Brew day.

[BatmanNate]

I know that some of you here have a more than passing interest in beer, while others are brewers yourselves. Some have no idea what is involved and are often surprised by how simple and relatively inexpensive a hobby brewing beer can be. In light of this, I though I'd take time to share with you all one of our recent brew days. I hope that you guys enjoy!

Brew day.


If any of you are locals you should feel free to join us sometime, it's a lot of fun and very rewarding!

 

[James Bond]

How long does it take? And where did you do it at?

 

[jhayx7]

Wish I had the room to brew beer and grow my own hops

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Tizyler
How long does it take? And where did you do it at?

A couple of hours for initial brew, about 1 hour worth of racking, then another hour or two to bottle.

I am including cleanup time.

 

[slikmunks]

mhmmm... beer...

 

[ElFenix]

about how long before that stuff is beer?

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: Tizyler
How long does it take? And where did you do it at?

It depends on how you brew. When I started out brewing with malt extracts in the kitchen, it took me between 3 and 4 hours with prep and cleanup. Doing all grain with the added equipment, it takes 5 or 6 hours depending.

We brewed in an old garage in the Puyallup valley.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
about how long before that stuff is beer?

Technically, it will be beer in about a week. It will be good tasting beer in about 6-8 weeks, more or less for different styles. I tend to go 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, and three weeks in the keg/bottle.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: jhayx7
Wish I had the room to brew beer and grow my own hops

I actually have hops growing wild on the fence in my yard, they migrated from the neighboring house which is owned by the Lutheran church of all places. The Puyallup valley where I live was pioneered by a fellow whose cash crop was hops. Ezra Meeker was his name.

 

[Descartes]

Nice! I always wanted to do all grain, but never had the time to get into it.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

:thumbsup:


Looks like some good beer was made!

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Nice! I always wanted to do all grain, but never had the time to get into it.

I started out brewing with malt extracts and steeping grains and brewed in that fashion for several years, making some great beer. I decided to go all grain primarily for the challenge of it. I feel my own beer quality has improved, but it's likely a result of more experience and better control over the process than the switch to grain alone.

I justified it to my wife on the grounds that I would be out of the house (she insists that boiling hops smell like "horse barn") and it would costs 30% less per brew with some carefully scrounged equipment.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
:thumbsup:


Looks like some good beer was made!

I sure hope so, I came up with the dry stout recipe after reading Ray Daniels but it's uncharted territory for me. I normally go for oatmeal stouts which are a little more forgiving. The Dogfish we've done before and it has always turned out well for us, though. I'd post the recipes if I had Promash handy at work!

 

[UNCjigga]

I've got 18 weeks to go before my BREW is ready...

Question--what's the easiest variety/style to make for a first-time homebrewer? Are Stouts, Porters and Pale ales best?

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
I've got 18 weeks to go before my BREW is ready...

Question--what's the easiest variety/style to make for a first-time homebrewer? Are Stouts, Porters and Pale ales best?

The first brew I ever did was a scottish ale, a notoriously easy style until you get into the export gravity ones. One hop addition at the beggining of the boil, not too complex of a malt profile, and the yeast imparts a good deal of the flavor. Stouts, porters, and pale ales can all be good choices as well, most ales for that matter.

Lager beers are a little more difficult and require more time, equipment, and stricter attention to detail. There are also varieties within ales that can be more challenging, for instance a dry stout can be tougher to brew successfully than a sweet stout. An imperial stout will take a lot longer than either. Porters typically have a lot of different grains but aren't easy to mess up, and pales can have excellent results with few ingredients.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
I've got 18 weeks to go before my BREW is ready...

Question--what's the easiest variety/style to make for a first-time homebrewer? Are Stouts, Porters and Pale ales best?

The first brew I ever did was a scottish ale, a notoriously easy style until you get into the export gravity ones. One hop addition at the beggining of the boil, not too complex of a malt profile, and the yeast imparts a good deal of the flavor. Stouts, porters, and pale ales can all be good choices as well, most ales for that matter.

Lager beers are a little more difficult and require more time, equipment, and stricter attention to detail. There are also varieties within ales that can be more challenging, for instance a dry stout can be tougher to brew successfully that a sweet stout. An imperial stout will take a lot longer than either. Porters typically have a lot of different grains but aren't easy to mess up, and pales can have excellent results with few ingredients.

I second the ale suggestion. Any extract/speciality grain recipe beer that uses an ale yeast with OG below 1.060 and a IBUs below 40 (these statistics are usually listed with any beer kit).

 

[Hammerhead]

seems like too much work. I bet it's worth it though.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: Hammerhead
seems like too much work. I bet it's worth it though.

I'll be upfront about it, it can be a lot more work than picking it up at the grocery store, that's for sure. But also, most of the time I spend is standing around drinking beer and waiting for something to happen. It's also not really cheaper than buying beer, especially if you factor in your time and equipment. But that's really not what it's about.

I enjoy brewing because I get to hand craft something that I love, and it's a great excuse to get together with the guys and drink some beer while you shoot the old bull. Plus, the fruits of your labor can be enjoyed by you and all of your mooching friends and relatives!

 

[MiniDoom]

looks like a fvcking meth lab. good times.:beer:

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate
I know that some of you here have a more than passing interest in beer, while others are brewers yourselves. Some have no idea what is involved and are often surprised by how simple and relatively inexpensive a hobby brewing beer can be. In light of this, I though I'd take time to share with you all one of our recent brew days. I hope that you guys enjoy!

Brew day.


If any of your are locals you should feel free to join us sometime, it's a lot of fun and very rewarding!

Ah yes. I used to brew regularly when i was in collge (all-grain FTW). Im still an active BJCP judge (national rank), but there arent many events up here.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Tizyler
How long does it take? And where did you do it at?

A couple of hours for initial brew, about 1 hour worth of racking, then another hour or two to bottle.

I am including cleanup time.

Not for an all-grain. The inital brew takes ~6 hours to get it to the ferment vessel.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Tizyler
How long does it take? And where did you do it at?

A couple of hours for initial brew, about 1 hour worth of racking, then another hour or two to bottle.

I am including cleanup time.

Not for an all-grain. The inital brew takes ~6 hours to get it to the ferment vessel.

I'm talking about someone who has never done it before and using a kit.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: rdubbz420
looks like a fvcking meth lab. good times.:beer:

What's funny is that we live one of if not the top meth producing county in the country. I'm still waiting for a patrol car to cruise on by and take interest.

Thanks to old Jimmy Carter though, I can legally brew 100 gallons per adult per household per year, or 200 gallons in my case. I've cut it pretty close before, but then again I never sell it. I don't even drink half of what I make.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Tizyler
How long does it take? And where did you do it at?

A couple of hours for initial brew, about 1 hour worth of racking, then another hour or two to bottle.

I am including cleanup time.

Not for an all-grain. The inital brew takes ~6 hours to get it to the ferment vessel.

I'm talking about someone who has never done it before and using a kit.

The pics were clearly an all-grain.

 

[MiniDoom]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: rdubbz420
looks like a fvcking meth lab. good times.:beer:

What's funny is that we live one of if not the top meth producing county in the country. I'm still waiting for a patrol car to cruise on by and take interest.

Thanks to old Jimmy Carter though, I can legally brew 100 gallons per adult per household per year, or 200 gallons in my case. I've cut it pretty close before, but then again I never sell it. I don't even drink half of what I make.

yep, just give the cops a beer and send them on their way.