First brew

[themoneycollector]

Man, it looks pretty involved. I need to do some reading before I jump into homebrewing.

 

[LilBastage]

This setup is so sweet. The only thing that I wanted to know about is how high of a gravity beer can you do? AKA how much grain can you get in there? Also, what does the bucket underneath your cooler hold?

The fella that came up with it says he's done brews all over the spectrum. The system will only do about a 4-4.5gal batch at the very most. It's designer does 3.5gal batches and I think I'm going to stick to 4 going forward. If you wanted to do larger batches, you'd need a larger cooler and 240v electrics. The bucket holds the March pump and it will hold my counterflow chiller after tomorrow.

Here is the thread of the build. It's also in the November issue of BYO magazine.

Man, it looks pretty involved. I need to do some reading before I jump into homebrewing.

It doesn't have to be this involved. A lot of people make outstanding beer with a pot and a fermenter. I like to build stuff and I didn't want to babysit the whole process. Also, brewing indoors in the winter here was a consideration.

It can be very simple. Don't let the appearance of this discourage you at all. This is just my chosen path.

 

[Martin2D]

Thanks for the link. Definitely something I will probably get when I get out of school.

Right now, brew in a bag couldn't be more simple and it's so cheap. All you need is a pot, buckets, and some paint strainers.

 

[LilBastage]

Thanks for the link. Definitely something I will probably get when I get out of school.

Right now, brew in a bag couldn't be more simple and it's so cheap. All you need is a pot, buckets, and some paint strainers.

Yeah, this is kind of like BIAB, but a little more hands off from what I understand. It's pretty darn simple (as long as you don't burn out your heating element :blush and really leaves little cleanup. I can't wait to get on my next brew.

 

[LilBastage]

It's in the keg! FG is 1.008 which makes for a nice watery 3.2% ABV. :laugh:

Oh well. It tastes OK, just thin and not a whole lot going on. Even TheWife(c) said it's weak and she's not into the heavy brews. It's kind of cloudy, but I'm not going to mess with it anymore being that it's already not all that great. I'll just chalk it up as experience and a test run of my entire system using something just a little more drinkable than colored water.

Next brew is an Irish Dry Stout. I got my chiller all set up and I'm hoping for a much more "boring" session.

 

[sporkd2]

It's in the keg! FG is 1.008 which makes for a nice watery 3.2% ABV. :laugh:

Oh well. It tastes OK, just thin and not a whole lot going on. Even TheWife(c) said it's weak and she's not into the heavy brews. It's kind of cloudy, but I'm not going to mess with it anymore being that it's already not all that great. I'll just chalk it up as experience and a test run of my entire system using something just a little more drinkable than colored water.

Next brew is an Irish Dry Stout. I got my chiller all set up and I'm hoping for a much more "boring" session.

Takes pics and let us know how the second brew is

 

[NullSmurf]

It's in the keg! FG is 1.008 which makes for a nice watery 3.2% ABV. :laugh:

Oh well. It tastes OK, just thin and not a whole lot going on. Even TheWife© said it's weak and she's not into the heavy brews. It's kind of cloudy, but I'm not going to mess with it anymore being that it's already not all that great. I'll just chalk it up as experience and a test run of my entire system using something just a little more drinkable than colored water.

Next brew is an Irish Dry Stout. I got my chiller all set up and I'm hoping for a much more "boring" session.

My first was a Fat Tire recipe and was drinkable and tasty 2 years after. My next two could have killed cockroaches.

 

[souldog]

It's in the keg! FG is 1.008 which makes for a nice watery 3.2% ABV. :laugh:

Oh well. It tastes OK, just thin and not a whole lot going on. Even TheWife(c) said it's weak and she's not into the heavy brews. It's kind of cloudy, but I'm not going to mess with it anymore being that it's already not all that great. I'll just chalk it up as experience and a test run of my entire system using something just a little more drinkable than colored water.

Next brew is an Irish Dry Stout. I got my chiller all set up and I'm hoping for a much more "boring" session.

Update us Alan! Pictures or it didn't happen.

 

[jfields]

I wish someone like you or Justin would videotape the whole process Alan. I find a visual read much more informative than the written word any day. I'm hoping to get into this when my wife graduates from college next spring and I have the time/money for a few extra hobbies.

Is there a forum or site out there that has definitions for a lot of the brewing related words out there? I must admit that I do not understand quite a few of them when reading in the Homebrew thread.

 

[LilBastage]

It's in the keg! FG is 1.008 which makes for a nice watery 3.2% ABV. :laugh:

Oh well. It tastes OK, just thin and not a whole lot going on. Even TheWife© said it's weak and she's not into the heavy brews. It's kind of cloudy, but I'm not going to mess with it anymore being that it's already not all that great. I'll just chalk it up as experience and a test run of my entire system using something just a little more drinkable than colored water.

Next brew is an Irish Dry Stout. I got my chiller all set up and I'm hoping for a much more "boring" session.

Update us Alan! Pictures or it didn't happen.

Well, it hasn't happened yet. I'm shooting for next weekend.

I wish someone like you or Justin would videotape the whole process Alan. I find a visual read much more informative than the written word any day. I'm hoping to get into this when my wife graduates from college next spring and I have the time/money for a few extra hobbies.

Is there a forum or site out there that has definitions for a lot of the brewing related words out there? I must admit that I do not understand quite a few of them when reading in the Homebrew thread.

This site and this site helped me tremendously. The How to Brew site is also available at any bookstore as a soft cover book. I actually find it more helpful than the site as I don't always have the computer handy and I just prefer books. It's a great investment for anyone thinking about or actually brewing at home, I think.

I can't video anything. Besides, I'm not all that comfortable with my process and everything. Justin would be a better candidate if he decided to do so.

This guy has some pretty good videos once you want to learn a few more specifics.

I've gone pretty "advanced" from the start because that's just my nature. It's really pretty simple to start out and can remain very simple, especially f you use extract. If souldoggy can handle it, anyone can. :sign:

 

[souldog]

If souldoggy can handle it, anyone can. :sign:

This is true! Even I can hang with this stuff! I use mrbeerfans.com, but that's clearly for little Mr. Beer fans like Keith and I. Also, I discovered this website: http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html THere seems to be a lot of good information on there.

 

[jfields]

It's in the keg! FG is 1.008 which makes for a nice watery 3.2% ABV. :laugh:

Oh well. It tastes OK, just thin and not a whole lot going on. Even TheWife© said it's weak and she's not into the heavy brews. It's kind of cloudy, but I'm not going to mess with it anymore being that it's already not all that great. I'll just chalk it up as experience and a test run of my entire system using something just a little more drinkable than colored water.

Next brew is an Irish Dry Stout. I got my chiller all set up and I'm hoping for a much more "boring" session.

Update us Alan! Pictures or it didn't happen.

Well, it hasn't happened yet. I'm shooting for next weekend.

I wish someone like you or Justin would videotape the whole process Alan. I find a visual read much more informative than the written word any day. I'm hoping to get into this when my wife graduates from college next spring and I have the time/money for a few extra hobbies.

Is there a forum or site out there that has definitions for a lot of the brewing related words out there? I must admit that I do not understand quite a few of them when reading in the Homebrew thread.

This site and this site helped me tremendously. The How to Brew site is also available at any bookstore as a soft cover book. I actually find it more helpful than the site as I don't always have the computer handy and I just prefer books. It's a great investment for anyone thinking about or actually brewing at home, I think.

I can't video anything. Besides, I'm not all that comfortable with my process and everything. Justin would be a better candidate if he decided to do so.

This guy has some pretty good videos once you want to learn a few more specifics.

I've gone pretty "advanced" from the start because that's just my nature. It's really pretty simple to start out and can remain very simple, especially f you use extract. If souldoggy can handle it, anyone can. :sign:

Thanks Alan! I must have missed your reply. That guy Bobby has some good stuff, and it looks like I need to bookmark all of these pages.
Can someone let me know if this site The Grape & Granary looks good? I bought everything from them when I started my winemaking and they have always seemed reasonable with pricing, and the service was good.

 

[cabaiguan juan]

We are getting our kitchen redone, and as soon as its done, I'm going to try make beer. Woman's brother makes beer and its some good stuff, so I'm hoping to have him get me set up and teach me a thing or too!

 

[LilBastage]

Thanks Alan! I must have missed your reply. That guy Bobby has some good stuff, and it looks like I need to bookmark all of these pages.
Can someone let me know if this site The Grape & Granary looks good? I bought everything from them when I started my winemaking and they have always seemed reasonable with pricing, and the service was good.

I'm not familiar with them. I've used Midwest Supplies, Northern Brewer, and Austin Homebrew Supplies so far and I've been happy with all of them. There are a lot of other sites out there, you just have to compare each item as I've found pricing to be kind of inconsistent. If they've treated you well in the past, they're certainly worth a look.

Don't forget to look for a local brew shop. A lot of times they have some very good knowledge and a good handle on the products they sell. I don't have one that's worth two shits or I'd use them.

 

[Martin2D]

I highly recommend www.brewmasterswarehouse.com

 

[jfields]

Thanks Alan and thanks Martin, I'll check your recommendations out too.

 

[MX]

Alan,

glad that you made it through the first one, a little chaos is good for the beer and the soul.
I am about to put together a 22ov 2500watt heat stick in the next week or so to help with my boil
and to save propane. I also re rigged mt]y burner to use a higher output regulator, so I should get a few more BTU.

I will not be able to ty it out until April I think.
Sad,,,,,

Tim

 

[LilBastage]

Holy hell, look what the cat dragged in. How have you been, Tim?

Good to "see" you.