# Home brewing - started my first batch yesterday :-)



## Rev2010 (Jan 3, 2011)

I've been beer connoisseuring now for 10 years and know shitloads about beer, all the different styles, etc. No joke when I say I've had over a thousand different beers. I'd pondered the idea of brewing my own and for Christmas this year the wife surprised me with a Coopers Micro Brewing kit. Coopers is a well known Australian brewery so I was excited to see it's a kit from a real brewery and not the "mall kits" you see all over. The process is pretty similar though as you use their cans of hopped malt extract.

We just did out first batch yesterday, the included Lager kit, and it should be ready to drink in 3 weeks or so - one week in the fermenter and two bottle conditioning. Going to age some of the batch longer to sample it with some aging. The kit makes 6 gallons which is a lot of beer  After the lager, and hoping all goes well, I'm going to do the Wheat beer kit which she also got me. After that, if that goes well, I would like to start learning how to make my own beer 100% from scratch - my own blend of hops, barley, etc instead of using their cans. That I will have to learn.

So, anyone else here homebrew beer? Have any tips or anything?


Rev.


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## lobee (Jan 3, 2011)

I got into homebrewing a few years ago, but had to stop because money is tight. I still spend a lot of time reading and learning(just got two technical brewing books for crimbo), in fact, unless you're brewing every day, most of the hobby is spent researching while your beer is sitting there doing its thing. Making beer is very easy. Making _great_ beer is where the challenge is, and if you choose this path all of your time will be spent thinking about how to improve your beer. I also listen to the shows on The Brewing Network.com - Beer radio | The Brewing Network. Can't recommend it enough. Very entertaining and tons of great beer info and interviews with some of the biggest names in craft beer. I suggest starting with the Sunday Show at the beginning and work your way up, chronologically. They also have a forum with plenty of knowledgeable folks if you have any questions. I'm sure they'd be happy to help. 


Like you, I also got started using an extract kit with pre-hopped cans(Mr. Beer). While it's a good way for a beginner to get the process down, switching to extract kits where you steep some grains and boil the hops for bitterness and flavor netted better results for me by an order of magnitude(you'll probably want to get a few hopped-extract batches under your belt before moving on). This means getting a larger brew kettle for full wort boils. You also need a method of cooling the wort quickly when you go to this method. Award winning beer can be made this way, but a lot of people will want to make the next step: all-grain brewing. The only difference is that you mash grains to get the extract instead of using liquid/dry malt extract. You have a lot more control over your beer, but it's a lot more involved and you need to make more calculations. 

*
Alright, let's take a few steps back to where you are now:*

--Cleanliness and sanitation are hugely important. Allowing bacteria and wild yeast to come into contact with your beer at any time after the boil(which sterilizes everything) can be a potential for off flavors. This is why you need to cool the wort as fast as possible after the boil to proper yeast pitching temps for fermentation to get going quickly. You want your brewer's yeast to propagate and beat out any bacteria or wild yeast. 

--I recommend going 2-2-2, which means fermenting for 2 weeks, carbonating in bottles for 2 weeks at the same temperature you fermented, and 2 weeks of cold storage/conditioning/lagering, whatever you want to call it. Without a hydrometer(an essential tool, IMO) you have no way of knowing if the fermentation is complete. That extra week fermenting gives the yeast enough time to eat all the sugar, and a chance to clean up after themselves(they poop out a lot of things as a byproduct of fermentation that they will go back and clean up when they finish eating all of the sugar). For your first beer, waiting 2-2-2 is 100% impossible, so tasting a few after the second "2" is fine to see how it changes during the process. Just make sure to save enough to age a few!

Wheat beers, and maybe hoppy beers you could get away with drinking sooner(2-2-0 or 2-2-1) as they are meant to be drank young. 

--Keep your fermentation temperatures CONSISTENT and generally on the low side of the yeast manufacturer's recommended range. Wild swings in temp and fermenting hot will cause off flavors, fermenting cold will cause the yeast to go to sleep. Mid-to-upper 60's is usually a good temp range for ale yeast. I'm pretty sure all starter kits use ale yeast, even if they call them lagers. Making lagers with lager yeast is much more difficult for beginners.

--Find and support a good local homebrew supply shop or internet shop. Here are a couple good ones in CA: Beer Making Kits and Home Brewing Supplies | MoreBeer
William's Brewing, fine homebrewing since 1979. @ Williams Brewing 

--RDWHAHB. As Charlie Papazian, a great, early progenitor of homebrewing and founder of the AHA, always says: "Relax, don't worry, have a home brew." Because whenever you start to get too stressed out you need to remember that you're just making beer, after all!


Hit me up with any questions. I'm glad to help you or anyone that wants to start brewing. I'm not the greatest teacher, but I'll try!


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## Rev2010 (Jan 3, 2011)

+Rep to you  In regard to the cleanliness, yeah I made sure to be really clean. I disinfected with a little bleach in a lot of water, like recommended. I also sanitized some pieces with boiling water. As for the temp, I'm running at 69-70 degrees constant temp in the house. I lower the heat one degree at night to lower the dry air a pinch from the central air, but I've checked the temp on the fermenter and it's same as ambient temp so I think I should be good there. Funny thing is the Cooper's instructions say 74 is ideal temp but everyone I've read posting on a homebrew forum says high 60's or 70 is better so I hope I'm good there then for this batch. Oh, and my kit came with a hydrometer for testing the beer gravity : -)


Rev.


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## lobee (Jan 3, 2011)

Sounds like you're on the right track! I don't like using bleach because of the potential off flavor and I'd be worried about not rinsing enough. I prefer a no-rinse sanitizer like Star San. Up to you though.

I would always go by the temperature range that the yeast manufacturer gives and stay on the low side. Does Cooper's give a range or do they just say 74? I'm sure you'll be fine with the ambient temp range you're using. Your fermenter will be at a slightly higher temp anyways when the yeast is highly active.

Make sure your hydrometer is calibrated in distilled water and to adjust for temperature. It can make a difference. Since you have a hydrometer you can bottle your beer when the gravity is low enough, and the reading hasn't changed for 2-3 days. I'd still wait until after the first week to take your first gravity reading. Did you take an original gravity reading, and did the Cooper's kit give you your target numbers?



BTW, for some reason I thought you were in Cali, must have confused you with someone else. Northern Brewer is closer to you and has flat rate shipping. I use them because they're local and they have an awesome shop, customer service, staff, etc. I'm not familiar with any east coast stores, but check out The Beer Mapping Project to find a local homebrew shop, among other things.


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## Asrial (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm a homebrewer!  It's mead though...

But to give some tips:


 You can NEVER get too clean with your gear!
 Let it ferment naturally, or get some chemicals to do a yeasticide P)
 If you are brewing with some mates, then brew a huge batch! I'm currently in the planning of doing 100 ltr mead with 2 mates, and then splitting the pot.
 Try to brew some beer that can take a couple of years to age, and do samples of them for eternal saving. This way, you can document your brewing, and how it turned out.
You do not need the fancy brewing yeasts, a regular bakers yeast is quite effective. Later brews are allowed to be produced with specialised yeast.
Make sure the yeast starter isn't killing the yeast by being too hot!


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## lobee (Jan 3, 2011)

^Some good advice. Two points I don't agree with, however:



Asrial said:


> Let it ferment naturally, or get some chemicals to do a yeasticide P)
> You do not need the fancy brewing yeasts, a regular bakers yeast is quite effective. Later brews are allowed to be produced with specialised yeast.




 Unless you're attempting a sour Belgian style beer, I wouldn't ferment naturally. Takes too long and is unpredictable. If you want to brew this style you can buy wild yeast strains(Brett, lacto, pedio). I'm not sure what you mean about the chemicals and yeasticide. Can you elaborate?
While you don't need to use the liquid yeasts at first(expensive and you might make some mistakes on your first batches of beer), dry brewer's yeast is cheap and effective for starting out. When you want to do specific styles and your brewing practices are up to snuff you can switch to the higher quality liquid yeast. Stay away from baker's yeast; it behaves differently than brewer's yeast. Your beer might not finish fermenting completely, leaving it too sweet and low alcohol, and off flavors could turn up.

I've never made or even drank mead, but I know there are a few differences in mead making and beer brewing. Next time I'm in Denmark(Ha!) you'll have to give me some of your mead.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 3, 2011)

@Lobee - I didn't take an original gravity reading although I did read about doing it to tell the ABV, I just figured for this very first one I'd skip it. I definitely rinsed the fermenter and equipment down a shitload with hot water after dumping out the water/bleach mix. I too wanted to be 100% sure it was clear of any residual bleach. I will look into the no rinse sanitizers in the future as well. As for the temps, the Coopers kit recommends between 21-27C so 70-80F and I'm at the bottom of that recommendation. Some of their other prints and video actually say 18-27C so I think I'm fine and am opting for the better end of the scale. I did also learn from the kit to test the gravity and again after 24 hours to make sure it's still the same as a signal fermentation has ceased.

@Asrial - Yeah, I definitely wouldn't put yeast in boiling water. As per the instructions you balanced out the fermenter temperature before adding the yeast. I had it at like 21-22C when I added the yeast.

Thanks again guys!! 


Rev.


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## lobee (Jan 3, 2011)

Are you fermenting in a plastic bucket? One of the best things about my first beers was watching the yeast go nucking futs at the most active point in fermentation(first few days) and noticing the smell coming from the fermenter thinking, "Wait, that smells like beer!" 

I love nerding out about beer.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 3, 2011)

lobee said:


> Are you fermenting in a plastic bucket? One of the best things about my first beers was watching the yeast go nucking futs at the most active point in fermentation



Yep, big 23 liter plastic fermenter (actually holds more than 23 liters, I've read up to 30. This isn't my pic but for a look:







Oh hey, since you mentioned it, I have a nice layer of krausen foam going on but haven't seen any bubbling in the airlock. But it's only been a day and I know it must've been bubbling because the water in the airlock is now uneven when it was level before. I guess that's normal/fine? I recall reading that if you see the water level in the airlock become offset that's a sign it's been gassing, so I hope that's correct 


Rev.


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## lobee (Jan 3, 2011)

If you have krausen there's definitely been some yeast sex going on in there. No worries. Depending on how much you aerated and how much viable yeast was pitched, it may take a while to get things going. You seem to have fermentation started within 24 hours which is a very good sign. 

Quick plastic fermenter cleaning tip: Don't scrub at or scratch the inside of it. Clean the inside very gently with a soft sponge or cloth. Scratches give bacteria good places to hide and can affect the flavor of your future beers. If you start getting off flavors eventually, you'll probably want to replace the fermenter(plastic is cheap). A lot of people use glass carboys because they don't scratch as easily. Not without their downside, glass carboys are bulky and dangerous. Brewer's choice.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah, I read a bunch about not washing it with abrasives nor soaps and detergents. I definitely wouldn't clean it with anything that could scratch it, as you said a soft sponge will be perfect. 


Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 4, 2011)

lobee said:


> ^Some good advice. Two points I don't agree with, however:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


There might be some differences I'm unfamiliar with. In mead, you really want to have the yeast to fizzle out on its own, because the yeast might have some hefty side effects. But baking yeast is efficent enough when brewing. My grandfather and my uncle are experienced distillers and brewers, and they mentioned, that special brewers yeast was just a specialized type of regular yeast. Of course, you might want to use them, but start out with regular baking yeast.

In mead brewing also, there is some clarity-problems with the final product. Hence, there is some different chemicals that can be added to simply obliterate the obscuring agents in the mead.
"Yeasticide" is a "homebrewed" word, that means yeast killing... 

And of course!  I'll prep a bottle when time comes.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 4, 2011)

are you going to make a special label, kind of metal one?

congrats and taking the plunge and brewing your own. Are there any local festival / contest you are planning on entering to gauge your efforts against others?


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## Asrial (Jan 4, 2011)

I don't think that a homebrewing project without ambition would ever be sought after by the masses.  So don't go berserk on the packaging.

Personally, I'm on a headhunt for empty vodka-bottles and the likes.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 4, 2011)

in the US, but these could be fun

Corked & Swingtop Bottles - Specialty Bottle


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## Rev2010 (Jan 4, 2011)

ralphy1976 said:


> are you going to make a special label, kind of metal one?
> 
> congrats and taking the plunge and brewing your own. Are there any local festival / contest you are planning on entering to gauge your efforts against others?



Heh, nowhere near needing any label yet haha. I don't know if I'd do a competition thing when I finally got good at it. I certainly wouldn't rule it out. I was thinking that maybe someday down the line if the whole brewing thing works out that maybe, just maybe, I can look at making a living off of it and finally get out of the frakkin' IT field!! I've been doing IT professionally for law firms for over 10 years now and also did a lower end IT job for 3 years prior. I'm so sick of it. Of course, I'm not a dreamer that sits around and fantasizes about such things. I just have that little thought in the back of my head, like what if after a number of years I have a small lineup of kickass brews that I could sell? I would then look into the next step of what possibilities there are to turn it into a living. Of course at that point it surely would help to have won some beer medals in the contests.


Rev.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 4, 2011)

great plan Rev. Well either way you might have to film you drinking your very 1st pint from your own brew...and post it on here of course!!!!

good luck with the venture anyhow, sounds totally cool and refreshing..like a good beer...i know, i know..


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## lobee (Jan 4, 2011)

Asrial said:


> There might be some differences I'm unfamiliar with. In mead, you really want to have the yeast to fizzle out on its own, because the yeast might have some hefty side effects. But baking yeast is efficent enough when brewing. My grandfather and my uncle are experienced distillers and brewers, and they mentioned, that special brewers yeast was just a specialized type of regular yeast. Of course, you might want to use them, but start out with regular baking yeast.


I'd still stick with brewer's yeast because it's been cultivated to have different characteristics, specific to beer making. Baker's yeast is aggressive and will ferment too quickly, allowing off flavors. Brewer's yeast will act slower with less off flavors, and it can withstand the higher alcohol content. Not to say your family is doing it wrong; either way you'll get beer. 

Of course, you could always do a split batch and pitch baker's yeast into half and brewer's yeast in the other half. But the way I see it, if you plan on making beer with the intention of eventually using brewer's yeast, why not just start out with brewer's yeast right away to learn about the way it reacts and behaves. Dry brewer's yeast is cheap and has come a long way in quality. Still not as good as liquid yeast that you'd get from White Labs or Wyeast--the lower quality is merely a side effect of the way dry yeast is made--but perfect for the experimenting beginner.


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## Asrial (Jan 5, 2011)

@lobee:
As said, brewers yeast is just modified bakers yeast. And the statement, that the brewers yeast can withstand higher alcohol content is straight up false. o.o Right opposite, I've read a good amount of places, that some brewing yeasts are inferior to bakers yeast when it comes to alcohol content, with portwine-yeast being one of the only yeasts generating higher alcohol content. 
And we're not beer-brewers at all; my grandfather is a distillation master, and my uncle creates cider and god-knows-what-else on my grandfathers stills. So yeast plays a not-so-huge role for us. Of course, better flavour, but we want potency.


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## slothrop (Jan 7, 2011)

I started homebrewing about a year ago and it's a blast, the most difficult part is waiting!

I started off with extract then I moved up to partial mash, but I don't have the equipment to do all grain just yet.

I make primarily strong IPA's and Porter's, I haven't tried a lager since i don't have a lagering fridge to keep proper temps, but I want to try making a Pilsner at some point.

I mix it up between dry and liquid yeast, I can't really tell a difference flavor wise so I usually go dry since it's it's cheaper. I ferment in primary 2-3 weeks @ 68-70F then move to a secondary for a couple weeks since I usually dry hop and to let the yeast settle. After that it's bottle conditioning until they're carbonated, I probably don't wait long enough because they usually taste great after a week or so. Every batch has turned out so far and I have found the flavors do change significantly(in a good way) over time.

A great book on home brewing is John Palmer's How to Brew, and the forum homebrewtalk is an excellent resource.

As a matter of fact, I'll be brewing this weekend, cheers!


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## Rev2010 (Jan 7, 2011)

slothrop said:


> A great book on home brewing is John Palmer's How to Brew, and the forum homebrewtalk is an excellent resource.



Ha, already beat ya to it  I bought that book the day before yesterday and am reading it. I also signed up to Homebrewtalk.com a few days ago and posted there.

Yeah waiting sure is the tough part. I'm just looking forward to trying the first one. After that I can be way patient. Not yet decided if on this first brew I'm going to listen to the directions and check the gravity reading this Saturday and Sunday and if steady bottle. It will only be a full week in the fermenter and I know everyone recommends 2 weeks or more on average especially for clearing up the beer and any left over possible off flavors from the yeasts work. But it's the very first brew so I dunno, I may just do it "by the instructions" for this first one (which say 6-7 days).

My next is going to be a hefeweizen, or at least Coopers version of it since I have their extract kit for it. However, I'm thinking with that one to definitely use a much better brand/quality of yeast and possibly adding something to it so it'll have a little bit of my experimenting in it.


Rev.


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## slothrop (Jan 12, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> Ha, already beat ya to it  I bought that book the day before yesterday and am reading it. I also signed up to Homebrewtalk.com a few days ago and posted there.
> 
> Yeah waiting sure is the tough part. I'm just looking forward to trying the first one. After that I can be way patient. Not yet decided if on this first brew I'm going to listen to the directions and check the gravity reading this Saturday and Sunday and if steady bottle. It will only be a full week in the fermenter and I know everyone recommends 2 weeks or more on average especially for clearing up the beer and any left over possible off flavors from the yeasts work. But it's the very first brew so I dunno, I may just do it "by the instructions" for this first one (which say 6-7 days).
> 
> ...


My first brew I left it in the fermenter for a week then bottled because i couldn't wait, it turned out drinkable but not great. You know I never check the gravity, I can never get an accurate reading on the hydrometer, I just let it go 2 or 3 weeks before bottling and all seems to be good.

If you need some good extract kits Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies have not let me down.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 12, 2011)

Mr. Beer Fans, a great home brewing forum.
Mr.Beer® Forum - Forums powered by UBB.threads

Also, anyone wanna make a Bender brewer?
The Bender Brewer Project






I've been meaning to try making some mead myself.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 12, 2011)

DELETED DOUBLEPOST


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## Rev2010 (Jan 13, 2011)

Duuude, that Bender model is awesome! Especially with the fermenter in it 

@slothrop - I do have a hydrometer so I tested two days in a row with a FG of 1008 which was spot on so I bottled. I just figured for the very first brew to just go exactly by directions, but if the FG were higher I would've waited longer. They're bottle conditioning now for 2 weeks and should be ready 1/23. Though, I'm popping one open this Sunday, after 7 days, just because it's my birthday and I'm anxious and figured it's at least a learning experience to see where beer sits at such a young point. It will give me a better comparative reference.

Also, I just ordered from Midwest Supplies yesterday. I got 48 500ml (16.9oz) bottles coming for my next wheat batch - since wheat beer glasses are 500ml of course. I also got 16oz Star San sanitizer. I wanted to also order 2lbs of Briess Wheat DME and the Wyeast 3068 yeast so i could start my Hefeweizen this weekend but since the temperature won't even be above freezing today or tomorrow I figured it's better to wait and order Sunday or so. Don't want the yeast to freeze.

So my Hefeweizen will be:

3.75lb Cooper's Wheat LME
2lb Briess Wheat DME
500g Light Dry Malt
Wyeast 3068 yeast

I'm VERY anxious to see how it comes out. I'll probably ferment for 10 days up to a week in the primary then bottle. Of course all depending on what the hydrometer reads 


Rev.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 13, 2011)

looking forward to seeing pics of your 1st brew..also you will have to video your very 1st taste of your very 1st brew...


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## Rev2010 (Jan 13, 2011)

ralphy1976 said:


> looking forward to seeing pics of your 1st brew..also you will have to video your very 1st taste of your very 1st brew...



Thanks man! I was thinking of skipping any video of the first one, since it was basically just "follow the instructions". Though I do plan on taking some photos of it in a glass if it comes out relatively decent and have a drink of it.

When I do the hefeweizen though I was thinking of video taping it in 720p with my Sanyo HD cam. It does 1080 but in interlaced, which will be weird on Youtube I'd think. I figure some vid of the brewing day making it, some small along the way clips, bottling day, and finally tasting day. I was thinking it would be nicest to record it all and upload as one complete video rather than upload each one separately which some people do. In all honesty I myself don't really every go back and check for the later additions so it's best to do it complete I think.


Rev.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 13, 2011)

whatever you think is ok with you buddy, you are the brewer after all, but i would be really intrigued to see what others would make of your brew without knowing it was home made!!!!

how are your (non www) friend treating this project? are you getting a lot of abuse?


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## Rev2010 (Jan 13, 2011)

ralphy1976 said:


> how are your (non www) friend treating this project? are you getting a lot of abuse?



I don't really have any non-www friends  LOL. All my best friends moved to other states for life changes or jobs. I do have my singer and his wife though, and they love to drink. I was thinking when it's done to have them over for a beer get together. My boss, who's the same age as me, likes beer so I can probably bring one in for him to try. The wife has a couple of friends but she doesn't like hanging out with them much anymore.

Ugh... I need to find some new friends  I sound pathetic I know. But man, seems like most people in their 30's just want to hermit at home with their gf or spouse. 


Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 14, 2011)

Mate, they're surely migrating to grow some kids. 

To the topic, 23rd, that's close! Can't wait to see some pictures, and specs on your next brew.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 14, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> I don't really have any non-www friends  LOL. All my best friends moved to other states for life changes or jobs. I do have my singer and his wife though, and they love to drink. I was thinking when it's done to have them over for a beer get together. My boss, who's the same age as me, likes beer so I can probably bring one in for him to try. The wife has a couple of friends but she doesn't like hanging out with them much anymore.
> 
> Ugh... I need to find some new friends  I sound pathetic I know. But man, seems like most people in their 30's just want to hermit at home with their gf or spouse.
> 
> ...



know how you feel Rev. Most my "friends" are either adults who believe they are still students and get pissed all the time, or .... (boring) adults...I say Yay for Interwebz!!!

Anyway, i am really looking forward to your 1st impression on your 1st home brew!!!


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## Rev2010 (Jan 14, 2011)

Asrial said:


> Can't wait to see some pictures, and specs on your next brew.



Specs on the next one are one page back, post #25 


Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 14, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> Specs on the next one are one page back, post #25


Deeerp. ._.
Last time i saw the thread was on post 24... 
Oh well, looks really nice!


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## Rev2010 (Jan 14, 2011)

Asrial said:


> Deeerp. ._.
> Last time i saw the thread was on post 24...
> Oh well, looks really nice!



Heh, no problem man  I'm going to crack open one of the beers Sunday since it's my birthday. Even though it's only gonna be a week in the bottle and it's best to wait at least 2 weeks for full carbonation. I figure what the heck, at least I'll get some knowledge what it's like too young and still along the way. I'll let you guys know what it's like. Sucks though even waiting one more day lol. When I do the wheat it's gonna be completely by the books - no early bottling (calling "racking" in the beer world) and no early opening. The beer is supposed to improve significantly more with additional weeks in the bottle so as time goes on I'll also post updates to how it matures.


Rev.


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## Universe74 (Jan 16, 2011)

A pic from last year. Brewing rocks.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 16, 2011)

So I opened one of the bottles today, as I said it's still very young being only one week bottling conditioning where it should be at least two. Tasted pretty crappy lol. Still a bit sweet as the sugar clearly isn't fully converted yet. The carbonation was only about 1/3 or so what a usual beer has. Drank the whole thing anyway. It's an interesting learning experience to know what it's like at different stages. I of course was *not* expecting it to be all ready today, not at all. But I wanted to know what it's like if opened too soon and I now know 

I didn't take any pictures cause at this point you'd just had seen a cloudy beer with very little carbonation. It will be better when it's done conditioning and is clear and somewhat golden with a lot of carbonation. 

So when I started it I had already read up a lot from homebrewer's advising to ignore the instructions in the kit and let it sit two weeks in the primary (fermenter) rather than one. I figured it's the very first one I'm doing so for sake of experience I will follow the instructions to see what results. I will definitely say the beer would be much better if left in the primary two weeks and 2-3 weeks bottle conditioning. But of course, following that advice I'd never know what too young, too early, beer results in and all that. So no regrets there. Now if I do the same one again and do it the correct way I have a basis for comparison!

Anyhow, next weekend I will be starting my Hefeweizen. And since then it will be 2 weeks in the bottle for this batch I'll pop open another one and see what it's like. So long as it finally comes out like a regular beer I will snap some photos. The Hefe I am doing completely the correct way, not following any kit instructions, and am also going to add my own spin as mentioned. Excited to see how that one turns out.


Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 16, 2011)

Well, now it's going to be über tempting to make beer also!


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 16, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> So when I started it I had already read up a lot from homebrewer's advising to *ignore the instructions in the kit and let it sit two weeks in the primary (fermenter) rather than one*. I figured it's the very first one I'm doing so for sake of experience I will follow the instructions to see what results. *I will definitely say the beer would be much better if left in the primary two weeks and 2-3 weeks bottle conditioning*. But of course, following that advice I'd never know what too young, too early, beer results in and all that. So no regrets there. Now if I do the same one again and do it the correct way I have a basis for comparison!


So true-all the "Mr Beer Fans" folks say that for most beers a 2/2/2 schedule (2 weeks in primary/2 weeks carbonating/2 weeks conditioning) brings good results.

Though letting a beer condition for longer is actually a good idea-and tends to make it taste better-most folks get too impatient .


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## Rev2010 (Jan 16, 2011)

Yep, it's a hobby that requires a lot of patience. So, as many do I also just ordered another kit today so I can have two beers running at a time or a week apart if I space them out. 

So with the wheat beer coming next I will also be doing an amber ale either at the same time or a week apart.  Gonna try to make it like Pizzeria Uno's amber ale, which is made by Sam Adams and is quite similar to their Boaton Ale but smoother and a bit less hoppy/bitter. 

Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 17, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> *Yep, it's a hobby that requires a lot of patience. *



Shame on you, mead requires more than double the amount of time! 
It takes around 2-3 weeks to get the first round of fermentation, and the secondary fermentation can take anywhere from 1 to 3-4 months!
Mead takes that much time to produce, and from the point of where it has stopped fermenting, it only gets better with age. And it lasts virtually forever if stored correctly.

Just wanted to point that out, so when compared to mead, beer is a short procedure.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 17, 2011)

Asrial said:


> Just wanted to point that out, so when compared to mead, beer is a short procedure.



Only depends on the type of beer. A Weizenbock for example typically takes 6 months. Generally the higher gravity beers take a lot longer. Lagering also takes longer. Sometimes people cold condition their lagers for 4 months or so. And the colder you lager at the longer it takes due to the slower yeast activity.

But yeah, good thing I'm not a mead fan 


Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 17, 2011)

A beer is a beer, until it reaches past a certain volume point in my book. Then it's a wine made out of x materials.

But agreed, some beers takes forever to ferment, but for the regular pilsner, it's a short process.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 17, 2011)

Asrial said:


> A beer is a beer, until it reaches past a certain volume point in my book



Even Barleywine, which is a beer, is still nothing like wine. I've seen some recipe's such as a Double IPA that takes 4 months and Imperial Stouts that takes 6 months. Both are still completely beers with no wine similarities but take a long time bottle conditioning. I've also had vintaged beers that were 2-4 years old and those also did not taste like wine's but rather very complex beers.

So yes, most common beers are a 6 week process or so, but some beer can and does take just as long as mead and even some wine's. A lot of belgian trappist style beer also takes many months to be ready. Just saying - don't paint beer as being so quick and easy  And when doing all grain beer it's well known to be more complicated than wine since the sugars in the barley malt need to be extracted. The sugars in wine are already available in the grapes.


Rev.


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## Asrial (Jan 18, 2011)

Sorry for a blurry response;
I categorize beer as a wine when it exceeds regular alcohol volume, and flavor complexity is present.
Very fine beer is a kind of wine in my opinion, because of the high volume and complexity, but might not be regarded as one.
And normally, high-volume beers usually develop for a long time, which generates a complexity in flavor.


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## s_the_fallen (Jan 18, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> I don't really have any non-www friends  LOL. All my best friends moved to other states for life changes or jobs. I do have my singer and his wife though, and they love to drink. I was thinking when it's done to have them over for a beer get together. My boss, who's the same age as me, likes beer so I can probably bring one in for him to try. The wife has a couple of friends but she doesn't like hanging out with them much anymore.
> 
> Ugh... I need to find some new friends  I sound pathetic I know. But man, seems like most people in their 30's just want to hermit at home with their gf or spouse.
> 
> ...


You let me know when to drink and I am there man!


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## Rev2010 (Jan 18, 2011)

s_the_fallen said:


> You let me know when to drink and I am there man!



Awesome.  Wonder where in Jersey you are. I'll PM ya.


Rev.


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## slothrop (Jan 18, 2011)

Asrial said:


> Sorry for a blurry response;
> I categorize beer as a wine when it exceeds regular alcohol volume, and flavor complexity is present.
> Very fine beer is a kind of wine in my opinion, because of the high volume and complexity, but might not be regarded as one.
> And normally, high-volume beers usually develop for a long time, which generates a complexity in flavor.


Even a complex beer is not wine, it's beer! They're made from completely different ingredients, a 10% Russian Imperial Stout is nothing like a wine, yes it's complex but a lot of things are complex. I make fairly high-gravity beers which are very complex and I ferment for four weeks max before bottle conditioning. My beers don't last long enough to let them sit lol.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 21, 2011)

So last night I caved in to impatience and put a bottle in the fridge. I figured what the heck, there were 30 bottles total so if I have one I'll still have 28 740ml bottles. Put it in the freezer for an hour to chill and popped it open. It was pretty good! It's got a lot more carbonation than the one I tried Sunday, still not all the way there yet but it's quite close. The beer is also clearing, was a lot less cloudy than Sunday's. It also tasted a lot better. Again, still needs more time but I found myself wishing I'd put another in the freezer so I could drink two instead of switching over to Becks (which I do like).

So I'm pretty psyched. Starting my hefeweizen tomorrow and maybe even the amber ale too. I can only imagine how much better those will come out being I'm switching out the dextrose for DME. 


Rev.


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## Razzy (Jan 21, 2011)

Awesome dude! Homebrewing is way fun. Here's a picture of my setup.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 21, 2011)

Whoa, what are you brewing with that setup?

Oh hey, I'll snap a photo this weekend of the beer.


Rev.


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## Razzy (Jan 21, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> Whoa, what are you brewing with that setup?
> 
> Oh hey, I'll snap a photo this weekend of the beer.
> 
> ...



It just occurred to me that my meth lab joke might not be as funny as I thought at first.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 21, 2011)

Razzy said:


> It just occurred to me that my meth lab joke might not be as funny as I thought at first.



Nah, it was funny, I forgot to add the smiley lol 


Rev.


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## Rev2010 (Jan 22, 2011)

OK, here are some pics of the beer. Yeah it's early and I'm drinking a bit, wanna fight about it? (lol, Family Guy pun). Also, excuse my bummy appearance as I haven't yet showered:


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## Rev2010 (Jan 22, 2011)

Of course I couldn't leave out my youngest, Sammy:


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## Rev2010 (Jan 22, 2011)

Here's my hefeweizen in the fermenter. We took it outside to cool a little before pitching the yeast.


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## josh pelican (Jan 25, 2011)

All_¥our_Bass;2290538 said:


> Also, anyone wanna make a Bender brewer?
> The Bender Brewer Project



That's it, I'm going to start home brewing.


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## s_the_fallen (Jan 30, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> OK, here are some pics of the beer. Yeah it's early and I'm drinking a bit, wanna fight about it? (lol, Family Guy pun). Also, excuse my bummy appearance as I haven't yet showered:


 Congrats man!


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## Rev2010 (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks man  What I'm really looking forward to though is the two beers I have running now. One more week in the fermenter and I'll be bottling this coming weekend. Then of course there's the two week bottle conditioning wait  Man, takes a lot of patience before you get the reward. That first beer isn't so great. It's not bad at all, just a bit tart and still a tad citrusy. I kind of expected that though because I intentionally followed the instructions and bottled after a week, should've let it sit for two and I also should've used DME instead of Dextrose. But hey, it was the very first one so I did what they said for the heck of it.


Rev.


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## Rev2010 (Feb 12, 2011)

Just bottled my Amber Ale today, and now I play the waiting game lol. So here's two pics of my hefeweizen at only one week old in the bottle. Yes, one week is too young, should really be 3 weeks but I had a reason I wanted to open one that I won't bother getting into here. Anyhow, for only one week it was decently carbed up! Tastes great too  Can't wait to see how it is after 3 weeks in the bottle.











Rev.


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## lobee (Feb 14, 2011)

Time to shake the cobwebs off(almost literally in terms of my equipment)! It's been too long since I brewed, so I decided to order ingredients for two 2.125 gallon extract batches(one will be a partial mash), which should hopefully turn up tomorrow.

Tentative recipes:

*Altbier*
3.3 lb. Munich LME
0.125-0.25 lb. Carafa II, steeped
1 oz. Spalt hop pellets, boiled for 60 min.
Wyeast 1007 German Ale

*ESB
*2 lb. Light DME
1 lb. Maris Otter, mashed
Small amount of Carafa II in the mash for color(maybe 0.125 oz)
1 oz. UK Fuggles
1 oz. Kent Goldings
(still working out the bittering/flavor/aroma edition regimen)
Wyeast 1450

Fermenting both at 63F. I'm somewhat limited in what styles I want to brew this time of year because it's too cold for most ales and too warm for most lagers. I could probably get away with some lagers in the basement but I didn't want to go through the extra hassle this time in the name of keeping it simple. Definitely looking into a temperature controller in the future, along with a new all-grain setup, kegging system, armies of carboys and kegs, chest freezer, kegerator, brew sculpture, conical fermenters, and a new pair of underpants from this wet dream.


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## Rev2010 (Feb 15, 2011)

lobee said:


> this time of year because it's too cold for most ales and too warm for most lagers.



Cool to hear you're jumping back in! Keep us updated for sure. About the temperature thingy, yeah I'm already wondering what the heck I'm gonna do in the summer. I want to keep brewing year round and I'm now wondering how I'm going to keep my fermenters cool. Typically I use two airconditioners in the house, since Central Air costs a fortune. I only leave one running during the day while we're at work, and that's to keep 3 rooms in the house cool enough for our two dogs. I try to keep the ambient temp at about 70-72, a bit on the top end of warm for most ale yeasts. Then the fermentation generates heat itself raising it a few more degrees. My wife will flip if I cold blast the house LOL so I'm going to have to think of something.


Rev.


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## Asrial (Feb 15, 2011)

Why not build a fermentation chamber then? Nothing too fancy, just make sure it's well isolated and, to some extent, transportable in case you are going to move in the next 5 years.
You can then proceed to install a small AC system in that room. Should probably work for quite a decent amount of carboys. 

And I might start out with brewing in july when I return from the festival. Wanna try to brew some sort of pale lager/pilsner, that could possibly suit my mead quite well.


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## lobee (Feb 15, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> I'm already wondering what the heck I'm gonna do in the summer. I want to keep brewing year round and I'm now wondering how I'm going to keep my fermenters cool.


Try picking up a used reefer from craigslist. You can hook up a temp controller like one of these: 
Johnson Controls Refrigerator Thermostat - Fermentation Temperature Control - Fermenting Equipment - Equipment 
Digital Temperature Controller - Fermentation Temperature Control - Fermenting Equipment - Equipment

If I had the spare change, I'd have done this already. Also look into fermentation chambers like Asrial mentioned.




Asrial said:


> Why not build a fermentation chamber then?




An excellent solution. I may have to build one this summer!

http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/son_of_chiller.pdf
Wort-O-Matic: 38DD Mother of a Fermentation Chiller
Pictures of the "Son of Fermentation" chiller in action
Brewshed and Cooler (permanent, but so damn cool, pardon the pun)


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## s_the_fallen (Feb 15, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> Just bottled my Amber Ale today, and now I play the waiting game lol. So here's two pics of my hefeweizen at only one week old in the bottle. Yes, one week is too young, should really be 3 weeks but I had a reason I wanted to open one that I won't bother getting into here. Anyhow, for only one week it was decently carbed up! Tastes great too  Can't wait to see how it is after 3 weeks in the bottle.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This one looks perfect!


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## Rev2010 (Feb 15, 2011)

s_the_fallen said:


> This one looks perfect!



Well you're certainly welcome to come over and have a few  This weekend will make it two weeks in the bottle and for a hefe it will be fully primed and ready to drink. If you're free this weekend PM me. The Amber Ale will be ready not this weekend but maybe the next, though for the Amber I'm thinking it will really be best after 3 weeks in the bottle so shooting for optimal that puts it at ready on 3/5.


Rev.


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## s_the_fallen (Feb 16, 2011)

Rev2010 said:


> Well you're certainly welcome to come over and have a few  This weekend will make it two weeks in the bottle and for a hefe it will be fully primed and ready to drink. If you're free this weekend PM me. The Amber Ale will be ready not this weekend but maybe the next, though for the Amber I'm thinking it will really be best after 3 weeks in the bottle so shooting for optimal that puts it at ready on 3/5.
> 
> 
> Rev.


I have a birthday party to go to this weekend. I'll let you know about next. I should be free. Cannot wait to taste it!


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## Rev2010 (Feb 21, 2011)

Here's my beautiful Amber Ale. Still young as it's only 9 days in the bottle here, but I'll tell ya it beats the shit out of Sam Adams Boston Ale (which I like!):


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## lobee (Feb 23, 2011)

^Looks tasty! A few weeks of cold conditioning and it should clear right up.


A little update on my beer: I brewed the Alt last Wednesday and the ESB Thursday. I was surprised that the Alt went almost without a hitch. The only thing I forgot was the Irish Moss in the boil, so a lot of the hot break material didn't settle out when I cooled the wort. The yeast went pretty nuts, showing thick krausen within 20 hours and oozing out of the fermenter for the first few days. 

Brewing the ESB didn't go as well as the Alt. I accidentally swapped one of the Fuggles and Goldings additions(not a huge deal, hop flavor/aroma profile just won't be exactly what I wanted), I still didn't remember that I had Irish Moss at this point, the color was darker than I expected, and I missed my target gravity by 10 points. This has been a theme with all of my recipes using a decent amount of grains. I finally realized that it was my recipe calculator program's fault(QBrew). I now downloaded a free trial of Beersmith and the numbers match up almost perfectly with my measurements. So, all those brews I thought I messed up on because the gravity was too low or the color turned out too dark was because QBrew was showing them as higher than what Beersmith would have shown. If this batch turns out good, I'll probably re-brew it and get the hop additions right. I'd also add another pound of Maris Otter; that shit tasted so good(always chew your grains!). Ideally, all of the base malt would be MO, but I'm not doing all-grain yet. Another thing I would do differently is use medium Crystal malt and dial the roasted malt back. I snuck a taste today and right now it's looking and tasting more like a hoppy brown ale than an ESB(too much roasted malt, fuckin' QBrew).


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## Rev2010 (Feb 24, 2011)

Yeah I switched from QBrew to Beersmith quick! Did the trial and loved it so I went ahead and bought it - it's dirt cheap anyway by software standards.Runs perfectly in Linux too with Wine. Everything has been coming out so on point to Beersmith's estimates. I'm usually within .01 of the estimated gravity - so where it estimates 1.053 for example I'll have 1.052.

In regard to the amber, it will clear a little more but I don't think it will clear much. Reason being, I didn't use any fining agents (irish moss, whirlfloc, etc) and the hop trub went into the primary with the rest of the wort. Since I did the amber I've gotten a sweet strainer that I am now using to keep the hop pellet sludge from going into my primary and it's worked perfectly! So the next time I do an amber (want to do my own recipe from scratch) I plan to use some fining agents and strain out the sludge. I also think I'd siphon it over to a bottling bucket (which I bought recently) to also help make it clear. Currently I've been filling bottles from my primary's built in spigot and I'm very happy with it, but for beers that should be clear (pilsners, ambers, etc) I figured I should have a bottling bucket.

But either way, I'm not uber concerned with clearing the beer for my own consumption. If I ever want to enter it into a contest then I'll definitely need it nice and clear.


Rev.


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## lobee (Feb 24, 2011)

You might be surprised at how well extract beers can clear up when stored cold and undisturbed long enough. My beers turned out clear before I even knew what a fining agent was. I agree that for personal consumption it really doesn't matter what the beer looks like, but it's still nice to have a beer that looks as good as it tastes.

Batch priming makes the most sense to me, too(apart from kegging). Even carbonation across all bottles, more accurate carbonation levels, less measuring of sugar, less chance of bottle bombs.

I always seem to forget to bust out my strainer. I usually don't need it since the Irish Moss does a pretty good job, but I'm going to start using it anyway.


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## Rev2010 (Feb 24, 2011)

lobee said:


> You might be surprised at how well extract beers can clear up when stored cold and undisturbed long enough.



Yep, already know  That first beer pic I posted here (three posts down on this page) was pretty much crystal clear by the fourth week, and yeah keeping in the fridge longer also helps clear it. Unless of course the wort was cooled too slowly and becomes susceptible to chill haze.


Rev.


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