OT: Who makes thier own BEER?

Banker John

Hi all,

Who makes their own beer?
How hard is it?
What set up & equipment do you use?
Where do you get supplies (local or mail order/internet)?
How long is the process?
Anyone close to Crystal River, FL that I could help you some time?

WindsorEgg

I do. I do all grain now, but started out with hopped malt extract cans - I did those when I was 19, you could get 2.5 cases of drinkable brew for something like $12. I was a poor student.

My setup is pretty simple, I use a turkey frier, cooler and a couple of pots. All in, a brew day is about 5hrs (start to yeast pitched and everything cleaned up). I've been in the habit of ordering for MoreBeer, or an LHBS close to my work.

Word of caution: It's as addictive as this egg thing.

Avocados

I have dealt with these guys in Orlando for many years:
www.heartshomebrew.com

Give them a call and I'm sure you will find them happy to answer any questions. They have excellent starter kits and the partial mash ale recipes are a great way to get started with excellent results.

cookn biker

John, Here is the book that you need.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/New-Compl-Joy-Home-Brew/Charles-Papazian/e/9780380763665

RU Eggsperienced

Buy a book called "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing" by Charlie Papazian. Relax don't worry - Have a Homebrew!!

I've made some great brews from extract and also jumped into all grain brewing for a while... Then I had kids and haven't done it in a while, though I have my stuff in the basement to start soon...

RU Eggsperienced

Hi Molly,

Seems we enjoy similar books...Relax don't worry - have a homebrew!!!!

Banker John

Orlando... Are you near Orlando? I'm west of Orlando on the gulf coast.

RRP

hmmm, so you conquered the financial world and are now moving into the brewery biz...at least I can say I knew John when he was a mere up and coming banker :laugh:

Banker John

Ron, I'm trying to find a way to entice you to visit Florida. Obviously my BBQ won't tempt you so maybe a homemade broo will woo you to sunny (freezing this week) Florida.

cookn biker

Avocados

No I am in Atlanta. My brother-in-law who lives in Orlando introduced me to them almost 20 years ago.

Back then I lived in SC and had them ship supplies to me. Also visited their shop several times when visiting family in Orlando. I have not brewed in the last few years but still have all my equipment and plan to get back into it again soon.

I got started with one of the deluxe equipment kits with a few upgrades (glass carboy, better bottle capper) and some of the partial mash recipes that use a combination of grains and malt extract. The brown ale is very similar to Newcastle Brown Ale and is an easy one to start with.

FlyFishNC

I brew my own. I, like others, started out using dried malt extract and steeping specialty grains. I brewed some pretty good beers that way but wanted to learn more about the whole process. So, now I brew using the all grain method. It's a bit longer than the extract method, but you have better control of the final product.

The extract way is pretty simple, heat water and steep your specialty grains. After the steep time, stir in the extract (making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot or it will burn). Then boil for an hour, add your hop additions, chill, pitch the yeast, then ferment...

I have documented a lot of my brews and other info on my web site, http://www.brewingexperiment.com

My first setup was a 9 gallon steel pot and a turkey burner. Your setup can be simple or as complex as you'd like it to be. I just bought the TopTier brewstand, but I haven't brewed on it just yet.

My gear and brewing ingredients have come mostly from local companies but I have used morebeer.com, austin homebrew supply, and keg connection.com for some things.

Sorry to type up a long reply but like WindsorEgg said, this is a very addicting hobby. I started with a $200 kit and a couple cases of bottles... then I caught the bug! Cheers


Eric

AZRP

I used to, its a great hobby! -RP

Banker John

I wish you lived closer...

icemncmth

I did for many years. My setup started with a conical fermenter and I could make about 50 gals a month. I used the the old five gallon kegs. I had a chest freezer that had 10 taps on it and I had a nice C02 rig.

If you are thinking about getting into it..ditch the bottles and go for kegs. You will spend way to much money buying 20oz bottles and too much time filling them.

I guess I made my own beer for around 15 years. The reason I stopped was that the price of hops had gone though the roof. I even started growing my own hops.

I love doing it but it really takes a lot of time. If you are going to start I would suggest finding someone in your area that brews and ask them to show you the ropes.

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

I do home brew...
Always "all-malt" but I will use some malt extracts in conjunction with grains.
My brewing equipment is WAY simple, with a large brew pot, a 7 gal. plastic primary and 5 gal. glass carboys.
As mentioned earlier, a brew day is about 5 hours from start to clean up.
As for how long for batch of wort to become a good tasting beer...Mostly this is dependent on specific gravity (I watch and depend on that a lot) and the temp.of the room, but as a rule of thumb:
Primary should take 4 to 6 days.
Secondary should take 6 to 10 days.
Conditioning should take about 10 days.
Now you're ready to bottle / keg. As a rule, I age for 60 days.
I am also in agreement with icemncmth about using the 5 gal. kegs and CO2. It is a great way to go.
Here is my set up at the Side Track Tavern in a 1950 International Harvester fridge. YES! I know I really need a new Energy Star fridge.

stike

-used to, but not in a long while
-easy
-there are beginner kits, but try to use a glass carboy, not a plastic bucket
-buy local stuff
-takes a couple days to ferment, then bottle and wait a week or so

Ripnem

Jerry,

Are you dry smokin me? You best bring a pile of that stuff to the Frozen Fest! Don't forget Steven's coming, so make it 2 piles. :laugh:

Can't wait :woohoo:

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

Great idea Adam, but pretty unlikely for a couple of reasons.... :(
It doesn't look like I would have a batch ready in that timeframe and once I went to using Cornelius Kegs, I sold my bottles!
One never knows what I may be able to come up with, but don't hold your breath.

Braumiester

I have been brewing for 10yrs now, do 10 gal all grain, will be doing 10 gal of German Alt tomorrow,will start at 8am and be thru around 1-1:30.
It is a lot of fun.

WingRider

like cookn biker sez. Read the first 100 pages and you are good to go.
I used to brew alot BD (before diabetes). Extract with some grains mixed in, never had a brew I didn't like!!!Wort chiller is an excellent accessory. Also no chlorinated water