Homebrew...it's what's inside of you

[Brettski]

I wonder if there are any home brew forums.

Anyway, instead of hijacking the other thread, I thought we might start a new one.

It was suggested that yeast was the most important thing in a homebrew.

It's not. It's the water.

And it was also suggested that making beer from concentrate makes a better brew. It might make for an easier brew, but there's this small little thing called dextrins, that just doesn't make it in kits.

It's like there's something missing. OK, so I do cheat and I'll add an extra can to the grain wort, but to make a true pilsner, I've never seen it with a kit. Making lagers is a real pain though...you gotta keep the ferment stage quit cool....

It's been a couple of years...gotta get back to it...

 

[ctenidae]

It's been a long time. We did put up a few cases of 7-year mead, which should have been ready oh, about 5 years ago. i wonder if any bottles survived to opening.

 

[TenPeaks]

Mead is like wine in that it only gets better with age. I recently opened a bottle of my 6 year old mead recently. The alcohol flavor really smoothed out and the dry honey taste was awesome.

I've been homebrewing partial extract batches for about 8 years. If you steep a couple pounds of grain in your brew kettle before you add the liquid malt the dextrins will be added to the brew.

I'm in the process gathering equipment to make an all grain batch of beer.

 

[Greg]

I did two batches while a college student one summer - a stout and a Sam Adams-like lager. Both came out pretty good, but the process was too long and time-consuming to hold my interest beyond that second batch. Maybe I'll revisit it once I have nothing better to do, in say 40 years or so...

 

[ctenidae]

We used to sit and watch the yeast floculate. Mostly just to get to say "floculate". We also made it a point to maintain our bottle supply by drinking enough during various stages of production to bottle that batch. Worked great.

 

[Brettski]

You need to make 1 batch every month, that way you get a running stock, and then it's worth it. Otherwise, waiting for a batch to be ready, just seems to take forever.


I like making Extra strong IPA's

Anyone remember Ballantines IPA?

 

[SkiDog]

You need to make 1 batch every month, that way you get a running stock, and then it's worth it. Otherwise, waiting for a batch to be ready, just seems to take forever.


I like making Extra strong IPA's

Anyone remember Ballantines IPA?

I remember the ballentine...

anyway..I just wanted to hit on some points of your first post in this thread.

Water is also super important I agree. My town actually give me a yearly water report which is nice. Gotta add gypsum and whatnot sometimes, depending on the brew.

As for "kits" I don't know to what you are referring. I use a mix of steeping grains and malt extract. I find that it's not "missing anything. I'd put it up against the same exact brew done full grain any day.

I have placed in more than one homebrew competition with my homebrews and each time it was brews made with extract. I have seem actual full kits that included the yeast and hops and all, but this is not what I personally use. I buy thr "style" speficic hops and yeasts, make starter cultures.

I have done quite a few lagers and other than temp I find the process no different that ales, although PAINSTAKINGLY LONGER...as the fermentation process is quite lengthy and as you mentioned requires varying degrees of lowered temps. I utilized an old fridge with an external thermostat in order to acheive the necessary temps.

I have also forgone bottling for the most part (aside from for competitions), as I use a kegging system. nothing like forcing carbonation...

Anyway...lets keep this thread going.

M

 

[Brettski]

Always wanted to get into keggging.

I once found 8 Cornielus kegs....dragged them around with for years...I finally took them to the dump when I moved 2 years ago....

I cried that day

What competitions?

 

[ctenidae]

We used Cornie Kegs and a cold plate. Worked great.

 

[TenPeaks]

I've never brewed a lager since I have no way of keeping the wort chilled for weeks at a time. I'd also like to get into kegging my beers since bottling is such a pain in the #@$%. However, I do like to be able to share my beers with family and friends, so the bottles are convienent that way.

Last winter I joined a homebrew club in my area. I've learned some great tips and made some great contacts. These guys and gals make some fantastic beers! If anyone is thinking about starting to homebrew I'd suggest joining a club. You can learn the process without having to spend all the money on the equipment first. It's also a chance to hang out and talk about beer, while drinking a beer of course

 

[SkiDog]

Always wanted to get into keggging.

I once found 8 Cornielus kegs....dragged them around with for years...I finally took them to the dump when I moved 2 years ago....

I cried that day

What competitions?

Homebrew competitions...I enter mostly out west, CA and the like. You just send in your entries, pay the fee. If you win they'll send you a medal. Either way you get the judges sheets describing your beers strengths and weaknesses, etc. Thats the main reason I enter, that way I get an idea of what is right or wrong about a beer that i've brewed..

When I worked at the Home brew store I was "studying" to take the judges exam, but the store closed and I lost interest. I have a pretty good handle on what they're supposed to taste like and how to detect "flaws".

The worst thing ever was going to work at the home brew store hungover and a customer coming in with some beer he was having "issues" with and wanted us to taste it and tell him what went wrong. Man that was the WORST....having to drink "flawed" beer while hungover..Ewwwwww..

Most of the issues come from SANITIZING...which is probably the MOST important part of the process, I know I among other have mentioned anything from water to yeast being the important things in a beer, but if you dont sanitize correctly it won't mater how good/bad the water or yeast you're using is..

M

 

[Brettski]

YUP! #1 in brewing is being 100% sterile.

Every single thing that you use must be clean.

I use 1 oz of chlorine to a gallon of water.

Then let air dry for at least 1/2 hour.

If it's bottles, make sure to turn them upside down, the chlorine is heavier than air, and will "fall out" of the bottles.

I hate cleaning bottles

 

[SkiDog]

I hate cleaning bottles

it is for this reason alone that I now mostly Keg my beer....

M

 

[ctenidae]

We used a jacuzzi tub, hot water, and bleach to clean bottles. Worked pretty well for us. Kind of sucks if a bottle breaks and you don't get all the glass out, though.

 

[Stephen]

We used a jacuzzi tub, hot water, and bleach to clean bottles. Worked pretty well for us. Kind of sucks if a bottle breaks and you don't get all the glass out, though.

A hot tub comes in handy when you make it... AND when you drink it. :beer:

-Stephen