Homebrewing Questions

[Mr. S]

I know there are a few homebrewers here, I believe Raub makes some for the tailgates.

Anyways, this is an interest I would like to pursue during the summer. I want to know what is the best way to start. I found a few kits online, and was wondering which kit is the best.

https://secure3.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=hombre&BusType=BtoC&Count1=330166041&Count2=247306466&CategoryID=56&Target=products.asp

http://www.homebrewit.com/aisle/2010

http://www.thebrewshopokc.com/equipment.html#starterkits

http://www.mrbeer.com/view.php?id=deluxekit&toplevel=Ingredients&currentitem=1&showgroup=Boxed%20Kits&menu=sub3&mactive=2&subactive=-1&toplevel=Brew%20Kits&currentitem=1&showgroup=Brew%20Kits&menu=sub2&mactive=1&subactive=-1

These seem like standard kits, I just would like to know peoples opinions. I dont know my budget yet, but I want something I could build off of. Thanks!

[Tarhog]

I know there are a few homebrewers here, I believe Raub makes some for the tailgates.

Anyways, this is an interest I would like to pursue during the summer. I want to know what is the best way to start. I found a few kits online, and was wondering which kit is the best.

https://secure3.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=hombre&BusType=BtoC&Count1=330166041&Count2=247306466&CategoryID=56&Target=products.asp

http://www.homebrewit.com/aisle/2010

http://www.thebrewshopokc.com/equipment.html#starterkits

http://www.mrbeer.com/view.php?id=deluxekit&toplevel=Ingredients&currentitem=1&showgroup=Boxed%20Kits&menu=sub3&mactive=2&subactive=-1&toplevel=Brew%20Kits&currentitem=1&showgroup=Brew%20Kits&menu=sub2&mactive=1&subactive=-1

These seem like standard kits, I just would like to know peoples opinions. I dont know my budget yet, but I want something I could build off of. Thanks!

Raub got me interested and trained me.....I'm on my 8th or 9th batch and can help you. Its not hard. I highly recommend Norther Brewers. Their kits are extremely easy to use. I just made my first non-kit beer (a Guinness Stout clone), but the kit beers are outstanding.

Here's a link to their website: http://www.northernbrewer.com/

I followed Raub's advice and got this kit....its a little expensive, but basically its all you'll ever need unless you decide to do all-grain which is quite a bit more involved.

Deluxe Starter Kit

I'll be glad to walk you through the process as I'm sure Raub will be. I'm drinking a British Pale Ale right now that I made myself. And it is unbelievably good. Nothing like making your own.....

[dfitzo53]

I've been toying with this idea and I just might have to try it. Thanks for the input, Tarhog.

[Soliloquy]

What the heck is that blue thing in the lower-left corner, Tarhog?

Looks like a good equipment kit.

I'm guessing most of the homebrewers already know about this, but the Home Brew Digest is a great resource for 'brewers.

http://www.hbd.org/

Don't get discouraged by the hard-core contributors, just be happy and have a homebrew

[Tarhog]

What the heck is that blue thing in the lower-left corner, Tarhog?

Looks like a good equipment kit.

I'm guessing most of the homebrewers already know about this, but the Home Brew Digest is a great resource for 'brewers.

http://www.hbd.org/

Don't get discouraged by the hard-core contributors, just be happy and have a homebrew

Its a 'carboy' stand - I've never used mine

I bought one of the 'bibles' of homebrewing recently, 'The Joy of Homebrewing' by Charlie Papazian. His mantra (and he repeats it about 200 times throughout the book is 'Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew!'

Sage wisdom.

[Tarhog]

I've been toying with this idea and I just might have to try it. Thanks for the input, Tarhog.

Be forewarned. Theres no 'trying it'. You do it and you're going to want to keep doing it.

Can't say I didn't warn you. :laugh:

[riggins44]

I haven't been making much beer lately. For starters, my stepson works

at Kingsmill (owned by AB) and he gets 2 cases a month. Him and some other non-beer drinkers that I know have been supplying me.

[dfitzo53]

Be forewarned. Theres no 'trying it'. You do it and you're going to want to keep doing it.

Can't say I didn't warn you. :laugh:

:laugh:

That doesn't sound so bad.

[Dan T.]

Mr. S, if you're going to be in No. Va. this summer, I would recommend going to Shenandoah Brewery in Alexandria. You can brew your own beer there. You pick the recipe, grind the malt, measure the hops, cook the wort, add the finishing hops. Then you come back and bottle the beer. They'll do labels for you if you want for a fee, or you can bring your own. They've got lots of recipes to choose from. One batch of beer gets you about five cases and runs about $140.00 with bottles.

http://www.shenandoahbrewing.com/

[WallyG3]

OK, I'll ring in, although I must warn you that I have had a few of my own brews tonite.

I agree with Tarhog about Northern Brewer. They are top notch, and considered by many to be the best online store in this niche. The kit he posted looked like a good starter. I started a year ago with a $200 kit, and have since spent somewhere around $600 more on "stuff". This hobby can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

Just do me a favor and don't ever say Mr. Beer again. Friends don't let friends buy Mr. Beer.

As far as books, I own Papazian's book, and it's good, but the techniques are a bit outdated as it was written in the '80s. A better book is the one by John Palmer titled "How to Brew." This book was written about five years ago, and John is about to release a new version in June. I recommend this book to ANY homebrewer, it is great.

There is also an online version of the book at www.howtobrew.com that has enough to get you through your first batch. He also has a bare-bones equipment list here: www.howtobrew.com/equipment.html. If you want to spend a little more, consider getting 2 glass fermenters (5 and 6.5g), an immersion chiller, and a big stainless brewpot. I started with a 7 gallon, and recently moved up to a heavy duty 10 gallon.

Another great reference for info is www.brewboard.com. I have learned more from that message board than from any book. I couldn't brew without it.

Cheers! RDWHAHB!

[ChocolateCitySkin]

**** beer. how do you homebrew vodka. i need to learn. stat.

[Mr. S]

Thanks guys! This is something I hope to start doing after graduation, which is in 3 weeks. So the kits at Northern Brewer, the cheapest is 62$, which I am more than willing to spend. Is it good enough to get that, or pay twice as much for the deluxe kit?

WallyG3, yeh, I saw the Mr. Beer kit, and felt it was a bit too basic. It didn't seem like one could expand on it either.

Dan T., I will be in the area, but 140$ is kind of a lot for me to spend right now. Plus, I have enough space at my house to do this.

I live in Loudon, near the Old Dominion Brewery, Im wondering if they have resources to continue this. Otherwise, where is there a good store for equipment of homebrewing, mainly grains and yeast? I think there is a beer/wine store in Greenbriar Town Center?

Again, thanks for the help, and I prolly will go and buy that book.

[Tarhog]

Thanks guys! This is something I hope to start doing after graduation, which is in 3 weeks. So the kits at Northern Brewer, the cheapest is 62$, which I am more than willing to spend. Is it good enough to get that, or pay twice as much for the deluxe kit?

WallyG3, yeh, I saw the Mr. Beer kit, and felt it was a bit too basic. It didn't seem like one could expand on it either.

Dan T., I will be in the area, but 140$ is kind of a lot for me to spend right now. Plus, I have enough space at my house to do this.

I live in Loudon, near the Old Dominion Brewery, Im wondering if they have resources to continue this. Otherwise, where is there a good store for equipment of homebrewing, mainly grains and yeast? I think there is a beer/wine store in Greenbriar Town Center?

Again, thanks for the help, and I prolly will go and buy that book.

The cheaper kits generally use plastic buckets instead of glass carboys to brew the beer in. The buckets work fine, but they are easily scratched inside which (supposedly) creates crevices where bacteria/wild yeast can cling which in turn can contaminate your beer. I'm sure if you're careful not to scratch the interior, they work fine. Regardless of what setup you buy, make sure you have 2 fermenting containers (2 buckets or 2 glass carboys). Your beer will be a lot better if you ferment in 2 stages rather than just bottling out of a single fermenter.

[Blondie]

One of these days, I will take the plunge and sip one of these home brews.

The fact that I HATE beer should not deter me........right?

:laugh:

Blondie

[Mr. S]

One of these days, I will take the plunge and sip one of these home brews.

The fact that I HATE beer should not deter me........right?

:laugh:

Blondie

You hate beer???

That is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever heard in a while, I think I will go ponder my existence now... :laugh:

[CHUBAKAH]

Any opinions on the Ultimate Starter Kit?

I'm curious what other do when the beer is ready as far as storage?

[Tarhog]

Chewy, the 'ultimate' kit is identical to the 'deluxe kit', except it includes the kegging system. I bottle mine - once you get it down, its not too much work. Takes me about 45 min - 1 hour to bottle a batch (2 cases). Raub started kegging and could tell you about that. If you have space to refrigerate a keg its much easier obviously than bottling - other advantage is, since you're carbonating with CO2, you can drink your beer as soon as its kegged, vs. waiting 10-14 days to naturally carbonate your beer in bottles (by adding a little corn sugar with bottling).

Homebrewing has gotten much much easier since no-rinse sanitizing solutions have become available. I use something called 'one step' - just a powder you mix with water and soak your stuff in (its similar to oxy clean) - you don't have to rinse afterwards. When I bottle, I just put all the bottles in the dishwasher with 'one step' instead of soap. Works great.

I give quite a bit of my brew away, so bottles make more sense for me - although I may eventually go the kegging route.

[CHUBAKAH]

Any way you can explain the bottling process so I can try and get a visual?

I’m also curious in terms of cost what it takes to make two cases of home brew. Obviously the taste is going to be a little better then most brews you can get at the store of the same quality, so I am curious how that compares as far as price.

[skinsphan]

i got to use this system for 2 months at school.when i brewed again at home it was a little hard to get used to without this setup

[Blondie]

You hate beer???

That is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever heard in a while, I think I will go ponder my existence now... :laugh:

I really do hate the taste of beer..............but (so you don't have to ponder your existence for a long time).....I LOVE the taste of someone who has been drinking beer.

Kissing a guy who has been drinking beer is really really good.

Blondie

[ChocolateCitySkin]

Encase ya'll decide to sack up. I came across this.

Ok, since no one else has the fruit to say much here is the basic idea.

Historically vodka is made form cereals, like rye, or other starchy plants like potatoes. But cheaper vodka can still be made well out of normal sugars.

Go out and buy a home beer - yes a beer making kit. Failing that get a 40 litre water drum, sugar, yeast, steriliser, air valve, etc.

Follow the recipe to make beer, fill it up and leave it for a while.

While that’s doing its job go out and get or build a still. A basic still consists of a heat source, heating a boiling chamber connected to water cooled pipes, leading into a collection bottle.

Like the man said; “do some research about distillation”.

Now you have your 'beer' if you can call it that. Put it in the still, boil it up and collect the liquid coming out.

Things to note, Ethanol boils at about 75 degrees ©, so you want the output cooler than that.

Discard the very first and very last liquid that comes out of the still as this will be unwanted impurities like methanol.

Take your distilled liquid and distil it twice more, this is the standard amount and should result in very concentrated ethanol.

Run the ethanol through a charcoal filter made by placing a cotton wool ball in the base of a funnel and activated charcoal in the top. This should run through very slowly to give the charcoal a time to work.

Finally mix the ethanol with purified or distilled water at 3 parts ethanol with 4 parts water and bottle.

If you can treat it with the care and respect it deserves this will make you plain vodka equal to shop bought vodka.

Later,

Ian.

[Tarhog]

You sanitize your bottling bucket that comes with your kit and after adding some corn sugar you've boiled with a small amount of water to your bucket, you siphon the beer from the fermenter to your bottling bucket. You fill your bottles using the bottle filler (a rod containing a valve connected to a spigot on the bottom of the bottling bucket). Its extremely simple to use - you just put the bottle filler in the bottle and push it against the bottom of the bottle (which opens the valve and allows beer to flow). As the beer gets to the top of the bottle, you lift the bottle filler and the flow stops leaving the correct amount of head space. You then place a bottle cap (thats been soaking in 'one step') and place it on top. I don't use my capper until I've got all of the beer in bottles.

In terms of cost, I imagine that varies depending on where you buy. I'd start with good kits (and Northern Brewer has some great ones in the $25 - $30 range.

[CHUBAKAH]

Sounds very reasonable and even quite a bit cheaper in terms of per beer over all cost.

Out of curiosity, what type of types have you tried? I am a huge fan of what I had from Raub last season, but I also love the Belgian style wheats.

[Tarhog]

Sounds very reasonable and even quite a bit cheaper in terms of per beer over all cost.

Out of curiosity, what type of types have you tried? I am a huge fan of what I had from Raub last season, but I also love the Belgian style wheats.

I've done the following kits from Northern Brewer:

Dunkelweisen

American Wheat

Winter Warmer

Irish Red Ale

Nut Brown Ale

English Pale Ale

The Dunkelweisen and American Wheat are both very simple beers - very good (probably what Raub served you). Winter Warmer is very strong and good for cold weather months. I'd also recommend the Irish Red Ale, and what I'm currently drinking, the English Pale Ale.

I didn't love the Nut Brown Ale, but it was certainly drinkable.

If you go with Northern Brewer, you'll want to start with extract kits. You can get extract kits with crushed grains - it'll give you a better beer than just pure extract beer. The other thing to keep in mind is that you can make great beer fermenting at room temperature....but there are some types you simply can't make unless you have a refrigerator to place your fermenter in - because the yeasts they need require temps in the 40's-50's. If you want to make Lagers, you'll need refrigerated fermentation. All the kits I listed are 'room temp' yeast fermented though, as are many of NB's kits.

[Raub]

Tarhog said most of what I have to say. Northern Brewer is the way to go. It's worth it to spend the extra money and get their Deluxe Starter kit. It's got everything and it's good quality.

Chewy, I'd say start out bottling your beer. If it's something that you like and think you'll be sticking with, then look into kegging. All the stuff for kegging is going to run you about $170. You can buy extra kegs for $20-30 a piece. I have 3 kegs, so storage isn't a problem. Once you get hooked, kegging is the way to go. You can drink your beer about 2 weeks earlier, and you don't have to wash 50 bottles every time you do a batch.