My first attempt at home brewing

[Bradyams]

I recently acquired a very cheap home brewing kit, and just got done trying my first batch.

The kit is called Mr. Beer (www.mrbeer.com), and is very cheap like I said before. But, I always thought brewing my own beer could be fun, but this way I can try it out for cheap in case I find out I don't like doing it. So the kit came with everything I needed to brew ~260 oz. of a beer called West Coast Pale Ale. Last Sunday it began fermenting, and was supposed to ferment for a minimum of seven days. About 5 days into it it appeared the fermenting was done, but I waited anyway.

Yesterday I bottled the beer. Now it usually needs to stay in bottles for ~7 days to carbonate. The instructions say you should know when the beer is ready if the bottles are rock hard (if you use plastic bottles). I filled up four 2 liter bottles, and had a little left over so I filled up a 32 oz. Gatorade bottle. This morning the Gatorade bottle was about ready to burst so I figured it might be done, and I was anxious to try it anyway.

I put it in the fridge, and let it cool down, and now I'm currently trying the first glass. The first thing I noticed is that it's very hazy, and not clear at all. I think this may be because it's not filtered beer, but I'm not sure. I was actually surprised at the taste. I haven't had many pale ale's before so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I thought it tasted pretty good. It has a kinda bitterish after taste, but not too much. It also tastes a bit like flat beer, so it probably was not fully carbonated, even though the bottle was on the verge of blowing up. So I think it turned out okay, and I think the remaining four 2 liter bottles should taste even better.

I also ordered some more recipes off the Mr. Beer website to make some more.

So, does anyone here do actual home-brewing? I know there are a lot of beer snobs in OOT, and I thought maybe someone could point in the right direction of doing some inexpensive real home-brewing.

[jakethebake]

I used to brew a batch a month. Haven't had time in awhile. These Mr. Beer things are good to start, but you'll soon move past that to brewing your own recipes if you enjoy it. I used to make special batches for all kinds of occasions and print off special labels and give it as gifts too.

Jake's Blackberry Stout was some goot [censored]. And that fruit sugar makes it strong as [censored].

[Al P]

A friend of mine home brewed while we were in college. It was cheaper than regular beer, way more potent, and definitely more tasty.

He used glass bottles though, I'd suggest you look into getting two cases of them.

[Shajen]

Never done it, but I hear of good things on this forum:

might wanna check it out. (http://forums.homebrew.com)

[jakethebake]

Yes. You really should use glass bottles as suggested by the other poster. Just save all your non-twist-off bottles. A hand bottler is <$10. Also, the way to get clearer beer is to siphon all but the bottom inch or so into a new container halfway through the fermentation. At the end of fermentation, siphin it into the bottles and leave another inch in the bottom. That's where all the sediment is. And always make sure you never shake it up or stir that stuff around.

This is the bible of homebrewing. Get a copy.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0060531053.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[Bradyams]

I ordered some glass Grolsch stlye bottles last week.

[ QUOTE ]
And always make sure you never shake it up or stir that stuff around.

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Just curious, why not?

[RunDownHouse]

You surprise me once again, Jake.

Now that I've finished building my newest kegerator, I'm looking to get into homebrewing once my finances settle down a bit. I figure I'll start with kits to get my feet wet, but move as quickly as possible beyond them. Any other reviews of kits, or what to lok for in a kit, would be appreciated. Also, any info on homebrewing that is hard to find elsewhere. For example, my damn kitchen is really small. Not only does this mean that I don't have a ton of room for pots and whatnot while actually brewing, I don't exactly have a ton of room for the stuff to sit around and ferment. How much of a footprint does a typical batch of beer have? I'm assuming that kegging my beer will take less room than having a hundred bottles sitting around.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
Now that I've finished building my newest kegerator...

[/ QUOTE ]

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My damn kitchen is really small.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha... very nice.

[nolanfan34]

Glad to hear that worked out OK. But really that's homebrewing with training wheels, frankly.

If you really want to get into it, you can get start up kits for around $100. It's a little harder to do, but worth the time compared to the simple one-step Mr. Beer type of setup. Glass bottles are a must. Start saving any bottle that isn't a twist off one.

Here's a local place close to me (http://www.thebeeressentials.com/start_kits/beer_starter_kits.html) as an example, which sells the supplies. Depending on what state you're in, you should be able to find a local home brew supply store.

[HtotheNootch]

Sterilize, sterilize, sterilize.

[MtSmalls]

www.beertown.org. (http://www.beertown.org.)

This is for the website for the Association of Homebrewers. Great source for kits, recipes etc. Of course they also put on the Great American Beer Fest, right here in Denver (GREAT EVENT).

Your best bet is to look for a local wine/beer supply store. Usually a kit is less than $100, each recipe batch is about $40, should make about 5 cases. Its a little tricky at first, but follow the Bible, and you can't go too wrong. Next time make a beer style that you are more familiar with, so you can make a better judgement.

Oh, and let the beer age a little longer and you'll be happy.

[Boris]

I've been wanting to do this for a long time now. I think this might be just the motivation I need.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been wanting to do this for a long time now. I think this might be just the motivation I need.

[/ QUOTE ]

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been wanting to do this for a long time now. I think this might be just the motivation I need.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is pretty fun. I'm only doing the BMX version of homebrewing too, because I buy the malt. The 10-speed version is doing a full mash of the grain, but I haven't worked up to that yet.

The batches can turn out surprisingly good. But I agree with the poster who talked about sterilization - if you don't, it sucks to find out a month later that your batch was no good.

[Jezebel]

If the haziness bothers you, you can get some additives to put in the fermenter that helps clear it up. Also if you rack your beer to a secondary fermenter it will also clear it up quite a bit.

As far as bottling, I would highly recommend purchasing a keg kit. They usually have like 4 mini kegs that can fit in your fridge. The biggest pain in the ass of homebrewing is cleaning the bottles. Sediment at the bottom of a long neck can be difficult to get out even with the bottle brushes they sell. The keg kit makes the cleaning a snap.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]

I figure I'll start with kits to get my feet wet, but move as quickly as possible beyond them. Any other reviews of kits, or what to lok for in a kit, would be appreciated. Also, any info on homebrewing that is hard to find elsewhere. For example, my damn kitchen is really small. Not only does this mean that I don't have a ton of room for pots and whatnot while actually brewing, I don't exactly have a ton of room for the stuff to sit around and ferment. How much of a footprint does a typical batch of beer have? I'm assuming that kegging my beer will take less room than having a hundred bottles sitting around.

[/ QUOTE ]

If by kits you mean something like Mr. Beer, I'd recommend going beyond that right from the start. You need a basic equipment set-up, like here. (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/equipkit.asp) You should be able to get started with something similar for about $50 at any homebrew store.

Space required depends on how many batches (yes, I spelled that right) you have going at a time. The initial process is like making soup. You just need a big stock pot on the stove. That then goes into a 5-gal. pail, which needs to sit for a couple weeks in a cool place. Then you bottle it. You'll get about two cases of beer, which have to sit for at least 2-3 weeks (I recommend 4-6). Soon as you bottle it, you can start another batch.

A standard batch is 5 gallons. There are mini-keg systems, but I have not looked into those. I just keep all my old Sam Adams bottles. It's doing my bit for recycling.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
www.beertown.org. (http://www.beertown.org.)

This is for the website for the Association of Homebrewers. Great source for kits, recipes etc. Of course they also put on the Great American Beer Fest, right here in Denver (GREAT EVENT).

Your best bet is to look for a local wine/beer supply store. Usually a kit is less than $100, each recipe batch is about $40, should make about 5 cases. Its a little tricky at first, but follow the Bible, and you can't go too wrong. Next time make a beer style that you are more familiar with, so you can make a better judgement.

Oh, and let the beer age a little longer and you'll be happy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Passworded.

[rlr]

http://www.beertown.org/

remove the trailing "." and it works.

[STLantny]

Why? What does the period denote after the org? Ive never seen that before.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
http://www.beertown.org/

remove the trailing "." and it works.

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Thanks!

[nails]

A subject near and dear to my heart -- I've been a homebrewer for 13 years.

I recommend this site:

http://howtobrew.com/

The author wrote a homebrewing book, but ended up making just about all of the info in it available on his web site for free. It's got great "beginner" material on brewing your first beer, but it's a good source of information for advanced brewers as well.

I'd also suggest looking for a local homebrew club, which can give you a chance to ask questions and sample beers from other, more experienced brewers.

Good luck -- poker and homebrewing are two very compatible hobbies...

[mantasm]

I just got this brewing kit:

Deluxe Beer Equipment Kit (http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_358_52&products_id=400& osCsid=6f6c2a1109694f4b5b4591ce32005d65)

and this recipe kit:

AHS Double IPA (http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_46_42_161&products_i d=2179&osCsid=6f6c2a1109694f4b5b4591ce32005d65)

plus a bunch of bottles for Christmas from my girlfriend. I just have to wait for the yeast to warm up then I can start mixing everything up. I'm pretty excited.

[RunDownHouse]

While you wait, head on over to brewboard (http://www.brewboard.com). Those guys are expert, and just by going through the FAQs you should be able to really increase the quality of your first brew, as well as get a friendly answer to any question you have, no matter how simple.

Please post a trip report after your brewday is done!

The other posts are all good advice for future brews. My own experience with Mr. Beer was that the beer tasted like crap about 2 weeks after I bottled it. Not carbonated very well, no head, very hoppy taste. In retrospect, it obviously hadn't finished carbonating. I left the rest sitting on top of the refrigerator for a couple months, and when I tasted it later it was much better.

[fluxrad]

ben,

Is it possible to brew in an apartment? I live on the fifth floor and I'd love to start brewing myself, but I'm worried that there will either be

A. Too much mess
B. Crappy beer due to the lack of a "cool place." How cool is cool?

Any thoughts?

[RunDownHouse]

Cool is under 70. About 62-65 should be fine for ales. You won't be able to do lagers without a dedicated fridge. As far as brewing in an apartment goes, it can be done fairly easily. If you have the capacity to boil 6-6.5 gallons of water, a place to put the fermenter, and a place to store bottles, you're good to go.

[mantasm]

[ QUOTE ]
While you wait, head on over to brewboard (http://www.brewboard.com). Those guys are expert, and just by going through the FAQs you should be able to really increase the quality of your first brew, as well as get a friendly answer to any question you have, no matter how simple.

Please post a trip report after your brewday is done!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, I'm taking a look at brewboard now while soaking some grains in hot water. I'll let you know how it went after I'm done for the day.

[1800GAMBLER]

This was the only thing i asked for at christmas. Going to get a basic start kit, get that right asap, then move on to some awesome white beers.

[Hiding]

without reading every reply, everyone trying/or going to brew beer, make a wort chiller. 20-30 feet of copper tubing wrapped into loops and hooked to a faucet can save you hours of time waiting for the brew to cool, and building your own is very cheap.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
ben,

Is it possible to brew in an apartment? I live on the fifth floor and I'd love to start brewing myself, but I'm worried that there will either be

A. Too much mess
B. Crappy beer due to the lack of a "cool place." How cool is cool?

Any thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]

I used to do all of my brewing when we lived in an apartment. If you have a guest bathroom, that's a good place for the fermenting. Set the pail or carboy on a folding chair in the bathtub. This also give you some insurance if you screw something up and the top blows off. The temp in there should be good for ales.

I did all of my brewing on the kitchen stove. It does make a bit of a mess, but you just have to be good about cleaning it up right away - spilled wort = super sticky.

[mantasm]

All right, everything's finished up for the night, here's a quick report of how the process went for me.

This was Austin Homebrew's Double IPA "mini mash" kit, which means it uses a combination of crushed grains and malt extract instead of just the malt extract. The guy at the store recommended it over all extract version.

Step 1: Sterilize equipment. I put everything in the bathtub and washed it with dish soap then the cleaner that came with the kit. I figure that should do it. My dog kept sneaking into the bathroom and sniffing the fermenter while I was boiling though.

Step 2: Put grains in the grain bag, soak them in water at 155 F for 45 minutes. This was pretty easy. Just kept the heat on low the whole time and periodically dipped the bag in and out. It smelled like strong tea and was an opaque brown color by the end of the 45 minutes.

Step 3: Add malt extract, dissolve, and bring to a boil. The extract was pretty nasty looking. It was brown and very thick.

Step 4: Add bittering hops, boil for 45 minutes, then flavor hops, then aroma hops. Adding the hops (in pellet form) made the pot boil over. Once I started adding the hops, the mixture had a very strong, fairly unpleasant smell. The whole house smells like it now, and my girlfriend is in bed with a headache.

Step 5: Cool wort down. I put the pot in the sink and ran water around it while I stirred it. It cooled down to 80 F in about 15 or 20 minutes. Pour into primary fermenter, add water, and measure specific gravity. Mine was about 1.08. Whatever that means.

Step 6: Add yeast, stir, and seal.

Everything went pretty well even though it was messy and smelled bad. I should be able to start secondary fermentation pretty soon after I get back into town after Christmas.

Here's the ingredients if anyone is interested:

Grains:
1 lb. Munich Malt
2.5 lbs. 2-Row
.25 lbs. Crystal 20

Malt Extract:
9 lbs. Pale Extract

Bittering Hops:
2 oz. Chinook
2 oz. Centennial

Flavor Hops:
1 oz. Centennial

Aroma Hops:
1 oz. Horizon

Dry Hops:
2 oz. Horizon