Help me start brewing beer

[Kathleen]

Here is the best bit of advice I ever got on the subject:

Let me know if you want to give this a try and what your budget is.

.40

It's awesome to have people who know what they are doing around. Honestly, I'm sure I would have come out a bit cheaper if I had not purchased the kit. Fortunately, it was a basic kit, so I used everything that was in it. In retrospect, I would have preferred to make smaller batches and more of different types of wine. Next year!

 

[GB]

Awesome, thanks everyone!

niquejim, thanks for those links, especially the one close to me.

40, I want to keep the cost as low as possible to begin with. I would say a good starting figure would be $100 and we can work up or down from there. And no, I would never buy a Mr. Beer kit. Something tells me that if they sell it in Bed Bath and Beyond then it is not good drinks.

 

[forty_caliber]

$100 is barely enough to brew a basic "extract only" batch. Probably should budget around $300 to start. $500 would get decent equipment to brew competition quality "partial mash". A "full mash" setup could easily run in the thousands. Home-brewing is really all about quality not quantity and more expensive per serving than store bought every time.

What do you want to make?

Ale
Lager
Stout
Bock
Barley Wine

Some types can take longer to make than others and vary in complexity. Ale's are the easiest by far. Styles are defined specifically by ingredients, (barley, hops, and yeast) specific gravity (alcohol content), and color. Color is measured on the Lovibond scale. Darker colors are achieved by toasting the barley to different degrees of brownness.

Without getting too picky on getting the color and alcohol content just right your first batch ale could be brewed on the 1st of the month, bottled on the 7th, and drinkable on the 14th. It would be much more drinkable if allowed to mellow in the pantry for a month.

Lagers (Bud, Miller, etc) on the other hand could take 60 or more days and require careful temperature control. Lager is a german word referring storage.

Barley Wine is the highest alcohol content style and most difficult. It takes a year to brew properly and should cure in the bottle for at least another year. It's very aromatic and heady and similar to a cognac or brandy.

.40

 

[Kathleen]

Awesome, thanks everyone!

niquejim, thanks for those links, especially the one close to me.

40, I want to keep the cost as low as possible to begin with. I would say a good starting figure would be $100 and we can work up or down from there. And no, I would never buy a Mr. Beer kit. Something tells me that if they sell it in Bed Bath and Beyond then it is not good drinks.

At the risk of sounding like an amateur (which I am!!!), my brother-in-law started with a Mr. Beer kit that he had received as a holiday present from his children. It taught him the process of making beer. Nothing more or less. The kit had an addition that one could purchase to make different kinds of beer. He found that he enjoyed the process and wanted to make more. At this point, he had a decent idea of what he wanted to purchase and what kinds of beer he wanted to make. The following year, at Christmas, the entire familyl bought different things from his wish list and now he has a pretty nice set up.

I was rather happy buying a kit (that is definitely a huge step-up from a Mr. Beer kit) when I started considering to make my wine. My initial cost was around $100 and I probably spent another $30 for cleaning supplies and ingredients. My big cost was ironically bottles, which I spent around $45 bucks. Keep in mind that I was someone who did not know enough about wine-making to even know what questions to ask.

Kits are helpful in that they give you steps and ingredients, then you can "backwards-map" to find out what each step and ingredients do and why. Also, while I'm definitely now hooked on wine-making as a hobby, I went into it unsure if it was something I would really like doing. I was more than willing to gamble $100-200 to test the waters. Beyond that, I have a sailboat habit that always needs items.

One last thing about my kit: I'll use everything in it again. I will likely "upgrade" everything over time.

~Kathleen

 

[forty_caliber]

Here is a decent starting kit.

Midwest Supplies - Brewing Intermediate Kit w/Two 5 Gallon Glass Carboys

and

Midwest Supplies - Equipment Upgrade Kit Two

In addition to these items..to really do this right, you also need a 6 gallon stainless steel stock pot with a heavy bottom and a way to boil 5 gallons of liquid.

A propane turkey frying burner works pretty well to provide the heat but the pot that comes with them is usually too small and thin. While technically possible to concentrate the wort in a smaller pot on the stove and diluting with plain water in the fermenter. Boiling all the water with the ingredients together works best and helps reduce oxidation.

Oxidation is only one of the brewers enemies. This occurs when the hot wort is allowed to come in contact with too much oxygen. Gentle stirring without creating bubbles and transferring from the boiler to the fermenter without splashing are key points. Cooling the wort RAPIDLY from 212 degress to 105 - 120 degress before pitching yeast also helps prevent oxidation. This is the reason for the copper coil in the upgrade kit. BTW if oxidation occurs, your beer will taste like cardboard.

Bacteria is another major enemy... for another post.

.40

 

[inchrisin]

I've brewed for 3 years now. I make some great stuff. A couple of tips, quick and dirty:

search for John Palmer's HOW TO BREW --internet form is available
Buy at least one of the following:
Brewing Classic Styles
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
Radical Brewing

Finding a local homebrew club is a MUST -- you can ask for tips from people who have done it before and you can get advise on equipment and technique. This will save you hundreds of dollars.

join a forum for brewing:
Beeradvocate.com
homebrewtalk.com

are a couple of good ones.

RDWHAHB --relax, don't worry, hava a home brew

 

[EvoFX]

not sure if this has been said, but its very detailed and is a collaboration of a bunch of books and trys to cover things that alot of the books missed.

How to Brew - By John Palmer

 

[GB]

Thanks EvoFX.

What do you guys think about this kit?

 

[EvoFX]

i would go with glass carboys. instead of plastic, but if not atleast a plastic carboy over a bucket. but that is my preference

 

[forty_caliber]

It's your basic $100 "extract only" starter kit. It's a place to start. Add a "recipe kit" and your on your way. Start with a simple ale of your choice.

Have you thought about bottles? You'll need 2 cases of non twist-off bottles about a week after you brew.

Everything...EVERYTHING that touches the wort has to be clean and santitized. This is the most important thing. Making beer is growing yeast. By giving the yeast a warm dark place and lots of food (sugars) they eat and make more yeast. The by-product of this process is alcohol. By maintaining a high level of sanitation only the things you want growing in your beer get a chance.

.40

 

[justplainbill]

Please let us know if you succeed in making a Salvator or Troegenator style double bock.

 

[retiredguy]

Home brewing isn't hard and very economical after you factor in the initial investment of less than $50 for special equipment. Things like a hydrometer for measuring the solutions specific gravity and a bottle capper are the most expensive investments.

Get a book a beer making would be my advice. It's super way easier than cooking imo.

This summer I was cleaning out the cellar and found some cases of my old brew and shared them with friends they thought it tasted pretty good for more the 15 years old. You'll never get that longevity out of store bought beer that's because it's pasteurized.

Our brew was alive and slowly working all these years that's why it was still drinkable. And while dark in color it was clear enough to read a newspaper threw.

Haven't brewed in awhile but am seriously thinking about it thanks to wife's decision to get bottled water. If you going to make beer you need good water and everything has to be clean clean.

There's a trick to poring home brew so it don't cloud up....once uncapped don't let it bubble as you ever so slightly tip and pour. And keep your eye on the 'mother' in the bottom of the bottle ...it'll cloud up your drink if any bubbles disturb it or you pour it in.

The mother is still alive and can be used to start another batch. Beer yeast use to be so inexpensive I always used a new packet.

 

[inchrisin]

i would go with glass carboys. instead of plastic, but if not atleast a plastic carboy over a bucket. but that is my preference

I wouldn't bother with glass yet. It doesn't make a huge difference unless you are aging your beer for a long time. (over 6 months). Plastic breathes a litttle, but you'll have the beer out of your primary in 4-5 weeks and you'll be bottling it up. If you want glass, get it after you brew a few batches and decide that it's something you want to spend 50 bucks on.

 

[Hoot]

I used to brew beer. It can be quite rewarding.
I really used to enjoy my version of stout. There is something almost magical about drinking your own beer.
.40 Caliber's recommendation of the book by Papazian is excellent as his advice on sanitation. If you want to cut costs somewhere, DON'T compromise where cleanliness and sanitary are concerned. And plastic is ok but I had a batch of beer that turned out very weird on my second use of a plastic fermenter. Never again!! I will stick to glass.
I hope you will find homebrewing a fun and enjoyable hobby.

 

[leasingthisspace]

So did you start brewing?
Sorry for bumping an older thread but I was wondering how many homebrewers where here. I can't believe noboby says how cheap it is to do a kit. I got my primary and secondary buckets for free from walmart baking area. I spent maybe 30 dollars on my setup. My brew pot was the most costly item. I'm on my second batch right now.
I enjoy it.

 

[GB]

I brewed one batch so far, but I have two others ready to begin once I have time. Interestingly, I just drank my last one a few nights ago. I found that it tasted much different (and much better) after sitting in the fridge for an extended period of time. It was probably about 6 months between my last and second to last and the difference between the two was drastic. After sitting it got a whole new depth of flavor much closer to what I was hoping to get.

 

[inchrisin]

Glad to hear the homebrew is coming along for you. Usually, if the beer isn't hoppy, it will get better with time. These are typically darker beers like porters and stouts, and they age nicely for about 2 years. If the beer is hop forward, they are usually better fresh. I try to let my beers sit in the fridge for at least 3 days before opening them to draw the sediment to the bottom of the bottle. If it's appropriate for the style (wheat beers) I gently pour the whole thing into a glass. This leaves a little sediment in the bottle. If it's not appropriate for style, I pour past ambient light to see when the beer starts to pour cloudy. I stop pouring probably around the last 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch. I typically drink that last sip straight from the bottle and it's fairly dank. After that I enjoy 11.7 oz of great quality homebrew.

 

[GB]

Maybe you can give me a tip on how to wash the glass bottle that the beer ferments in. I find that the most difficult part of the process and if I could find an easy effective way to clean it then I would be more apt to do this more often.

This first batch was a lighter hoppier beer. It might have even been a wheat beer, but I do not remember anymore. i let it sit 2 weeks if the fridge before my first take. it was pretty watery and not a lot of flavor. It seemed to be on part with a bud or similar. The last one I had tasted more like a Bass or a darker ale type brew.

 

[forty_caliber]

Jet bottle washer : Midwest Supplies

Try one of these. Connects to the sink faucet. Placing a bottle on and pushing on the wire opens the valve.

.40

 

[Steve Kroll]

A carboy brush is helpful to own as well. Sometimes you get stuff stuck on the glass that the sprayer can't get off.

Carboy Brush : Midwest Supplies