First Batch of Homebrew - Success!

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JM Aggie08

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Jan 3, 2006
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Earlier this week our first batch of Brown Ale finished...and it's awesome!

ofHiYaT.jpg


I was very unsure of what to expect since it was our first time homebrewing, but was pleasantly surprised upon the first pour. It has a nice, creamy head to it with a bold flavor, and crisp finish.

We'll probably let the majority sit unrefrigerated for another month or so to reach peak flavor, but as for now we could not be any happier! :)

We'll be starting another batch this week...found a pretty simple Speckeled Hen recipe we'd like to give a shot (Thanks Magnus :thumbsup:).
 
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JM Aggie08

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
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Looking good! All Grain or Extract?

Extract. Dam near burned it pouring it in :whiste:

We're planning on doing an All Grain this next go around. There's also plans for when we move to get a gas burner and to construct a kegerator since we'll have our own garage and a yard :)
 

bbhaag

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Jul 2, 2011
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As long as you follow the directions and sanitize everything...EVERYTHING you should be good to go. Getting a nice stainless steal brew pot is good to. Home brewing is fun and even if your brew doesn't turn out as good as you thought it would most of the time it's still drinkable.:)
 

Wyndru

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Apr 9, 2009
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How do you do it? I've been wanting to try this, but was worried that those kits that places sell might screw me up somehow.

(Such as.)

The extract kits make it pretty simple. I personally would look at a homebrewing website to buy a kit. The one in your link has an "as seen on TV" look to it ;).

Northern brewer has some nice kits:
1 Gallon - 49.99
5 Gallon - 79.99


It gets a little more complicated when you start mashing your own grain. But at that point it becomes a fun hobby and not just dumping things in a boiling pot, so it's also more rewarding.
 
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waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
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The extract kits make it pretty simple. I personally would look at a homebrewing website to buy a kit. The one in your link has an "as seen on TV" look to it ;).

Northern brewer has some nice kits:
1 Gallon - 49.99
5 Gallon - 79.99


It gets a little more complicated when you start mashing your own grain. But at that point it becomes a fun hobby and not just dumping things in a boiling pot, so it's also more rewarding.

I want to start doing it (been thinking of it for a few years). The cost of the stuff and the fact im not sure i can drink it fast enough. lol

i have cut down on the amount i drink. now its roughly 3-4 beers a week.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
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Extract. Dam near burned it pouring it in :whiste:

We're planning on doing an All Grain this next go around. There's also plans for when we move to get a gas burner and to construct a kegerator since we'll have our own garage and a yard :)

Do you have the extra equipment for all grain? You need a mash tun and a way to cool the wort quickly. I made my own wort chiller out of a few bucks worth of copper, plastic tubing, and a faucet connector. Works great and cost 1/4 the price of one sold at the stores.
 

JM Aggie08

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Jan 3, 2006
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Do you have the extra equipment for all grain? You need a mash tun and a way to cool the wort quickly. I made my own wort chiller out of a few bucks worth of copper, plastic tubing, and a faucet connector. Works great and cost 1/4 the price of one sold at the stores.

I have not looked into a wort chiller as of yet. Would you mind sharing how you went about building yours?
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
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I have not looked into a wort chiller as of yet. Would you mind sharing how you went about building yours?

I purchased 1/2" copper tubing and then took a pot that was slightly smaller than my brew kettle and wrapped the copper around there, coiling it and moving upwards from the bottom. Once I had it coiled with about 18" of uncoiled copper tubing on each side I bent those ends into an L pointing upwards and then out. I attached plastic tubing to these ends, one end having a faucet adapter and the other just bare tube. I can screw the faucet end onto the faucet, point the other end into the sink and turn on the water. Works great.

Not mine, but this is close to what it looks like.

P10505111-600x450.jpg


My ends points out instead of up because condensation occurs and I can put a piece of paper towel on the horizontal portion to keep it out of the wort.

My mash tun is a cooler, it works really well. I have a strainer that fits over the kettle that catches any grain that makes it's way out of the spigot.
 

Wyndru

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2009
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I have not looked into a wort chiller as of yet. Would you mind sharing how you went about building yours?

I built mine about 15 years ago using the old school method of copper tubing through a garden hose with the connections from a kit similar to this:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/produ...10644&osCsid=30151655cde305fb13b649637623f81a

This is the style where the cold water flows one direction through the inner diameter of the hose and the wort flows through the copper. A lot of these kits will come with the instructions on how to build it too.

Lately I've seen a lot of people using immersion wort chillers though, they are cheaper to build, since it's just copper tubing that you stick in a cooler of ice or cold water, and the beer just flows through it. (Or you run cold water through the copper directly immersed into the wirt, I've seen both methods)
 
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Kreon

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Oct 22, 2006
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How do you do it? I've been wanting to try this, but was worried that those kits that places sell might screw me up somehow.

(Such as.)

I found the kits to be cheaper at a local homebrew store. The online places were cheaper base prices, but the shipping is what killed it. If you buy a kit, spring the extra ~$10 and the get the autosiphon. That and my wort chiller are the two things I have purchased that make my brewing so much more enjoyable.

Do you have the extra equipment for all grain? You need a mash tun and a way to cool the wort quickly. I made my own wort chiller out of a few bucks worth of copper, plastic tubing, and a faucet connector. Works great and cost 1/4 the price of one sold at the stores.

I used the same technique, and mine works great.


Congrats on your first beer though! I'd suggest doing a couple extract kits before you jump into all grain brewing though. Just so you become completely familiar with the boiling and fermenting aspect of brewing before introducing mashing to it.

If you do decide to go all grain but don't want to shell out for all the extra equipment, look at Brew in a Bag methods. This is the method I use, and all I had to purchase was a mesh bag: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-stovetop-all-grain-brewing-pics-90132/
 
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