Homebrew

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flyingdoggystyle

100+ Posts
It is almost one month until the start of football season and that means I have time enough to make my first batch of beer, drink enough beer bottles to bottle it, learn what I did wrong and get the second ready in time for kickoff.

I am a homebrew novice and I am looking forward to picking up another fun hobby for football season. Last year I started barbeque and betting. Needless to say, I was much more successful with the barbeque.

I've looked around at the kits online (Northern Brewer, Austin Homebrew, and eBay) and can't decide what I actually need to get started. What do I need to buy and where is the best place to purchase these items? I'm all about helping the local merchant, but I also enjoy having enough coin in my pockets to purchase those expensive wygu briskets from the Austin Meat Market.

If someone thieved all your homebrew equipment, what would you replace, and what could you live without?
 
Brewing Supplies

Here is where I buy a lot of my ingredients. I did not buy my equipment from them. This setup is pretty much what I started with. I used a glass carboy instead of a plastic bucket. I don't see a cooking pot included. I use a 5 gallon stainless steel stock pot. As for bottles, you can't use twist-offs, so you need to find bottles that require a bottle opener to open.

Good luck.
 
You can get by with: the plastic bucket, w/ lid and bubbler. A 5 gallon or larger stainless steal pot, bottles, capper, and some various lengths and widths of tubing. Also you'll need a place to sterilze all this stuff, and a thermomter. When I made my first batch, including the first batch of inredients, it cost me ~$50.
 
I'm not sure you have time to get two batches done by kickoff. Even under a very aggressive schedule, 3 weeks was pushing it for me. 4-5 was usually the norm.

Support the local guys. Shipping costs on a carboy will likely more than offset any savings you get ordering online.

In addition to what hornface said, you can technically do it all from one bucket but it really makes life easier to have another on hand (I prefered a carboy). I liked to rack mine at least once during fermentation (helps clarity) but even if you don't rack it, you'll need to get the carbonation sugar into the mix right before bottling and I don't really know of a good way to do it without a second fermenter of some kind.

Oh, and if you're planning to brew in Texas in August, a second refrigerator is pretty much a given. I'm sure how you're gonna cool it down otherwise.
 
Oh, yea, I just bought a plastic 5gallon water jug; like the ones you put on a water-cooler. Its not good to ferment in it, but it is helpful when transfering, and bottling, and racking. In retrospect, I should have just spent the extra 10 bucks for a galss carboy.
Also don't try to get fancy on your first batch, and remember that these beer snobs at the homebrew store like their drink bitterer than normal.
 
I am going to be starting my first batch in about 2 weeks. I noticed on CO Horn's link that in the started kit there is a instructional video. I got mine from Austin Homebrew and it just came with the book. Does anyone know if you can rent a How to video from Blockbuster or another video place?
 
The book should be fine. It's almost impossible to screw up a batch as long as you follow the directions. The key to brewing is making sure everything is sterile. That is really the only thing that can screw things up.
 
For guys who are used to drinking Keystone, and think that Shiner is "the good stuff" most homebrewed, or microbrewed beer is too bitter. For instance, the first time I tried some of Real's PA, or PRye, I thought it tasted like and old mans fart, but now I love it. Bitterness is not bad, its an acquired taste.

Another tip: The whole process goes faster if your already buzzed, and a buddy that has done it before is good too.
 
I went up to Austin Homebrew last weekend and purchased the necessary equipment to give beer-making a shot. I ended up with the middle of the road kit at about $95. I know I paid too much; hopefully the money stays in Austin...

I made several mistakes this go around, and didn't realize you had to wait 3-4 weeks after you bottled the beer before it is ready to drink. So much for the practice run.

I purchased the AHS Northern Pale Ale kit, as I enjoy a nicely hopped beer. I brewed it on Sunday, and it went into the secondary fermenter Thursday night. Everything looks OK, but I will wait and see.

I have a few questions I hope someone can answer:

I boiled the wert in a 4 gallon pot and was never able to get it to a rolling boil after I added the malt extract. I have a gas stove and it was on high the whole time. I didn't use the pot lid as I was afraid of the wert boiling over. Should I have used the lid? How do I controll boiling over?

After I cooled the wert, I poured it into the primary fermenter, cold break and all. I read later I should have left that out. Anyway, I also added plain tap water to get the total liquid volume up to 5 gallons. Does anyone else use tap water? Do you boil it first?

I also struggle with the "sterilize everything" command. How sterile does it need to be? Is this operating room sterile or cooking sushi sterile? For instance, how do you handle the airlock when you test the fermenting beer for the specific gravity? I put it on a clean plate, but I didn't sterilize the plate first. Was I supposed to? I need some direction...

After the beer is ready, will it have sediment at the bottom of the bottle or will it look like the commercial ales at the store?

That is all I can think of right now, as I am working on getting 10 six packs of bottles emptied by next weekend.
 
I have never had a problem getting a rolling boil on a gas stove. I have had this problem with electric ranges. It has never affected the final product. I use plain, unboiled tap water and have never had a problem.

Don't go overboard on getting things sterile, just do your best. Make sure everything has been washed thoroughly prior to using it (bottles, fermenter, etc.).

You will have some sediment in the beer. It will settle to the bottom of the bottle, so I usually leave an ounce or so in the bottle when pouring it into a glass.

Hopefully all turns out well, and keep us updated on the final product.
 
The main things you need to keep sterilized are the things that touch the liquid, so putting the airlock on a plate is fine. When they say to sterilize, they are mainly talking about the fermenters, any tubing, and the bottles. Some will tell you to boil the caps, but I think thats more to soften the gasket.

Keep your stuff cool while its fermemnting. I understand if you don't want to keep your whole house at <75F but at least keep it in a closet or something. My dad is wanting to brew a batch soon, but he and my mom keep their house at around 85F, so.. well I don't know what he's going to do.
 
Another thing to think about when collecting bottles: Not all pop-caps are the same. Some range from pain-in-the-*** to impossible to cap. The one brand I can think of right now is Heiniken. I simply could not cap those on the first try. Maybe is was the cheap $10 capper. so if you bough that cheap red capper at AHS then just be aware. I don't know the names of other brands that are hard to cap, but just notice the difference between a Heiniken bottle and, say a Sam Adams or Real bottle. The difference is the part of the neck, just below the lip. the Sam Adams bottle will have a taper, whereas the heiniken sort of really has to lips. It's sort of tough to explain.
 
flying,

If it makes you feel better, you're asking very good questions. Not all of this stuff is really explained well in the homebrew guides/books, either that or it doesn't make sense until you go through it a couple of times.

Good choice on the Northern Pale. It should be hoppy enough to mask any off-flavors or mistakes, and I don't say that as an insult. Believe it or not, "light" beers or American style lagers are the hardest to homebrew, because they have so little flavor and the smallest mistake or flaw will stand out big time. Your first time out you want something robust - either a stout/porter type or a hoppy pale ale or IPA.

As to your specific questions, here goes (keep in mind I'm speaking in the past tense since I don't brew anymore, but I did for about 4 years):

I used a gas stove and never had a problem getting a rolling boil. It took a while, but I was able to get one. Sorry, I really don't know what could be your problem here. I would not recommend using a lid on the pot - you're just asking for a boilover. What I did is drop in the grains in one of those cloth (muslin?) bags while the water heated and take it out at about 180 degrees or so. Then when the pot boiled, I'd put in the extract and stir it like crazy so it didn't stick to the bottom. It helped to warm the extract first (run hot water over the container) so it poured quicker. The only way I found to prevent a boilover was to keep stirring the pot until the "foam" died down (I think that's called a protein break or something - I dunno). You might also try starting out with less water - it won't make any difference in the long run since you have to add water later anyway.

So, you transfered the wort to the fermenter without straining the hops? Ooooo... not a good move. Did the $95 kit not come with a strainer? Anyway, you've got all that hop sediment sitting in your beer and it's probably going to have an affect on the taste, not to mention clarity is going to suck. You might consider racking it a couple of times before you bottle. Each time you rack, you'll leave as much sediment in the bottom as you can, and then more will drop out. The more you rack, the clearer your beer will be, but also the more you risk a contamination (you gotta sanitize everything before you rack). You'll never get it all (nor do you necessarily want to) which is why homebrews always have a layer of sediment in the bottom on the bottle. Accordingly, this is why you never drink a homebrew from a bottle - always pour it into a glass slowly, trying not to disturb the sediment. Don't let your friends drink it out of a bottle either. They'll try, and they won't understand why they can't, but you have to be firm on this. It won't hurt to drink the sediment but it will probably be bitter and it'll make you fart like a big dog (it's all hops and spent yeast residue) and your friends will ***** about that bitter homemade beer that made them fart.

If anybody gives you crap about sediment, show them a bottle of Sierra Nevada or any commercially produced bottle conditioned beer. They have sediment in the bottom, albeit not nearly as much as a typical homebrew.

As far as topping off the wort with plain tap water, I did it and never had a problem. I've heard of people who boil theirs first, but then you've got to cool it and cooling the wort is already enough of a pain in the ***. I wouldn't worry about it.

As for sterility, its importance cannot be overstated. It's a pain, no doubt, but as was mentioned, you don't need to go overboard, but you can't ignore it either. I wouldn't worry about sterilizing the plate as much as I would the hydrometer that you're using to measure the SG (or whatever it is you're using to extract the sample you're testing, if that's what you do). Basically, anything that touches the beer needs to be sanitized as best you can. Iodophor is somewhat less of a pain to use than bleach or that other stuff (B-Brite ?), since it supposedly doesn't have to be rinsed (although I usually did anyway).

As far as the Heineken bottles, I can't speak to their cappability but you shouldn't be using them in the first place because they're green (and of course, because you have to drink Heineken to empty them). There's a certain light wavelength that interacts with hops to produce a skunky smell, like you might find in... Heineken. Or Corona. Only BROWN bottles block this wavelength. Green bottles don't block some of it, they block NONE of it. Of course, if you keep your bottles out of the light, it won't matter much.

Having said that, when I bottled, I would usually throw in a clear bottle and two or three of those 6 ounce Perrier bottles (yes, they're green). I used the clear bottle to monitor how the color and clarity was progressing and I'd crack open one of the Perrier's if I wanted to know how the taste and carbonation was coming along. That way I didn't have to waste a whole bottle if it wasn't ready.

You do realize that whatever you use to bottle, you have to be sure it's capable of holding up to the pressures that will build up inside while the beer carbonates. You can't use wine bottles. Since Perrier is carbonated, they were OK.

Hope this helps.
 
El_Guapo, did you miss the informal Hornfans Homebrew competition last Fall?
Someone brought a nice bock, but I steamrolled them with my Strong Scotch Ale.
If it ainaa Scottish, then it's CRAP!!!
 
No, I missed the homebrew competition. I can't remember what I was doing that day - I usually have 3-4 tailgates to rotate between and sometimes I don't make it to Hornfans.
 
I realize this is an old thread, but I just came across it and thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

First, I've always felt I get a good deal at Austin Homebrew. The guys there are really knowledgeable and extremely helpful. Recently, I had a problem with the siphon hose I bought from them leaking. They gave me a heavier hose to fix the problem and didn't charge me a thing.

If you're looking to save money, there are a number of things you can do.

- Save bottles instead of buying bottles. Ask your friends to help you save also. Just be sure the bottles aren't twist off. Grolsch style bottles with the rubber stopper work well also.

- Look for cheap utensils. Try checking TJ Maxx, Ross and other stores. I found a huge pot for way less than any homebrew supplier.

- Find cheap resources. This is a big one. Don't waste money on a new book about home brewing. I recommend going to www.howtobrew.com. John Palmer has published his complete book on this website FOR FREE! It's one of the best resources I've found. If you really want a book, go to Half Price Books. They have tons of books on the subject.


In reply to:
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sort of a stupid question, but needed anyway...

I just finished a batch of Mexican style beer...think DosXX brown... unfortunately it is a bit more hoppy than I was expecting... did I perhaps not let the hops boil in the wort long enough? or should I have used them more as finishing hops only and left them in a short time?
 
I haven't experimented with original recipes, so I've never done too much research into boiling times for hops. But, it's my understanding that the longer the hops are in the boil, the more bitterness is extracted. So maybe a shorter boiling time would be close to what you're looking for. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Thanks for the replies, gents. The beer turned out OK. I've completed two batches. The first was a little funky -- it just had an odd aftertaste. First was a Red Hook clone and the second was an Anchor Steam clone. Drinkable, but not something you would go out and buy. The second was better, but still as good as commercial brews. I can't decide if the difference is due to using the malt extract, or my newness to this process.

I found the link to How To Brew from the Northern Brewer page, and it was good at explaining the process but I would really like to just watch someone who has done it before brews a batch.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention my third batch disaster. I tried a recipe I found online for a pumpkin ale. What an f-ing disaster. I couldn't get enough liquid out of the wert and the relative gravity (or whatever the starting reading is) was way low. Woops, guess I shouldn't have added the water to make 5 gallons. Oh well. I will just buy the stuff at HEB this year.

I'm finishing up one of my California Common Ale's and I enjoy it. Last weekend I picked up a nice Kobe brisket from some joint up in Round Rock and cooked smoked it Friday night. So the vision has come full circle, and I had my beer while cooking the brisket.

Two unrelated smoking notes:

1) I made the switch to mesquite. Just got tired of oak wood, I guess. Also the mesquite taste is really good.

2) Anyone have an extra Klose or Lyfe Tyme smoker laying around that needs a good home?
 
Funky = estery probably. I put my primary fermenter in a larger bucket and cool it down with cold water and a bit of ice.
The act of fermentation actually produces some heat.
Fermentation above 70 degrees will produce off flavors, hence the estery flavor. I try to keep it closer to 55-60 degrees.
 
Gotta agree with Mrmyke. If your sanitation was reasonably good, fermentation temperature is almost certainly the problem. Are you doing anything to keep the batch cool while it ferments? Without a second refrigerator, it's really tough to do in Texas in the summertime, or anytime other than the dead of winter.

So speaking of refrigerators, I've got a spare I'll sell you cheap if you come pick it up...
 
would fermenting your beer in a refridgerator that is under 50 degrees cause any adverse effects?? I probably have mine fermenting between 70-75 degrees and haven't noticed anything funky.. .
 
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