How to Brew - By John Palmer
"As an engineer, I was intrigued with the process of beermaking. I wanted to know what each step was supposed to be doing so I could understand how to better accomplish them. For instance, adding the yeast to the beer wort: the emphasis was to get the yeast fermenting as soon as possible to prevent unwanted competing yeasts or microbes from getting a foothold."
A few burgers, a few beers - http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html (http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html)
And.......
The Beginner's Guide to Making Home Brew - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCW-SVPCw4Y (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCW-SVPCw4Y)
How to Brew Beer at Home: Start to Finish. Tips & Tricks. For the Beginner or Expert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobHoJYRezw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobHoJYRezw)
(http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/2/7/8/event_204401592.jpeg)
Right on. I'm not brewing, per se, but I'm trying to grow some hop plants this year. I'd like to give brewing a shot...but the ol' duder is just so busy, man.
My brother's a fucking brew genius. All he needs is a lab coat for that mad scientist look. He can copy major brews, though we draw the line at some brands.
I'm going to do some micro brewing this summer. Right now I'm reading up on it. 8)
Hats off to you homebrewers, Dudes! A very worthy achievement!
Quote from: MindAbiding on June 07, 2014, 10:29:13 AM
Hats off to you homebrewers, Dudes! A very worthy achievement!
Home grown, very dude like.
That's fucking interesting. I actually just started homebrewing myself. I've got an Irish Red sitting in my fermenting bucket right now in the den. It's hot as all hell outside so I'm trying to keep it cool with a wall cooler, so far it's been fine, I had a few hiccups during the brewing process but I think it'll be beer when its done so that's good.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I am interested in home brewing as well and just saw this thread. I haven't actually done any yet, beyond research into the different methods and batch sizes. I will probably eventually start out with extract brewing. This seems like a good beginner starting point.
It seems like the Brew Demon brand conical fermenter (https://www.brewdemon.com/ (https://www.brewdemon.com/)) is most appealing to me personally so far in my research. They have a helpful forum for brewers of all skills and will give you a discount if you are a member. Plus, I am pretty sure you can brew Mr Beer kits in it too which are pretty common. Anybody interested can let me know me or whatever. I don't think I need to really elaborate any more unless someone is interested.
(Please note: This is not an affiliate program or whatever. I gain nothing in sharing this knowledge about the discount other than helping out my fellow Dudes. Just thought I'd pass it along to you Dudes if anybody is interested in this particular brand of equipment/kit.)
Quote from: Patrico on July 18, 2014, 08:26:12 AM
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I am interested in home brewing as well and just saw this thread. I haven't actually done any yet, beyond research into the different methods and batch sizes. I will probably eventually start out with extract brewing. This seems like a good beginner starting point.
It seems like the Brew Demon brand conical fermenter (https://www.brewdemon.com/ (https://www.brewdemon.com/)) is most appealing to me personally so far in my research. They have a helpful forum for brewers of all skills and will give you a discount if you are a member. Plus, I am pretty sure you can brew Mr Beer kits in it too which are pretty common. Anybody interested can let me know me or whatever. I don't think I need to really elaborate any more unless someone is interested.
(Please note: This is not an affiliate program or whatever. I gain nothing in sharing this knowledge about the discount other than helping out my fellow Dudes. Just thought I'd pass it along to you Dudes if anybody is interested in this particular brand of equipment/kit.)
;D(http://www.jonathandoctor.net/images/facebook_like_button_big-small.jpg)
Quote from: Patrico on July 18, 2014, 08:26:12 AM
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I am interested in home brewing as well and just saw this thread. I haven't actually done any yet, beyond research into the different methods and batch sizes. I will probably eventually start out with extract brewing. This seems like a good beginner starting point.
It seems like the Brew Demon brand conical fermenter (https://www.brewdemon.com/ (https://www.brewdemon.com/)) is most appealing to me personally so far in my research. They have a helpful forum for brewers of all skills and will give you a discount if you are a member. Plus, I am pretty sure you can brew Mr Beer kits in it too which are pretty common. Anybody interested can let me know me or whatever. I don't think I need to really elaborate any more unless someone is interested.
(Please note: This is not an affiliate program or whatever. I gain nothing in sharing this knowledge about the discount other than helping out my fellow Dudes. Just thought I'd pass it along to you Dudes if anybody is interested in this particular brand of equipment/kit.)
Canada's top home brewery (who wins every competition in the country) said in an interview that money should be spent on temperature control before anything else - it's his "trade secret". Yeast behave differently at different temps, so if you want to emulate commercial brands, or at the least - nail the BJCP guidelines, ya gotta control temperature to within a couple of degrees.
Also, you'll likely want to move to 5 gallons batches after a few brews with that system. Happened to me with the "Mr. Beer" kit I started with a few years ago. I'm now doing double 5 gallon batches from scratch. (I.e. whole grain.) It won't take you long to get into it when you taste your own homebrew.
Quote from: DigitalBuddha on May 10, 2014, 01:22:14 AM
I'm going to do some micro brewing this summer. Right now I'm reading up on it. 8)
Microbrewing - what capacity? Or do you mean nano or pico?
Quote from: Hominid on July 22, 2014, 10:31:31 PM
Quote from: Patrico on July 18, 2014, 08:26:12 AM
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I am interested in home brewing as well and just saw this thread. I haven't actually done any yet, beyond research into the different methods and batch sizes. I will probably eventually start out with extract brewing. This seems like a good beginner starting point.
It seems like the Brew Demon brand conical fermenter (https://www.brewdemon.com/ (https://www.brewdemon.com/)) is most appealing to me personally so far in my research. They have a helpful forum for brewers of all skills and will give you a discount if you are a member. Plus, I am pretty sure you can brew Mr Beer kits in it too which are pretty common. Anybody interested can let me know me or whatever. I don't think I need to really elaborate any more unless someone is interested.
(Please note: This is not an affiliate program or whatever. I gain nothing in sharing this knowledge about the discount other than helping out my fellow Dudes. Just thought I'd pass it along to you Dudes if anybody is interested in this particular brand of equipment/kit.)
Canada's top home brewery (who wins every competition in the country) said in an interview that money should be spent on temperature control before anything else - it's his "trade secret". Yeast behave differently at different temps, so if you want to emulate commercial brands, or at the least - nail the BJCP guidelines, ya gotta control temperature to within a couple of degrees.
Also, you'll likely want to move to 5 gallons batches after a few brews with that system. Happened to me with the "Mr. Beer" kit I started with a few years ago. I'm now doing double 5 gallon batches from scratch. (I.e. whole grain.) It won't take you long to get into it when you taste your own homebrew.
I don't really have too many specific commercial brands that I enjoy more like just certain styles. I am also not really interested in the competitive side of home brewing. I mean don't get me wrong, I want drinkable at least halfway decent quality beer, but don't have any delusions of grandeur that I'm gonna be winning national or international contests. I just want something I can drink that is
at least fairly tasty. I also find the whole process pretty cool and would like to be able to make my own. The reason I am interested in the extract side of things and the smaller batch size is I have limited space (an apartment) and a very limited budget. I would like to get into the bigger batch sizes and more complete process brewing later. Starting out though I don't wanna invest that much time, money and I don't really have the space for it. But perhaps someday. Aw hell, I can't even afford to get the small batch extract style kits right now! Haha! But someday! Thank for the info though dude! All grain is what I wanna get to eventually but everyone has gotta start out somewhere...
Well dude, you will find that it's hard to make bad beer! I'd recommend scanning want ads for used equipment sales. There's a bazzilion Youtube videos that can help you put together a budget system. Good luck, and keep us posted.
Check out...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobHoJYRezw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobHoJYRezw)
And...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJKWCdaPq4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJKWCdaPq4)
The second one is a Canadian guy I've been following for a while - he always gives practical and common-sense advice. It'd be worthwhile getting on his mailing list...
Profound logic...
So maybe there should be a church of Beer.
Oops. There already is.
http://www.beerchurch.com/ (http://www.beerchurch.com/)
Quote
Thank you for visiting the online home of Beer Church
We encourage beer lovers everywhere to get involved in their communities and work to make the world a better place. Donate, volunteer, participate. Remember, even if you give just a little bit, you are giving something and that is worthy. Unite your beer-drinking friends and find a way to raise funds, give back, or otherwise get involved. Then go enjoy an icy cold beer knowing that you deserve it.
Kendall Jones
Director, Beer Church
Beer Church Believes...
Beer Church believes that we beer lovers are part of one very large and diverse social group by virtue of our shared appreciation of beer. Beer Church also believes that beer lovers (and most people in general) want to make the world a better place. Our goal is to unite like-minded individuals with one simple mission??make the world a better place one beer at a time.
Etc...
And here's the kicker...
http://www.beerchurch.com/strange-brew/jesus-made-beer/ (http://www.beerchurch.com/strange-brew/jesus-made-beer/)
Quote
Jesus Made Beer
The Wedding at Cana and How Jesus Turned Water into Beer (not wine)
The modern-day Bible is a translated hand-me-down of an ancient text. It has been translated and re-translated countless times over the centuries. The oldest Bible texts were written in Aramaic, the common language of the Middle East during Jesus' time. Scholars who have studied the ancient text suggest that Jesus actually turned water into beer, not wine.
The original Aramaic text talks about "strong drink" and "lines of ale vats". But what other evidence is there to support the claim that Jesus' miracle actually involved making beer?
First of all, grains were the principle crops in the Middle East. Grapes were rare. It is logical to assume that the "strong drink" mentioned in the ancient Aramaic text was indeed beer, which is made largely from grain.
Historians also know that during Jesus' time Egypt was exporting a significant amount of beer to the entire Mediterranean region. There's no evidence that anyone was exporting wine on any kind of large scale.
Further supporting the idea of Jesus making beer are other ancient texts which have revealed that in the Middle East beer was the common "strong drink" for at least a thousand years before Jesus ever came on the scene. The Hymn to Ninkasi is one such text, dating back to 1800 BC. In conclusion, beer was common and wine was a rare, practically non-existent delicacy.
Now someone who can turn water into beer?
I'd consider making him my personal savior.
QuoteNow someone who can turn water into beer? I'd consider making him my personal savior.
I do it every two weeks. In addition to water, you need barley, hops, and yeast. Wait 3 weeks. Bottle, condition, and enjoy.
As a saviour, I accept electronic money transfer, cheques, and Paypal.
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 09:54:07 AM
QuoteNow someone who can turn water into beer? I'd consider making him my personal savior.
I do it every two weeks. In addition to water, you need barley, hops, and yeast. Wait 3 weeks. Bottle, condition, and enjoy.
As a saviour, I accept electronic money transfer, cheques, and Paypal.
If I had to go to the Beer store every time I'd make my own also.
I can go to the 24 hour mini mart down the block.
Come to think of it.....
Ya, our province is one step removed from prohibition. It's rediculous - the next province over, they sell beer in Costco, corner stores, etc. Ontario is too conservative for it's own good.
I assume I'm not qualifying as a saviour?
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 02:06:54 PM
Ya, our province is one step removed from prohibition.
I'm surprised, really. I haven't lived in Nova Scotia in years, and I hope my province hasn't gone that way. Not that it would matter. I lived so far out in the country and the cop was a friend. :)
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 02:06:54 PM
Ya, our province is one step removed from prohibition. It's rediculous - the next province over, they sell beer in Costco, corner stores, etc. Ontario is too conservative for it's own good.
I assume I'm not qualifying as a saviour?
Send a large river of the stuff south and I'll reconsider.
I'll settle for a passing deluge.
Quote from: BikerDude on July 23, 2014, 03:27:48 PM
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 02:06:54 PM
Ya, our province is one step removed from prohibition. It's rediculous - the next province over, they sell beer in Costco, corner stores, etc. Ontario is too conservative for it's own good.
I assume I'm not qualifying as a saviour?
Send a large river of the stuff south and I'll reconsider.
I'll settle for a passing deluge.
Isn't that rather Old Testament-y ? ;-)
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 04:31:33 PM
Quote from: BikerDude on July 23, 2014, 03:27:48 PM
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 02:06:54 PM
Ya, our province is one step removed from prohibition. It's rediculous - the next province over, they sell beer in Costco, corner stores, etc. Ontario is too conservative for it's own good.
I assume I'm not qualifying as a saviour?
Send a large river of the stuff south and I'll reconsider.
I'll settle for a passing deluge.
Isn't that rather Old Testament-y ? ;-)
Any savior worth his salt has all of the old testamenty stuff plus spider man, bat man and superman.
Most simply choose not to show off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfa56tjBQo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfa56tjBQo)
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 12:31:11 AM
The second one is a Canadian guy I've been following for a while - he always gives practical and common-sense advice. It'd be worthwhile getting on his mailing list...
I have followed CraigTube for awhile now and he seems like good people. I really enjoy his videos and watch most of his home brew Wednesday videos. I listened to some of his music to and hes actually a pretty good musician too!
Quote from: Hominid on July 23, 2014, 09:54:07 AM
QuoteNow someone who can turn water into beer? I'd consider making him my personal savior.
I do it every two weeks. In addition to water, you need barley, hops, and yeast. Wait 3 weeks. Bottle, condition, and enjoy.
As a saviour, I accept electronic money transfer, cheques, and Paypal.
No man you just gotta get yourself on TV! Then the flock will even more easily come to you that way then! Hahaha!
Making my first batch o' beer today! Rye IPA. Might dry-hop with the Centennial hops I planted. They're not quite ready but....
Dry hopping makes for an awesome brew. I'm sucking back on a simple blonde ale I make that I also dry hopped. So it's like a light IPA.
So what's your method - DME, LME, partial mash, all-grain, full boil...?
I have been slacking off in my brewing efforts, this was to be my "summer of making beer," I'm going to get back on track....is this, what day is this? 8)
(https://biglebowskicookbookdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/screen-shot-2014-07-23-at-12-46-17-pm.png)
I'm brewing up batch# 66 tomorrow, adding in 1 kilo of DME to boost the alcohol to a calculated 6.7% (that's for a 10 gallon batch). Ya baby!
Quote from: Hominid on August 09, 2014, 04:07:35 PM
I'm brewing up batch# 66 tomorrow, adding in 1 kilo of DME to boost the alcohol to a calculated 6.7% (that's for a 10 gallon batch). Ya baby!
Dude! Awesome, mang! 8)
Quote from: jgiffin on August 09, 2014, 02:42:35 PM
Making my first batch o' beer today! Rye IPA. Might dry-hop with the Centennial hops I planted. They're not quite ready but....
Rock on, dude! A definite urban achievement! 8)
Quote from: Hominid on August 09, 2014, 03:36:13 PM
Dry hopping makes for an awesome brew. I'm sucking back on a simple blonde ale I make that I also dry hopped. So it's like a light IPA.
So what's your method - DME, LME, partial mash, all-grain, full boil...?
That sounds like a stellar Summer beer, there.
Started with a kit from a local brewshop. DME, 5lb specialty malt steep, four-stage hop infusion, full-boil, and added the optional Irish Moss. One of the dudes helping me, the experienced one, called the set up "a little bit precious" because of all the elements and steps but conceded the smell was righteous.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Batch No. 1 turns out, learning some lessons, and moving out of the kit/extract stage.
BEER-MERGENCY! My stuff is fermenting its balls off.
The airlock has been breached. Repeat: the airlock has been breached.
The stuff is coming up quite zestfully. I googled the problem and attached an excess hose to the airlock tube. Any idea if this works and/or whether it will contaminate things? I sanitized everything I could and the end of the hose is sitting in sanitizer. Still, things may very well be fucked here.
Quote from: jgiffin on August 10, 2014, 10:08:37 PM
BEER-MERGENCY! My stuff is fermenting its balls off.
The airlock has been breached. Repeat: the airlock has been breached.
The stuff is coming up quite zestfully. I googled the problem and attached an excess hose to the airlock tube. Any idea if this works and/or whether it will contaminate things? I sanitized everything I could and the end of the hose is sitting in sanitizer. Still, things may very well be fucked here.
Keep the other end of the hose in a bucket of water or sanitizer and it should be fine but i'd watch it just to be sure.
Coincidentally, I started a batch this weekend. I have yet to try dry-hopping. Maybe next batch.
My first batch was a disaster, JG, so good on you getting away with just an airlock breach. My boil pot was too small, so 1st batch's wort bubbled all over my stove. Godawful mess, and not a tasty brew at the end of fermentation. Most of my homebrewing buddies agreed: just accept that the first batch sucks and plan the second. Maybe you get to skip the bad batch stage.
Cheers!
MADman
Yeah, I had a bit of help on this first batch. I still suspect it'll be a learning experience. If nothing else, I've learned I want a wort-cooler!
You'll get it down, Madman, and be sipping the grain-based elixir of the gods in no time!
Kinku and I recently scored some hops from a local brewer who grew some of his own. We dried them and vacuum sealed them for later use.
We'll figure out a good recipe and tell you how it goes.
Excellent. I'm waiting on my Centennials to ripen on up. I've dried a few but - based on extensive YouTube research - think the best is yet to come. The chick who sleeps on the other side of my bed (i.e., wife) likes hop tea. So that's cool.
QuoteYou'll get it down, Madman, and be sipping the grain-based elixir of the gods in no time!
Oh, that first disaster was like 20 years ago. I've since made some pretty good beer. What needs improvement now is consistency - I kept fiddling with recipes, moved to new cities, changed suppliers, etc., making reproducing that last good batch hard to do. Current batch is ticking away happily behind the bar. I think tonight I'll rack into the other carboy to get it off the old yeast and such.
And yeah - a wort chiller is great to have, dude. I hated waiting forever to pitch the yeast. Plus the end result is clearer.
Prosit!
MADman
Got a chili wine that is in the clearing phase just now, you get a short blast of sweet taste before that's replaced by heat at the level of a medium currey, definitely not a glugging wine for health and safety reasons.
recommend home brewing, there's a satisfaction from creating something that could potentially blow your mind.
Today is a busy day at the brewery (i.e., dining room). Need to start bottle conditioning a Belgian Triple, keg a Banana Oatmeal Stout, and transfer a Cider to the secondary. My first batch, the Rye IPA, should be ready to drink today, too!
Now I just need to decide on a name. Thinking about "The Witch's Nipple Brewing Co." or "Caveat Emptor Brewing." Preferences or alternatives from the peanut gallery?
This thread gives me a happy peaceful sensation, which is why I read it at work.
Chili wine sounds pretty novel. What supplies the yeast food, just the peppers, fruit juice, malt? I might try brewing a gallon for fun.
JG: "Abidin' Alehouse" maybe?
I just chilled a keg of what I'm going to call a mild IPA. Not enough malt, so I'm going to add about pound and bump the hops proportionally. Used Citra hops for the first time, and the grapefruit note it added brought the whole room together, you might say. Didn't carbonate well either, so I may try and force some CO2 and see if that helps.
Cheers!
MADman
Another Dude brewer here. Nice to see a thread on brewing!
I've got an American Brown Ale on tap right now, a British Special Bitter (called Bitter Bruce, after Bruce Campbell) fermenting, and a smoked porter and pumpkin ale lined up to be brewed in the next couple of weeks.
So, any ideas on what a dudeist priest should listen to on brew day? How about any special homages to the beer being brewed?
;D Maybe Dudeism should have an annual "Dude Beer Day."
(http://cdn3.volusion.com/fsdxp.zkqxp/v/vspfiles/photos/38011004-2.jpg?1409924015)
QuoteMaybe Dudeism should have an annual "Dude Beer Day."
Why annual? Why not weekly? That way we're less hung up on dates, and abide better. But that's just, you know, my opinion.
Quote from: mrmadman on September 23, 2014, 03:09:51 PM
QuoteMaybe Dudeism should have an annual "Dude Beer Day."
Why annual? Why not weekly? That way we're less hung up on dates, and abide better. But that's just, you know, my opinion.
Would be OK with me!
Quote from: mrmadman on September 08, 2014, 03:58:18 PM
This thread gives me a happy peaceful sensation, which is why I read it at work.
Chili wine sounds pretty novel. What supplies the yeast food, just the peppers, fruit juice, malt? I might try brewing a gallon for fun.
JG: "Abidin' Alehouse" maybe?
Cheers!
MADman
Hey dude here's a link to a recipe I used for the chili wine I made, though I did kinda wander off script a ilttle myself.
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2459 (http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2459)
Sounds great. That stuff would really wake up the palate! Seems like the raisins would add some nice sweetness, too.