Home Brew

BigSmoker · May 06, 2005, 07:20:39 PM

With all the talk about home brew and smoked barley makes a guy wonder how hard it is to make this stuff? I know it's off topic but I feel sure if I'm thinking about it some of the other guys/gals are as well. How do you do it and what do you need to get started? I haven't had a great beer since I left Germany in '91.

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

Foam Steak · May 06, 2005, 08:24:18 PM

Its really not that hard. May I reccomend a few books?
These are my top 5 most used brewing books:

1.The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian. If you are only going to buy one book to start, this is it! Actually ignore the rest of the list and buy this one to start. It will get you going. I don't know a single brewer professional or amature who didnt start with this book.

2.The Brewers Companion by Randy Mosher. Slightly more advanced but not really. Lots of good information presented in a logical usable fashon.

3.Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. If I was stuck on a desert island with only 1 brewing book.

4.New Brewing Lager Beer by Gregory J. Noonan. You say you like German Lagers? This book will come in handy if you advance to brewing them.

5.Principles of Brewing Science by George Fix. Unfortunately George is no longer with us. He was a Giant. This book is way advanced and some guys may not put it in there top 5. No need to get it now, but if you get hooked on brewing and want to know what is really going on then this is a good resource.

The thing about home brewing is you can get as advanced as you want or keep it as simple as you want. Just like smoking! Some guys brew exclusively with malt extract and never progress beyond that. I say GOOD FOR THEM. The main thing is you are brewing beer and enjoying it. There is only 1 thing about homebrewing that you are going to have to keep a good handle on and maybe be slightly anal retentive about and that is keeping things clean.

So, to start get your hands on a copy of Charlie Papazians book. Then find a local homebrew shop or mail order place and brew some beer!

Enjoy

MWS · May 06, 2005, 08:42:22 PM

Another homebrewer......Foam Steak is right, brewing is as simple and easy as you want (1-2 hours extract)or as advanced and time consuming as you want (6-8 hour all grain). Here's a link to "Brew Your Own" magazines web page. http://www.byo.com/yourfirstbrew/

This will detail the equipment needed (which is minimal) and some ingredients to get a person started. Like using the Bradley, homebrewing can be a very rewarding and tasty experience. [:p]

Mike - Harrison Hot Springs B.C.
"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved" -John Wayne

Chez Bubba · May 07, 2005, 04:48:34 AM

Charlie, Randy & Ray are great sources![:)]

OMG[:0], George Fix passed?!!! He was an icon.[V][:(]A brewing legend, much too scientific for me, but he definitaly knew his stuff.

May his soul rest in peace & his body in yeast. Cheers George, it was good to know you![8D] I will always consider you a friend.[:(][:(]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

PAsmoker · May 07, 2005, 04:20:23 PM

Great resources. can't say more than that. I've been brewing for awhile now.

Actually, I have nothing to add. I just needed this post to become average!! I'm finally freakin' average! (after only 1 1/2 years)

MWS · May 07, 2005, 05:05:55 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by PAsmoker
 Great resources. can't say more than that. I've been brewing for awhile now.

Actually, I have nothing to add. I just needed this post to become average!! I'm finally freakin' average! (after only 1 1/2 years)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

That should make you 'Above Average' [:D]

Mike - Harrison Hot Springs B.C.
"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved" -John Wayne

tsquared · May 08, 2005, 05:01:35 PM

I agree with Foam Steak re Papazian as #1 choice if you're getting into homebrewing. I used to do it all the time but now go to a local u-brew shop that brews right from the grain--I guess I'm getting lazy in my old age. I always found it easier to consistently make a good dark beer than a lighter one--anyone else have the same experience?
Tom

MWS · May 08, 2005, 06:04:44 PM

I still use my tattered, worn and stained Papazian book. Tom, I agree with you, the darker ales, stouts etc. are easier to maintain consistant results. I think I read somewhere that the dark grains (roasted barley, black malt, chocolate malt) help to settle out the impurities in the ale at the secondary stage. During the summer months I find it hard to fit in some brewing, so what I do is buy a kit from R.J. Spagnols http://www.thebrewhouse.com/ which is an all grain wort. I will usually do a 2 gallon specialty grain mash, then boil with hop additions, cool and add it to the kit. It usually results in a pretty good ale.

Mike - Harrison Hot Springs B.C.
"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved" -John Wayne

Chez Bubba · May 09, 2005, 04:49:44 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tsquared
 I always found it easier to consistently make a good dark beer than a lighter one--anyone else have the same experience?
Tom
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yep. The heavier flavors can mask the mistakes much easier. No matter what you think of them, Miller/Bud/Coors Light beers are the hardest beers to make because of the complexity of total control of the process.

Then throw in the different water qualities of the different areas of the country where they have breweries. To make a product that tastes the same, no matter where you are, is pretty impressive.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

LFord · May 09, 2005, 04:27:33 PM

Lighter beers are harder to make for many resons, everything from mash temp, water hardness, hop freshness, even a little bit of camelization in the boil kettle can really show through. We are brewing a Kolsch next weekend for my first yearly Brew-B-Q and I always thought that is one of the harder ales to really get right, light German malt and Hallertaue hops don't really leave much room for error.

Bigsmoker-The best advice I can give to you is to see if there is any type of local homebrew club in your area. You can learn out of a book, but it is much easier and more fun to get with a few people and see how it is done. Papazian's book is the first brewing book I ever got and am on my third copy of it now, anything that sits near your brewing area is going to get splashed, spilled on, and subjected to all kinds of use and abuse. I have a handout that I am working on for teaching basic brewing and can e-mail you a copy if you would like.

Fermentation and civilization are inseperable-John Ciardi

BigSmoker · May 09, 2005, 06:23:23 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by LFord

I have a handout that I am working on for teaching basic brewing and can e-mail you a copy if you would like.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Please Do. Thanks.

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

LFord · May 17, 2005, 01:16:51 PM

The first Brew-B-Q of the summer went well on Sunday. Did ribs on the smoker and they came out damned near perfect. While the ribs were cooking we did an all grain Kolsch, brew went well but the new setup needs just a bit of tweaking.
Next on the hit parade is a pork shoulder and Berliner Weisse.

Fermentation and civilization are inseperable-John Ciardi

Foam Steak · May 17, 2005, 06:27:22 PM

Berliner Weisse? Man you are hard core. Are you going to sour it naturally or add some food grade lactic acid?

LFord · May 18, 2005, 12:33:40 AM

We use a German Ale yeast in conjunction with either L. delbrueckii or P.cerevisiae and add lactic acid at bottling if it is not sour enough. We did the whole sour mash thing once when we were doing a lambic style beer and decided that once was enough. While it's not quite Kindl Weisse it is still a pretty good beer. It's not something that eveyone likes, but my wife loves the stuff and it does go down nice on summer day(kinda like a nice tart lemonade).

Fermentation and civilization are inseperable-John Ciardi

MWS · May 18, 2005, 02:43:19 AM

LFord,

You will have to do a Rauchbier at one of your future Brew-B-Ques.

Mike 

"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved".
-John Wayne