Anyone make your own beer / wine / cider?

[maximililian]

Got into a little bit when my actor buddy hadn't received a job in a while, and started selling his stuff. I bought his beer making equipment, as a favor more than anything else. Now...I'm totally into it. Anyone else out there brewing their own libations?

 

[gooseaholic]

look up monster mash on here. GUy makes a good beer and full of knowledge.

 

[xhuskr]

yep...gonna put my next session ale on tap next week (post CC celebration)

 

[project_d]

I've been making my own wine since 2007. Mostly Syrah. The 2011 will be my first vintage to release to the public; end of 2012, early 2013.

 

[brown chicken brown cow]

I'm also a winemaker...5 vintages so far.

 

[jimbowho]

My sister makes wine from her cherry trees and plums. Since I have been brewing beer for a while now we joke about being all set once we retire. Started out with sparklets bottles, then went real simple with Ale-pale kit. Food grade buckets with valves for ease of use. I learned to keep it simple which made it fun, not a chore. I played around with different hops plants now and then but never got that wired, kinda tasted fruity to me and seemed like every batch (6-gal) was different. I like coopers real ale, pale, or Cerveza. Always yummy. The hardest part was having to wait for it to cook up, then you had to wait another couple weeks after capping.

My Dad never liked beer! But when he would come over he always powered down a couple of Jim's beers.

 

[RustyIron]

Yup... brewed more beer than I care to guess, but not so much any more. My preference is for ale, but I've also done plenty of lagers, meads and ciders. Most were infusion mashes. For a while I was a bit of a yeast rancher, but nowadays, when I do an occasional batch, I'll just buy the yeast.

 

[Innes]

I brew beer from time to time (not nearly as much as I'd like to) and I have a friend that owns a meadery.

 

[jahsun145]

rookie brewer. my wife bought me a solid kit from brewer's best (god bless her), and made a solid ipa my first try out. brewing a nice batch of coffee stout next.

 

[Monster Mash]

I've been brewing for 18 years and now I'm in the process of opening a brewery. I also make mead and cider. If anybody needs any help or wants to learn more let me know, you are welcome to come sit in on a brew day and learn all grain brewing.

Here is my 1bbl back yard brewery....

 

[maximililian]

I've been brewing for 18 years and now I'm in the process of opening a brewery. I also make mead and cider. If anybody needs any help or wants to learn more let me know, you are welcome to come sit in on a brew day and learn all grain brewing.

Here is my 1bbl back yard brewery....

VERY nice all-grain setup man! I'd love to get there. Right now I just bottled some SUPER hopped (cascade mostly) pale (scared it's was a little too soon, thus bottle bomb territory). Also have a very malty Marzen still at about 1.02. Always doing cheap-n-fast ciders with turbo. Have 15 gallons of wine going right now as well (high gravity). If I had the space, I'd love to have your setup. Spend a lot of time out in Longmont and Lyons, CO hanging at Oskar Blues and with some of the main guys. Very cool what they've been able to pull off. Good luck to you. The market is expanding. Distribution is the key (assuming you've got quality product). Having a restaurant (and thus captive audience) is such an advantage.

If anyone is interested in the business of beer, and you have Netflix, I recommend watching Beer Wars. Pretty interesting.