making beer

[outdooraddict]

anyone on here make their own beer? i kow a couple peopleand one of them opened a brewery here in spokane.  id like to try it, ive been watchign youtube (craig tube) about home brew and it looks interesting and fun.  any advice, tips, or equipment anyone wants to get rid of that would help me start making beer?

[garrett89]

Start in small quantity. I'm only saying because if the end product doesn't taste to your preference wasting a small amount isn't as bad as dumping a huge batch.

[Yelper Guy]

Home brewing is relatively simple & fun. If you can follow a recipe, and keep everything clean it's easy. There are so many styles - Ales, Hefe's, Lagers. Saison... the list goes on. I use a 5 gallon glass carboy for fermenting, and a 5 gallon stainless steel brew pot for cooking. You need to keep a close eye on the temperature when your brewing (170 degree max) so you don't get undesirable flavors from the grains or extract. When it's fermenting you also need to keep an eye on the temp - yeast has ideal temperature ranges for whatever type of yeast you use. I'd suggest getting a starter kit from Jim's Homebrew in town, or Nu-Brew & bottles in the valley. They come with everything you need and a book that goes into details - very useful. You can brew whatever style you like and save lots of $$$. Cheers!
 

[jackelope]

And get a quality, actual stainless steel, pot for your cooking!!
I've made a few 5 gallon batches with friends. It's always been "good enough." I'd like to get my own equipment and be able to spend some more time getting them dialed in.
 

[bosshogg112]

I have been making home brew for about 15 years now.  My in-laws were kind enough to purchase me all the stuff needed as a college graduation gift.  Anyway back to the question.  If you are serious, head on down to Jim's Home Brew off Division.  Those guys love to talk and they would be my first stop if I was going to be getting into batches bigger than 10 gallons.  They also sell kits with all the goodies you need to make your first 5 gallon batch.  I think they start around $130-150.

And get a quality, actual stainless steel, pot for your cooking!!
I've made a few 5 gallon batches with friends. It's always been "good enough." I'd like to get my own equipment and be able to spend some more time getting them dialed in.
 

I will second a good stainless steel pot, and make sure it is only used for making beer.  I am on my second one since my wife used the original to make some kind of soup and the batches of beer I made after that all tasted off.  Make sure it will hold at least 5 gallons of liquid.

[sumpnz]

Just got a couple batches fermenting recently.  First time in probably 10 years.  Kids will do that.

Anyway, it's quite easy.  Main things to pay attention to are cleanliness and sanitation (those are related but not the same things!!).  Get ahold of a copy of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing (by Charlie Papazian).  I think that's up to the 4th edition now.  Tons of great info and recipes for brand new beginners up to advanced methods. 

Done right you'll get micro-brew or better quality at a modest savings.  Biggest advantage is that, like with hand loading for your guns, you something that is exactly way you want rather than trying to cater to some wider audience. 

[NRA4LIFE]

I've brewed a bit over 600 gallons.  Start simple with liquid malt.  The key is sanitization.  Everything that touches the beer from start to finish needs to be sanitized.  Be extremely vigilant about that. 

[Joe Rothrock]

      I brewed several batches many years ago. I agree with the liquid malt idea for starters. My favorite was Yorkshire Amber using untreated spring water and always use fresh yeast. I brewed 5 gallons at a time in a 7 gallon plastic bucket with a bath towel over the top of it. That left a few inches at the top for an accurate hydrometer reading. Sanitizing and neutralizing with baking soda is a must between batches. Don't be afraid to spend some money on a good hydrometer. It will eliminate the guess work. Good Luck and enjoy!

[j_h_nimrod]

I love beer and have always planned to brew. Bought all the brew stuff a couple years ago and then ended up starting with wine and then ciders because I had a ton of juice handy. Actually just put a hopped cinnamon cider in the primary last night   See how it comes out.

[biggfish]

I use two one gallon glass carboys for test batches haven't found one yet I like enough to pull out the 6 gallon kit. I don't like wasting anything so roughing through 3/4 of a gallon is easier than 5.

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[Redstar]

I brew, Did my second ever lager with a buddy last weekend! (well technically third, but we don't speak of #1...)

I'd suggest starting with a mini mash extract batch type brew. You can do it with a large pot on the stove if you don't have a turkey fryer type burner/pot (skip the Mr. Beer, trust me). Your local homebrew store can also likely point you to a couple homebrew clubs that you could checkout before investing in the equipment.

Here's a picture of my setup:
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,24603.msg283662.html#msg283662

[sumpnz]

Bottled 10 gallons last night (2 batches).  The stout smelled joyous (didn't have anything to sample).  The Cascadian Dark Ale was also quite promising.

Now to wait a few weeks to let it carbonate and then chill some and try it out.

[Stein]

I used to be way into it, conical fermenters, full temperature control and of course all grain.

As others have said, sanitization is rule 1.  Other things to watch out for are high quality, fresh ingredients and controlling fermentation temps.

I used to buy from the shop in Everett which was great (probably still is?) or morebeer.com.  There is so much info available now, when I started in 1992, you could buy a book or two and that was it.  Now, you have access to infinite information and every ingredient you could ask for.

[Eric M]

I started with the Mr. Beer kit. It's fun without being overwhelming. A good way to see if it's something you really want to do.