Home brewing

[Richard Chrz]

Finally took the leap and brewed a one gallon batch with my neighbor yesterday. Immediately ordered another 1 gallon kit for myself. Will likely play around in that batch size for awhile, but, hoping to brew one gallon a month, maybe two, as my neighbor and I decided we would do this once a month as well. It was fun, we had a few beers, he is a collector, so we had some really good beers! But, talked bbq, outdoor cooking…

I have had a 5 gallon kit forever, but never felt the confidence in the process, the sterilization that is. A one gallon batch I can still move around.

Seems to be a natural progression from bbq, bread, kombucha, now beer, next will be fermented hot sauces, and wine me thinks.

Once I learn to make all the sides, I should be able to create the entire cook out. That’s my hopes at least. Already trying to talk the better half into a hops garden area! 😜

Cheers!

[Backroadmeats]

You should make some moonshine!! That is the next step in the progress 😃😃

[Richard Chrz]

I see no issues with that... But, someday I want a day with you in the smoke house!

[Backroadmeats]

Your welcome here anytime!!

[lonnie mac]

Welcome to the brewing fold brother! You will be brewing 10 gallon batches before you know it. That's how it works!

[Richard Chrz]

it's certainly how my life rolls.

[Richard Chrz]

Boy, you weren’t kidding. I’m already starting to look for 7.5 gallon brew kettles!

[Steve B]

Home crafted hot sauces will cure many other desires for quite some time.
I’ve gotten out of it because the Y doesn’t approve.
And had me remove my pepper planters. 😔😡

It’s definitely fun going through the process and experimenting with different flavors.

Enjoy the journey. 👍👍

[Richard Chrz]

I had a friend give me a sample of his own fermented siracha, and I was hooked!

[jfmorris]

I’ve been brewing for quite a few years, and belong to a local home brew club - they are a useful source of info and feedback. I did a 1 gallon batch of mead this past winter, and while good, I decided 1 gallon batches of beer aren’t worth the hassle (for me). You gotta do all the same steps for 10 bottles of beer as for 50. Also, I keg, and the kegs I use are all 5 gallons. No matter the batch size though, it’s a fun hobby. That and BBQ are my main outlets...

[Stuey1515]

I used to make home brew several decades ago, but was never really happy with the results.
Started up again last year when I got laid off to reduce costs, while maintaining my BAC levels.

Now I'm back working I am back to buying beer, but I supplement that with the home brew.
Finding it much easier to produce decent beer, with the modern concentrates and I enjoy the different flavour profiles.
As we all know that with things like beer or BBQ, it's always better when you do it yourself!

[Ahumadora]

I have 5 crates under the house and 2 beer fridges out back with home brew. My brother n law makes it for me. what really makes it good is using clean rain water and leaving it at least a month in the bottles. Pretty much all I drink now. Next door to my work is a micro distillery and makes great tea tree/honey bourbon. Also a 48% pink gin....

[holehogg]

I need to start brewing.
We have just had another total ban on the sale of alcohol with immediate effect following last nights "family" presidential meeting. Can tell you pineapples will be a scarce commodity on the shelves in a couple if days.

[holehogg]

Not the first total ban and we had a partial ban (operating hours shortened) leading up to the this ban. The reasoning is to help lessen the burden in the hospitals that are under immense pressure. jfmorris smokin fool the blackmarket makes a killing. A bottle of brandy usually around R125.00 sells for anything from R750.00 upwards. There are micro brewer's selling start up kits. There is ginger beer mix that you just add water with a kick worse than a mule if you let the yeast do it's thing ☺

[Murdy]

Consider hard cider. Very easy to do.

[Stuey1515]

Yeah that just would not happen over here, that would be the epitome of politically incorrect Oz style

[bbqLuv]

Happy BarbrewQ and grilling too

[jfmorris]

Richard Chrz in brewing, sanitation is king. If you don't do a good job of that, you will know quickly. As long as EVERYTHING that comes in contact with the beer once you turn off the boil is sanitized, you will be good. If not - well, let's just say I have experience in what can happen, but that is a sad story of bad beer for another time.

Brewing 5 gallon batches takes all the same number of steps as brewing 1 gallon batches, and aside from the fact it takes longer to get to a boil, and longer to cool down after the boil, takes the same amount of time. Considering 5 gallons equals about 52 bottles of beer, you may in the long run find yourself better served by moving to the larger batches. Or moving to something in the middle like 2.5 gallon batches. I know several guys in my club that only do 2.5 gallon batches and use short 2.5 gallon kegs, as it is easier for them to handle. I do 5 gallon batches by myself, and 10 gallon batches when my son in law is here to help with the heavy lifting.

I started with an extract kit from Northern Brewer, then went to a "partial mash" kit, then jumped into all grain brewing. I used an Igloo cooler with a CPVC manifold and ball valve as my mash tun for mashing the grain. My brewing stand has two heights, two "keggles" (full sizes kegs converted to pots by cutting the tops out), and one of the best things I ever did in recent years was buy a brewing pump. Using quick connect fittings, I can pump hot water into the mash tun, pump the wort out of the mash tun to the boil pot, recirculate for a "whirlpool" chiller at the end of the boil, and then pump into my fermenter in the fridge.

That said, while I do all grain, I know brewers who only do extract and produce excellent beers. I've got a copy of a book called "Brewing Classic Styles", and every single recipe in the book - one for each style of beer - has both an extract recipe, and a all-grain recipe. In most cases, while the book recipes are for 5 gallons, you can scale them just by dividing to the size batch you want. Or double it for 10 gallons, etc.

If you and your friend get interested enough, maybe you can get him to do the heavy lifting on 5 gallon batches, and try that once you have a few more small batches under your belt.

[Richard Chrz]

jfmorris I’d love some more info on your pump set up. After brewing 4 1 gallon batches so far, I can tell I need to c9nsider how I size up. Transferring from kettle to fermenter oils definitely be easier with a pump. You know I was just thinking today how a boat winch mounted to the side wall could allow me that lift.. this feels very much what I like about smoking, bread, in that the questions never stop.

[Richard Chrz]

jfmorris, I could also utilize my electric lift that can lift me out of my chair if I need it too.

[Richard Chrz]

jfmorris, when you say electric, you are saying something like this? https://www.northernbrewer.com/produ...ker-fahrenheit

[JGrana]

I agree with many of jfmorris points. I have been homebrewing (off and on) for 20 years.
It's a great "All Day Saturday" thing. Hmm, would also be a good companion to a long smoke ;-)
My minimum size is 5 gallons, I do full grain, but as Jeff said, the quality of extracts have improved dramatically since I started years ago.
Some brief tips:
1) Sanitize, sanitize, wash and clean. I use Iodaphor for sanitizing everything that comes in contact (or close contact)

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-FS-Io-Star-16oz-Sanitizer/dp/B00FA89XM8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=R78S0VR0D4WB&dchild=1&keywords=iodophor+sanitizer+for+brewing&qid=1624894742&sprefix=iodaph%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-3

2) I am a liquid yeast fan. I believe you get much better control and results. Lots of choices now of liquid yeasts
3) Like smoking, if you get into homebrewing, over time you will add to your collection of pots, coolers, plastic fermenting buckets, etc.
4) After bottling for a few years, I switched to kegging in SS soda pop kegs. Never looked back - nothing like a nice cool draught homemade beer from your fridge!

Good luck and enjoy

[jfmorris]

It's Jim, and I too am a liquid yeast fan - but you cannot order it and expect it to make it to you in summer months. I ordered enough for 6 months of brewing back in April. I've got 10 old Cornelius Pepsi kegs out in the garage at the moment, but only 2 have beer in them - I've got a lot of work to do refilling them all!

[rickgregory]

In addition to the various yeast and malt options, there are good kits. But there's also a TON of equipment that goes beyond the old plastic bucket with some hoses. See, for example, https://spikebrewing.com/pages/fermenters among many others vendors (no connection, but I've looked at their stuff at a local brew supply store).

In addition you can get wort chillers etc to help. But the basics still hold - get good ingredients. Learn the techniques. And sanitize!

If you do move to 5 gallons and you're still in the early learning phase, I'd reccomend doing beers that go quickly from boil to bottling. If you screw up, you aren't waiting 3 months to find out. If you succeed, you get enjoyment that much faster.

I keep thinking about getting back into it, but honestly I don't drink that much beer anymore and the variety of good stuff out there makes it hard to justify.

[jfmorris]

You have a point. When I was first exposed to home brewing the availability of craft beer was much less than it is now. I still can brew better beer than many I've had out though, and brew the styles I like. Porter and stout are two of my favorite styles, and today it seems all you find out is hazy IPA's.

[gatorjj]

I like brewing as much as I like smoking and grilling, even better when it becomes an end-to-end home-cooked meal! Maybe it's all the learning and experimentation to get things where you want them, maybe it's the smell, maybe it's just having an excuse to chill out for hours outside. Definitely the end product too when you get it right. Mmmmm...

I typically brew 5 gallons BIAB as my sweet spot, but I find it useful to do other batch sizes sometimes...1 gallon for an experiment, 2.5 gallons for things I don't like but will give away (like IPA ), even 9 gallons a couple times topping up with water. I couldn't bring myself to throw out 5 gallons of a bad experiment, but I can make my way through a few pints if I have to. It's good to have options

And yes, Star-san the snot out of everything no matter what!

[jfmorris]

Star San is the sanitizer of choice for most brewers these days:

https://www.amazon.com/Star-San-B006...dp/B0064O7YFA/

It is no rinse, requires fairly short contact, and 1 ounce mixes into 5 gallons of water. I make 5 gallons on brew day and use it for sanitizing the fermenter(s), pouring from one to the next, then capping until needed, then sanitize all my hoses, airlocks, etc. I use it for sanitizing the kegs and beer lines once those have been cleaned. I always purge those with CO2 once they are sanitized.

[Porkies]

I like beer.
I wanted to get into home brewing. I visited a local supply shop, figured out the cost of starting out and was gonna do it.
Did I mention I like beer?
A friend of mine had decided to go with the beginner kits and it wasn't bad at all.
I really like good beer, seriously.
A bunch of micro-brewers popped up and starting selling very good, home brewed type, beer. It was very nice to not have to brew or wait for brew, but instead just drop my money on the table and drink very good beers.
I ended up not getting into home brewing.
I like beer.