Homebrewing

Posted by: Zombie Zero

Homebrewing - 01/08/07 10:22 AM

I've just started homebrewing. Made up my first batch last night, and it's merrily fermenting away in my hall closet.

I can't wait for it to be ready, I hope it turns out good.

Does anyone else here brew? If anyone's interested, I'll let you know how it turns out.
Posted by: crablord

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 10:40 AM

it works, but it tastes like crap.. good i guess if your just trying to get [censored] lol
Posted by: clmibb

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 10:46 AM

My husband wanted to try it at one point and I told him he could but to try it out in the work shed not in the house until he really learned how to do it. I just didn't want to have something break or leak and the house smell like a brewery. If I was closer to ya I'd try it out.
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 10:47 AM

Crab, I didn't get one of those rinky-dink $10 KMart kits that make a liter of swill. I got all the real-deal equipment, which makes 5 gallons (two and a half cases) per batch.

It's going to take almost two months to be ready, so I hope it doesn't turn out like crap.
Posted by: harlan

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 10:49 AM

I tried home made root beer once. It took weeks to clean up the floor and air the house from the exploded bottles. Kinda made me leeeeery of trying any other brewing.
Posted by: MattJ

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 03:21 PM

I seem to remember that Eyrie is into home-brewing.
Posted by: butterfly

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 03:33 PM

Zombie....I have tried some home brew stuff that was excellent. On the other hand....there's always something that you can dissinfect your sink with and leave it smelling like rising bread.

All in all, I guess it has to be a good hobby, noting the stuff I tried cost more per gallon than you would pay for at the store. Someone's footing the bill for love, not price.
Posted by: Dereck

Re: Homebrewing - 01/08/07 06:35 PM

Made Swish once with a friend. You get a barrel that they kept the alcohol in and in our case it was rye. Then you put water in it and some other stuff and then you turn it regularly on schedule. We then took this thing to work and used our labs filtration equipment and got this thing crystal clear. The alcohol content was off the board and it was wicked and I mean wicked. I don't drink rye and only tried a bit but everybody who drank it wow ... a little did them and did them wrong.
Posted by: ThomsonsPier

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 05:25 AM

A friend and I made some stout at one point. It tasted like stout would taste if it was an alcopop.

I recommend documenting everything so you can figure out what you did right.
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 08:22 AM

Or wrong.

Yep, I've been writing everything down.

Got home at 7:30 last night, checked the fermenter, and WOOT! Bubbles coming from the airlock every 4 seconds!

I'll probably start secondary this weekend, then bottle in a couple weeks. Then I'll start another batch, while I wait for the bottles to condition.
Posted by: GaryHanson

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 11:17 AM

I used to do a lot of wine … very potent (you can buy alcohol tolerant yeast and whack up the alcohol to quite a significant level)

It tasted like rocket fuel and paint stripper but when stored for 6 months they became a bit more palatable.

Gary.
Posted by: iaibear

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 11:38 AM

Used to brew. Nice amber ale. Cleanliness is a real bother, but if you don't work, it won't work.

Still grow hops along the back fence (Cluster and Cascade). Love the aroma, but that is just my Milwaukee heritage showing. :-)
Posted by: Cord

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 12:15 PM

Quote:

I've just started homebrewing. Made up my first batch last night, and it's merrily fermenting away in my hall closet.



oh dear god, get it out of the house- a garage or a shed would be ideal. If things go wrong, you will be looking at a lot of housework to put things right after an explosion of homebrew
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 12:20 PM

Quote:

oh dear god, get it out of the house



Sadly, that's not an option. I'm a single guy living in a one-bedroom apartment. So, my place is supposed to smell like a brewery!
Posted by: harlan

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 12:22 PM

It's not the days of cleaning and sticky floors that is so bad. It's the weeks of yeast smell you can't get out of your house.

Quote:

oh dear god, get it out of the house- a garage or a shed would be ideal. If things go wrong, you will be looking at a lot of housework to put things right after an explosion of homebrew

Posted by: Cord

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 12:26 PM

Quote:

Sadly, that's not an option. I'm a single guy living in a one-bedroom apartment. So, my place is supposed to smell like a brewery!



No, its supposed to smell of a heady mix of the perfumes of your many consecutive conquests

Brewery is an acceptable second choice though Maybe you should sweet talk the people in the apartment under yours as a pre-emptive tactic for when beer starts dripping on their TV from the ceiling in the dead of night
Posted by: mark

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 12:31 PM

I used to brew beer, wine, Cider, even mead and Sake.

I found a great alcohol tolerant yeast and with a lot of care could brew a cider at around 20% ABV!!!!

Used to put my mates in a coma!! No one ever managed to drink 2lts and remain conscious!!

As Iaibear says, its Vital that everything is sterile.

Would have loved to try to make a still, but it is illegal in the UK.

Good luck with it

Regards

Mark
Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 12:41 PM

Quote:

No, its supposed to smell of a heady mix of the perfumes of your many consecutive conquests



You give me far too much credit.

Quote:

Maybe you should sweet talk the people in the apartment under yours as a pre-emptive tactic for when beer starts dripping on their TV from the ceiling in the dead of night



No worries there. I'm going to put the bottles into Sam Adams boxes, and the boxes will go into a large rubber tub. So, if they do bust, no harm done, except to the precious brew.

But here's hoping that problem never presents!
Posted by: eyrie

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 08:01 PM

Hey ZZ...

The only time you need to worry about exploding bottles is from bottling too early when the yeast hasn't finished doing its job, or from adding too much sugar at bottling...

The only thing to really watch for is the brewing temperature - make sure it stays more or less constant within the operating range of the yeast.

You can't go far wrong with brew kits, so there's really nothing to worry about. The only other thing to watch for is contamination at bottling time.

Oh, and the longer you leave it to condition in a cool, dry, place, the better the taste. Enjoy.
Posted by: rideonlythelabel

Re: Homebrewing - 01/09/07 08:48 PM

NOW YOU TOO CAN TURN WATER INTO WINE!

How to make prison wine;


What you'll need;

powdered fruit juice

fruits; preferably tomatoes or grapes

water

yeast. If you can't come across yeast, you will need moldy bread and a sock or pillowcase.

garbage bags

------------

Put all items in the garbage bag. Double or triple the bag. If using moldy bread, put it in the sock or pillowcase, tie it at the top and put in the garbage bag. Tie off the garbage bag, tear a small hole at the top to let the CO2 escape.

Wait a month.

Enjoy.


Posted by: Zombie Zero

Re: Homebrewing - 01/10/07 09:06 AM

Thanks, Eyrie!

I checked my primary fermenter this morning. The airlock is bubbling about once a minute. I'll transfer to secondary on Saturday. Two weeks there, then three in the bottle.

Tom Petty was right...
Posted by: eyrie

Re: Homebrewing - 01/10/07 06:46 PM

Some brews can take longer/shorter, depending on the amount of malt/sugars in the mix, temperature, yeast etc.

I normally leave mine in the primary for 3-4 weeks for the sediment to settle. As long as the temperature isn't too warm, the yeast isn't likely to go off. (Why winter is a good time to brew).

So, you can safely leave it in the primary until the airlock equalizes (water level same in the inner/outer lock), and then bottle within 3 days...

Saves you having to transfer to a secondary (unless you're kegging), and contamination thru excessive handling/exposure.