Do you Brew your own Beer?

[Ralikon]

Particularly in the comfort of your home/ work station @ home. If so, what equipment do you use and do you have any tips on getting started?

I'm looking to get into brewing with a buddy & any 101's would be appreciated.


Speaking mainly on Beer, but feel free to comment on any other beverages brewed by you personally.

[Spectral]

I have.

My first recommendation would be heading to a local brew shop. It'll cost a little more than ordering online, but being able to talk to someone about what you specifically want is generally really helpful. They'll also likely have some tips that we just won't have in writing.

[Snorkles]

Go to a local home brew shop, they're usually keen to help new brewers and give you advice (and in my case, sell me an unmarked jerrycan of ''Grape Concentrate'' for dirt cheap).

My first ever brew was Cider/Apple wine. I bought some apple concentrate, stuck it in a plastic bottle with some wine yeast, put a balloon on the top with a pin prick in it (captures the gas and lets it out slowly) and left it for a few weeks.

It tasted fucking disgusting.

[Independent voter]

I was thinking about it but it seemed a little expensive and quite a bit of work. I don't have the big 5 gallon pot so I'd have to buy one, etc.

[BloodyAngel12]

Go to a local home brew shop, they're usually keen to help new brewers and give you advice (and in my case, sell me an unmarked jerrycan of ''Grape Concentrate'' for dirt cheap).

My first ever brew was Cider/Apple wine. I bought some apple concentrate, stuck it in a plastic bottle with some wine yeast, put a balloon on the top with a pin prick in it (captures the gas and lets it out slowly) and left it for a few weeks.

It tasted fucking disgusting.

Sounds like something a prisoner would brew up

[Ralikon]

Yeah, we have a ton of brew shops around here so I'll check em' out. Thanks for the tips guys!

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Go to a local home brew shop, they're usually keen to help new brewers and give you advice (and in my case, sell me an unmarked jerrycan of ''Grape Concentrate'' for dirt cheap).

My first ever brew was Cider/Apple wine. I bought some apple concentrate, stuck it in a plastic bottle with some wine yeast, put a balloon on the top with a pin prick in it (captures the gas and lets it out slowly) and left it for a few weeks.

It tasted fucking disgusting.

Haha, love it dude. Me, my brother and a friend tried brewing Moonshine and it tasted like absolute fucking death, think Hell, but more fire. (I was 16 yrs old)

[dextersmith]

I want to try making pineapple beer as shown on youtube but it's too much work.

[Radux]

Yes I brew beer.

I'll echo Spectral and say to go to a LHBS. Most workers are cool and are happy to help. Not only that, but many of them hold How To Brew 101 type classes.

As far as gear that I use:

• I have an all grain batch sparge (gravity fed) system.
• I control my fermenation temperatures in a small chest freezer.
• I have a tiny fridge to maintain a small yeast library (which I then use for starters).
• I have 7 kegs (corny kegs - because fuck bottling) - 1 always has root beer, and 1 always has cider; the others are usually rotating (I'm never completely full).
• I converted a chest freezer into a keezer with 5 taps.

My best recommendation is to start with all grain (particularly BIAB) opposed to extract brewing. The differences are minute, and the control you have over your beer is so much better.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Shit happens. As long as your cleaning habits are good, you'll be fine.

Also if anyone wants to trade recipes I'm always down!

[Feral Camel]

I've made about 5 batches of beer but ended up at a bit of a cross roads. I loved doing it but my apartment was too small. I also wanted to expand what I was doing and experiment more, but it ended up too costly. So I've put a pin in it until I get a bigger place.

My only warning would be to keep an open mind. Most people seem to have very direct view points on methods, and the next person will tell you the opposite!

[Deleted]

Way too expensive and timeconsuming. What the fuck is the point?

[Radux]

Way too expensive and timeconsuming. What the fuck is the point?

The initial startup is expensive, yes.

But after you get into it, it more than makes up for the price that you'd spend on beer at the store.

For instance, the "average" (and by that I mean super common and come in 12 packs - usually not local or hard to find stuff) IPA will generally run ~1.25 - 1.50 per 12oz bottle in my area. With the system I have in place (bulk buying grain & reusing yeast) I can effectively make that same beer for approximately 0.50 per 12oz.

Time consuming? Sure. Money saver? Maybe after several hundred batches.
But many hobbies aren't without cost and time.

To each their own.

[Independent voter]

Is it true that home brew has a much lower alcohol content?

[Radux]

Is it true that home brew has a much lower alcohol content?

Not at all.

The alcohol content is determined by how much sugar is converted to alcohol from the yeast during fermentation.

So I could have a recipe with ~10 lbs of grain (like a pale ale) yield to ~5-6% ABV, and a recipe with 20 lbs of grain (like a russian imperial stout) yield to ~10% ABV.


The only huge differences between home brewing and large scale brewing is the equipment they use (larger volumes, and a much higher efficiency rate [i.e. better usage of grain conversions to sugar than your average home brewer can]) and possibly a faster turnaround time (though that's debatable based on recipe).

[glo]

I head down to the local shop and buy it, easy peasy. IMO, brewing your own is way too time consuming and expensive for something that isn't permanent. I've also heard one too many horror stories about what happens when home brewing goes bad (you die, sometimes).

[Herecius]

I've a friend who does regularly, but he's a huge fan of IPAs, a passion I don't quite share. I've only drank a couple of IPAs I could really enjoy past the first bottle.

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I head down to the local shop and buy it, easy peasy. IMO, brewing your own is way too time consuming and expensive for something that isn't permanent. I've also heard one too many horror stories about what happens when home brewing goes bad (you die, sometimes).

It's only dangerous if you're brewing extremely high alcohol content stuff. Brewing beer is utterly harmless, unless you manage to set your house on fire, in which case you shouldn't even be cooking your own food, let alone brewing your own beer.

[Dispraise]

I don't even drink my own beer.

[Radux]

It's only dangerous if you're brewing extremely high alcohol content stuff. Brewing beer is utterly harmless, unless you manage to set your house on fire, in which case you shouldn't even be cooking your own food, let alone brewing your own beer.

There's basically no 'beer' you can make that can get so high in alcohol to cause problems (like explosions or whatever; the worst you're going to get is blowoff and that's just going to make a gigantic mess).

The most dangerous things you can likely have on a homebrewing scale is possibly burns (it is boiling liquid afterall - or problems with whatever burner you're using) or cuts (see people having horror stories with broken glass carboys that cut them).

If you're paying any attention (yes, I understand mistakes CAN happen, but still) then it's a completely safe hobby with basically 0 risk.

[shadowmouse]

Back in the day I found Papazian's book to be a good starting point. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-H.../dp/0062215752

[nomorepriest]

I'll buy at full price.. Because I don't want to wait weeks

[Radux]

Back in the day I found Papazian's book to be a good starting point. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-H.../dp/0062215752

Another good (free) option is John Palmer's "How to Brew": Link

I'll buy at full price.. Because I don't want to wait weeks

That's why you have a rotation so that your pipeline is never dry. Brew more beer while you're still drinking your last batch.