Homebrew Recipes to Share

BrewShaver said:

I know this is a venerable selling point of homebrewing, but in 14 years of brewing, I've never known it to be all that true. Especially now, with so many VERY GOOD breweries peppering the country. (Exceptions, of course, for places without good breweries nearby ... there are still, sadly, a few spots like that.)

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I'll second that. There is so much really good beer available in the stores that it's hard to justify rolling your own on a monetary basis. If you just enjoy the process and like to work with your hands that's a different story, or if there's just no beer out there that you like and you think you can do better... well, sure. Maybe.

A lot of the really good stuff is about $10 for a 22 ouncer, though. If you can make the really really good stuff then I guess it's maybe worth it.

I've seen a couple guys make these really elaborate three pot setups that have temperature monitors and run on propane and are just amazing. It's a several-thousand-dollar investment, but it looks like a lot of the labor is done for you. If you did a grain-only setup with the three-pot stand and used corny kegs instead of bottles, well... that sounds pretty bitchin, actually.

I want one.

peak_oil said:

I'll second that. There is so much really good beer available in the stores that it's hard to justify rolling your own on a monetary basis. If you just enjoy the process and like to work with your hands that's a different story, or if there's just no beer out there that you like and you think you can do better... well, sure. Maybe.

A lot of the really good stuff is about $10 for a 22 ouncer, though. If you can make the really really good stuff then I guess it's maybe worth it.

I've seen a couple guys make these really elaborate three pot setups that have temperature monitors and run on propane and are just amazing. It's a several-thousand-dollar investment, but it looks like a lot of the labor is done for you. If you did a grain-only setup with the three-pot stand and used corny kegs instead of bottles, well... that sounds pretty bitchin, actually.

I want one.

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LOL. you started your thread slightly against,and by the end, you are buying a $5,000 sculpture!! heeheh..

I started making my own before I really became a HUGE fan of beer for monetary reasons. I was young, and beer was expensive. I made some batches of LME, and got hooked. Then I took a trip around the country, and the micro revolution of the early 90s kicked off. I was hooked. By then, all grain was really looking good to me and the various "palmer method" set ups are really quite cheap. a 50lb sack of 2 row goes for about $30. You can make a 10 gal batch of all grain beer for 1/4-1/8 the cost of various store boughts (once you take out the equip costs, which don't have to be too expensive, a lauter tun you can make, and pick up stuff here and there, a drill and a mill, etc.)), it will be crafted by you entirely, and you can tweak nearly any recipe to suit your fancy. There are great forums out there that have all kinds of "clone" recipes, allowing you to duplicate your favorites. Of course, some brews require steps or processes that you may not reasonably be able to repeat. But I know brewers with oak caskets, nitrogen dispensers, etc. It can be done. With various software programs, recipes and techniques make good batches very repeatable.

To any body interested in starting, just start off with a batch of LME using cheap equipment, then if you like it, start making more. After a while, and slowly you can upgrade to all grain, and your cost per batch will be halved. good homebrewing resources of info include but are not limited to:

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
http://morebeer.com/
http;//ratebeer.com (not really homebrewing, but still good for beer)

I also wanted to add that the best way to save money on costs is to go in with a brewing buddy. It makes the clean up easier after, and heck, why have this much fun alone?

peak_oil said:

I'll second that. There is so much really good beer available in the stores that it's hard to justify rolling your own on a monetary basis. If you just enjoy the process and like to work with your hands that's a different story, or if there's just no beer out there that you like and you think you can do better... well, sure. Maybe.

A lot of the really good stuff is about $10 for a 22 ouncer, though. If you can make the really really good stuff then I guess it's maybe worth it.

I've seen a couple guys make these really elaborate three pot setups that have temperature monitors and run on propane and are just amazing. It's a several-thousand-dollar investment, but it looks like a lot of the labor is done for you. If you did a grain-only setup with the three-pot stand and used corny kegs instead of bottles, well... that sounds pretty bitchin, actually.

I want one.

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I've never done a corny myself, but it looks to me like a corny isn't all that much of an investment if you buy used.

peak_oil said:

I'll second that. There is so much really good beer available in the stores that it's hard to justify rolling your own on a monetary basis. If you just enjoy the process and like to work with your hands that's a different story, or if there's just no beer out there that you like and you think you can do better... well, sure. Maybe.

A lot of the really good stuff is about $10 for a 22 ouncer, though. If you can make the really really good stuff then I guess it's maybe worth it.

I've seen a couple guys make these really elaborate three pot setups that have temperature monitors and run on propane and are just amazing. It's a several-thousand-dollar investment, but it looks like a lot of the labor is done for you. If you did a grain-only setup with the three-pot stand and used corny kegs instead of bottles, well... that sounds pretty bitchin, actually.

I want one.

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I"m going to be building a sculpture soon. Not with kegs though, since I'll only be doing 5 gal batches. I plan maknig a gravity fed system with 2 burners and a cooler MLT in the middle.