home brew

[whitey]

anybody here brew their own beer? i recently picked up a "beer machine model 2000" from an auction for $5....its $100 in the stores. its my christmas gift from my wife;), so i wont be able to start untill christmas day. ive been researching home brewing lately and its pretty interesting and suprisingly simple. does anybody here do this? and do you have any tips for brewing?:beer:

[MOTOWN]

Yeah add plenty Alcohol! lol

[whitey]

Ill ask my little yeast buddies to add the alcohol

[Cheeseheadbob]

Unless you adhere to the strict rules of brewing sanitation, you will wind up with undrinkable swill. Not to mention the mess you will have to clean up if your yeast gets infected and you get a nice hyperfermentation going. Also, it is significantly cheaper and much less of a PIA to buy beer you actually like to drink. Besides, the homebrew kits are not really brewing, it is basically boiling already finished wort and adding some hops and yeast...

If you want to give it a shot, knock yourself out! :beer:

[Cheeseheadbob]

There is a member here, but I have not heard from him in quite a while. Dragcity Joe is probably the most accomplished home brewer I have ever met. If you can get in touch with him, he will be able to walk you through all of the minefields inherent in home brewing.

[whitey]

I disagree, I could make 5 gallons of beer for around 25 bucks, sanitation is key and I have some no rinse Sanitizer for it. 5 gallons is approximately 48 12oz bottles. I can't buy samual Smith for anywhere near that price. I could buy natty boh , but I prefer not to drink nasty beer.

[Cheeseheadbob]

Nor will you ever be able to brew anything close to Samuel Smiths with a stove top system... Also, time is money, so if you are looking for an interesting way to spend a couple of hours and wind up with marginally drinkable beer, if everything goes right, then this may worth your time.
I disagree, I could make 5 gallons of beer for around 25 bucks, sanitation is key and I have some no rinse Sanitizer for it. 5 gallons is approximately 48 12oz bottles. I can't buy samual Smith for anywhere near that price. I could buy natty boh , but I prefer not to drink nasty beer.

[whitey]

Well, I do agree that time is money, and didn't contribute that cost to the equation...I'm hoping to brew some good beer.... hoping is the key

[Cheeseheadbob]

I am not trying to dissuade you from entering into the brewing world, but just set your expectations pretty low in the beginning. You will be able to brew/cook decent, but very generic beers if you stay the extract route. You can only get creative if you decide to go all in and start full grain brewing.

I never home brewed, but just to give you an idea what my carboys looked like, here is a picture...:D

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00VetQSprPsuzd/Beer-Machinery-Equipment-Fermentation-Tank.jpg
Well, I do agree that time is money, and didn't contribute that cost to the equation...I'm hoping to brew some good beer.... hoping is the key

[whitey]

Hot damn. Expectations are low, just trying to have some fun. Do you own a brewery or something?

[Cheeseheadbob]

In a former life, I was a pro brewer. I brewed for BBC (De Groen's), Oxford Brewing Company, where I was on the team which developed Raspberry Wheat, and finally at DuClaw where I developed Misfit Red (Best Beer in Baltimore 1998), Venom Pale Ale, and Blackjack Stout, which won a national award given by a board of brew masters.

http://www.duclaw.com/images/beer/beerlogo_big_Misfit.jpghttp://www.duclaw.com/images/beer/beerlogo_big_Venom.jpg http://www.duclaw.com/images/beer/beerlogo_big_BlackJack.jpg

I did a little too much quality control, thus the AA symbol in my avatar...:D
Hot damn. Expectations are low, just trying to have some fun. Do you own a brewery or something?

[whitey]

Sorry to hear about the aa, never had any of duclaws beers, what would you recommended?

[MM2]

Contrary to some comments home brewing is not all that difficult,but,sterialization is key for all bottles etc.
I brewed for several years but had to give up because of all the weight I gained drinking what was as good or better than anything commercially available.
My crowning achievements were a batch of Pilsner that was as crisp and bold as you could ask for with a 6% alcohol and an Imperial Stout you could float a 50ct piece on the head that had a 9.5%alcohol reading.
Fantastic taste for both.At one point I had 50 gal of bottled beer in stock ,stepping on the scale when it was gone was my wakeup call.
Brew it and enjoy!

[Cheeseheadbob]

AA is not a penance, but rather a blessing!

I am not bashing home brewers, but just remember, the amount of effort you put into preparation will be directly reflected in your final product!

Try the Blackjack Stout which was traditionally a winter brew.:beer:
Sorry to hear about the aa, never had any of duclaws beers, what would you recommended?