In too deep

bboyeruga · Jul 17, 2013

Well I'm officially addicted. I've had 3 successful brews (all Belgians) and I haven't even tasted them, but I can honestly say this is the most addicted I've ever been to a hobby.

So far I'd say I've put $700 into brewing and I don't even blink when flashing the credit card. I usually have horrible buyer's remorse, but I haven't even come close to that with brewing. I just bought a 7cf freezer on Craigslist and just set it up with a Johnson temp controller. Moving the beers there tonight.

I don't know what it is, but it's just everything I've ever wanted in a hobby. I know most on this site can agree and I'm glad to be part of this great past time. Thanks to all who've helped me along the way. Here's to the next 30+ years of brewing!

chocotaco · Jul 17, 2013

I am jealous of your lack of buyer's remorse. Please enjoy yourself on my behalf :mug:

ColoHox · Jul 17, 2013

Welcome to brewers anonymous, thanks for sharing. Together, we will help you through all your beer problems...usually with a tasty belgian near our keyboards.

beergolf · Jul 17, 2013

I know what you mean.

I brewed four beers before I even tasted my first.

Brew on.

bboyeruga · Jul 17, 2013

Anyone else feel like this when they see the first bubble in the blow off tube/airlock?

bboyeruga · Jul 17, 2013

chocotaco said:
I am jealous of your lack of buyer's remorse. Please enjoy yourself on my behalf

One of the perks of being with someone who spends $700+ per month on her horse and equestrian competitions. She can't even begin to debate me. :mug:

krackin · Jul 17, 2013

Just wait until you start your own recipes.

KepowOb · Jul 17, 2013

haha... I don't have buyers remorse either, but I do have fear of SWMBO when she sees the bills, haha. Thank god she likes good beer and wants to support me with my hobby... eventually though, I know she'll come back with "remember when you got this, that and the other thing?"

.

Seriously though, I know what you mean. I'm new to all this as well, and I love it. I wish I had more time to brew... though then I'd probably have way more beer than I'd know what to do with.

Tom128 · Jul 17, 2013

Same here. I have brewed the following, in order: 1 gallon dandelion wine, 1 gallon grape concentrate wine, 5 gallon EdWorts Apfelwine, 5 gallons of a beer recipe I sort of made up, and 1 gallon Joe's Ancient Orange Mead.

Crazy part - I have yet to drink any of these. They are all still brewing, very slowly most of them now. It just that the combination of booze I know I will get to drink, the cost for the amount of booze, the science, and the "I did this!" factor has me hooked already, sitting here looking for another recipe to start.

bboyeruga · Jul 17, 2013

krackin said:
Just wait until you start your own recipes.

I'm already thinking about it with my next brew. I'm eager to do a lager now that I have the ferm chamber, so in 3 weeks when I pull the belgians out, I'm going to do two lagers. Probably 1 oktoberfest (close to Sam Adams Oktoberfest), and a standard Oktoberfest.

I need to read Radical Brewing and get the spirit for it, but if my cooking is any indication, I'll be a natural. I always cook with a sense of adventure and throw whatever I've got into it knowing it will all be okay and come out great. Can't wait to spread that mentality to my brewing!

chocotaco · Jul 17, 2013

Don't get me wrong, I am addicted same as all of youse. I think about brewing and brewing-related stuff all day long. If I could I would brew every day. SWMBO doesn't give me too much of a hard time about it, though she hates the smell. Thing is, I have yet to brew a great beer (fingers crossed for my lagering altbier), and every time I buy ingredients I am thinking to myself, "this money would be better spent on A) Future Robot Body Fund (wife calls it 'college fund', whatever) or B) buying beer that I know will be great"

However any day now I will hit the lottery and start a nano-brewery!

bboyeruga · Jul 18, 2013

Tom128 said:
Same here. I have brewed the following, in order: 1 gallon dandelion wine, 1 gallon grape concentrate wine, 5 gallon EdWorts Apfelwine, 5 gallons of a beer recipe I sort of made up, and 1 gallon Joe's Ancient Orange Mead.

Crazy part - I have yet to drink any of these. They are all still brewing, very slowly most of them now. It just that the combination of booze I know I will get to drink, the cost for the amount of booze, the science, and the "I did this!" factor has me hooked already, sitting here looking for another recipe to start.

How do you like the 1 gallon brewing? I was talking with some of my friends who help me brew and we're very intrigued about the ability to create some crazy 1 gallon brews and have 4 or 5 fermenting at a time. Worth the effort?

evrose · Jul 18, 2013

bboyeruga said:
How do you like the 1 gallon brewing? I was talking with some of my friends who help me brew and we're very intrigued about the ability to create some crazy 1 gallon brews and have 4 or 5 fermenting at a time. Worth the effort?

1 gallon brewing is a GREAT way for a beginner to experiment with different hops, grain, and other flavors without risking too much waste. Keep careful track of your process and recipes so you can repeat successes and correct for failures.

Do some 1 gallon SMaSH's and you can really get a taste for the flavors of different hops.

The awesome thing about 1 gallon brews is that everything is completely scalable at this level. If you test a crazy brew at one gallon, making 5 gallons is as simple as multiplying all of your inputs by 5. Just keep good notes.

Tom128 · Jul 21, 2013

bboyeruga said:
How do you like the 1 gallon brewing? I was talking with some of my friends who help me brew and we're very intrigued about the ability to create some crazy 1 gallon brews and have 4 or 5 fermenting at a time. Worth the effort?

I like it so far (started another 1 gallon batch of lemon wine/hard lemonade last night lol). I realize the argument that the effort of doing 1 gallon vs 5 gallon isn't a big difference so 5 gallon is probably better. However if the recipes you pick are simple, you can fire off a few per week and test multiple ideas, and if your idea was bad it does not cost much. And you can have a wide variety of things in the pipe.

The beer I brewed was a partial mash so for the effort I spent, I would have felt it was not worth it for only 1 gallon and I am glad I went 5. But for many wine, mead and cider recipes they are so simple I don't see why not go with 1 gallon to play around and find a good recipe you like to turn into a larger batch.

It also does not hurt that my local home brew shop always has 1 gallon carlo rossi jugs that they sell for $1, and they sell their airlocks for $1. Makes the equipment for starting another batch close to free

bboyeruga · Jul 22, 2013

Tom128 said:
I like it so far (started another 1 gallon batch of lemon wine/hard lemonade last night lol). I realize the argument that the effort of doing 1 gallon vs 5 gallon isn't a big difference so 5 gallon is probably better. However if the recipes you pick are simple, you can fire off a few per week and test multiple ideas, and if your idea was bad it does not cost much. And you can have a wide variety of things in the pipe.

The beer I brewed was a partial mash so for the effort I spent, I would have felt it was not worth it for only 1 gallon and I am glad I went 5. But for many wine, mead and cider recipes they are so simple I don't see why not go with 1 gallon to play around and find a good recipe you like to turn into a larger batch.

It also does not hurt that my local home brew shop always has 1 gallon carlo rossi jugs that they sell for $1, and they sell their airlocks for $1. Makes the equipment for starting another batch close to free

Yeah. And I have some cheap $10 SS pots from walmart that I can boil off two at once. I just want to experiment with different malts and hops.

Do you have trouble adding extra fruits/etc into a 1 gallon secondary?

kh54s10 · Jul 22, 2013

1 gallon brewing? I don't get enough of a brew doing 5 gallon batches.

I haven't done any but they would be good for experimenting.

As far as buyer's remorse: I have not really experienced that. I do remorse that I don't have $$ to brew whatever I want, whenever I want.

bboyeruga · Jul 23, 2013

kh54s10 said:
1 gallon brewing? I don't get enough of a brew doing 5 gallon batches. I haven't done any but they would be good for experimenting.

As far as buyer's remorse: I have not really experienced that. I do remorse that I don't have $$ to brew whatever I want, whenever I want.

I don't find it hard to come up with the money for brewing now that I have the equipment. I reason it out that every time I brew, I'm making up some of the equipment costs. At least that's what I tell myself :ban:

podz · Jul 23, 2013

Until you have at least 10 big carboys, you ain't finished shopping ;-)

I know that a lot of people are on the plastic bottle fad, but I just don't buy it. I've had my 5 gallon glass carboy for 20 years and quite many house moves, several of them long distance. It's got a batch of Apfelwein going in it now!

bboyeruga · Jul 23, 2013

podz said:
Until you have at least 10 big carboys, you ain't finished shopping ;-)

I know that a lot of people are on the plastic bottle fad, but I just don't buy it. I've had my 5 gallon glass carboy for 20 years and quite many house moves, several of them long distance. It's got a batch of Apfelwein going in it now!

Haha yeah. I just bought a 6.5 gal Italian glass one at my LHBS. That'll be my second. I was returning the (overpriced) analog temp controller and got the carboy and 2 cases of beer and the cashier ended up paying ME. Best beer/brew transaction ever. (I know I paid the money already, but let me live on in my dream)

mcangeli · Jul 23, 2013

bboyeruga said:
Well I'm officially addicted. I've had 3 successful brews (all Belgians) and I haven't even tasted them, but I can honestly say this is the most addicted I've ever been to a hobby.

How do you know they're successful if you haven't tasted them yet?

welcome to the hobby.

bboyeruga · Jul 23, 2013

mcangeli said:
How do you know they're successful if you haven't tasted them yet?

welcome to the hobby.

ACTUALLY, I tasted the Saison this past weekend after a 6 day bottle condition and it was fantastic. Going to let it go a couple more weeks and I'm sure it will only get better.

My level of success is that I
1. Have fun
2. Teach someone something new about beer
3. Get it in the fermenter without destroying my brand new kitchen/house
4. See fermentation before I fly off on Monday mornings (travel for a living)

plumber_bob · Jul 23, 2013

bboyeruga said:
Anyone else feel like this when they see the first bubble in the blow off tube/airlock?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NzPd-xW4YY

I'm almost that bad!!!
After brewing and pitching yesterday, the first thing I did this morning was to check on the fermenter.

I almost did a skippy dance when I saw it bubbling away steady and strong. :ban:

:rockin:

Watched it until Mrs. Bob announced that breakfast was ready. Been back twice since then.

pb

In too deep

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Compulsive Hand Washer

Well-Known Member

Supporting Member

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Supporting Member

Active Member

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Supporting Member

Supporting Member

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Supporting Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!