Any of you gents make home brew or home made wine?? I would like to try my hand at brewing my own beer but don't know where to start.......
Advice??
Advice??
Home Brew?
- Thread starter Hank
- Start date
I do. Go get Charlie Papazian's book on how to do it. It is really very easy.
Is there a homebrew store by you? If so, go in and ask questions. The owners love to share what they know.
If there is a homebrew store close there is most likely a homebrew club too. Go to their meetings (a meeting where you drink beer?) and ask questions. Everyone will be happy to share their knowledge and some of their wares.
Is there a homebrew store by you? If so, go in and ask questions. The owners love to share what they know.
If there is a homebrew store close there is most likely a homebrew club too. Go to their meetings (a meeting where you drink beer?) and ask questions. Everyone will be happy to share their knowledge and some of their wares.
I have an idea on how to do both. I've been doing beer/wine for the past 10 years. I did a little bit of each method (wine from the grape and concentrate, beer from scratch and concertrate). My advice would be, depending on your preference, whichever solution you pick doesn't matter. As long as you do something you like to drink.
What you need to consider is time, always, it takes time. I do not tink that having a malt and fermenting it for a week, then bottle it, wait a week and then drink it will be good. However, I am becoming difficult with what I drink.
You have a good chance here to make preservative free stuff, which is very good for you.
My recommendation is to find, like said, a homebrew/winemaking store that will sell the proper equipment. They always have some kind of "Starter kit" that will include all the tools required for a first brew. You will then need to buy either wheat/hops or go with a concentrate. My advice is to start with a malt because it's easier. You can go with wheat and hops but this takes a while and if you are doing that by yourself without any instructions, it can be tricky.
Anyways, a malt with sugar/yeast is very easy to prepare, you need to store it in a dark room for maybe 2-3 weeks, bottle it and if you are able, wait a good month before you open your first brew, leave the bottles at room temperature as the fermentation will continue in the bottle.
Avoid drastic heat changes, try to maintain everything around 23C, if it's always 28C it doesn't matter, as long as you do not go from 20C to 35C then fall back at 20C overnight. Yeast doesn't like it... I think a basement is the best place to do it.
PM me if you need any help, I might be able to give you a few pointers on how to do it.
Cheers, Luc
What you need to consider is time, always, it takes time. I do not tink that having a malt and fermenting it for a week, then bottle it, wait a week and then drink it will be good. However, I am becoming difficult with what I drink.
You have a good chance here to make preservative free stuff, which is very good for you.
My recommendation is to find, like said, a homebrew/winemaking store that will sell the proper equipment. They always have some kind of "Starter kit" that will include all the tools required for a first brew. You will then need to buy either wheat/hops or go with a concentrate. My advice is to start with a malt because it's easier. You can go with wheat and hops but this takes a while and if you are doing that by yourself without any instructions, it can be tricky.
Anyways, a malt with sugar/yeast is very easy to prepare, you need to store it in a dark room for maybe 2-3 weeks, bottle it and if you are able, wait a good month before you open your first brew, leave the bottles at room temperature as the fermentation will continue in the bottle.
Avoid drastic heat changes, try to maintain everything around 23C, if it's always 28C it doesn't matter, as long as you do not go from 20C to 35C then fall back at 20C overnight. Yeast doesn't like it... I think a basement is the best place to do it.
PM me if you need any help, I might be able to give you a few pointers on how to do it.
Cheers, Luc
I make my own wine as well as mead. I don't know a whole lot about brewing beer, but I think it's much like wine in the sense that there are really only a few fairly simple steps to do so, so it's fairly easy to get started, and then from there you can really go off and experiment/try your hand at finer brews. Go for it, it's very rewarding, and you'll be really surprised at the quality and taste you can make if you just take your time and plan things out!
I work at a Homebrew Shop actually. It really isn't that hard to start. There are two sites that I've found to be most helpful: HomeBrewTalk (a forum I use under the same name) and How To Brew. Both are great resources to help you start out. Think of HomeBrewTalk as B&B for Homebrewing, actually they use the same software. The best thing to do is read up on it and ask as many questions as you can. Good luck. I hope to see you in the ranks of us homebrewers.
Homebrewing and mead/cider/winemaking is a lot of fun and I think once you try it you will be hooked. Almost 20 years of homebrewing and building up a sizable homebrewing library has taught me that if you start out with the right resources up front you will make great beer much sooner, enjoy it so much more, and save a lot of time, money, and effort (not to mention beer).
As stated previously, Charlie Papazian's The Joy of Homebrewing has a fun, easy going "don't worry" feel good hippie attitude to it and is traditionally where new homebrewers start. He explains the basics and the beer recipes are drinkable. However, John Palmer's How to Brew is pretty much accepted as the single best reference for beginning to advanced brewers who like a little more information in an easy to read format. Many brewers end up with both. Another absolute must have is a book by the most award winning homebrewer ever, Jamil Zainascheffs Brewing Classic Styles. It's very easy to follow and every recipe is an award winning example of the style. An awesome complementary resource you will find invaluable is The Jamil Show, his free podcast on the BrewingNetwork.com (also available on iTunes). Choose a style you are interested in brewing, download and listen to the episode of that style, follow the recipe from his book, and you will be making very, very good beer your first time out. The Brewing Network also has a forum as well. Once you want to branch out beyond strict styles and get a little more creative Randy Moshers Radical Brewing is very highly regarded by award winning craft brewers.
So, my 3 favorites resources and personal recommendations for my friends who are interested in homebrewing in order of importance:
1) Brewing Classic Styles (esp. combined with The Jamil Show)...best recipes, sound brewing instructions, immediate results
2) How to Brew...best on hows and whys
3) Radical Brewing...creativity within and beyond style
For meadmaking take a look at gotmead.com. It's extremely easy to make good mead and the guys there are also award winners and will help you out tremendously.
As stated previously, Charlie Papazian's The Joy of Homebrewing has a fun, easy going "don't worry" feel good hippie attitude to it and is traditionally where new homebrewers start. He explains the basics and the beer recipes are drinkable. However, John Palmer's How to Brew is pretty much accepted as the single best reference for beginning to advanced brewers who like a little more information in an easy to read format. Many brewers end up with both. Another absolute must have is a book by the most award winning homebrewer ever, Jamil Zainascheffs Brewing Classic Styles. It's very easy to follow and every recipe is an award winning example of the style. An awesome complementary resource you will find invaluable is The Jamil Show, his free podcast on the BrewingNetwork.com (also available on iTunes). Choose a style you are interested in brewing, download and listen to the episode of that style, follow the recipe from his book, and you will be making very, very good beer your first time out. The Brewing Network also has a forum as well. Once you want to branch out beyond strict styles and get a little more creative Randy Moshers Radical Brewing is very highly regarded by award winning craft brewers.
So, my 3 favorites resources and personal recommendations for my friends who are interested in homebrewing in order of importance:
1) Brewing Classic Styles (esp. combined with The Jamil Show)...best recipes, sound brewing instructions, immediate results
2) How to Brew...best on hows and whys
3) Radical Brewing...creativity within and beyond style
For meadmaking take a look at gotmead.com. It's extremely easy to make good mead and the guys there are also award winners and will help you out tremendously.
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Another brewer here with a few things to add.
As stated above, Charlie Papazian's book is an absolute must. Even after brewing for many years, I find something new everytime I read it. I recommend even long time brewers go back and read it again. You'll be surprised how much you missed the first time.
The starter kits available at any homebrew shop are a great place to start, both for equipment and for recipes. I'd recommend a few recipe kits to start with, that way you can concern yourself with the process, and not formulating a recipe with too many steps.
A few other things I'll recommend in addition. First, if you don't have a filter on your faucet, then use bottled gallons of spring water. Chlorine and yeast don't get along very well, so the filter is great. It isn't 100% necessary, but my beer improved significantly when I began using filtered water.
Don't be discouraged by your first batch. It won't be great, but it should be at least drinkable. After a little practice (or luck the first time), you'll be amazed at the quality of the beer you can produce at home. I was actually offered a job at a brewer based on on the quality of one of my homebrews after a competition. Stick with it, and you and your friends will love it.
Be prepared to have another obsession. Homebrewing is more expensive and much more time consuming that wetshaving, but at least the results last a little longer thanthe 24 hours or so that a shave lasts.
P.S.... if you don't have a local home brew store, then check out Northern Brewer. They have some excellent recipe kits, and later on when you learn some more, they do have a lot of hard to find ingredients.
As stated above, Charlie Papazian's book is an absolute must. Even after brewing for many years, I find something new everytime I read it. I recommend even long time brewers go back and read it again. You'll be surprised how much you missed the first time.
The starter kits available at any homebrew shop are a great place to start, both for equipment and for recipes. I'd recommend a few recipe kits to start with, that way you can concern yourself with the process, and not formulating a recipe with too many steps.
A few other things I'll recommend in addition. First, if you don't have a filter on your faucet, then use bottled gallons of spring water. Chlorine and yeast don't get along very well, so the filter is great. It isn't 100% necessary, but my beer improved significantly when I began using filtered water.
Don't be discouraged by your first batch. It won't be great, but it should be at least drinkable. After a little practice (or luck the first time), you'll be amazed at the quality of the beer you can produce at home. I was actually offered a job at a brewer based on on the quality of one of my homebrews after a competition. Stick with it, and you and your friends will love it.
Be prepared to have another obsession. Homebrewing is more expensive and much more time consuming that wetshaving, but at least the results last a little longer thanthe 24 hours or so that a shave lasts.
P.S.... if you don't have a local home brew store, then check out Northern Brewer. They have some excellent recipe kits, and later on when you learn some more, they do have a lot of hard to find ingredients.
The Norhern Homebrewer message boards are very good.
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/
Midwest brewing is another online homebrew store worth comparison shopping.
Homebrewing is as simple or as complex as you want it to be, but it will always be rewarding.
I suggest hitting your local craigslist for brewing supplies as well; there are always people that get into the hobby, then quit as their situations change (kids, move etc.)
Good luck, and PM me with any questions.
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/
Midwest brewing is another online homebrew store worth comparison shopping.
Homebrewing is as simple or as complex as you want it to be, but it will always be rewarding.
I suggest hitting your local craigslist for brewing supplies as well; there are always people that get into the hobby, then quit as their situations change (kids, move etc.)
Good luck, and PM me with any questions.
I've yet to take the plunge into home brewing, but I keep hearing great things from friends that do brew about Austin Homebrew. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/
I've made about 6 batches of homemade beer so far. I've tried it straight from the grains themselves and from factory supplied wort. I've used the brewers yeast they've supplied and I've used specialized liquid yeasts. My advice (for what it's worth)-
go to a homebrew/wine making specialt store and buy the gear. It's relatively inexpensive. Buy glass bottles- not the cheap plastic ones. Don't use your leftover screw type beer bottles (they don't seal well with the old style caps you need to use). And if you really aren't a fan of the "homebrew smell" of beer (kinda yeasty), use the liquid yeasts, and get a kegging system. These are a bit pricier though, so better to make sure you enjoy the process before shelling out the dough for one of these. Start with a beer that's similar to what you usually drink- then branch out to the exotic. If you go straight to say, a stout when all you drink is a budweiser, you're not likely going to be able to tell if it's your beer, or if it's the new style you've tried. It may put you off. Good luck and remember to clean up right after you're done with your gear. It's a bugger to clean dried on goo the day you intend to start your next batch.
go to a homebrew/wine making specialt store and buy the gear. It's relatively inexpensive. Buy glass bottles- not the cheap plastic ones. Don't use your leftover screw type beer bottles (they don't seal well with the old style caps you need to use). And if you really aren't a fan of the "homebrew smell" of beer (kinda yeasty), use the liquid yeasts, and get a kegging system. These are a bit pricier though, so better to make sure you enjoy the process before shelling out the dough for one of these. Start with a beer that's similar to what you usually drink- then branch out to the exotic. If you go straight to say, a stout when all you drink is a budweiser, you're not likely going to be able to tell if it's your beer, or if it's the new style you've tried. It may put you off. Good luck and remember to clean up right after you're done with your gear. It's a bugger to clean dried on goo the day you intend to start your next batch.
+1 on Northernbrewer.com
For reading material www.howtobrew.com or his paperbacks.
The only wine I make is mead. For that I highly recommend
Ken Schramm's "The Complete Meadmaker"
For reading material www.howtobrew.com or his paperbacks.
The only wine I make is mead. For that I highly recommend
Ken Schramm's "The Complete Meadmaker"
Come over to Homebrewtalk.com. I've been so much into brewing lately that I've been posting more over there than here. Its a great forum with a lot of good adivce for any level brewer.
The local homebrewer here in the Richmond Metro area just sent out his monthly newsletter. He has a recipe for a clone of Moose Drool. Anyone every try or heard of it (the original)?
Moose Drool Reviews
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/751/2296
Clone recipes are notoriously unpredictable but it will probably put you in the ballpark at least.
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Very true for the drinkers of non-microbrews. A blonde ale is about at close as you can get to a commercial beer...and even something as mild as a blonde ale will have more flavor and freshness than some Bud Light drinkers can handle.
I'm just starting, hopefully this wednesday!
Once, I tried making a sweet, wheat ale...perhaps too much honey was used; 12 weeks later it tasted like hard cider...pretty darn good, but not exactly a brew I had been expecting 
I have two batches of kombucha fermenting above the fridge right now, should be good the check in on Saturday. Looking forward to my first home brew! It's not beer, but it's fermentation!
Once, I tried making a sweet, wheat ale...perhaps too much honey was used; 12 weeks later it tasted like hard cider...pretty darn good, but not exactly a brew I had been expecting
Honey actually will dry out a beer. It's basically invert sugar, so it will ferment totally out.
