Anyone here homebrew beer?

[bennychico11]

I am liking the .50 per bottle cost.

I definitely don't make as many trips to the liquor store any more (unless it's to buy whiskey). Plus it's nice to always have beer on hand (I typically have 100 bottles sitting on the shelf).

Remember it's a hobby though. Buying just the ingredients can help you save money but you need to factor in equipment costs. It's an addicting hobby and I always find myself trying to find ways to upgrade my equipment or do things differently.

 

[huskernumerouno]

I am liking the .50 per bottle cost.

I definitely don't make as many trips to the liquor store any more (unless it's to buy whiskey). Plus it's nice to always have beer on hand (I typically have 100 bottles sitting on the shelf).

Remember it's a hobby though. Buying just the ingredients can help you save money but you need to factor in equipment costs. It's an addicting hobby and I always find myself trying to find ways to upgrade my equipment or do things differently.

I have always wanted to get into it and try my luck. I am sure the beers will get better as I get the process down and Look forword to brewing my own beer.

 

[HUSKER 37]

Why's that?

I can usually push my twist off caps back down over the threads and make a pretty good seal..

I think the reason is (from my understanding) is that you aren't guaranteed a tight enough seal (not letting air in and still avoiding bottle bombs). Some people say if you want to use twist off bottles you must use a bench capper versus a wing capper to force a tighter seal...but I've read other posts of people still having bottles destroyed and beer wasted after doing this.

Yeah..the inner mad scientist in me would probably dip the closed bottles in molten wax and store upside-down..as long as there wasn't much yeast/sediment to make the beer cloudy after re-inverting it.

I usually press the caps back on the bottles out of habit with ~50lbs of pressure..(probably replaces the habit of tearing off the labels or crushing the cans). <_<

although, I'll probably just re-use the 2L plastic soda bottles like a buddy that used to belong to my old Dog park group did once with a wonderful nut-brown Ale.

I hear or lots of people using plastic soda bottle just like this. Only problem I can see is wasting carbonation by opening it and reopening it every time you want only a single glass full.

When I was a teen-ager or a n undergrad, a single beer WAS around two litres, but the Nut Brown Ale was mighty filling (fed me for a week..skipped a few meals) ..it seemed to lose carbonation at about the same rate as soda.

A couple other chemists I used to work with made a really nasty raspberry beer once so I'll probably never try another "fruit-beer"...They used mainly Grolsch bottles

Grolsch bottles are great and recommended by lots of home brewers. Funny thing is, I've heard of everyone I've talked to hating raspberry flavored beers. Sam Adams makes one I think that, although I've never tried, I hear is terrible.

Still, people do like to add fruit to their beer. I think it's all in how much and what you add.

Yeah..I'll probably try Lime and/or Agave someday.

I just bought a 4-Gal garden sprayer/backpack last month that I'm going to experiment with..There's a brew-pub in nearby Awatukee that sells their micro-brew in one or 5gallon lots and I'm thinking, I can keep it under pressure in the new weed sprayer without having to buy expensive keg/tap/pump combos

that you'll have to ask someone on a homebrew forum about. I'm not sure how that would work....since I don't keg or understand the whole keg process.

I would think that the more headroom (airspace) you have, the more positive air pressure you would want to insure your CO2 would stay in solution..(It should stop bubbling once equalibrium is reached..if stored in a vacuum, the opposite would occur and your carbon dioxide would leave the solution (go flat)

I'm also curious about how you sanitize the old bottles..Do you cook everything in boiling water like when Grandma used to can fruits/vegetables? or can you just wash and do a final rinse with ETOH? or Everclear (190 proof Ethyl Alcohol)?...Maybe even throw in a chunk of dry ice to add to the carbonation if it goes flat.

Everyone has their own process. I let my bottles soak in a solution of oxyclean and warm water to clean the beer out. Then scrub them with a bottle brush to get everything out. You can then put them in a dishwasher and run the dishwasher on the dry cycle to heat the bottles up and kill most bacteria. I've done that once when I first started out, but don't anymore. My step after the oxyclean step (and after checking the bottles are clean) is to dump each bottle and fill them up with a solution of sanitizer. Home brew stores sell different kinds of sanitizers...many of them no-rinse sanitizers. You'll learn quickly that sanitizing is the most important process of brewing your beer. I'd rather spend the extra time sanitizing than have an entire 5 gallon batch destroyed because of mold.

be careful with dry ice. The idea behind carb'ing in bottles is that sugar is added and carbonation is slowly absorbed by the beer over several weeks. I think dry ice would be more of "shocking" the beer...not to mention you need to be very careful putting dry ice in a closed container. Google "dry ice bombs"

Too much and you could have an explosion that could get you hurt.

Yeah..I still can't believe I haven't tried dry-ice bombs yet..Gotta remember to show my son how "real men" bond :dumdum

======================

I think I'd still prefer a final rinse of ETOH...It kills molds/bacteria on contact and if any is left behind, you get drunker faster. :clap

One bennefit of being in the desert is the dry climate not being condusive to airborn mold so I could bottle up the homebrew and not worry about having a cleanroom environment..(although the bunny suit sounds fun)..You might want to take a thorough shower first and wear clean clothes...maybe even wear surgical gloves that they now sell at places like walmart.

I wonder if mold is the reason no-one uses cork for beer...Also, I wonder if your beer would have a longer shelf life in dark amber (or green) bottles.. I think Miller gets away with clear bottles because they pasteurize just prior to bottling.

How do you get rid of the yeast/sediment?

=========

 

[bennychico11]

I wonder if mold is the reason no-one uses cork for beer...

I think some people do. And of course wine-brewers do. And with excessive amounts of carbonation pushing on the cork, I bet the cork doesn't last long in the bottle (think of champagne bottles and how they are tied down)

Also, I wonder if your beer would have a longer shelf life in dark amber (or green) bottles.. I think Miller gets away with clear bottles because they pasteurize just prior to bottling.

yes, green and amber bottles are recommended. You can use clear bottles if you keep them out of the light. The light is what's harmful. It "skunks" the beer. It actually produces the same chemical that's found in skunk spray. If you've ever opened a beer at a bar that's been sitting under the fluorescent lights and thought it smelled terrible (I've had some St. Pauli Girl that's done this). I use both clear and dark bottles...I just keep them in my basement.

How do you get rid of the yeast/sediment?

=========

you don't. Most breweries have a filtering process for this...but I think for the home brewer there's no easy way without introducing oxygen. The yeast is actually rich in vitamin C, it just can give an off flavor (and act as a natural laxative if you're drinking a lot of beers that day). It sits at the bottom of your bottles and as you pour you learn to keep the last 1/4" of beer behind. I actually drink the leftover sediment just to finish off the bottle and not waste any beer. Some breweries (Odell Brewing Co, for example) has a note on their label to gently swirl the yeast to mix it up in the beer as you pour.

 

[husker rob]

I am liking the .50 per bottle cost.

I definitely don't make as many trips to the liquor store any more (unless it's to buy whiskey). Plus it's nice to always have beer on hand (I typically have 100 bottles sitting on the shelf).

Remember it's a hobby though. Buying just the ingredients can help you save money but you need to factor in equipment costs. It's an addicting hobby and I always find myself trying to find ways to upgrade my equipment or do things differently.

I have always wanted to get into it and try my luck. I am sure the beers will get better as I get the process down and Look forword to brewing my own beer.

thats all you need right now stud

 

[huskernumerouno]

I am liking the .50 per bottle cost.

I definitely don't make as many trips to the liquor store any more (unless it's to buy whiskey). Plus it's nice to always have beer on hand (I typically have 100 bottles sitting on the shelf).

Remember it's a hobby though. Buying just the ingredients can help you save money but you need to factor in equipment costs. It's an addicting hobby and I always find myself trying to find ways to upgrade my equipment or do things differently.

I have always wanted to get into it and try my luck. I am sure the beers will get better as I get the process down and Look forword to brewing my own beer.

thats all you need right now stud

It will be a while but at some point I plan on it

 

[husker rob]

I am liking the .50 per bottle cost.

I definitely don't make as many trips to the liquor store any more (unless it's to buy whiskey). Plus it's nice to always have beer on hand (I typically have 100 bottles sitting on the shelf).

Remember it's a hobby though. Buying just the ingredients can help you save money but you need to factor in equipment costs. It's an addicting hobby and I always find myself trying to find ways to upgrade my equipment or do things differently.

I have always wanted to get into it and try my luck. I am sure the beers will get better as I get the process down and Look forword to brewing my own beer.

thats all you need right now stud

It will be a while but at some point I plan on it

just dont buy your ingredients from ALTECH

 

[huskernumerouno]

I am liking the .50 per bottle cost.

I definitely don't make as many trips to the liquor store any more (unless it's to buy whiskey). Plus it's nice to always have beer on hand (I typically have 100 bottles sitting on the shelf).

Remember it's a hobby though. Buying just the ingredients can help you save money but you need to factor in equipment costs. It's an addicting hobby and I always find myself trying to find ways to upgrade my equipment or do things differently.

I have always wanted to get into it and try my luck. I am sure the beers will get better as I get the process down and Look forword to brewing my own beer.

thats all you need right now stud

It will be a while but at some point I plan on it

just dont buy your ingredients from ALTECH

You don't like Kentucky Ale

 

[T_O_Bull]

There are times when I barely have time to get to the store to buy it. Who has time to brew it?

T_O_B

:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

 

[huskernumerouno]

I hear ya

 

[bennychico11]

There are times when I barely have time to get to the store to buy it. Who has time to brew it?

T_O_B

:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

again, it's a hobby. Just like some people cook or grow a garden...or play video games for hours on end. I like to brew beer in my spare time. It's fun coming up with new things and learning the science behind it all. Plus, it's nice to have 100 bottles of beer on a shelf in the basement that tastes better than lots of the crap you find in liquor stores (IMO).

 

[husker rob]

You don't like Kentucky Ale

it was ok, after the first 3 killed your taste buds

 

[HUSKER 37]

There are times when I barely have time to get to the store to buy it. Who has time to brew it?

T_O_B

:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

again, it's a hobby. Just like some people cook or grow a garden...or play video games for hours on end. I like to brew beer in my spare time. It's fun coming up with new things and learning the science behind it all. Plus, it's nice to have 100 bottles of beer on a shelf wall in the basement that tastes better than lots of the crap you find in liquor stores (IMO).

Plus...You can act out that song.

Another reason I've hesitated...Weight gain.

(Although my addiction to grape soda seems to keep me grounded) <_<

 

[bennychico11]

Another reason I've hesitated...Weight gain.

(Although my addiction to grape soda seems to keep me grounded) <_<

this, my waist line has to agree with....one of the downsides. I'm trying to be more active to try and counteract it though

 

[tschu]

Bump.

Just gave my first ever batch a try. A pale ale - it has only been carbonating in the bottles for a week but it is already impressively carbonated. Tastes a little young though; I'm going to keep it sitting for another week or two.

I also have a honey ale fermenting - a recipe of my own design so we'll see how that goes, lol!

I always thought it would be interesting so I gave it a try...making beer is really fun. If you like beer, cooking, making/building things, or are just looking for a neat hobby I encourage you to give it a try.