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mamamia88
September 17th, 2010, 07:05 PM
I am thinking of starting to brew my own beer. Seems pretty inexpensive to get started any recommendations for a newbie?

Frogs Hair
September 17th, 2010, 07:19 PM
I have helped a friend that home brews . If you have cook hops make sure there is good ventilation , the smell tends to linger to put it nicely .

Phrea
September 17th, 2010, 07:30 PM
Start with a kit.
Did it once, was good tasting beer, but I used a bit too much sugar, so it foamed a tad little bit too much... [after opening, there were still several drops available to drink]

mamamia88
September 17th, 2010, 07:40 PM
allright thanks for the advice. i'm going to find a local store that sells the equipment and see what kind of kits they have

Dragonbite
September 17th, 2010, 08:25 PM
Start with a kit.
Did it once, was good tasting beer, but I used a bit too much sugar, so it foamed a tad little bit too much... [after opening, there were still several drops available to drink]

I brew using a Mr. Beer kit. Best thing I got with it (I got it as a gift) was a book of recipes. So I don't do the straight-kit beers I always do some of the flavored beers (Pumpkin, "Desert Island", Apple, Christmas Ales, etc.).

Speaking of which, I still have one more batch to make soon for the holiday season, then I gotta get around to getting my "shopping list" going.

Oh, and for fun I tried their Hard Apple Cider which was pretty good!

At a cost of ~$1-1.50 per bottle (ingredients, etc.) they make great gifts or host(ess) gifts! I don't have to worry about bottles for a while because I do a "trade in" program.. you give me a case of empty pop-top beer bottles and I give you one back "un-empty" ;) They like this deal!

ronnielsen1
September 17th, 2010, 08:38 PM
I brew using a Mr. Beer kit. Best thing I got with it (I got it as a gift)

I went to a work christmas party and someone else got one of these. I was jealous!! I don't remember what I got. I loved german beer when I was stationed over there (after I got used to the mud taste) and I've always wanted to try this

Dragonbite
September 17th, 2010, 08:53 PM
I went to a work christmas party and someone else got one of these. I was jealous!! I don't remember what I got. I loved german beer when I was stationed over there (after I got used to the mud taste) and I've always wanted to try this

They aren't actually all that expensive either. The kit I got included the keg and some bottles, but once I got my supply of glass bottles, tops and the antique capper (still don't know where my parents got it from, but it's pretty cool! :) ) I haven't used the plastic ones.

Now I have 2 kegs! Just need to get some supplies! Keep hoping somebody gives me the "beer of the month" club membership for Christmas ;)

Swagman
September 17th, 2010, 09:21 PM
I suspect the missus has bought me a kit for Chrimbo !!


Gonna be fun but I'd Really like to learn how to make my own Drambuie

roddie
September 17th, 2010, 09:39 PM
And there was me thinking you were talking about the PS3 hack...

Blackra1n
September 17th, 2010, 09:39 PM
I dislike drinking alcohol. :)

wilee-nilee
September 17th, 2010, 10:32 PM
No, but I used to have a card to propagate a certain plant legally, that was a lot of fun, learning to really garden.

Dragonbite
September 18th, 2010, 01:00 AM
I dislike drinking alcohol. :)

My wife does not drink at all, but I have offered for her to take any she would like for trying to make some beer-batter shrimp! :)

Presto123
September 18th, 2010, 02:46 AM
I haven't done it before with beer, but my dad has. Just remember not to bottle it too early. Pretty much listen to what the person tells you at the store, they will probably know what kind of stuff you need by your preferred tastes. You will definitely need a fermenting bucket (approx 30-50 USD), yeast (different types, ask), hops (ask again), CO2 cartridges, etc. It CAN get expensive to begin, but after that, I think you can go on the cheap. I personally want to make a Blue Moon or Magic Hat #9 clone.

I personally do mead (honey wine) variants and can typically spend 30-40 for supplies each time.

giddyup306
September 18th, 2010, 03:03 AM
I looked into it a while ago. It's time consuming, and it's not that cheap. Unless you want to make great beer a package 12 pack is cheaper (Natural Light is $8.01 here with tax).

NovaAesa
September 18th, 2010, 03:10 AM
I homebrew regularly. Fact of the matter is that if you want to get into it because you think you can get cheap alcohol that way... you will be disappointed. Sure the ingredients are cheaper, but once you count the number of hours of labour that go into making a batch, it's much cheaper to just buy a slab of beer for $40.

Homebrewing would only be good for you if you enjoy doing it or are good enough at it that the beer tastes better than the commercial stuff.

freebeer
September 18th, 2010, 03:20 AM
Why are my ears burning? :D

I've been doing it a number of years. Economics and the challenge initially attracted me (beer/alcohol is heavily taxed in Canada). I kept doing it because I like the quality of beer that it produces. (or can produce if you care to learn a bit).

Rule #1 is cleanliness. If you get this down, the rest is pretty easy.

Rule #2 is patience. The new-to-homebrewing often don't leave enough time for fermentation, clearing and carbonation to happen naturally. They want to sample their efforts ASAP. That's understandable, but you'll end up disappointed simply because the brew isn't ready.

There's lots of good information out on the 'net, but I've found the best support group to be the local retailer (if he cares anything about his customers and craft) and other local brewers.

Homebrew always makes for a great conversation starter. :)

sidzen
September 18th, 2010, 03:23 AM
Learn to balance the sweetness of the malt against the bitterness of the hops, don't use sugar, and buy the best yeast available for the type of beer you desire. For beginners, see http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter5-4.html Oh yeah, don't use chlorinated water!

A guy stole my recipe for Pale Ale and started Pyramid with it -- lol! I hope he tries to sue me -- I could use the money! lofl!):P

BTW, I don't drink any more. I'm a friend of Bill W.

ronnielsen1
September 18th, 2010, 12:57 PM
And there was me thinking you were talking about the PS3 hack...
My first thought was the wii homebrew. I had it and like an idiot, upgraded my wii and lost it.

hiikeeba
September 18th, 2010, 01:18 PM
I've been home brewing for several years. As was said earlier, it's not cheap. But it is an addicting hobby. You might hook up with a club nearby. You'll meet some fun people, and they will all be eager to help you. The American Homebrewers Association (http://www.beertown.org) has a good list.

Dragonbite
September 18th, 2010, 03:11 PM
I looked into it a while ago. It's time consuming, and it's not that cheap. Unless you want to make great beer a package 12 pack is cheaper (Natural Light is $8.01 here with tax).

Not including the cost of the kit in the first place, it calculated it to being (depending on the added ingredients) close to just over $1 per roughtly 12 oz bottle (I usually put a little more ;) ). One Mr. B keg creates around 20 12oz bottles in a batch.

freebeer
September 18th, 2010, 06:21 PM
Your economics seems to be a bit different than mine. I suppose that might have to do with batch sizes.

I figure a bottle of homebrew costs me about $0.30 per "pint" bottle. I brew in batches of 5 US gallons (23 litres). I think the cost of a commercial bottle of beer here is around $1.20 (I don't buy it, so I don't know the current prices.) I generally prefer the beer I produce over the mass-market brands.