Regis
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Post by Regis on Jan 4, 2016 12:22:05 GMT -5
Anyone else on here brew their own beer?
I'm not one normally to brag but my BIL gave me a recipe for a Bell's Oberon clone that I made and just started drinking. It's the best I've ever made!
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jan 4, 2016 12:28:27 GMT -5
DH has been doing it about 10 years. He's all grain, 10 gallon batches. We have a dedicated brew area in the garage and also in the basement. Also, 100s of lbs of grain in our hallway closet (I'm nice).
I hesitate to even drink other beer now, his is so good.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Jan 4, 2016 12:32:40 GMT -5
I have a couple of buddies that do, but I haven't gotten into it yet. not sure I have what it takes right now. maybe some time in the future. I think I would enjoy it.
Do you guys bottle or keg?
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jan 4, 2016 12:36:24 GMT -5
Keg
We have a kegerator in the kitchen with two lines, and then a regular fridge in the basement with 4 kegs with picnic taps. DH also rigged up a temperature controlled chamber (made from a chest freezer) so he can lager.
The thing is you can start small and it can grow to rigging up equipment. We did bottle the first year or so.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jan 4, 2016 12:37:11 GMT -5
My cousin has been doing it for a few years now. Won quite a few large competitions, etc. He does both bottle and keg. Not sure when he started with the keg ones. Maybe when they finished the basement into a bar. He's got 4 of his beers on tap.
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Jan 4, 2016 13:06:03 GMT -5
I bottle but at this point (only been doing it for a year) I'm making small batches still - either 2.5 gallons or 5 gallons. I'm not sure I'll ever go to larger batches. And I give away probably 75% of it to my friends and family. I've trained them all to give me back the empty bottles and they know I'll refill them and give them back full. I honestly enjoy making a good beer more than drinking a good beer. Might be changing my mind with this Oberon clone!
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Jan 4, 2016 13:09:59 GMT -5
I have a couple of buddies that do, but I haven't gotten into it yet. not sure I have what it takes right now. maybe some time in the future. I think I would enjoy it. Do you guys bottle or keg? I'd suggest starting with the Little Brown Keg from Mr. Beer. While I've mostly "graduated" from it, if I don't have much time, I'll make a kit beer. I've got a Czech Pilsner conditioning right now that I made in the LBK.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Jan 4, 2016 13:44:24 GMT -5
I tried it once with a Mr. Beer home brewing kit. I got inpatient though and didn't let it brew long enough. It tasted okay, but I probably could have passed a sobriety test after several bottles. I might try it again next year after I move to a state with fewer craft breweries and stricter blue laws.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Jan 4, 2016 16:03:10 GMT -5
I didn't think I could brew beer because I keep the house too cool. 62/68. After looking it up I think I can. Looks like ale ferments at 68 - 72 and lager ferments at 45 - 55. I could have another hobby.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on Jan 4, 2016 16:05:13 GMT -5
DH brews several times a year. He has a "beer refrigerator" in the basement storeroom that holds kegs. He drilled holes in the door and added taps.
His friends think it's pretty cool.
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Jan 4, 2016 16:25:29 GMT -5
I've not tried a lager because I have no way to ferment at a lower temperature but I've got several friends who have. Most of them tend to think it's more trouble than it's worth.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Jan 4, 2016 16:28:32 GMT -5
I might try ale in my basement. The temperature there is pretty constant around 68.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on Jan 4, 2016 16:58:37 GMT -5
DH brews occasionally. He has a couple cases of a Czech Pilsner in the pantry right now.
He's not an exacting person, though, when it comes to cooking or beer brewing, and he tends to forget important parts, or fail to clean well enough between batches. That leads to interesting batches of beer.
I don't drink his much because he generally likes the chewy kind of stouts and porters. I like heiffeweisens and Belgian wits, although my current favorite is a raglan that's 60% grapefruit juice. I suppose I could start brewing the types of beer I like, but I'm lazy, I would rather just get a growler somewhere and spend my energy on drinking it.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jan 5, 2016 9:36:25 GMT -5
I've not tried a lager because I have no way to ferment at a lower temperature but I've got several friends who have. Most of them tend to think it's more trouble than it's worth. If you have a spare refrigerator you could set it to a higher temp and ferment in there. It really isn't much more trouble but since the flavor is more subtle it's certainly easier to taste any off flavors.
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Jan 5, 2016 9:44:13 GMT -5
My DH has been brewing beer for over 30 years. He kegs most of his beer. We've been growing hops for the last 5 years which he's been using.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jan 5, 2016 9:47:05 GMT -5
Which variety of hops? We have centennial or cascade, now I can't quite remember but the past few years we haven't even had time to pick them/dry them out, so they've been purely ornamental.
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trippypea
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Post by trippypea on Jan 5, 2016 10:37:52 GMT -5
Does brewing beer in the home make the house smell like a brewery? I am sure DH would love to brew his own, but I've always put the kibosh on it because I thought it would smell...
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jan 5, 2016 10:43:49 GMT -5
Does brewing beer in the home make the house smell like a brewery? I am sure DH would love to brew his own, but I've always put the kibosh on it because I thought it would smell... IMO if something smells bad, you're probably doing something wrong. DH does the actual brewing in the garage but it doesn't smell bad to me, smells like grain. The smell doesn't linger any longer than if you cooked food with a lot of aroma.
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Baby Fawkes
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Post by Baby Fawkes on Jan 5, 2016 11:42:02 GMT -5
I didn't think I could brew beer because I keep the house too cool. 62/68. After looking it up I think I can. Looks like ale ferments at 68 - 72 and lager ferments at 45 - 55. I could have another hobby. Yeah, larger is bottom fermented so you need the cooler temperatures. I once brewed a batch of lager out on my balcony at college that turned out to be a big hit. In retrospect it was pretty crap, but we were college students and that make it immensely better. These days I brew in small batches. Still bottling at the moment because I'm experimenting with different styles and trying to create my own recipes so they don't all turn out great. Once I had 5 or so different recipes down I'll look to start making bigger batches.
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Baby Fawkes
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Post by Baby Fawkes on Jan 5, 2016 11:43:59 GMT -5
I've not tried a lager because I have no way to ferment at a lower temperature but I've got several friends who have. Most of them tend to think it's more trouble than it's worth. And the fact that it takes a lot longer to brew. In a commercial brewery the lagers are typically the most expensive in the line-up because they stay in the tanks for longer and therefore back up the production line more. If you're brewing at home and you have a previous batch to tide you over then it's not too bad. It definitely takes more patience and I find it harder to get consistency with a lager.
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Regis
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Post by Regis on Jan 5, 2016 11:48:06 GMT -5
I like the smell during the brewing process. Others don't.
And don't get me wrong, I've made some really bad stuff, too. One of them was so bad my 21-year old college student son wouldn't even drink it. I let it condition even longer and it got only marginally better. Pretty sure the problem was inadequate sanitizing on my part. That's the only one I've ever tossed out.
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