BEER

[Robor007 0]

I had a homebrew setup about 15 years ago. It's a lot of work and it's not as easy as it looks/sounds. You have to boil your brew for a while before you can let it ferment and cleaning the bottles and equipment isn't much fun either. In the long run the cost of the malt, hops, etc was more than if I had just purchased a similar beer at the local store. I made about 10 batches before giving up on the hobby simply because it was too much effort and money to make average tasting beer. If you are going to try it I'd recommend a filter. No matter how careful I was I couldn't get the cloudiness and yeasty taste out of mine.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Hey Luis,

I talked with my bro this morning on the phone about his brewing experience. He said to keep everything clean and make sure to have all necessary containers, etc. He recommended reading a book or two on home brewing before making your first batch.

As for cloudiness, he said that you shouldn't need to use any special filter if your careful about the temperatures, when to add the ingredients - also, you can transfer the brew to another container.

There is a product called, Irish moss that when added to the brew will clarify it. He definitely recommends trying it if you look at as a hobby - it is time consuming. Like cooking, you can make some really great tasting beer.

Next time he's home, I can ask him for the name of the two books he bought on home brewing.

[lucho562 0]

Hey Luis,

I talked with my bro this morning on the phone about his brewing experience. He said to keep everything clean and make sure to have all necessary containers, etc. He recommended reading a book or two on home brewing before making your first batch.

As for cloudiness, he said that you shouldn't need to use any special filter if your careful about the temperatures, when to add the ingredients - also, you can transfer the brew to another container.

There is a product called, Irish moss that when added to the brew will clarify it. He definitely recommends trying it if you look at as a hobby - it is time consuming. Like cooking, you can make some really great tasting beer.

Next time he's home, I can ask him for the name of the two books he bought on home brewing.

Sweet! Thanks for the great info. This project is going to rock. I'm going to try to eventually set it up a mini bar with beer on tap in the "mans room". Hopefully I can get this all down and done by NFL kickoff.

[russ 1]

I've made a few batches myself. Start out simple. Follow instructions carefully.

I've bought supplies from www.williamsbrewing.com

The IPA is a good one to start with, hard to screw up.

The kits they had were reasonably good.

It can get very complicated if you do things completely "from scratch." This would mean starting with actual wheat and barley, malting it yourself.

Liquid malt extract is much easier to start out with at first.

Also, ales are easier at first as well (temperature doesn't need to be as cold.)

You can make whole kegs at a time, which is easier than bottles. Bottles are a lot of work. Kegerator and nitrogen system is much better if you will be doing this a lot. Bar supply places can set you up with this stuff.

[lucho562 0]

I've made a few batches myself. Start out simple. Follow instructions carefully.

I've bought supplies from www.williamsbrewing.com

The IPA is a good one to start with, hard to screw up.

The kits they had were reasonably good.

It can get very complicated if you do things completely "from scratch." This would mean starting with actual wheat and barley, malting it yourself.

Liquid malt extract is much easier to start out with at first.

Also, ales are easier at first as well (temperature doesn't need to be as cold.)

You can make whole kegs at a time, which is easier than bottles. Bottles are a lot of work. Kegerator and nitrogen system is much better if you will be doing this a lot. Bar supply places can set you up with this stuff.

How long does it take to make 1 keg. I've been reading up and it seems its a lengthy process.

[russ 1]

How long does it take to make 1 keg. I've been reading up and it seems its a lengthy process.

2-3 weeks. Only a few hours of this are actual work, most of it is waiting.

Basically, you boil water and malt extract (sugary syrup) for about an hour. At the end of this, you add hops and it cools. Then, you add yeast.

Put it in a tank for about 12-16 days. When it is done, you add some sugar and bottle (or keg) the beer. After a few more days (for bottles), it is ready to drink.

For a nitrogen/CO2 keg, you can force-carbonate the beer and secondary fermentation isn't necessary.

Commercially made beers (in the US) are force-carbonated, filtered, and use rice and sugar in addition to the barley.

Wine is easier, but takes longer (a few years).

[lucho562 0]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep you bros updated on this mega project.