Anyone here brew their own beer?
- Thread starter mcdrier
- Start date
I do. I have two empty kegs and my last one is getting low. I need to replenish my stocks
I hate when things run low...It is a terrible feeling when you do not have anything fermenting....At least I usually have a something in the fermentor...I want one in the keg, one carbontating, one fermenting...I am good for this weekend, but I need to cook to replenish the fermentator this weekend
I brew my own
Though I haven't home-brewed in a long time now. Just don't have the time for it anymore.
It's a great hobby, and there are lots of folks that do it these days. There are a couple of "clubs" (the Iowa Brewer's Union in Des Moines, Ames Brewer's League in Ames) which can be very helpful if you have questions or issues or just want some advice.
In my book, the best way to do it is to keg it in cornys. Just way way less work, though cleaning can be a bit of a pain, it's way easier (and more consistent) than dealing with bottles.
There's no shame in using DME or LME, though it is a bit more expensive. Most folks end up doing a partial mash with specialty grains though, since it's really hard to get that right with extract.
Anyway, if anyone has any questions, let me know!
Though I haven't home-brewed in a long time now. Just don't have the time for it anymore.
It's a great hobby, and there are lots of folks that do it these days. There are a couple of "clubs" (the Iowa Brewer's Union in Des Moines, Ames Brewer's League in Ames) which can be very helpful if you have questions or issues or just want some advice.
In my book, the best way to do it is to keg it in cornys. Just way way less work, though cleaning can be a bit of a pain, it's way easier (and more consistent) than dealing with bottles.
There's no shame in using DME or LME, though it is a bit more expensive. Most folks end up doing a partial mash with specialty grains though, since it's really hard to get that right with extract.
Anyway, if anyone has any questions, let me know!
I bought my buddy a few IPAs some time ago. When I asked him last, he still hadn't drunk the Hopslam. Told him he might as well dump it down the drain.
Interesting fact: beer brewing can be traced back to twocoach's ancestors in ancient Egypt. He founded the Master Brewers Program and is generally regarded as the leading resource for brewing science and engineering.
Honestly, I'd put my beer up against any commercial version of the same style. When it comes to a drinking night now, most of my friends either ask if I'm bringing mine or if we could just have a few beers at my house. This is why having 5 gallons of one type of beer never seems to be an issue with me. I have 2 - 2.5 gallon mini kegs I take to parties. Those are usually the first beer to be empty those nights. I had an Amber ale and a Zombie Dust clone that I took to the ISU/Iowa football game party a friend was having, there were about 10 people there drinking beer. After about 4 hours, someone asked if I brought anymore beer, all 5 gallons were gone.
I'm not trying to brag as I don't think I do anything special. I just think if you enjoy brewing (as I do, it's my golf) you can take the time and care and put together top quality beer. The biggest thing, imo, is fermentation control. If you can control your temps, you are about 90% of the way to making beer as good as any professional brewery can.
I'm actually sipping on an Oatmeal, chocolate, vanilla porter I brewed months ago. I just have never found a beer like this commercially that is easily accessible. And that's the key to me, being able to have it when I want it. I have a total of 5 - 5 gallon kegs and as I said, the two smaller 2.5 gallon kegs. In the case of this porter, it's a lot of beer to drink, but it's also not a big deal to just pull it out of the fridge and let it age a little bit. I just put it back on after almost a month off the tap and it tastes even better than it did before since it got to age a little bit.
Obviously brewing isn't for everyone, but most hobbies aren't. If you enjoy it, brew it, if you don't, there is plenty of beer out there to try.
I have been good lately in that I have cooked a brew the past 2 weeks. That way I can keep the pipeline filled. I still have about 1/3 left in the keg I am drinking, and I have a brew that is about ready to go into the keg to cool and begin carbonating. Then I have a brew just about done fermenting. So if I cook another brew this weekend, I will have my dream become a reality. Beer in both kegs, and brews in both fermentors! It would be a great day in the house!
I just ordered another run of supplies. If I were thinking I should have ordered some grains to try and do an all grain brew. Oh well. I have a parts list to make a mash tun, but I forgot about it.
I just ordered another run of supplies. If I were thinking I should have ordered some grains to try and do an all grain brew. Oh well. I have a parts list to make a mash tun, but I forgot about it.
Brewing up an India Brown Ale today that has taken me a month to find the time to make happen. It is a wonderful hobby that is very time consuming. Very much looking forward to a new beer style in my fridge.
I am back on the wagon, or maybe I fell off the wagon, depends how you look at it. I stopped brewing for a few weeks in March and now I am paying for it...no beer in the kegs. The past 2 weeks I got back to brewing, ordered new supplies, and I will have to brew this weekend to fill the supply line once again! Just in time for Memorial Day weekend and beginning of summer. I hope to continue to brew another 2 weekends to maintain as well.
I have started doing a liquid malt extract with specialty grains. They do not add much to the flavor, but it gets me closer to going all grain brewing something I would like to try later this summer and hopefully lower costs a bit.
I got just over 4 gallons in a secondary fermentor, and just under 5 gallons in the primary fermentor. Move things around this weekend and I will have a brew in the keg!
BTW, there is a Northern Brewer has a new looking website as well. Took me by surprise. Not endorsing it, just an FYI.
Also, I went from an 5/16" ID tube from the keg to the back of the beer faucet down to 3/16" ID tube. Makes dispensing better too. Found out that 5/16" is better for runs of 10 feet or more...where 3/16" is better for shorter runs.
I have started doing a liquid malt extract with specialty grains. They do not add much to the flavor, but it gets me closer to going all grain brewing something I would like to try later this summer and hopefully lower costs a bit.
I got just over 4 gallons in a secondary fermentor, and just under 5 gallons in the primary fermentor. Move things around this weekend and I will have a brew in the keg!
BTW, there is a Northern Brewer has a new looking website as well. Took me by surprise. Not endorsing it, just an FYI.
Also, I went from an 5/16" ID tube from the keg to the back of the beer faucet down to 3/16" ID tube. Makes dispensing better too. Found out that 5/16" is better for runs of 10 feet or more...where 3/16" is better for shorter runs.
Awesome. Yeah, I've been off brewing for longer than I wanted too as well. Coaching my daughters softball team doesn't allow a lot of free time on the weekends. I have a softball-less weekend coming up this weekend, so I'm definitely going to brew. I need to get my house amber back on tap and am considering doing a back to back brew for something light and refreshing for the summer months.
Good timing for a bump, I'm thinking I will build a kegerator in the next few weeks to kick my summer off right, has anyone here also done this? Plans? Tips or advice?
I found the switch to AG very little work. Get an old cooler and some copper pipe and make you a mash tun. You probably have the rest of the equipment. :yes:
I have two fulls kegs (IPA and English Mild) and my other keg is getting lower (IIPA). I should start planning to fill it
I found the switch to AG very little work. Get an old cooler and some copper pipe and make you a mash tun. You probably have the rest of the equipment. :yes:
I have two fulls kegs (IPA and English Mild) and my other keg is getting lower (IIPA). I should start planning to fill it
I found this to be true as well. The hardest part is just getting to know your system and it's efficiency. Basically, how much sugar you'll get out of your grains. Once you get that down, it's pretty easy. It takes more time, but personally, I find the day to be a lot more enjoyable than when i did extract. I think it's because of the time in between work that allows me to either relax or get other stuff done. I've been known to mow and also pain the house while brewing.
It just seems that you have a lot of time in between steps to get other stuff done or relax. Extract was certainly less time consuming, but also seemed to be a lot more stressfull because I only added part of the extract at the start, taking the wort off of the heat when adding the extracts, wait, how long was it not boiling, etc. It just seemed more hectic to me.
I suppose the longer time involved in all grain, just allows for a more leisurely pace. And when I say longer time, it takes approximately 2 hours longer for me to brew an all grain batch than it did to brew and extract batch. But, 3 hours brewing extract was basically all I could do. 5 hours with all grain allows me a solid 2 hours in there to get other stuff done, while waiting for water to heat, mash to finish, wort to drain, etc.
I never do anything else during the boil though, that's time to light a cigar, grab a beer and relax.
i did a double batch (5 gals) last time and have a cold soak porter in 2nd ferm about ready to bottle and just transferred a rye ipa over to 2nd ferm today. these 2 are the first partial mash recipes i have done and am pumped for them to be ready.
i do 22 oz bottles, so a bit less hassle but i would really like to try kegging.
i do 22 oz bottles, so a bit less hassle but i would really like to try kegging.
Kegging is so much easier. I already had a keg fridge, I just had to convert it to different keg hook up. And you don't get the sediment in the bottle of the bottle from carbonating.
Kegging is very much easier...I love having a beer faucet on the outside of my second fridge..it is so easy.
With kegging and doing only liquid malt extract brewing, I feel like all I do is clean and sanitize the kegs, brewing kettle, and both fermentors! I do reuse cleaner solutions and sanitizing solutions when I have to clean and sanitize more than 2 things at a time. Not sure if that is good or not, but it seems to work well. I cannot imagine if I did 5 gallon batches with 22 oz. bottles.
I think I am going to move the batch that is in my secondary fermentor to my keg later on Thursday after work to get it cooling over night, and start carbing by friday and maybe it will be ready by Sat!
Brew again on the weekend and I will almost be caught up. Earlier this year at the height of the ISU b-ball season, I had a brew in both fermentors, a brew aging/crabing in a keg, and a brew in the drinking keg...it was a fabulous time!
In order to get to this again, I think I will need to brew this weekend and next still. I just got a new order of supplies yesterday, and now have enough for 6 more brews...that should last me through most of the summer...or maybe to July 4th at least.
Thanks for the positive responses...This board has gone down hill ever since ISU lost in the first round....Most everyone has been very pissy!
With kegging and doing only liquid malt extract brewing, I feel like all I do is clean and sanitize the kegs, brewing kettle, and both fermentors! I do reuse cleaner solutions and sanitizing solutions when I have to clean and sanitize more than 2 things at a time. Not sure if that is good or not, but it seems to work well. I cannot imagine if I did 5 gallon batches with 22 oz. bottles.
I think I am going to move the batch that is in my secondary fermentor to my keg later on Thursday after work to get it cooling over night, and start carbing by friday and maybe it will be ready by Sat!
Brew again on the weekend and I will almost be caught up. Earlier this year at the height of the ISU b-ball season, I had a brew in both fermentors, a brew aging/crabing in a keg, and a brew in the drinking keg...it was a fabulous time!
In order to get to this again, I think I will need to brew this weekend and next still. I just got a new order of supplies yesterday, and now have enough for 6 more brews...that should last me through most of the summer...or maybe to July 4th at least.
Thanks for the positive responses...This board has gone down hill ever since ISU lost in the first round....Most everyone has been very pissy!
Cleaning / sanitizing is no big deal except for when it comes to bottling time. i usually have a buddy come over and it doesn't take to long to sanitize (i pre-wash the bottles in the dishwasher), fill and cap 25-30 bottles.
What I do like about the 22 oz bottles is I am able to share it easily enough when we travel to visit friends and family.
When kegging, are you still adding the sugar before filling the keg? or what else are you carbing in? I haven't done much research on it yet obviously, thanks.
I have two brand new bru gear 14 gallon conicals sitting empty...(never been used). I got them on kickstarter and they took so long I didn't get them until we moved into our new-to-us house. Sadly, all my free time has been spent on renovating the house... My keezer is currently holding about 60 gallons of beer/cider, but I need to clean the lines and taps and haven't opened it since I moved... It's in my garage which is a makeshift warehouse for renovation materials. Funny how when I lived in NYC, I brewed AG at least once a month in my apartment. Now I have a house, a keezer, conicals, 12 kegs, a freaking brew cart, 10 gallon setup, live just a few miles away from Midwest's warehouse, and I can't seem to muster the time to brew.
