Anybody here brew beer?

[Freebird]

My wife got me a beer brewing system for Father's Day. So tomorrow I will start my first batch of a Double IPA as I like the IPA beers. Anybody here brew beer? It seems pretty straight forward but I would welcome any tips. The main thing that I've picked up on so far is make sure to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize.

[Eck]

Freebird,

I have never brewed any beer, however my son has been brewing beer for about 6 years now. I just sent him an email asking him for his lessons learned. If/ when he replies I will forward to you.

Best I can do on the subject other than be your official "taste tester"...............:

 

 

Edit: My son just sent his reply...here it is.

 

Keep it at 21°-27°C

If it's too gassy it means too much of the priming sugar was used

Lack of head means too much water was used

If his equipment wasn't sanitized properly it'll have a white skin or sour taste. (That means it has an infection)...........

Edited June 28, 2015 by Eck

[Great adVENTURE]

Patience, let the wort work. Don't disturb it and keep the temperature stabile. And yes sanitize, sanitize, sanitize everything. Good luck and enjoy the process

[Wrench]

No beer, but I'm getting ready to try some winemaking. I went yesterday and talked to a friend that's big into it, and he really stressed the sanitizing part. He said he lost 5 gallons of wine last year because he missed sanitizing a piece of his racking tubing.

[uechi kid]

I'm guessing she bought you a malt extract kit and you're going to brew on the kitchen stove. If so, remember, after you add the hops a foam crust will develop on the boiling wort. You need to watch it closely. It can boil over very fast. My suggestion is to keep the wort just at a boil until the wort settles down. Boil overs are not fun to clean up and you lose some of your hops. The last thing you want to do with a Double IPA is lose any hops.

Here is a great forum with great people, (like this forum) with a wealth of information. Good luck today.

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum.php

[Freebird]

Yes, that is what she bought. I watched a video on YouTube about that point where it will boil over if you aren't careful. Thanks for the reminder. I'll check out that forum. My first attempt is going to be a Double IPA because that is sort of my beer of choice at this time.

[Bones]

Wash in warm or hot as you see fit. Sanitize in cold water and Clorox and let drip for a just a little bit... not hot, as it destroys the antibiotic properties of the chlorine. There are commercial products available also, but not needed IMO. I never used priming sugar, I just let the residual sugars in the Wort (pronounced Wert) do the job of carbonating. Glass grenades are not fun and the extra sugar can be a problem, though it will take a few days longer to be drinkable. Added sugar can impart a cider like flavor to the beer and to me is not desirable, however your kit may require/suggest it. Is it a Mr. Beer kit? If so, just follow directions and it typically comes out fine. Ferment in a temperature stable environment and avoid a lot of light if the fermenter is see through. If you bottle I would suggest you use amber as it will protect the beer from getting skunky and store in a UV free area until it is to be consumed. Also real ales are typically drank at cellar temps about 50 to 55 degrees F. You can better taste the subtle flavors of the beer. If you tap directly form the kit then don't worry... bottle will come later if you progress.

 

Beer kits are fun. Then comes the the joy of 5 gallon kits if you progress, followed by partial and full mashes that come later if. Enjoy!

Edited June 28, 2015 by Bones
spelling

[Bones]

Also I just saw the last post above mine, I would search on boil over preventer or pot minder. They will help keep the pot from boiling over... the operative word is help. Good luck.

[Sylvester]

Never brewed beer but have drank a vat of it over the years.

 

[BigLenny]

Good-ness! After reading all of the posts above on the different things you must or must not do to make beer, doesn't really sound like something human beings should be drinking. LOL.

[XV1100SE]

How did the first batch work out?

 

Are you going to have some labels made? What are you calling your home brewery?

[Freebird]

This is a "Brewer's Best" kit. It is a 5 gallon kit. The kit came with a no rinse sanitizer so I'm good there. For whatever reason, they recommend that you do a two stage fermentation. Especially if you are a new brewer. So I also got a 5 gallon carboy. So after 5 to 7 days, I will transfer it to the carboy to let it finish fermenting. Also have to pick up more bottles. She picked up 24 bottles and caps with the kit but I will need at least twice that many to bottle 5 gallons.

 

Didn't get started yesterday. The post I had planned to use was too big to fit on my stovetop due to the microwave being mounted above the stove. It is a way bigger pot that I really need. The next size pot I had would have been filled within a couple inches from the top before even adding the malt and etc. and I felt it would be too easy to boil over. So I will pick up a pot this week and then get started next weekend.

 

Haven't come up with a name yet and don't plan to buy any labels at this time. I looked on line and those labels get expensive. I will keep looking until I find something cheap. I can't see spending a buck each on labels.

[billmac]

Let's see. name: cheap beer. pot to tall : remove micro wave making beer: follow instructions to the letter. I don't make or never made beer, my friend made a batch and showed us how neat it was, we were playing cards and the bottles started blowing the caps off, guess he missed a step or two.

[Motorcycle Mike]

I've been brewing for about 4 years now.

I love IPA's so thats what I make.

I would suggest you wait more like 2 weeks before moving your beer to secondary fermentor to make sure fermentation is finished. Make sure fermentation is done by taking several gravity readings over several days. The seconday is just for clearing up the beer, not finish fermenting. Many say moving the beer to a secondary fermentor is not nessasary. I move mine.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

More than you ever wanted to know about home brewing here.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum.php

Most importantly DWHAHB. "Dont Worry Have A Home Brew"

[Motorcycle Mike]

As far a lables, I just use round Avery lables. I put the name of the beer and the date bottled on the lable and put the lable on the cap. You print them with your computr and printer.

[Ventureless]

I have been brewing for over 10 years now. My wife made the mistake of getting me a Mr Beer kit. I did one batch and decided I needed to make more and better beer. So I started buying large pots, glass carboys, bottling equipment, propane burner to cook it outside, and on an on and on. I would make 3 5 gallon batches at a time. The first few I had some disasters!! My lovely wife was not to happy when we got home one day and she walked into the spare, never used bathroom where I kept the carboys to ferment and everything was covered with beer and foam!!! One of my airlocks filled with foam and got clogged and then it built up pressure until it blew the airlock right out and beer everywhere. Running down the walls and dripping off the ceiling.

 

Talking about the airlock, use vodka in your airlock or whatever you use. It is more sanitary.

 

You said you were going to get a pot. DO yourself a favor and pay the price for one with a built in valve. It makes it much easier to transfer to your carboy.

 

Buy a wort chiller. Makes life so much easier when cooling your wort to transfer to the carboy. Your wort must be cooled before pitching the yeast or you will kill your yeast. Also make sure your yeast is warm before pitching. It is best to make a yeast starter. If using the dry yeast, just mix with some warm water for an hour or so. If using the liquid or smack packs, make sure you take them out in plenty of time to warm up and start activating before pitching in the wort. You can also mix the liquid yeast in the vials with warm water before pitching.

 

Definitely use the secondary fermenter to clear the beer some. If not you will have a lot of sediment. Not that it is a bad thing, but the only beer I make that I want sediment in is a good wheat beer.

 

And as has been said, make sure everything is sanitized well. If making a yeast starter, make sure whatever you make it in is sanitized. When transferring wort or bottling, make sure all tubing is sanitized. If you use a spoon for stirring wort, keep a small pitcher of sanitizing solution or diluted bleach water to keep the spoon in after each use.

 

After a few batches of the extract brewing, you will want to try partial mashes which you can still do stove top or propane burner fairly easily. Really only a few extra peices of equipment needed and the taste will be better than extract. Then from there, full mash!!!! You should also go to some of the recipe calculator websites to make your own recipes and buy loose ingredients instead of kits. I like barley wine style brews and now make my own recipes to try new things. If you like strong beers, you can also take a say 5% ABV recipe and use the calculators to get the same taste but twice as strong. I make 10-14% barley wines and let them sit for about a year. I try one every month or so to see how the taste changes with age. Then after about a year, we drink them all!!!!

 

You can also get a hold of me if you have any questions!

[Bones]

Isinglass is a product that can help "clarify" the beer after the fermentation. Found at your local brew shop. A search of the product will help you understand what it is and how it works. Also, not necessary, as the yeast residue is rich in B vitamins and good for you. Also in time you will develop a deft hand at pouring home brew ifin ya don't get around to kegging it... heh. You can bottle right after the ferment is stopped and the gravity is right. Just watch the transfer hose and don't let it suck from the bottom of the fermenter. Both methods are fine. The specific gravity test will tell you a few things about your wort. Read up a bit and it will all become clear... sorry for the pun.

[winston66]

Winston66 from the outback down under here in Western Australia.

I have prepared a little blog with instructions on this subject. As soon ad I have the relevant photos I will complete it, and then post the instructions to this forum.

Cheers, Winston66

[billmac]

So Don how's the brew going ? and while I'm asking is the little boats working yet?