OT - Home Brew Wednesdays: Who Brews?

Submitted by goblueram on

Greetings brewers!  Based on some interest from another thread, I am proposing a new recurring OT topic for the blog - home brewing.  Hopefully there's enough interest and expertise on here, because I've certainly got tons of topic ideas and questions.  

For our first topic, introduce yourself if you are a home brewer, or even if you are interested in getting into the hobby and have questions!  There's no better knowledgebase on the web than MGoBlog as far as I'm concerned.

 

Brewer?  (yes/interested)
# of batches?  (approx # of batches brewed)
Batch size?  (typical batch size, 1 gal, 3 gal, 5 gal, etc.)
Method?  (extract, partial match, all grain)
Recipe Software?  (BeerSmith, BrewersFriend, etc.)
Future topic ideas?  (best recipe, favorite style, favorite hops, etc.)
Other?

goblueram

July 27th, 2016 at 11:48 AM ^

Brewer?  Yes

# of batches?  8

Batch size?  started with 1 gallon, moved on to 3 gallon

Method?  all grain

Recipe Software?  BrewersFriend

Future topic ideas?  many questions and topics in mind

Other?  Fairly new to the hobby, started at the beginning of 2016 and am hooked!

goblueatkettering

July 27th, 2016 at 12:00 PM ^

Brewer? Yes

# of batches?  #2 is fermenting, so...1.5?

Batch size? All 5 gallon

Method? Grain, dry extract, liquid extract

Recipe Software?  I have a book of recipes, forget the name.  It has a pretty wide range of beers.  I will try many.

Future topic ideas?  Differences in types of hops, yeast, grains, etc.  Dry hopping vs not dry hopping.  Bottling sugars.  I have a million.

Other?  Very new to this, started in May, immediately addicted.  I love beer.

Salinger

July 27th, 2016 at 1:22 PM ^

Brewer? Yes
# of batches? a dozen or so
Batch size? 5g
Method? graduated to all grain last year
Recipe Software? Homemade spreadsheet with calculations from John Palmer's 'How to Brew'
Future topic ideas: successes and failures, favorite yeast strain and why, brew systems and setup, latest recipes

UM Fan from Sydney

July 27th, 2016 at 11:55 AM ^

Overall, yes, but I still see them popping up. It's just a matter of catching up for these new ones. I love the craft beer industry. Some people feel that the market will be saturdated with them, though, but not for me. The more, the better. I like having options.

Tate

July 27th, 2016 at 11:55 AM ^

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but my dad and I are very interested in getting into it - any tips for starting off?

There is a place locally, The Flying Barrell, that lets you come on the weekend and brew in their facility. Would that be a good place to start to see if this is really something to invest in?

 

PB-J Time

July 27th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^

Yes do it at the shop for the first time so you make sure you have it down. They'll walk you through it (or should) & will point out potential pitfalls and places that are easy to screw up (like watch out for boil over, sanitation issues, etc)

goblueram

July 27th, 2016 at 12:02 PM ^

Definitely give it a try!  That sounds like a great opportunity to start off without having to buy any equipment.  I'd go for it.

The way I got started right into all-grain brewing was a kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop.  For about $40 you can brew a 1 gallon batch which will net you 7-8 pints of beer.  It's a pretty easy way to see the whole process on a small scale.  The equipment is also re-usable, but if you get the bug you are going to want to upscale quickly.  I'm brewing in an apartment, so I've only scaled up to 3 gallons.  Basically after getting set up with cheap pots and plastic carboys, for roughly $20 of ingredients I can make 20 pints of beer.  And some of the beer has been absolutely delicious.

ptrack

July 27th, 2016 at 12:04 PM ^

I take it you are in the Frederick area.  As a brewer for the past 12 years I can highly recommend getting into the hobby as long as you have the time to dedicate to brew days and a desire to drink good beer.  I find it a great way to hang out with friends who are into it as well and very rewarding to be able to drink my own product in the end.

 

As for visiting the Flying Barrel to try brewing a batch that can definitely be a useful way to test out the hobby.  I don't know the cost or type of equipment they use there but it should give a great introduction to the process. 

 

I live down in Olney and try to get up to Flying Barrel when I can as I enjoy the store quite a bit.  If you do get into the hobby, feel free to reach out if you want some info on local resources for supplies and what not.

yostlovesme

July 27th, 2016 at 11:56 AM ^

been brewing for years and prob did close to 100 batches. I've done all grain, extract, and a mixture of the two. I usually work with guy at brew store to develop my recipes or my friend who brews as well. Hate bottling so i keg everything. My favorite recipe is my double ipa with a lot of citra hops.

Hemlock Philosopher

July 27th, 2016 at 11:58 AM ^

Thanks for starting this thread. I don't mind working, but I like brewing and Michigan sports much more. 

Brewer?  Yes

# of batches?  250

Batch size?  12 gallons

Method?  All Grain

Recipe Software?  Beer Alchemy

Future topic ideas?  What you mentioned plus: Brewing systems, home "brewery" projects, brewing competitions, failures and successess, how you got into brewing, beer styles, water chemistry...

 

CHEERS! 

Hemlock Philosopher

July 27th, 2016 at 12:14 PM ^

I started off on the stovetop, progressed to 5 gallon batches and then built an Electric Brewery system (12 gallons). I've ran about 50 batches through it so far. I still enjoy taking the propane system out for camping trips. Right now I am in the process of building a walk-in fermentation chamber (calling it the Fermentardis as I am big Dr Who fan). 

DrJesseLeePhD

July 27th, 2016 at 12:15 PM ^

I'm Hemlock Philosopher's Twin Brother... this topic interests us greatly.

Brewer: Yes

#of batches: Somewhere near 250 sounds right

batch size: 12 gallons

Method: All grain (as well as cider and mead)

Recipe Software?  Beer Alchemy

Future topic ideas: On top of the awesomeness discussed alredy, Home bar builds

 

where does all that beer go? -- a perfectly cromulent question.  I run a softball team.

PB-J Time

July 27th, 2016 at 11:59 AM ^

I do brew and have been doing so for 4 years. Still very much a hobby and I don't do it all that regularly. Started doing 1 gallon all grain splarging but now do 5 gallon batches with a friend & we use extracts but almost always also use specialty grains steeping before the boil.

I've done probably 2 dozen batches (roughly). Had 2 non-potable (once with bottling issues when I was a true beginner & once when I used fruit (peaches) but despite baking some bacteria stayed on & ruined it). I like stouts & have probably brewed these the most. I like wheat too but I can't really get that as good as the commercial stuff which isn't expensive so I stick with that. Favorite other recipies have been for saisons. I'd like to get some extra equipment to do lagers (need refridgeration for lower fermenting temps)

As for recipes we have lots of sources: a clone book, a recipie book (Brooklyn Brew shop), & we get our stuff from a local shop where the owner can just come up with something if we tell him the style.

Great topic and hope we can have a good discussion!

somewittyname

July 27th, 2016 at 12:42 PM ^

Brewer?  Yes

# of batches?  30+

Batch size?  5 gal or less

Method?  All grain

Recipe Software?  Brewersfriend

Future topic ideas? Equipment, brewing methods, etc.

Beer Styles: A cherry milk stout is my best. Like to drink Belgians. 

Other? I love the engineering side. Made an electric kettle I'm proud of

wile_e8

July 27th, 2016 at 12:06 PM ^

My wife got me a starter brewing kit a few year ago for my birthday, and the stuff that came with it was ok. It didn't help that the types that came with the kit weren't what I would have picked on my own. Plus it was from extract instead of from scratch, which felt like cheating but I don't even know where to begin starting from scratch. In the end, it just seemed easier to try lots of different stuff from the store rather than try to make my own stuff that might not even be very good. 

So what say you, people who actually brew from scratch. How hard is it to actually brew beer starting from scratch rather than from extract? And how hard is it to make beer that won't make me regret not buying good stuff from the store?

goblueram

July 27th, 2016 at 12:10 PM ^

By "from scratch" I think you mean all-grain, and it's definitely the way to go!  I think our next topic will be home brew systems/setups which will give you a good idea of how to do it.  I can tell you I started with Brooklyn Brew 1 gallon kit, and now am doing stovetop all-grain batches of 3 gallons in an apartment. It's doable!

Also, I'm only on batch #8 but have made beers that can go head to head with Two Hearted and Fresh Squeezed IPA (ok maybe I'm a bit biased).  Roughly $20 for 20 pints in the end.

ptrack

July 27th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^

Brewer? Yes

# of batches: Twice a mont for the past few years, once or twice a year before that.  Somewhere around 70 batches at this point.

 

Batch size: 5 gallon but have done some 10 gallons batched with friends on their equipment

Method: all-grain

 

Recipe software: Beersmith, Brewtarget sometimes...

 

Future topic ideas: hop growing, beer/homegrown hop exchanges, brew day meetups

 

Other: I started brewing with a simple kit 12 years ago in a house on Packard after late night drunken purchase.  I have refined my equipment and skills quite a bit since those days but there is something I miss about trying to boil on a crappy electric stove top and cool a kettle in a bath tub of ice.

ptrack

July 27th, 2016 at 12:53 PM ^

We all start somewhere.  I have made great beer with my simplest setup and suspect beer with my current rig.  One thing I have always loved about the hobby is how easy it is to get into and how quickly rewarding it can be.  I have slowly pieced together an ever evolving system but a lot of what that has been good for is easier setup and cleanup to make my brew days smoother.

 

LSBlue

July 27th, 2016 at 12:09 PM ^

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a Blichmann Easybrew unit. I've never been able to make an extract batch in buckets that results in the flavor I prefer so I'd like to dive right in to an all grain mash process. If I can begin making 5 gallon batches that I actually don't mind drinking, it would easily offset the $$ spent on buying the beer.

Drbogue

July 27th, 2016 at 12:11 PM ^

Brewer?  Yep

# of batches?  Hundreds? Haven't kept count, but I've been brewing since 1994

Batch size?  Always a 5 gallon

Method?  Mostly extract b/c it is much easier

Recipe Software?  No software. Started with the Homebrewer's Bible and have gone to the internet and Homebrew Forums quite a bit

Future topic ideas?  Any chile beer. Have a great Chipotle Porter. Dry hopped IPAs are a personal favorite.

Other? Great hobby. For those gettting into brewing, I highly recommend inverting in Corney kegs (5 gal soda kegs) and building a keezer. Beats the hell out of bottling and draft is always better. Not to mention you can force carbonate and drink on keg day!

ptrack

July 27th, 2016 at 12:23 PM ^

Agreed completely as well.  I was brewing sporadically for a long time after I got tired of the time and mess associated with bottling.  Once I invested in a kegging setup my dedication to the hobby really blew up.

And, for those living in South East Michigan, Adventures in Homebrew on Jackson consistently has some of the best prices on used kegs around.  I live down in Maryland now but have bought all my kegs from them while visiting family in Chelsea.  

Yo_Blue

July 27th, 2016 at 12:15 PM ^

I was (pleasantly) surprised to see how many MGoBloggers roll their own, so to speak.  Awesome!  My son got me one of those 1 gallon starter kits but I haven't had the time to try it yet.

mischill

July 27th, 2016 at 12:23 PM ^

Brewer? Yep

# of batches? Don't even remember. I've been brewing for about 6-7 years.

Batch size? 5.5 gallon, but I've got the ability to do ten gallons for lower abv beers

Method? All grain, mostly 3 vessel, but I do brew in a bag occasionally for lower abv stuff. It saves time.

Recipe Software? BeerSmith mostly, and BrewPal.

Future topic ideas? Recipes, brew day meet ups, style discussions

Other? I just recently took first place in a local homebrew contest with my black ale and it will be brewed and on tap at Lumber Barons brewpub in Bay City. Pretty excited to get in there and brew with them on their big system. I also love the diy approach most people bring to brewing. It's always fun to see how someone else rigs up something to save money and time.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

ptrack

July 27th, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^

The DIY nature of it all is definitely one of my favorite aspects of the hobby.  I started with a  basic kit from Midwest years ago.  I still use some items from that kit today along with a collection I have built up over the years.  I love hunting out cheap parts and used equipment to improve my setup without breaking the bank.

IR_Wolverine

July 27th, 2016 at 12:50 PM ^

It is its own sort of adventure trying to build gear from hardware store parts. In fact, most of my equipment has been put together DIY style. My favorite has to be the fermentation chamber I built from a "scratch and dent" wine cooler, an aquarium thermostat from China, a heating pad, and a hobby box from an electronics store. It works like a dream -- fermentations are always perfectly controled at 63 deg F. 

Bryan

July 27th, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^

However, I'm looking to get back into it. I have a ton of fresh raspberries this season and I am looking for a good receipe to make use of such. Anyone have any suggestions?