Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

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...

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

I just got this brewing kit:

Deluxe Beer Equipment Kit

and this recipe kit:

AHS Double IPA

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.

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

While you wait, head on over to brewboard. 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!

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

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.

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

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?

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

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.

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

[ QUOTE ]
While you wait, head on over to brewboard. 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.

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

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.

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

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.

Re: My first attempt at home brewing
 

[ 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.