boomtown25
Well-Known Member
Hey peeps. I am brand new to the beer brewing scene and have a couple of questions. I have been an avid wine maker for some time now so I have a general background, but I am a bit of a perfectionist if I am going to dedicate time to something, so I have simply been studying for several weeks now on the ins and outs. Here are my questions for now and I apologize for any that are outright stupid:
1. In wine, the carboys are usually 6 gallons and you want the least amount of room for oxygen during fermenting and aging. A lot of the recipes I have seen are for 5 gallons. Do I need to downsize my carboys or not worry about it?
2. How do you gather the ingredients? Do you simply order the amount it takes and have extra of a great deal (ex.- I see recipes for 1.8 lbs of DME, but I have only seen purchase ability in lbs)
3. Should I suck it up and keg right off the bat, or start with bottling?
4. I love all kinds of beers, but am unfamiliar with the type or the effect of more/less of certain ingredients or the different types of ingredients (varieties of grains or hops). How can I find what I like without spending hundreds of dollars in experimentation? (ex.- If I like Flat Tire, where do I start?) How do I know how to change a flavor from the next one I do?
5. Is brewing from extract compared to whole grain sort of comparable to cooking a frozen beef patty or a master chef in a restaurant (or not that bad?)
6. When given a time in a recipe to add certain ingredients, does it mean past boil time, or does it mean how much longer to go. Here is a example: If recipe tells you to boil for 60 minutes and then says "x ingredient 40 minutes", does this mean you add it after 40 minutes of boiling or does it mean add 20 minutes past boil point and boil for the remaining 40 minutes?
Thanks folks and sorry for the rookie questions!!!
1. In wine, the carboys are usually 6 gallons and you want the least amount of room for oxygen during fermenting and aging. A lot of the recipes I have seen are for 5 gallons. Do I need to downsize my carboys or not worry about it?
2. How do you gather the ingredients? Do you simply order the amount it takes and have extra of a great deal (ex.- I see recipes for 1.8 lbs of DME, but I have only seen purchase ability in lbs)
3. Should I suck it up and keg right off the bat, or start with bottling?
4. I love all kinds of beers, but am unfamiliar with the type or the effect of more/less of certain ingredients or the different types of ingredients (varieties of grains or hops). How can I find what I like without spending hundreds of dollars in experimentation? (ex.- If I like Flat Tire, where do I start?) How do I know how to change a flavor from the next one I do?
5. Is brewing from extract compared to whole grain sort of comparable to cooking a frozen beef patty or a master chef in a restaurant (or not that bad?)
6. When given a time in a recipe to add certain ingredients, does it mean past boil time, or does it mean how much longer to go. Here is a example: If recipe tells you to boil for 60 minutes and then says "x ingredient 40 minutes", does this mean you add it after 40 minutes of boiling or does it mean add 20 minutes past boil point and boil for the remaining 40 minutes?
Thanks folks and sorry for the rookie questions!!!