Home Brewing.....Whats the action??

[zingsheim]

I know there is a start up in the beer thread, but I need to get some advice in my own thread. I have two friends that do home brewing and they swear by it. lot of fun they say, but there also both single, meaning more money and more time. Me = married with two kids, so I'm lacking a little in both categories. I really want to do it because I'm sick of going to the store and spending 8.49 on a nice IPA or porter. i want to get a starter kit and try ot out, but I have people giving me conflicting advice. I want to get a few nice batches going, so I want a nice kit, but don't want to spend 350 bucks. Are either of these kits good??

 

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=3315

 

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits/better-basic-starter-kit.html

 

It seems like with the Midwest kit your getting more for you money but I'm not sure. Will I have enough time and resources to do this??? All opinions appreciated. Thanks for all the help.

 

Aaron

[jjkoestler]

I received a kit similar to the Midwest kit as a gift about 4 years ago, but I still have not brewed a batch. At first I was really excited about it, but saving bottles was a pain in an apartment. By the time I had enough saved, I had to move. I also didn't have the large metal pot necessary to brew larger batches. I finally got one as a gift a couple years ago. I'm sure I'll give it a shot when I am less transient.

 

I'd check out the Wine and Hop Show if you are in the Madison area. Its a great store.

 

http://www.wineandhop.com/CatalogBeer/beerKits.shtml

[JimH5]

I got a kit in the mid 90s. I brewed three batches and then just gave up.

 

I worked in a hotel, so getting non-twist-off empties was no problem. . .the biggest issue for me was that at the end of a batch, I had to find something to do with 5 gallons of beer.

 

I was on a fitness kick, and so there was no way I could possibly consume all of it. And even then, I like to drink a variety of beers from time to time. Here, I had cases of beer piling up, with little variety.

 

Then cleaning out the equipment wasn't much fun, either. With yeast, you've got to be careful to get things sanitized, and it was just awkward trying to clean out the big kettle and carboys, the hose lines, etc.

 

I have a friend who loves brewing his own, and he really enjoys tinkering with recipies, etc. I just like to pick up a few different six-packs every once in awhile.

[Ando Calrissian]

You can't go wrong with either of those options. They're both - basically - the same kit. However, it looks like in the kit from midwest supplies you get more stuff. It's nice that they include the fermenter, bottling bucket, and glass carboy. The carboy is super helpful for secondary fermentation and allowing your bear clear up a little bit. If you assume that they quality of the products is about the same and price matters, get the midwest supplies kit. I suppose the biggest benefit to purchasing the northern brewer kit is that they're located right in west allis so if you need any type of replacements, they're easy to come by.

I've been to northern brewer and they've been helpful every time I've been there (though that is something you ought to find at any homebrew store).

[lodiness]

A few years ago my sister got me a Mr. Beer kit. Super simple and it's alright for the beginner. Not very complicated. I'm not super gung ho into home brewing, but for What I need it for it works well

[Invader3K]

I've used the Mr Beer kit myself. Pretty simple. I've probably made about 10 batches over the past couple years, and only had one that turned outright bad (it somehow spoiled, even though I was always careful with sanitation...not sure what happened with that one). The Mr Beer system probably takes about an hour and a half of actual "work" to make a batch (including clean up). The only thing I haven't really found is an easy way to clean regular beer bottles when you're done using them. Unlike other systems, the Mr Beer unit itself is pretty easy to clean. Just put it in a sink with warm water and soap and scrub 'er down. No tubing to worry about, etc.

 

I really need to get off my butt and make another batch soon.

[Getpaddled]

zing what area are you from.... Home brewing can be really expensive to start off, but if you do it for the long run it pays off. I've been brewing 3 years now and have a bunch of good links saved that could probley answer most of your questions.

[Baldkin]

Paddled! Post 'em! Would love to read more!

[Getpaddled]

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/

http://morebeer.com/

http://www.pointbrewsupply.com/ (place to buy stuff near me) central WI

http://stores.kegconnection.com/StoreFront.bok

http://www.bjcp.org/index.php

http://www.bullfalls-homebrewers.org/http://www.mash54449.org/index.php The home brew club that I am apart of.

http://www.beertools.com/html/tutorial/phase03/step02.shtml

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/government-affairs/statutes

 

heres a good start... pm me with any questions

[logan82]

How important is it to have a secondary fermenter? Does fermenting make your house smell like a brewery? I am trying to talk my wife into letting me homebrew but we have limited space and she doesn't want our place smelling like beer.

[kilgore37]

It will smell. I have done about 12 batches. I use to do it all the time in college. I did the Mr.beer thing for most of them and then try to experiment. Most of my friends would come over and we'd kill off the 5 gallons in a weekend or 2. There was a store by best buy in brookfield that carried everything you needed to start. I think I spent about $150. It's fun but theres alot of clean up.

[Beerambassador]

How important is it to have a secondary fermenter? Does fermenting make your house smell like a brewery? I am trying to talk my wife into letting me homebrew but we have limited space and she doesn't want our place smelling like beer.

A secondary fermentation carboy is not very important - at least when you're beginning. Some people never use them at all from what I gather. It's really only necessary for higher alcohol brews that need extended aging, gets them off the yeast cake which can impart off flavors if left in there too long. A lot of recipes tell you you need to secondary beer, but it's not necessary. It can help with clarity in small beers. So unless you plan on starting off brewing Russian Imperial Stouts you really don't have to worry about a secondary.

 

Does it smell? Well, when you're actually boiling the wort, it makes your kitchen smell awesome. That smell goes away pretty shortly after you're done. House might still smell like malt in the morning. SOME yeasts will give off nasty smells when fermenting, but I haven't experienced that yet using three way different kinds of yeast.

 

I've brewed three beers and I'm enamored with it. It's a ton of fun and I pretty much only drink my own beer at home.

[logan82]

Thanks for the information. I knew it would smell while boiling the wort. I was wondering how much it would smell while fermenting. If it is just a localized(one room) smell I may be able to convince my wife but if the whole apartment would smell like a keg party there is no way she would let me do it.

 

A secondary fermentation carboy is not very important - at least when

you're beginning. Some people never use them at all from what I gather.

It's really only necessary for higher alcohol brews that need extended

aging, gets them off the yeast cake which can impart off flavors if left

in there too long. A lot of recipes tell you you need to secondary

beer, but it's not necessary. It can help with clarity in small beers.

So unless you plan on starting off brewing Russian Imperial Stouts you

really don't have to worry about a secondary.

That reinforces what I have been reading. I was looking at something easy to start and if it worked out I would go with a couple fermenters so I could do some of the ones that need to ferment for 1+ months and have more than one fermenting at a time. Like a porter or triple. That is getting a little ahead of myself though.

[Beerambassador]

Get the Northern Brewer catalog and salivate. Lots of good low gravity "session" beer kits to choose from in there. If you know someone who brews ask them to show you the ropes. It's easy and fun. Beer always tastes better if you make it yourself.

[logan82]

Most of my friends would come over and we'd kill off the 5 gallons in a

weekend or 2.

 

Yeah 5 gallons of beer seems like a lot until you figure out is only slightly more than a couple cases. That would go pretty quick.

 

SOME yeasts will give off nasty smells when fermenting, but I haven't experienced that yet using three way different kinds of yeast.

 

Do they give off any odor at all and if so how strong? Sorry to be asking so many questions but I don't want to make the trip to a store to buy a kit until I know some things.

 

Get the Northern Brewer catalog and salivate. Lots of good low gravity "session" beer kits to choose from in there.

 

I have been drooling over their website for over a week now. They have pdf files for every kit which I have been reading to get some idea what I would be doing. I have also read a good portion of how to brew by John Palmer.

 

If I can't talk my wife into letting me brew I may have to find a place that does brew on premises in Wisconsin. I read about them in Beer Advocate a few months back.

[rluzinski]

What are the homebrew options for reasonably light beers? Something with flavor, like Guiness or Corona Light.

[Beerambassador]

SOME yeasts will give off nasty smells when fermenting, but I haven't experienced that yet using three way different kinds of yeast.

 

Do they give off any odor at all and if so how strong? Sorry to be asking so many questions but I don't want to make the trip to a store to buy a kit until I know some things.

I fermented my first beer in an upstairs bedroom closet. It was a Belgian yeast and you could really only smell it when you took the airlock off the carboy. Some yeasts can give some sulfur odors. I've read people on forums complaining that they've had their basements stunk up by sulfur smelling yeast. I *think* lager yeasts tend to throw off sulfur, but you wouldn't be making lagers as newbie and maybe never at all. I've also heard of nasty smells coming from some Belgian and wheat beer yeasts. Like I said, for me, so far no nasty yeast smells. I knew a guy who fermented in his dorm room closet in college. Could you stink up your whole house? Sure. Would I let that stop me from brewing? No way.

 

As an aside, read the Northern Brewer forums. I've learned more from those forums than from just about anywhere else. Palmer's book is great. I reference it a ton.

What are the homebrew options for reasonably light beers? Something with

flavor, like Guiness or Corona Light.

 

Northern Brewer sells a Dry Irish Stout that would be similar to Guinness. Low in alcohol, pretty light. But honestly, if you're a light lager drinker you're probably better off buying that at the store. Lagers are pretty tough to pull off, you need a dedicated fridge with temperature control for starters. You could always brew a cream ale, which would be pretty similar to a light lager. There was some truth to that Budweiser commercial where George Clooney is talking about how darker beers can hide flaws. No room for error in a light lager.

[logan82]

Yeah I am not going to be brewing lagers to start or maybe ever. I am not generally a fan of the style and I think they ferment between 35-55 degrees and ales between 65-75 degrees. Extract brewing to start and if that is good maybe never beyond extract brewing.

[ewizabeff]

SgtClueLs has brewed about 5 batches of beer, and I've never smelled it other than brew day and bottle day. He keeps the carboy in the basement or a closet. He's telling me right now that some beers smell like sulfur, but I guess he hasn't brewed any of those.

[logan82]

Awesome, thank you. I got the go ahead from the boss my wife and found a good place to ferment. Now comes the arduous task of coming up with about 54 empty bottles. It's gonna be tough.

[logan82]

Didn't take long at all to save up bottles. I went with a Midwest brew kit. The $80 one since I wanted the auto siphon. It also added a 5 gallon better boy which I might not use for quite a while but since it was only $20 more than the other one and an about siphon was $20 I figured getting a better bottle for an extra $10 was a pretty good deal.

 

I have not brewed yet but have read quite a bit and have formed some opinions. The actual equipment kit was just over half of my original investment. All the additions can jump the price up pretty quickly. Just under $30 for a 20 qt brew kettle(a cheap one at that). Another $27ish for an extract kit. I also sprung for some Star San since I don't have a dishwasher for sanitizing. The forums over at HomeBrewTalk.com make it sound like practically a miracle liquid for sanitization which seems to be key for good tasting beer. I am already looking at at least another $80 in stuff for down the road to make things easier if I end up brewing quite a bit(wort chiller, bottle tree although a dish rack would also work) and that doesn't even include a bigger, better boiling kettle(7+ gallons). Those things are not cheap. I think I will just keep it simple for a couple years.

 

Are there any good brewing stores in the Madison area? Stopped at the Wine and Hop shop and will probably go back once I start brewing more. Just wondering if there are any other stores that are easier to get to around Madison.

[ewizabeff]

Oh, you'll never run out of stuff to buy. Now SgtClueLs wants a stir plate and a kegging system.

[Beerambassador]

Brew and Grow is on Femrite and Agriculture if you're on the east side. The selection is limited, but I've stopped in a few times to pick up some basics I've needed in a pinch. They're more into the "grow" part of their name. Lots of "tomato" growing products.

[logan82]

Yeah I looked at their website and found almost nothing in the way of "brew" stuff. Here is a map of beer stuff in he Madison area I found.

[logan82]

I am giving the New Glarus bottles a big thumbs up on the ease of label removal. Had the bottle s soaking in an Easy Clean solution and they are free of labels and glue while the other bottles still have their labels and glue.