jaggedthoughts Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Has anyone on here tried this and had much luck? I am really interested in getting into this and have been doing some research. I also found a bunch of videos on youtube. Does anyone have any advice or product recommendations? I really like IPA's. How much more difficult is it to brew an IPA? I think I am gonna order a kit on ebay sometime soon. I found some that come with everything but the bottles for just over $100 + shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troymess Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I've always been interested in trying this but just never had the courage to I suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 i watched a thing about moonshiners and rumrunners today on the history channel. one of the greatest things my eyes have ever watched. the lengths people went to and how foolish they made authority figures look was mind boggling. prohibition was about the only time moral crusaders in this country admitted they were wrong and stop fighting for their cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex13 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I have brewed my own and it is awesome. I went in with 4 friends for a brewing kit and we all get together, drink, bbq, and brew beer. We buy the pre-measured batches as we really don't care to be "inventive". There are so many good recipes out there and if you're willing to be clean, precise, and patient you will really enjoy what it's like to have incredibly fresh beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circlingvultures Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I have a good friend who is constantly brewing his own beer and that's basically all he drinks. Another friend has always wanted to try it so he found a guy at work that has a small start up company and tagged along with him and made his own beer. http://fiftytwotothirty.blogspot.com/2009/01/take-one-down-pass-it-around.html This is also something I want to try and will be looking into it around thanksgiving time. My girlfriend will be going to visit family for the holiday so I figure that will be a good time to try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsteel Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Yeah, the key is either having a decent amount of money or a few people to go in on it sine the start up cost is a bit. Otherwise, all you really need is 2 nights a month to brew and bottle and that's about it. It's a cool feeling to enjoy and get drunk on something you created. It's probably like what having kids is like, but way fucking better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blupenguin Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 "It's a cool feeling to enjoy and get drunk on something you created. It's probably like what having kids is like, but way fucking better." Best thing I've read in a long while, thanks for easing my current depression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest afsdan Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 really only the start up costs are a little pricy. if you're skittish on how you might do, or enjoy it at all, get a 1-gallon sized carboy instead of a 5-gallon. That'll let you spend less on ingredients also. Brewing beer is easy. An IPA isn't tough to make at all. Other costs simply include hoses, stoppers, the caps that go on the carboy when fermenting (don't know the technical term for this), sterilizer (everything...EVERYTHING has to be fucking CLEAN), bottles (that's the best part....drinking so you have bottles to use), and caps (with a capper). Those last items can add up, but your per-beer costs after that go way down. and eventually your skillz go way up. My brother and I currently have three 5-gallon carboys, a 1-gallon carboy, a half-keg, and a buncha bottled stuff all in different stages of the process. We recently brewed an experimental gallon of nettles beer, and bottled 3 bombers and 4 12oz bottles when all was said and done. We cracked a bottle last night just to taste, and see how the carbonation was coming along. It was fucking good. Too bad we only have 6 bottles left. EDIT: don't order your shit through ebay. just go to your local homebrew store. they'll be able to answer questions that ebay just can't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex13 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 another "perk" is how so much of home brewing resembles poo: Here's a porter. The color variation is the yeast doing its job. This gets stored away in a closet for a few weeks before bottling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candykens Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I've done it with my friends before, mighty tasty. We got a pretty awesome kit though. I'd say to start saving your beer bottles now, dark bottles are best so if can work its magic. You'll have to super sanitize the bottles but you do that with everything in the beginning. But the end product is well worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustinxschwierx Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Marcus, I bought my dad a Mr. Beer kit and he loved it and was making all kinds of stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circlingvultures Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 look who makes a little cameo in the last picture, left hand side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headtowall Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 i brewed a batch before came out awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keymanmk Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Our neighbors in college brewed a lot... and it was pretty damn good. Word of caution: A guy who went to my high school didn't seal too well during fermenting, and ended up in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricsnow Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 look who makes a little cameo in the last picture, left hand side. Why it's Mr. Shotgunator! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedthoughts Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Thanks for all the responses. I'm gonna give it a shot in the fall when it cools down a bit. I'm pretty psyched! The idea of brewing my own beer and drinking it seems rad. I'll give an update down the road to let everyone know how things turn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstrike Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Our neighbors in college brewed a lot... and it was pretty damn good.Word of caution: A guy who went to my high school didn't seal too well during fermenting, and ended up in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Was coming here to post something similar. A friend who has been homebrewing for the last 7-10 years, tried making his own gin. I don't know too much about it, but apparently it requires some boiling… he and another guy who was helping him were sent to the hospital with 3rd degree burns on their heads, face, arms and hands cos the pot blew up. They're much more careful now. And they make some killer gin! (And beer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex13 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 look who makes a little cameo in the last picture, left hand side. good eye! I had bought several and gave them to my fellow brew-buds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbet Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I've done it - I spent about $150 or so getting my little kit up and running after it was all said and done. Honestly, you make 2 cases, or 48 bottles, of beer per batch. I really enjoyed brewing it but it will take months for me to drink it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattstrike Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Anyone ever work out what homebrew saves you per bottle? Or the other way 'round: How much a homebrew bottle ends up costing. I'd be interested in what folks have come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex13 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 $120-ish for the kit $45 for a pre-measured batch of ingredients (makes 5 gallons) $1 to $5 for disposable items such as disinfectant and bottle caps Not including the cost of the kit, a 5 gallon batch will make roughly fifty 12-oz beers. If you really want to be detailed you can factor in the time it takes to brew and the value of your time. You can also try to quantify a value for having to wait for it to be drinkable (minimum 1 month to get a good carbonation). Don't forget the electricity used from the stove, the water necessary to brew and to wash up everything. Once you factor all that, find a high-quality beer and get its cost and compare. I think that's about as anal as I'd get on it. Since I'm usually drunk when I think about my brew all I gave a shit about was dividing $50-ish for 50 beers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdwell Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 brew your own Mead...that's where it's really at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan999 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 brew your own Mead...that's where it's really at Oh man, had Mead for the first time at the bar last weekend, soooo good. Almost tasted like apple cider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdwell Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 brew your own Mead...that's where it's really at Oh man, had Mead for the first time at the bar last weekend, soooo good. Almost tasted like apple cider. the shit my friend brewed was like Apple Cider @ close to 20 percent...delicious and incredibly intoxicating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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