Help a newby out!

Hey, Y'all! Howdy from the Bluegrass State! There's only 3 things we know about here: Fast horses, wild women, and basketball! But this west KY boy is looking to start makin his own brew (not moonshine....KY boy got that covered! LOL) Been a beer lover since back in the old Stroh's era (when it was a really good, fire-brewed beer with character). Now looking to learn the craft from you folks who have already made the mistakes and learned from them. Anybody wanna help a country boy out? Already enjoying reading the forum posts. Can't wiat to get started!

Welcome to your new obsession.

Hi from Edmonton KY via the Smoky Mountains

Welcome to HBT!

Many will help but we can't read your mind. Ask away.

Welcome - I was down in your state watching I'll have another pull the win. Will be drinking homebrew when he takes the triple !

Hey UKF:
Most anyone would be glad to help if they can. Brewing is the best drinking hobby, bar none (pun intended). You will find the homebrewtalk community ready to help out. I find it easier sometimes to learn by doing. So I located a local homebrew club went to a brew day. That helped me alot, seeing the process in person. They even came over to the homestead and helped me out with my first couple of brews. You can also get a lot of help by using a local home brew shop (LHBS). They are almost always staffed with a well versed home brewer.

welcome!

as others have said, lots of friendly people here to help... but you need to tell us what you need help with. we can't guess what your questions are, so make them explicit.

also, don't forget to hit up the search function (use the box at the top righthand side of every page, inside the beer mug). 99% of questions that you'll have have been answered before. chances are good you'll find the best answers that way.

Thanks, y'all! Got a local buddy and his dad who have been doing this for awhile and they have been a big help. Also been reading up in the newbie sections. Not a LHBS anywhere near here that I've found (and so says my buddy), but hoping to make a few HB shows that pop up around here from time to time. Haven't started anything yet. Considering the Mr. Beer quick and easy for a first attempt. Read the thread on those, but seem to be varied reviews. Any thoughts from you guys as to the best, most cost-effective way to start?

UKFreak said:

Any thoughts from you guys as to the best, most cost-effective way to start?

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if you want to give it a try before committing, need to prove to yourself that it can be done, don't want to spent more than you have to to get your feet wet, you're not sure how serious you are about getting into this hobby, etc., then i'd say that a mr. beer kit is the perfect place to start. get a couple of batches under your belt, learn the basics, and upgrade when ready. mind you, some folks are perfectly happy making mr beer beer.

if you're pretty sure you're going to get into this hobby, and/or are confident in your abilities to pull it off, and/or aren't going to get discouraged, etc. - then i'd suggest that you get yourself some bucket fermentors and some extract kits.

there is a lot to be learned from mr. beer kits, but almost everyone outgrows them. so it's a question of how much that "growing" phase is worth to you. *personally*, i bugs me to spend money on something that i know i'm going to have to replace. i started with carboys and liquid yeast after doing a lot of reading (both books and this forum), but i'm kind of obsessive so this approach suited my personality. might not suit yours.

sweetcell said:

i'd suggest that you get yourself some bucket fermentors and some extract kits.

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Ditto this above...rather than a mr. beer, my vote would be to merely get a bucket and an aextract kit...doesn't take much equipment at all if you are the least bit handy. Brewers make the beer...the equipment just makes it easier. I love the old expression the a talented brewer could make beer in his hat. Dive in and cheers!

wilserbrewer said:

Ditto this above...rather than a mr. beer, my vote would be to merely get a bucket and an aextract kit...doesn't take much equipment at all if you are the least bit handy. Brewers make the beer...the equipment just makes it easier. I love the old expression the a talented brewer could make beer in his hat. Dive in and cheers!

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This. If you like beer like I do, in a month or two you'll be drooling over the brewstands here and wondering just how cheaply you could make a 30 gallon setup, and trying to find a beer that your wife likes so she is OK with you spending every Saturday cracking grain and boiling in the driveway.

As they say around here, welcome to the obsession!

Thanks, y'all! You kinda echo what I was thinkin. I'm like Sweetcell, it kinda pisses me off to spend cash when I know going in it's gonna be obsolete by the time I unbox it. OK, so next question (again, I've looked in the noobie section and opinions vary) but since you guys are already helpin me out: what would you consider "bare bones" equipment? Also, since I don't have much of a reference for comparison of extract kits vs. commercial beer, what would be a good choice? I prefer darker or red beers (I'm into Guiness and I LOVE Sam Adams East-West Kolsch) and have little or NO use for Diet Bud or it's clones (thought I can do Amber Bach). Thanks again!

I would suggest a basic starter kit at the least although I would suggest getting at least 2 buckets to ferment in that way you can brew more often. Midwest supplies has an Irish Red that is reported to be very good.

Sorry to be so long replying. I took the time to do the research and ended up buying a basic kit from Midwest and added a few of those "nice to have" items like a wort chiller, and a delicious sounding Autumn Amber Ale. I will say it was a bit of a toss-up between that one and the Irish Red. That is DEFINITELY on my list of future brews! Only made this choice because my wife is not a fan of Killians, but thought she might take to this one (and I need her in my corner if I'm gonna keep spending money! LOL) Thanks to all for your answers to my posts, and also to others. After reading several of your posts I looked you up in other forums and got a lot of great info! I'll keep ya posted on how Batch #1 turns out. Wish me luck!

Best of luck and good choice to get the wife in your corner!

Ist Brew Day next Saturday, Sept 1! Anxious to get started, but wanted to wait until my new wort chiller gets here about Tuesday (already shipped from Midwest). Anxious to get started....wish me luck!

First ever brew day went well! Even got the wife involved! Learned a lot, nut will see how o did in about 6 weeks. Fun stuff!

Let us know how it turns out. My wife will help if I ask but it's not really her thing.

Congrats on your first brew day UKF!

Ok, Noob Neurosis happening here! 48 hours in I got about 1bubble/sec in airlock. Maybe my notion of "active" is different than u experienced guys. Is this what I should see?

You're fine. The bubbles will end in a couple days, maybe more and maybe less. They don't mean a whole lot. Give it two weeks then check gravity. If at final gravity, package.

bubbling of the airlock is often associated with fermentation, but it isn't 100% one-and-the-same. if you're using a bucket, there is a chance that CO2 is escaping through other gaps so the fermentation inside could be more "active" than that airlock is letting on. or, fermentation proper could be complete but the liquid is still off-gassing (although not likely at a bubble per minute).

like bithead suggested, give it two weeks regardless of airlock activity and then take gravity readings. if it's stable over 3 days, you're done. be aware that you might not hit the exact same final gravity (FG) as the recipe or kit indicated. you might have been more, or less, efficient. only way to know for sure that you've finished fermenting is stable gravity readings.

Thanks, y'all! I just let it set for a touch over 2 weeks. FG stable at 1.010 (OG 1.044), so guess it's as good as it's gonna get. Bottling today, so in a month or see we'll see how I did. Gotta say, it at least SMELLS like beer! LOL! When I opened it up to get a sample, it actually smelled (and other than no carbonation, tasted) like Amber Bock (it's Midwest's Autumn Amber Ale) so I think that, at least, is a good sign. Anyway, gonna bottle it up and give it 4 weeks to think about it, then I'll see what I got. Thanks again!

UKFreak said:

Thanks, y'all! I just let it set for a touch over 2 weeks. FG stable at 1.010 (OG 1.044), so guess it's as good as it's gonna get. Bottling today, so in a month or see we'll see how I did. Gotta say, it at least SMELLS like beer! LOL! When I opened it up to get a sample, it actually smelled (and other than no carbonation, tasted) like Amber Bock (it's Midwest's Autumn Amber Ale) so I think that, at least, is a good sign. Anyway, gonna bottle it up and give it 4 weeks to think about it, then I'll see what I got. Thanks again!

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Good luck keeping your hand off it for a month! I'm not disciplined enough to let mine sit that long without at least trying a bottle a week. Congrats on a successful brew.

Well, I'm at least TRYIN to wait! This weekend will make 2 weeks, so after reading several posts here on HB and doing more reading on the subject, I think I'll try one this weekend just for comparison 2 weeks later. (Did that sound convincing?)

Welcome aboard! There is enough knowledge here to make your head spin. Put on your seatbelt and enjoy the ride. Your wallet will!

Well, just popped the top on my 1st homebrew & givin it definate A! Good carbonation, about an inch or so of head, nice smooth taste, only a little cloudy, & no sediment! Damn, I really CAN do this! Gonna give the rest another week then take another taste test....Oh Hell, think I'll have another now! Thanks for the help & support folks!

OK, bottled it up, let it sit in cool area (about 65) for 2 weeks, sampled a couple ( very happy), then moved to room temp for 2 more. Put in fridge for a few days to get icy cold. Had 1 bottle with a bit of leakage- yep, flat as my first prom date- but the rest has been fantastic so far! Great first experience! Already planning to branch out on the next batch & do a partial mash, using a kit but changing a few ingredients. Wish me luck!