Home Brewing

[C Dubya 04 0]

So, I'm getting started in home brewing. Anyone else home brew? Any helpful pointers for the first batch?

 

I got a kit from a home brew store and am going to start with the packaged brew, then work my way into boiling my own hops and go from there.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I have a kit. I've never used it.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

If I learned anything from the Drew Carey show, it's that you need the right permits to run a home brewery.

[Dandy 0]

I delved in the Mr. Beer kits almost 10 years ago. Two of my friends are currently home brewing. One is using Mr. Beer, the other bought materials to make his own kit.

 

My experience, as I told them, is that adjusting the sugar content will adjust the alcohol content, but also the flavor. I suggest that you take notes diligently, and unfortunately, trial and error is your friend at this point. Have some of your friends join you for the tastings. Have them answer questions about what they look for in a beer, note what kinds of beer they drink, whether they liked or disliked yours, etc. After several months of adjustments, you should craft a recipe that you love or is a consensus good beer. Notes and doing things the same way each time (with the exception of intended adjustments) is key. Send me some in the mail when you have a good brew.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

I've made moonshine and apple jack before, but never tried brewing beer. Can't be hard.

[Nighthawk 0]

I tried that once and it blew up in my face (not literally, of course).

[Smartly Pretty 0]

I know Ace309 is quite the home brewer.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

My roommate is an avid homebrewer, and I know he'd tell you to stay away from any store bought kit. The best beer you can make involves going out to a homebrew shop and purchasing the equipment yourself.

 

I'd have him post here and say more, but that'd require revealing to him that I, well, post here.

 

EDIT: This provides a good, basic overview.

[BruiserKC 0]

I've been homebrewing for about 12 years now...I enjoy it. One of my favorite creations was something I called Sleepytime Wine...not really a wine but a dark lager. It would be similar to some German dark beers with a little more alcohol content.

[JangoFett4Hire 0]

I've been homebrewing for about 12 years now...I enjoy it. One of my favorite creations was something I called Sleepytime Wine...not really a wine but a dark lager. It would be similar to some German dark beers with a little more alcohol content.

 

 

Like a doppelbock?

 

Check out Charlie Papazian's book Complete Joy of Homebrewing for pointers.

[Ace309 0]

Sorry, sorry, what'd I miss?

 

The easiest thing to start off with is something dark and hoppy, since you're likely to make a mistake (pitching the yeast too warm, or using a crappy yeast strain, something like that) and in a light beer such things have nowhere to hide. If you drink porter, IPA, or nut brown ale, any of those are a great first brew. Definitely pick up Papazian's book, and you can actually go ahead and skip the canned brews if you read the first few chapters and go straight to extract brewing. Your beer will be better and it's no harder to screw up.

 

http://www.northernbrewer.com/ is a good mailorder shop if you don't have a local homebrew supply shop.

 

By the way, extract brewing is sort of the equivalent of using a cake mix, whereas all-grain brewing is more like cooking from scratch. Extract is a little easier to do and involves less time from start to finish. I enjoy brewing from grain, but the quality of the beers isn't really that different.