Anyone here brew their own beer?

[BAD_S197]

I've seen a few sites that offer home brew kits... just curious if anyone has used one?


I was thinking it would be nice to make my own brew.

[mtnbikerfred]

Several of us here have or do brew. I think we should have an STR party at Brewbakers in Huntington Beach.

The nice thing is you get to whip up a full keg of ale in like an hour, come back in a couple of weeks to bottle it, Make a huge mess in someone else's "kitchen", and eat drink and make merry the entire time!!!!

P.S. If you don't "drink", you can brew your own Rootbeer or Pop, so It's good for families and kids too!!!

[No Peench]

Originally Posted by mtnbikerfred

Several of us here have or do brew. I think we should have an STR party at Brewbakers in Huntington Beach.

The nice thing is you get to whip up a full keg of ale in like an hour, come back in a couple of weeks to bottle it, Make a huge mess in someone else's "kitchen", and eat drink and make merry the entire time!!!!

P.S. If you don't "drink", you can brew your own Rootbeer or Pop, so It's goo for families and kids too!!!

I have done this but with wine at a place in Rancho Cucamonga called the Wine Tailor, although its not as kid friendly as rootbeer.

[Nic]

I have done it a few times in the past and it was ok. But it was with one of those cheap homebrew kits that are shaped like a barrel. Honestly those things are pretty worthless. Its too small to be worth it, only 2 gallons. Since you have to wait awhile for it to ferment, the time to size ratio is crap.

If you're going try it I would say you definitly have to go with a decent brew kit with say atleast a 5 gallon capacity. And get a bottler with some caps. Then you can save up some bottles while your brew is fermenting.

It is something I have wanted to try again, but just haven't gotten around to it. Definitely takes patience and perseverance.

[RustyIron]

Yeah, I used to brew beer in a serious way. Now I just drink beer in a serious way. Here's a brief webpage overview that I slapped together years ago.
http://www.rustyiron.com/dogshead.html

I'd shy away from any "kits." Get yourself a cheap enamel kettle from a housewares type store. Score a glass Sparklets (or acid) carboy. From a brewing store, get some extract, some hops, and some liquid yeast. Your first couple of batches should be extract based. You'll need bottles, a capper, and some other sundry items.

Charlie Papazian's book is a great book for beginners. Get it and read through it before starting. In the words of the master, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew."

Rob

[pollu_sean]

i have been brewing for a couple years now. careful, it can be a hobby as obsessive and addicting as mountainbiking! at any one time i have 10-30 gallons of beer going...

i recommend going to a real homebrew supply store and getting a starter kit. not like those 2 gallon kegs. there are a few in socal depending on where you live. they usually have a few kits together for the beginner with all the hops and grains and extracts and instructions that you need to get started on your first batch.

one in culver city: http://www.brewsupply.com/

one in the valley: http://www.homebeerwinecheese.com/

i am sure there is one in the OC too, but i don't know what it is called...

hope that helps.

[xhuskr]

yep.....homebrewer here as well (looking for 2nd fridge if anyone has one)

I go to http://www.steinfillers.com/ in Long Beach for my supplies
further south is Oshea's http://www.osheabrewing.com/

A kit isn't bad to start with as a good homebrew shop will have decent kits........u just need all the hardware.

I would recommend watching someone brew sometime and you can find homebrew clubs as well. Go to http://www.calhomebrewers.org/ and click on Clubs and Club Reps...

relax.......don't worry, have a homebrew! words to live by

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Just brewed a batch the other day at Brewbakers in Huntington Beach. I used to brew at home with with kids it's a pain in the a$$. It's easier to buy it or brew it at a place liker Brewbakers. An STR brew party sounds like an excellent idea. When?

IMG_6069.jpg
Here I am pouring out extracts.

IMG_6081.jpg
My friend Steve checking the wort.

IMG_6089.jpg
Steve measuring out some hops.

IMG_6083.jpg
Toasting our brew!

I used to get home brew supplies here:

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/

They have really easy to use (almost foolproof) kits.

KeepsWhatHappens

[BAD_S197]

I'm getting ready to move in with my gf and she likes to drink so I might convince her to make our own at home. I do want a larger quality kit so i'll check out the sites you guys suggested.

I like light beer and she likes the dark stuff... so we might have one problem but it could be worse huh? hahahaha

[RustyIron]

Originally Posted by BAD_S197

I like light beer and she likes the dark stuff...

Hold on to that gal! Eventually she'll refine your bourgeois palate.

[BAD_S197]

I talked to my gf about brewing our own beer and she agreed that she'd like to try making it at home. Of coarse once we get settled in our apartment and get a little money saved up.

I can't wait...

[Innes]

Originally Posted by pollu_sean

i recommend going to a real homebrew supply store and getting a starter kit. not like those 2 gallon kegs. there are a few in socal depending on where you live. they usually have a few kits together for the beginner with all the hops and grains and extracts and instructions that you need to get started on your first batch.

I've been brewing for a few years now also. I recommend getting a real kit as well. Beer, Beer and More Beer in Riverside will be able to set you up and walk you through it. www.morebeer.com

[ECOdork]

I stopped brewing while living in SoCal, but I've since procured my own equipment. It IS a slippery slope and addictive hobby!

That Brewbakers place would be a good place to start to get the hang of things and to save $$$ on equipment. Figure out what you do/don't need. Like anything you can spend LOTS of money on a brewing setup.

I'd echo the comment about going to a "good" homebrew shop and getting yourself a starter kit. Mind you, not a 2 gallon thing, but a real setup. It amounts to all the basic equipment you need to get brewing. It is relatively simple and a good brewshop won't try to sell you crap you don't need (much like a good bike shop).
Papazian's book is a must have.
Also check out (www.BasicBrewingRadio.com)
(www.Homebrewtalk.com) is a good forum but I warn you that they are not as cool as STR folk.

I usually buy local when I can, but (www.austinhomebrew.com) is a GREAT place to get stuff, especially recipe kits. An excellent way to get a feel for how to concoct recipes. I did their Stone IPA clone kit and it simply rocks. They figure out what grain bill, hops, yeast, etc to use to design a style or brand of beer. They send you a bag of milled and mixed grains you just follow the instructions. They offer Extract, partial mash, and full mash kits.
It is real brewing, you just didn't come up with the recipe yourself.
I've used the ingredient list and instructions as a starting point to design my own beers with much success. Once you get a few batches under you belt you'll be confident enough to design your own beers.

My last beer was a Rye Pale Ale HEAVY on the hops. I call it Sly Rye Dog Slobber. Bottled a few weeks ago and it is tasting GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD already!

[BrewMaster]

I've brewed my own. It's fun but time consuming so I don't brew much anymore. I still feel like I can buy better beer than I can brew. Nonetheless, it is a fun hobby.

I've visited many of the good homebrew shops already mentioned. They have knowledgeable sales people and helpful tips. A good extract kit is definitely the way to go, and make sure to ask the staff for their tips. A buddy of mine made a hazelnut porter that was awesome. The staff at More Beer recommended using only 1/4 of the hazelnut liquid in the kit, and they were right, it was perfect. With a full dose of hazelnut, it would have been gross.

Also check out the Beer Advocate Homebrew Forum (you have to join and log in to read it, but it's free and a good site). There are lots of SoCal home brewers who would invite you to their next brew day to learn. That's how I started.

A good homebrew club to check out if you are in the area is the Maltose Falcons.

Finally, if you start brewing, you are required to bring your homebrew to an STR ride.

[BAD_S197]

When we get started, Ill definately bring some along. I just have to start to remember to save beer bottles fromt he beer i'm drinking now.

I would tend to think almost all beer bottles use the same sized caps except for micki's big mouth etc...

[skate]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

Just brewed a batch the other day at Brewbakers in Huntington Beach. I used to brew at home with with kids it's a pain in the a$$. It's easier to buy it or brew it at a place liker Brewbakers. An STR brew party sounds like an excellent idea. When?

Attachment 6296
Here I am pouring out extracts.

Attachment 6297
My friend Steve checking the wort.

Attachment 6299
Steve measuring out some hops.

Attachment 6298
Toasting our brew!

I used to get home brew supplies here:

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/

They have really easy to use (almost foolproof) kits.

KeepsWhatHappens

Wow that's pretty kick ass....

So at this place you can use thier facilites, get pro advice or what?

I have always wanted to try something like this, but always figured it would taste like crap.

So what is the best way of going bout brewing beer, mainly dark beers.

brewbakers.
Some brew equipment store (never new there was such a thing)
Website
Or what?????

I'll do the brew party if it's on a weekend or something.

[BAD_S197]

Yea I'm kinda excited to create something to put my name on.

I think I'll pickup a book to start with, till we get settled in our new apartment.

If you can goto brewbakers and use their stuff, how does that work? Whats the cost associated with going there and creating it at their shop?

nm... I went to their website and wow.. that looks cool. Much cheaper than buying your own stuff but at the same time, tempting to get my own setup now and just store it till i'm ready... hahahaha

[xhuskr]

Brewbakers;
http://www.brewbakers1.com/

never brewed there, but have gotten ingredients. good place to start to see if you like doing this kind of thing. AND in this heat......hard to brew at home unless you can keep a constant (or close) temp......not like the outside..

give it a shot and give us all a sample........for feedback of course

[skate]

That's it.....I going to make an appointment at Brewbakers place. i hope the stuff comes out drinkable. And for my daughter I can have learn how to make rootbeer.

The only thing that sucks is that I have to wait two weeks to drink it.


If anyone wants to hook up in about a couple of weeks to do this or so then let me know.

[ECOdork]

Ah, young grasshopper, the first lesson to learn in brewing is patience. Seems whenever I try to "rush" a beer to have it ready in 2-ish weeks, I regret the decision and end up having to wait longer for the brew to age. Personally, I think 4 weeks is about as quick as I want to turn around a brew.

When my wife brewed a couple batches at Brewbakers they turned out ok when she picked them up from the place. We gave the rest of the bottles a few more weeks to age and it was well worth it!

Granted, there are lots of factors and variables involved and people love to argue--er, debate--about them (think suspension design debates). But one of the fundamentals that all agree on is to let the yeasties do their thing. This takes time.

I've had some beers in primary fermentation for 2.5 weeks, then secondary for 3 - 4 weeks. Longer is not unheard of....again, lots of factors involved. Shoot, I have a mead that has been sitting in secondary for about 3 months now! At the end of this they are damn near crystal clear (I don't filter or use clarifiers), only take about a week to fully carbonate in the bottle, and then are ready to start drinking. I'm still drinking some bottles of stuff I made back in Jan and it just gets better and better with age!

But what it all comes down to--for me at least--is that I can make some damn tasty brews to my crazy specs that I enjoy to drink and it is ok if they aren't perfect or identical from batch to batch.

Originally Posted by skate

That's it.....I going to make an appointment at Brewbakers place. i hope the stuff comes out drinkable. And for my daughter I can have learn how to make rootbeer.

The only thing that sucks is that I have to wait two weeks to drink it.


If anyone wants to hook up in about a couple of weeks to do this or so then let me know.