brew beer?????

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:37 pm

im thinking of taking on a new project for this sumer and id like to brew a little beer.. iv watched the you tube vids,, but i also know that most of the youtube vids on distillin are far from "proper".. so my question is,, can someone point me in the right direction as to the basic set up in a home brew rig... ill be using 15 gal kegs for all of my work.
thanks
spooky

meadman · Post by **meadman** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:25 pm

i'd say start simple. get a beer kit (can of malt syrup and instructions, yeast, etc.) that might match your tastes. follow the instructions and experiment with types of sugar additions (dextrose, malt powder, malted grain, honey) , hops, yeasts, spices, fruits, what ever you want. the basics of brewing anything is the same with beer. sanitation being the most crucial. a simple trick to make bottling easier. bulk prime the entire batch with priming sugar before filling bottles. it has a more consistent carbonation and you can fill any size/shape of bottle without making math conversions during an already tedious process.

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:34 pm

thanks meadman,,, iv herd a few phrases that you have mentioned,,, but some i have not (priming sugar)..
im asuming that a "kit" is not something that you pour into a big barrel and poof instant beer????? im wanting to learn how to build a hmmmmm,,, ,for lack of a better word ,, "set up",, and maby one day whip up some hand crafted beer..
thanks for the reply,, you gave me a few key words that i can build from.
thanks
spooky

Post by **Smokehouse Shiner** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:28 pm

Hey Spooky, first thing to decide is if you want to brew with extracts or all grain. Extracts are fairly simple. You should already have most of the equipment you'll need. Namely a BOP and a big spoon. All grain is alot more involved, way too involved to cover in this post. I would not jump into brewing without reading The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian. Its an excellent book that covers almost every aspect of home brewing and you'll learn alot on fermenting in general that'll help with your stillin adventures too. Beer can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. I brew on a 3 tier all grain system. Keg hot liquor tank, cooler mash tun, keg boil kettle, immersion wort chiller, and ive got way more money invested in it than I do my still. I've also got a kegging system and 3 keg kegerator. Again I would highly reccomend reading Papazian's book before you get started. All of your questions will be answered within it's pages. Im sure you can find it online somewhere but I refer back to my paper copy all the time. Happy brewin!

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:47 pm

thanks smokehouse. eventualy, id like to get into the all grain... im thinking about 2 or 3 tries with extracts, then diving in and seeing what i cant mess up with whole grains

.. iv seen the 3 tier systems (i think) ,,,,, 3 kegs ,, pump,, and a few other important things. im not afraid of building stuff,,, and id rather build it once and not in steps. i started on a stove top unit,, (that wasent half as nice as some i see on the forum) and within a month, i built a proper pot still, and realised that i waisted about a buck25 on my feeble attempts on a stove top unit. then, i steped into a flute..
anyway thanks for the book lead!! ill start there with my reading,,, and ill start with understanding a 3 tier setup as my goal.. this will be a while, as im just getting started on the flute upgrades,,, but i like doing this stuff,, so if i start learning now,,, in 4 or so months, ill feel confident enough to start on home brew!
thanks again
spooky

Post by **Dnderhead** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:56 pm

you seen this site?--http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

Post by **rubber duck** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:36 pm

Charlie Papazian book is a must have. The Palmer book is better but it's harder for a new guy to understand.

I went all grain right out of the gate, I actually did my first and only extract brew this summer. I think the smart thing to do is get hooked up with a local brewing club and get some hands on brew days. This will save you a lot of time and headaches. Brewers love free labor so it shouldn't be to hard to get some experience that way.

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:36 pm

Dnderhead wrote:you seen this site?--http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

thanks Dnderhead ,,,
as a matter of fact, i just saw a sticker on somebodys setup that promoted the sight... ill create a link to my desktop!
thanks again
spooky

rangaz · Post by **rangaz** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:39 am

I'd say you've got the right idea, put down a couple of extract brews then move on to all grain if you enjoy it.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 10&t=17822
Thats a link to a post on my first experiments with all grain beer. You really don't need much equipment and if you're already distilling then you probably already have most of the stuff you need for a basic AG rig.

Priming sugar is for carbonating the beer. At bottling time you add a small amount of sugar to the beer just before filling and capping. The yeast then ferments the sugar in the sealed bottle, carbonating the beer. After about 2-3 weeks its ready to go in the fridge and drink (or you could get a keg set up and carb the beer in a few minutes

).
Good luck

scotty · Post by **scotty** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 4:55 am

I am now doing my first beer ever. It is a kit. It is easy.

If you purchase a lager kit. you may need a dedicated refrigerator with an external temperature control.'I didnt know the diference between ale and lager or anything else

.
I understand there are lagers called hybrid lagers which do not need the lower temperatures

This kit smells great and we are anxious to bottle it.

After this experience i will decide weather to go all grain next year. I only intend to make 5 gallons a year. I guess im not a beer drinker.

. We want it for saint pattys day which was my dads birthday.
It should go well with our home made corned beef brisket.

I have a few books on beer. and because i enjoy making whiskey, i already have the equipment for an all grain brew.

Good luck.

sparky marky · Post by **sparky marky** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 5:25 am

Good luck! Kits are a great way to get a feel for the beer making process.
Just remember a beer kit is kinda like a spirit essence. It will never beat all grain. The equipment is the same for mashing and sparging if you are after beer OR spirits. So investing a little time and money is easily justifiable

Post by **Dnderhead** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:05 am

i went backward,went from all grain to extract,the problem is I can make so much I have no idea what to do with it all!
there is a grate variety of them,so dont be disappointed if one does not suit you.also the darker ones seem to be much easier
to do and not mess up.

Post by **rubber duck** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:28 am

The biggest reason Is do all grain because it's so cheep to make compared to a extract brew. I already new how to convert grain, I had a lot of the equipment, and I knew I liked beer, so going all grain right from the start was the way for me to go. For me an extract brew costs about twice as much.

The average 10 gallon batch of IPA costs me about 32 dollars and that includes the propane. I can't get PBR that cheep, and it's really not that much trouble to make, I figure if I'm drinking beer I might as well be making it at the same time. Dunder right though, I get to brewing to much and I don't know what to do with it all.

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:44 pm

can this be done with electric boilers??? im going electric on my spirit boiler,, and it just seems too easy to plug into a nother boiler.
if i was just guessin, a false bottom in a keg (about 6" high or so), would be good,,, but im just guessin???????
thanks for all of the advice and encouragement!
spooky

sparky marky · Post by **sparky marky** » Tue Jan 25, 2011 3:12 pm

Do you mean for mashing in an electric boiler? The mash is the most important step in beer. A false bottom would work great, as long as the grain isn't in contact with the element you are fine, but alot of homebrewers tend to use a cooler box with a tap at the bottom for mashing their grain. If it's well insulated you don't need to throw any heat at it while mashing. I mash at 65 degrees (start temp) for most beers for 80 mins and get 93-95% efficiency but by run off it's dropped to about 61-62.

A couple of beer mashing tips: mash in quite wet with about 15l water per 10kg malt and never stir after the initial combining and mixing with water, that grain bed it gonna form a natural filter for your wort so you get a nice clear beer.

Post by **azeo** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:08 pm

The nice thing about a "kit" brew is; one can choose something of interest and brew it "as is" to get a baseline and see what one thinks of the choice, and if desired, then "tweak" it by adding a small amount of a few "extras", such as crystal malt, and hops for aroma, etc and more often than not, "improve" the base recipe out of sight. This can almost guarantee, subject to hygene, secondary fermantation success etc, a good working bew to evaluate and enjoy without too much effort, whilst also having a go with all-grains . As long as there's room in the shed/kitchen! Very satisfying, a cold clear lively home brew.

One tip not always covered in the "kit" recipes is to carefully rack off the wort from the lees near the end of primary fermentation into a secondary fermenter, preferably without splashing the brew too much and getting any oxygen in there, just prior to bottling or kegging. This leaves most of the yeast behind, and really aids clarity, but just enough active yeast in suspension to create the fizz. All the books I've read however give good info on the best ways of doing this.
Hope it goes well! I take my hat off to all-grain brewers, it's an art!

Post by **NcHooch** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:00 pm

Mr.Spooky wrote:im thinking of taking on a new project for this sumer and id like to brew a little beer.. iv watched the you tube vids,, but i also know that most of the youtube vids on distillin are far from "proper".. so my question is,, can someone point me in the right direction as to the basic set up in a home brew rig... ill be using 15 gal kegs for all of my work.
thanks
spooky

Don't do it Spooky, it's a "gateway hobby" ....before ya know it, you'll be makin wine, and then eventually, likker.

seriously, I've been brewing beer for a couple years, and I still use the same 5 gallon kit that I started with.
Most of the home brewing recipes are geared for 5 gallons and personally, any more than 5 gallons is a pain is a ass to move around. I usually switch up my recipes and try to have a couple different beers in the fridge at once. Your typical 5 gallon kit makes 48-54 12oz bottles. that lasts me a while.

These folks have some good info for starters : http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits

Hope that helps,
NChooch

edit: PS: I meant to add that I brew both partial grain kits as well as all grain recipes....like RD mentioned, the all grain method is cheaper, but takes that extra hour which I don't have sometimes. The only extra equipment you need for all grain is a mashtun (most home brewers use some type of insulated cooler) with a false bottom.

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:13 pm

yea,,, iv been looking into that. im thinking about just jumping into AG... i mean, after all, i wouldent dare think about puting essence in my spirits,,, so why would i think about it with my beer.. oh, im sure ill mess up ROYALY a few times, but i aint worried about it.... no pain no gain.... funny you should mention the wine,,, iv done my 2nd batch of wine (oranges),,, ysterday i went to push the cap down and it smelled like vomit

... oh well.... but my first batch of wine worked out fine (peaches) still got about 6 wine bottles full and it drinks good.
no pain no gain

spooky

Post by **Dnderhead** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:25 pm

Iv never had orange wine turn out it is just plain funky
the kits are not that bad.that is if you git the ones made up not the "canned"
most have AG kits also.

Post by **rubber duck** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:30 pm

Kits are nothing like essence booze. I don't do kits and I don't do extract brews BUT a perfectly good beer can be done with malt extracts. I would encourage you to go all grain but not because it's better, it's simply cheaper.

Post by **maheel** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:15 pm

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow?

have a look on this site and search BIAB "brew in a bag" good cheap way to go all grain even on your stovetop inside.... (making about 15L of beer)

if you have a stock pot about 20L your half way there with equipment

when you include you still equipment

Aces High · Post by **Aces High** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:02 pm

I just started brewing a couple of months ago after getting a keg set up for my birthday. Its been over 20 years since i last brewed at about 17 and its changed a lot. There's some really good products on the market now with regards to premade sugars mixes and hop additions etc that weren't available when i first tried it.

I've done a couple of kit & extracts which involve a kit, but adding some grain and hops additions etc, so far its turned out pretty good. Aussie homebrewer has an awsome spreadsheet that allows you to create your own beers and is really good at helping you understand the relationship between hops and malt and differenct sugars & Grains and how they affect the flavour

Heres the link, but you may have to be a member to download it. http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/i ... art&st=260

I dont think it will be to long before I follow RD and start going all grain... its a hell of a lot less grain to deal with than when i tried to make a 100L allgrain scotch...now that was a freken messy day

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:50 pm

yea Aces High,,, im a member @ .aussiehomebrewer.com. thatsa a pretty good place to learn a few things from. theres alot of pics of set ups and stuff like that,,, with good definitions.
spooky

Post by **BrooklynTech** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:28 pm

I've been in on 2 five gallon brews from Coopers extracts. Yield has averaged 50 12 oz bottles.
Don't buy expensive bottles. Go down to your local pub/bar and talk to the bar keep. Offer to buy from them some emptys at twice what they get to recycle. It's a win win situation for both of you.

Now I'm thinking of Apple Cider......

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:26 am

I can highly recommend the folks at austinhomebrew.com

They make 'mini mash' recipes that use some grain and some extract. I have had excellent results with this method and its a lot less work than all grain.

that said, all grain is awesome too... just takes a little more gear and work... not really a problem if you have made all grain likker...

I never bottle my beer. It goes into a 5 gallon corny keg and gets force carbonated and set into the fridge. I LOVE draght beer on demand...

Post by **6fiddyv** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:28 am

Spooky, been an all grain brewer for a few years now. I started Partial Mash, that was my first, then I went to YOUTUBE, watched the series from CHRISKNIGHT007. It was his simple process that pushed my second and all since then to ALL GRAIN. His set up was simple, it was more than easy to follow, and was straight forward. Now take in mind, there are many many process rules that can change, but following his guidelines and you will get a great brew...

Chris

nwvapors · Post by **nwvapors** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:04 pm

Hey spook check these guys out. If you like the forum format this is a good source http://forums.morebeer.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow.
More beer is also a brew supply co. in Nor. Cal I believe. Have fun, I have been brewing for around 10 years now.
The biggest challenge with beer is sanitation, nothing more frustrating than seeing your batch get a nasty infection
and nothing you can do about it,'cept maybe try to run a "neutral off of it.

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:56 pm

thanks 6505,,, iv just wasched a few of chrisknight007's vids, and ill be keeping those in mind... seems pretty easy from what iv seen... i just always get destracted by this video that ,,,for some reason always pops up with home brewing stuff... kinda funny, yet kinda ,,,,,OK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLVKuraoHF4&feature=fvw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
thanks
spooky

Post by **Mr.Spooky** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:58 pm

nwvapors wrote:Hey spook check these guys out. If you like the forum format this is a good source http://forums.morebeer.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow.
More beer is also a brew supply co. in Nor. Cal I believe. Have fun, I have been brewing for around 10 years now.
The biggest challenge with beer is sanitation, nothing more frustrating than seeing your batch get a nasty infection
and nothing you can do about it,'cept maybe try to run a "neutral off of it.

thanks for the link! i just added it to my "beer" folder!!!
spooky

EscarpmentDew · Post by **EscarpmentDew** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:56 pm

I've been brewing with Coopers various brews for about a year now. Nothing fancy with a malt extract, unless of course you add stuff and change the usual methods. Follow the instructions and I wouldn't even bother with the secondary ferment. I wouldn't even bother with the bulk priming if you can purchase the sugar drops (one per 350mL) which basically means I get a bit of a variation in the carbination from my different sized bottles. If you go Coopers, try the English Bitter, and I also just tried a new one from Canada somewhere that is a red beer.

Home Distiller

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