Anybody homebrew your own beer?

[videogamesandvinyl]

Been looking into doing this and starter kits aren't all that expensive.  I wouldn't mind starting with a starter kit until I knew what I was doing.  Would love advice from anyone experienced.

[bossdj26]

Actually did this a lot with my dad after graduating college. The one thing I would recommend is getting a 5 gallon kit instead of those smaller 1-2 Mr. Beer things. 

 

A lot of work and time (2-3 months) go into brewing and a gallon only makes like 9-10 bottles. If you're going to invest that much time you might as well have enough to share with others generously and have it last a little while Keep in mind you're not constantly "working" the whole time. Fermentation and bottling (carbonation) takes the majority of the time. The actual cooking/brewing should only take a couple hours initially.

 

Also, chances are you're going to enjoy doing this and upgrade anyway making that $25-40 kit a waste of money anyway. It's a lot of fun if you like doing things yourself and very gratifying at the end. 

 

This is a small shop by my parents house that is awesome. I'd recommend this basic package they sell:

 

http://www.arborwine.com/beerkit.html

 

They also sell recipes and beer "kits" pre-packaged. The family that runs it is very informative and awesome. I'm sure if you ordered from them, any of the family members can help you out if you ever have questions or run into any issues.

 

Hope this helps!.

[videogamesandvinyl]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!  That was definetely beneficial.  I'm looking to purchase this by the end of the month so hopefully I can get it rolling.

[agaetisbyrjun]

My friend and I just finished our 3rd batch. I echo what the guy above said...get the 5 gallon starter kit.

 

 

Also, if you have a buddy it keeps costs down...but you have to split your beers! (In all honesty, 25 beers is enough to last me until our next bacth finishes)

 

Good luck and have fun!

[videogamesandvinyl]

Yeah, my brother and I are looking into splitting the cost of the kit and whatever other supplies we'll need.

[3arl]

We talk a decent amount about this in the beer thread

[jetsfan4ever80]

I've been homebrewing for a few years and love it.  It's a great hobby, and I agree that you should start with a 5 gallon kit.  Midwest Supplies is one of the biggest homebrew supply companies (if not the biggest) and they offer a good basic kit LINK.  You should also check Groupon, because Midwest occasionally runs deals which includes the starter kit along with a recipe kit for approximately the same price as just the starter kit.

 

IMO the best resource for information is a forum called Homebrewtalk.  Unlike most online forums the people there are incredibly kind and helpful - people won't jump down your throat for not using the search function or for asking noob questions.  Just browsing through the topics on those forums has taught me so much. 

 

Keep in mind though, that homebrewing can get expensive.  You'll probably want to upgrade half of the things you purchased after your first batch - so while I don't know your financial situation, it's a good idea to go bigger than you think you need at the time.  For instance, get a bigger stock pot than the bare minimum, because it's inevitable that if you do enjoy the hobby, you're going to be upgrading to a bigger one quickly, and that purchase that you initially thought was saving you cash ends up being a waste.  Good luck!

[videogamesandvinyl]

Cool, I'll have to check around that forum, Thanks for the advice!

[radiatorhums]

Keep in mind though, that homebrewing can get expensive.  You'll probably want to upgrade half of the things you purchased after your first batch - so while I don't know your financial situation, it's a good idea to go bigger than you think you need at the time.  For instance, get a bigger stock pot than the bare minimum, because it's inevitable that if you do enjoy the hobby, you're going to be upgrading to a bigger one quickly, and that purchase that you initially thought was saving you cash ends up being a waste.  Good luck!

 

I agree with this statement completely.  If you think this is a hobby that you'll enjoy and stick with and do regularly, it's worth spending the extra money right off the bat and getting a decent sized kettle.  The ones in starter kits are usually cheap 5 gallon ones.  In addition, if this is something you do think you'll do a lot, consider starting with all-grain brewing (as opposed to extract or partial extract).  It's a little more complicated to start out, but you'll learn more and in the end you'll have MUCH better beer.  I started out doing all grain and it was a little daunting at first, but I'm glad I did.  If possible, see if you can find someone in the area to guide you through the first batch or two.  Offer to fill them full of beer and give them a gallon of your first batch or something.

 

John Palmer's How To Brew Beer is an excellent resource reading : http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

 

If you have any specific questions about equipment or what not, feel free to DM me.  I usually brew two 5 gallon batches a month and should know enough to get you setup.  I would keep in mind that it can be a fairly expensive hobby to get into initially, but most of your equipment should last for a very long time and after that you mostly need to buy ingredients.  It is a little time consuming, a brew session usually takes me about 6 hours (and I've got my methods pretty streamlined).  Patience is the other big thing, be prepared to brew a batch and drink it 6 to 8 weeks later.  It's tough at first, but if you do it enough, you'll have plenty of other beer to keep you occupied!

 

But like I said, if you have any questions, hit me up.  I'm more than happy to help!  Start saving non-twist off bottles now too, especially 22oz ones (you'll be glad you did).  Just rinse them out really good with hot water, don't run them through the dishwasher or anything.

 

Edit : Sorry if that post is a little hard to follow, I just woke up.

[videogamesandvinyl]

!

I agree with this statement completely.  If you think this is a hobby that you'll enjoy and stick with and do regularly, it's worth spending the extra money right off the bat and getting a decent sized kettle.  The ones in starter kits are usually cheap 5 gallon ones.  In addition, if this is something you do think you'll do a lot, consider starting with all-grain brewing (as opposed to extract or partial extract).  It's a little more complicated to start out, but you'll learn more and in the end you'll have MUCH better beer.  I started out doing all grain and it was a little daunting at first, but I'm glad I did.  If possible, see if you can find someone in the area to guide you through the first batch or two.  Offer to fill them full of beer and give them a gallon of your first batch or something.

 

John Palmer's How To Brew Beer is an excellent resource reading : http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

 

If you have any specific questions about equipment or what not, feel free to DM me.  I usually brew two 5 gallon batches a month and should know enough to get you setup.  I would keep in mind that it can be a fairly expensive hobby to get into initially, but most of your equipment should last for a very long time and after that you mostly need to buy ingredients.  It is a little time consuming, a brew session usually takes me about 6 hours (and I've got my methods pretty streamlined).  Patience is the other big thing, be prepared to brew a batch and drink it 6 to 8 weeks later.  It's tough at first, but if you do it enough, you'll have plenty of other beer to keep you occupied!

 

But like I said, if you have any questions, hit me up.  I'm more than happy to help!  Start saving non-twist off bottles now too, especially 22oz ones (you'll be glad you did).  Just rinse them out really good with hot water, don't run them through the dishwasher or anything.

 

Edit : Sorry if that post is a little hard to follow, I just woke up.

Appreciate it. If I need help, I'll try not to abuse the dm's, haha

[radiatorhums]

Appreciate it. If I need help, I'll try not to abuse the dm's, haha

 

Haha, not a problem.  The beginner forum on Homebrew Talk would be a good place to browse too : http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ That place has been a huge boon of information for me.

[jtcohenour]

Good advice so far on this thread.

 

I always recommend skipping the Mr. Beer kit and moving into the 5 gallon bucket setup.  You have a lot more control over your finished product w/ the 5 gallon setup.

[radiatorhums]

Forgot to mention Craiglist is a good place to look too.  I see good starter kits that have been used once or twice on there pretty regularly.

[videogamesandvinyl]

I'm glad everyone chimed in b/c the Mr Beer kit was the first one I saw when I did a search. Since I'm new at this, I was likely going to go that route until I got a handle on things. Glad I won't make that mistake now. I love trying new beers and figured this would be a fun hobby.

[jtcohenour]

It can be somewhat time consuming, not unlike record collecting.  

[radiatorhums]

It can be somewhat time consuming, not unlike record collecting.  

 

The records are to soundtrack your brew day, the hobbies go hand in hand!    Sadly, it also takes up a decent amount of space like recording recollecting too.

[jtcohenour]

The records are to soundtrack your brew day, the hobbies go hand in hand!    Sadly, it also takes up a decent amount of space like recording recollecting too.

 

When I was brewing often I lived in a house with a full basement, so I had plenty of room for my supplies.

[radiatorhums]

When I was brewing often I lived in a house with a full basement, so I had plenty of room for my supplies.

 

I wish I did.  I'm in a small studio apartment that is nearing critical capacity, I have equipment stashed all over the place.  I think I'm going to be able to squeeze in a mini-freezer for fermentation, but that's about it.  I really wish I had room for a keg freezer, I'm tired of bottling.

[jtcohenour]

I wish I did.  I'm in a small studio apartment that is nearing critical capacity, I have equipment stashed all over the place.  I think I'm going to be able to squeeze in a mini-freezer for fermentation, but that's about it.  I really wish I had room for a keg freezer, I'm tired of bottling.

 

You could bottle in those quart sized bottles to save time.

[radiatorhums]

You could bottle in those quart sized bottles to save time.

 

I mostly do 22oz bottles that I've saved over the past couple years.  These days it takes me about 1.5 hours to bottle a 5 gallon batch (including clean up and sanitation), which I don't think is terrible.  I mainly like the idea of pouring my beer into a corny keg and calling it good.  Plus, having three or four batches on tap sounds really appealing to me.

[jtcohenour]

I mostly do 22oz bottles that I've saved over the past couple years.  These days it takes me about 1.5 hours to bottle a 5 gallon batch (including clean up and sanitation), which I don't think is terrible.  I mainly like the idea of pouring my beer into a corny keg and calling it good.  Plus, having three or four batches on tap sounds really appealing to me.

 

sounds way better to me as well.  Plus w/ that method you could force carbonate and enjoy your brew sooner.

[jetsfan4ever80]

I mostly do 22oz bottles that I've saved over the past couple years.  These days it takes me about 1.5 hours to bottle a 5 gallon batch (including clean up and sanitation), which I don't think is terrible.  I mainly like the idea of pouring my beer into a corny keg and calling it good.  Plus, having three or four batches on tap sounds really appealing to me.

1.5 hours is pretty good. It usually takes me 2 hours, but I'm sure if my organization skills improved I could cut my time down. My father-in-law just gave me a stand up freezer. I'm very tempted to turn it into a keezer.

[jtcohenour]

1.5 hours is pretty good. It usually takes me 2 hours, but I'm sure if my organization skills improved I could cut my time down. My father-in-law just gave me a stand up freezer. I'm very tempted to turn it into a keezer.

 

I thought about doing the same thing but never took the plunge.  I was afraid I would end up destroying the freezer.

[radiatorhums]

1.5 hours is pretty good. It usually takes me 2 hours, but I'm sure if my organization skills improved I could cut my time down. My father-in-law just gave me a stand up freezer. I'm very tempted to turn it into a keezer.

 

Making sure to rinse my bottles after I drink them helps a lot, that way I only need to sanitize them on bottle day.  Another trick is to put your bottles on an open dishwasher door while you fill them, you can just shut it when you're done.  No floor cleanup.

 

I say you go for the keezer!  I've read it isn't too difficult to make the conversion.

[Emo Revival]

Bumping a three year old thread (deal with it) to say that I just started brewing my own beer. My wife got me a kit for Christmas and my first beer was a hefeweizen. To make it a little more original I added some kiwi to my carboy and let that sit for a week and then added some kiwi extract when I bottled it. Its been in bottles for a week now and my wife and I cracked one open last night. It came out surprisingly good for my first time, you could definitely taste the fruit but it was subtle and hard to identify as kiwi. I'm sure she was just being nice but my wife said she would actually buy it were it not a homebrew, which made me feel pretty awesome. 

 

Editing to add the label that I put on the bottles