since it isn't too different than barely or wheat) but never heard of coconut. Does the coconut flavor really come through in the beer like a fruit lambic type?

[spaceman]

Oatmeal is used pretty commonly in beer. The coconut is a way to deceive my wife to like dark beers and let me continue the hobby.

You should really go weird and try brewing with oysters! They say oysters are an aphrodisiac so it's like a double whammy.

[Day Man]

-day man

For the oatmeal coconut, I've had oatmeal beers (makes sense since it isn't too different than barely or wheat) but never heard of coconut. Does the coconut flavor really come through in the beer like a fruit lambic type?

The oatmeal doesn't impart too much flavor...it adds body and makes beer "smoother." Try to find a good oatmeal pale ale...they're delicious.

The coconut flavor isn't predominant like a lambic. The stout/porter flavor profile is tough to overpower, but it adds a nice hint of toasted coconut.

You should really go weird and try brewing with oysters! They say oysters are an aphrodisiac so it's like a double whammy.

WTF? I'm guessing the shells were to harden the water (some homebrew recipes use gypsum for this). And she doesn't need an aphrodisiac, I'm stronger than her.

Edited December 5, 2012 by day man

[spaceman]

WTF? I'm guessing the shells were to harden the water (some homebrew recipes use gypsum for this).

Ah that makes sense I guess. I had that Three Floyds beer a while back and I wondered what the point was of using oysters because the beer didn't taste one bit like oysters...

And she doesn't need an aphrodisiac, I'm stronger than her.

That's the spirit!

[Champ Kind]

And she doesn't need an aphrodisiac, I'm stronger than her.

Too soon if you're stationed in Japan right now.

[Ravens52]

Too soon if you're stationed in Japan right now.

What did the five fingers say to the face...?

SLAAAP

[Day Man]

kegged up the coconut oatmeal porter...it's quite tasty and the coconut is very mild.

[HerkStud]

Hey...I'm currently away and was hopping to start this hobby when I get back. I've been researching which beginner kit to order so I can have it at home waiting for me. What kits do you guys recommend for a beginner that comes with everything you need and is a decent quality?

[theSituation]

http://stores.mdhb.com/-strse-41/BREWER%27S-BEST-DELUXE-EQUIPMENT/Detail.bok - This is a good one. They have one for sale with better bottles (food grade plastic) instead of glass carboys. I used to work here in college so I'm biased towards them.

I like this company too: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit.html

Theye cheaper than the first one I suggested.

Either way you're gonna need to get a boil pot. Splurge now and get a 40 qt stainless brew pot. save your money and frustration and DO NOT buy aluminum. The benefit of starting with the larger pot is that when you transition to all grain brewing you'll already have a pot large enough to handle that process.

You will also need a thermometer. If you already have a kitchen one that you cook with, that'll be just fine.

Most of these sites to buy online one have ingredient kits as well. Pick your poison. I will caution against getting kits that you think will be like a light lager. Unless you have extra fridge space you won't be able to lager the beer and thus you will not get what you're expecting. You'll still get good beer, just not what you might expect.

Good luck and and have fun!

[fou]

Hey...I'm currently away and was hopping to start this hobby when I get back. I've been researching which beginner kit to order so I can have it at home waiting for me. What kits do you guys recommend for a beginner that comes with everything you need and is a decent quality?

This is what I started with and have been happy so far. I like that the Primary is 6 gallons and you also get a second glass/plastic bottle for secondary fermenter if you so desire.

Either way you're gonna need to get a boil pot. Splurge now and get a 40 qt stainless brew pot. save your money and frustration and DO NOT buy aluminum. The benefit of starting with the larger pot is that when you transition to all grain brewing you'll already have a pot large enough to handle that process.

If you do go with a larger pot, make sure you have a big enough burner or stove to heat the larger pot.

Edited January 4, 2013 by fou

[Day Man]

To piggyback...

- I'd go with the second kit posted

- Agreed with ales vs lagers...lager yeasts are much "pickier" than ales, and thus harder to ferment correctly

- Get some StarSan, mix up 5 gallons, and keep it in the vessel you plan on using next. When the time comes, Auto-siphon it out, and you just sanitized two of your main utensils.

- A good burner (something like Bayou Classic) will speed up brewing and ensure a good healthy boil...boilovers on the stove are no fun

- A wort chiller is a great investment...boiling hot wort takes a long time to cool down to yeast-pitchable temps without one

- Start saving your 220z bomber bottles...cut bottling time (almost) in half

- Read the instructions 4 or 5 times before you start. For lack of a better term, chair-fly the brewing process so you're not scrambling in the middle to track something down or run to the store

I'll add more if I think of it...good luck!

[TacAirCoug]

I'll endorse the kit from Northern Brewer, too. I started with that one and it worked great. I still use most of the components from it even though I've been brewing for a few years now. A lot of places are starting to have their own local homebrew stores open up, too (those of you at Beale have had one open up in Roseville in the last year). You might check to see if there's one near your house and wait to buy until you can check out what they have.

And '2' to everything day man suggested. Especially the StarSan.

[theSituation]

Starsan is decent. I'm an iodophor guy myself.

Big number 2 on the burner and wort chiller. Chillers are fairly common to find used which is nice because copper is pretty pricey these days.

Also, depending on where you live you might want to consider buying decent purified water for your brew. I live in AZ and the water here blows and ruins beer, so I buy it. Make sure its simply purified and not distilled. You want some minerals in the water for proteins to bind and other nerdy beer chemistry stuff to happen.

Get a good book and read it. John palmers "how to brew" is good and I think is free online, in fact I think someone posted a link earlier in the thread. Charlie Papazian's "the complete joy of home brewing" is also good.

Please excuse my poor grammar, punctuation and spelling. Typing on an iPad is a pain.

[Day Man]

Starsan is decent. I'm an iodophor guy myself.

they seem interchangeable, except SS doesn't stain plastic.

both are much easier than bleach.

[HerkStud]

Hey guys...home is Long Island, NY for me. I could only find one yo e brew shop through a quick google search. What do,you think of this kit?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-intermediate-plus-kit.html

It's not the cheapest kit, but it looks like it has everything I need to get start and more. Also looks like decent quality stuff. Glass carboys, stainless steel brew, etc. Anything missing that I'd need right away or poor quality? Thanks for the input, I'm really looking forward to getting home and started.

[Smokin]

Looks like a fairly good kit, but you will eventually find the 5 gallon pot to be too small. That pot will be fine for partial boils where you add bottled water at the end, but after you brew a few batches, you will likely want to do full boils even with partial grain kits. Consider looking at a kit that does not include a pot and just use the biggest pot you have for the first few batches. Then buy a nice 8 gallon pot and a wort chiller when you're ready. As with any hobby, if you're willing to spend more, you will have more fun. But brewing is one hobby where it is pretty easy to upgrade as you go. That way, it's also not such a shock to the budget. I started out with a $150 kit for my first two beers and have probably spent around $1K on equipment now just buying one or two things at a time over the past year.

[schokie]

I have a 5 gal brew pot that I've been happy with for several years. However, I'm just a simple extract brewer. At some point I'd like to move to all grain brewing, which means I'll need a bigger pot. The smaller pot suits me just fine now, but if I had started over again, and knowing I was going to stay with the hobby, I would have gotten the bigger pot to begin with.

You shouldn't be brewing your own beer to save money. That's the excuse I offer to the wife, but in reality it's like any other hobby. If you like beer, you might as well invest in the proper equipment from the beginning.

[rancormac]

I got a either a 36 qt or 40 qt turkey fryer from Walmart a few years back for around $40. Works great. I do partial boils and add water back in at the end, which helps cool the wort

[Smokin]

If you are going to do a partial boil (boil around 3 gallons, then add in tap water to make it 5), a 4-5 gallon pot will be plenty big enough and will be easier to store. You won't need a wort chiller because you can put the extra tap water in the fridge (inside your sanitized and sealed bucket/carboy) the night before and have 70 degree wort within 69 seconds of finishing the boil. But many brewers prefer to do full boils once they get the hang of it. It requires a bigger pot and a wort chiller, but you will end up with better beer.

As schokie said, you're going to get out of the hobby what you invest in it. If you only want to spend $69 on a Mr Beer kit, you're going to have homebrew, but it won't be nearly as good as beer you could make if you invested the time and money. Ignoring the equipment costs, my beer costs me less per pint than a comparable beer would at the store, but including the equipment makes it much more expensive. But there is some satisfaction knowing that I haven't bought a beer at the store (except for roll calls) since I started brewing.