[Rumor]

Does anyone do it?

I am in the information gathering phase at the moment. I am getting a trial issue of BYO (Brew Your Own) magazine, as it seems to be a great source of information. I have a few friends that work at Anderson Valley Brewing Company, North Coast Brewing Company, Ukiah Brewing Co., and the owner of Moonlight Brewing Company.

Any suggestions on places to find information or books to read.

[GSixZero]

I've done a few batches, and I like the book Joy of Home Brewing. It's a great overall reference that you can use as you get better at brewing. I'd also recommend www.homebrewtalk.com.

[@pplejaxkz]

"I was thinking "Benderbrau" if it's an ale, "Botweiser" if it's a lager. "

[Mastrap]

I've though about it. Then I walk into the beer store and there are so many fantastic beers there that I just don't bother.

Same with cheese making. I kind of figure I'd like to try that.

[GSixZero]

Brewing beer is fun and cheap. I don't save any money by making beer, but I enjoy the process and it's cool to be personally invested in what I'm drinking.

But yep, I spend about $50 to make 5 gallons of beer, which ends up being around 60 bottles.

[Sherman Homan]

I used to home brew, it was fun, the beer was delicious. It also took a huge amount of time. Sigh.

[rogermugs]

mmmm.... beer

i have never had a homebrew i did not think was amazing... just for the record..

i love the amazing variety of beer you can buy in the store, but homebrew is just SO good...
my parents live about a mile from New Belgium in Ft. Collins (where they brew fat tire) and its wonderful because everytime i go to visit i can walk to the brewrey and have free beer... yea... they give it away...

i'm hoping to brew someday... but right now live in a place it would be difficult to get the ingredients...

keep us posted on how it goes.

[scaught]

Railroader used to, I think.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by scaught 

Railroader used to, I think.

Excellent memory.

Yup, did it for +10 years. I'd still be doing it now if I drank alcohol.

My recommendations: Keg it. But it is expensive. A wort chiller is a great device to have as well. Buy as big of a stainless steel pot as you can. 7 gals. is perfect. Soon, stores will be stocking up on deep frying turkey pots and burner combinations, these work VERY well for your boil.

If your time is valuable to you, and you don't need to transport it, kegging reduces the time and workload about 90%. Most of your time will be spent sanitizing and filling bottles. If you eliminate that, and only deal with one big bottle (the keg), then your bottling time goes from a few hours to 10 minutes. You can always buy growlers for transporting beer to parties.

Stick with simple recipes and find a local homebrew supply shop. I was lucky and lived about 20 miles from these guys: http://www.michiganbrewing.com/Home.jsp Very good shop to deal with. Williams Brewing is another excellent supply shop, but expensive. http://www.williamsbrewing.com/index.cfm You want your ingredients to be as fresh as possible.

Start with simple kits. Don't get into complicated fruit beers or dry hopped beers at first.

Never count the costs. You shouldn't be into homebrewing if you are wanting to save money on your beer. But, If you don't count the hardware (which can get expensive), and only count the ingredient cost, it comes out about 30¢-50¢ per 12 oz. serving. But you aren't making Miller Genuine Draft, you're making what is normally $1.50-$2.00 a bottle in the supermarket beer.

And a phrase you'll get to know well: "Relax, have a homebrew!"

[Brien]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

I've though about it. Then I walk into the beer store and there are so many fantastic beers there that I just don't bother.

Same with cheese making. I kind of figure I'd like to try that.

Ditto. I'd love to try both but the time issue is the big hurdle.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by rogermugs 

my parents live about a mile from New Belgium in Ft. Collins (where they brew fat tire)

I'm very jealous. A couple of my friends visited the brewery on their honeymoon a couple months ago.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by GSixZero 

I've done a few batches, and I like the book Joy of Home Brewing. It's a great overall reference that you can use as you get better at brewing. I'd also recommend www.homebrewtalk.com.

I will check them out. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Excellent memory.

Yup, did it for +10 years. I'd still be doing it now if I drank alcohol.

My recommendations: Keg it. But it is expensive. A wort chiller is a great device to have as well. Buy as big of a stainless steel pot as you can. 7 gals. is perfect. Soon, stores will be stocking up on deep frying turkey pots and burner combinations, these work VERY well for your boil.

If your time is valuable to you, and you don't need to transport it, kegging reduces the time and workload about 90%. Most of your time will be spent sanitizing and filling bottles. If you eliminate that, and only deal with one big bottle (the keg), then your bottling time goes from a few hours to 10 minutes. You can always buy growlers for transporting beer to parties.

Stick with simple recipes and find a local homebrew supply shop. I was lucky and lived about 20 miles from these guys: http://www.michiganbrewing.com/Home.jsp Very good shop to deal with. Williams Brewing is another excellent supply shop, but expensive. http://www.williamsbrewing.com/index.cfm You want your ingredients to be as fresh as possible.

Start with simple kits. Don't get into complicated fruit beers or dry hopped beers at first.

Never count the costs. You shouldn't be into homebrewing if you are wanting to save money on your beer. But, If you don't count the hardware (which can get expensive), and only count the ingredient cost, it comes out about 30¢-50¢ per 12 oz. serving. But you aren't making Miller Genuine Draft, you're making what is normally $1.50-$2.00 a bottle in the supermarket beer.

And a phrase you'll get to know well: "Relax, have a homebrew!"

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking that I would mostly do kegs, with occasional bottling for easier transportation. What did you read or where did you do your research before going into it? Also, from my understanding, the initial investment begins around $300. There will be two of us brewing together, which may help acquiring equipment. He also has a basement, while I do not, which is why I haven't started yet.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

I'm very jealous. A couple of my friends visited the brewery on their honeymoon a couple months ago.

Ditto. Gotta love Fat Tire.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking that I would mostly do kegs, with occasional bottling for easier transportation. What did you read or where did you do your research before going into it? Also, from my understanding, the initial investment begins around $300. There will be two of us brewing together, which may help acquiring equipment. He also has a basement, while I do not, which is why I haven't started yet.

Well, kegging alone will cost you about $300-400. That is the most expensive piece of equipment. But, it holds value very well and sells very quickly. You also need to find a good CO2 supply. I had a restaurant CO2 supply company nearby as well. The rest of the equipment is pretty cheap by comparison.

I read Charlie Papizan's book http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homeb...ref=pd_sim_b_3 Joy of Homebrewing. Also I read quite a few BYO Brew Your Own magazines. Also, the instructions that come from some supply companies are very thorough. Here is another supply company I liked: http://morebeer.com/

Don't brew in the basement unless you are using electric burners of have adequate ventilation. Also, there might be mold or other bacteria down there. What is the basement like? I did most of my boiling in the garage. It can get messy if you are not careful.

Brewing with a friend is the best. A friend and I would make it an afternoon/evening event every month or so. We'd each do a brew, so clean up was minimized, two brews for the work of little more than one. We each had pretty different tastes, I like simple, hoppy, rich, yeasty ales, and he liked malty, milder English ales. Unfortunately, he didn't want to make the commitment to kegging, so our work load increased. But it was worth it. If you don't want to get into the cost of kegging right away, bottling with a friend is MUCH easier than bottling by yourself.

I forgot to emphasis this in my last post. KEPP EVERYTHING SANITIZED AND CLEAN!!! I cannot emphasis this enough. Wild yeast or bacteria can ruin an otherwise perfect batch. And wild yeast or bacteria in a bottle can cause it to explode.

And be patient. Homebrewing has its rush moments, but mostly it is a matter of waiting for the yeast to start working and finish working.

Lastly, buy good and fresh yeast. Don't be afraid to ask how old the yeast is. If any store gets offended, do NOT buy there. Even a mediocre supply store knows how important fresh yeast is. Many brewing decisions I made were determined by how a company stored or treated their yeast.

[Thorzdad]

I've brewed off-and-on over the years. It's fun, and the results can be very tasty.
I heartily suggest you take a listen to James Spencer's Basic Brewing Radio podcast (as well as his video podcast) for some great information and how-to's. My fave how-to deals with making beer in one-gallon batches, rather than the traditional five-gallon batch.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

My fave how-to deals with making beer in one-gallon batches, rather than the traditional five-gallon batch.

I've done this with one-gallon hard cider batches. Buy some unpasteurized cider, add yeast, ... wait, ... wait, ... wait, enjoy! Same thing with mead, just add a year or two to the waiting period .

I also have done three-gallon beer batches. It's just a matter of proportionally reducing recipes. The only hassle is you need to buy your ingredients individually instead of kits. But eventually, I settled on a recipe I was making +50% of the time and it was cheaper to buy ingredients in bulk. I also bought a 3 gallon keg.

Of, and if you are going to bottle, Grolsch bottles are awesome. Well, the ones with the flip-top lids are awesome.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Well, kegging alone will cost you about $300-400. That is the most expensive piece of equipment. But, it holds value very well and sells very quickly. You also need to find a good CO2 supply. I had a restaurant CO2 supply company nearby as well. The rest of the equipment is pretty cheap by comparison.

I read Charlie Papizan's book http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homeb...ref=pd_sim_b_3 Joy of Homebrewing. Also I read quite a few BYO Brew Your Own magazines. Also, the instructions that come from some supply companies are very thorough. Here is another supply company I liked: http://morebeer.com/

Don't brew in the basement unless you are using electric burners of have adequate ventilation. Also, there might be mold or other bacteria down there. What is the basement like? I did most of my boiling in the garage. It can get messy if you are not careful.

Brewing with a friend is the best. A friend and I would make it an afternoon/evening event every month or so. We'd each do a brew, so clean up was minimized, two brews for the work of little more than one. We each had pretty different tastes, I like simple, hoppy, rich, yeasty ales, and he liked malty, milder English ales. Unfortunately, he didn't want to make the commitment to kegging, so our work load increased. But it was worth it. If you don't want to get into the cost of kegging right away, bottling with a friend is MUCH easier than bottling by yourself.

I forgot to emphasis this in my last post. KEPP EVERYTHING SANITIZED AND CLEAN!!! I cannot emphasis this enough. Wild yeast or bacteria can ruin an otherwise perfect batch. And wild yeast or bacteria in a bottle can cause it to explode.

And be patient. Homebrewing has its rush moments, but mostly it is a matter of waiting for the yeast to start working and finish working.

Lastly, buy good and fresh yeast. Don't be afraid to ask how old the yeast is. If any store gets offended, do NOT buy there. Even a mediocre supply store knows how important fresh yeast is. Many brewing decisions I made were determined by how a company stored or treated their yeast.

The brewing will not be done in the basement, just the storage. Doesn't it need to sit for a certain amount of time?

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

The brewing will not be done in the basement, just the storage. Doesn't it need to sit for a certain amount of time?

Good. Yes, it needs to ferment for at least a week to three weeks. Depending on the the strain of the yeast, the health of the yeast, and the temp that fermentation takes place. A basement is an excellent location because you want to keep the brew cool, but not cold. Heat will speed up fermentation, but cause some sour fruity flavors.

[moonmonkey]

What about this stuff instead of beer, Devon Strong Scrumpy:
http://www.devon-calling.com/food%20...rink/cider.htm

[Brass]

I've been brewing (just with kits) for about two or three years now. The variety and quality of beer available is excellent (if you have a good home brew shop nearby). Far better than what's available at most pubs and bottle shops.

Anyhow, after some initial help from a friend to get me started, I found all I needed to know (including troubleshooting) from a single web page: http://www.realbeer.com/jjpalmer/Howtobrew.html