Potential new brewer needs help

I am looking to possibly start homebrewing and wondered if it was worth all the time, money, and work. I am not a hardcore drinkiner by any means but do enjoy a good beer on occasion and feel that there would probably be some added pleasure in sitting back with a cold one of my "own". Maybe it is only because it is winter and I am penned up in the house but for some reason trying the homebrewing thing popped in my head. I was hoping for some guidance on weather or not to give it a shot and if so what type of equipment is best. Thanks, in advance for the help.

Just look around, friend! Cheap, easy and soooo addicting! It is a blas to create recipes not available from the stores. Hard ciders, and lemonades, too. I never make a clone type beer, only stuff friends can't taste from stores. It is fun, to say the least. But be careful...there is no turning back....wuhaaahaahaa

If you have doubts you should hang with a brewer for a while to learn and sample before heading down a path of indestruction like we have...

I'm about 2 months in and hopelessly addicted to brewing. Not for the beer, for the rewards of making your own beer.

In hindsight, I wish I had bought either the starter or Intermediate kit with Better Bottles:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdBySubCat.aspx?SubCat=11166&fd=1

I'm always scared I'm going to break my glass carboys and I ordered a Better Bottle this week as my secondary after reading through the forum.

Good luck and cheers!

Do you have a lot of friends that enjoy great beer? You might find happiness in sharing your hobby with them. Generally, it's not too hard to give away beer. I liken it to holding a good dinner party.

I didn't drink a whole lot of beer before I started homebrewing. I would buy the occasional 6-pack of Bass or Guinness, or SNPA, or something... depending on what I was in the mood for. I got into it as a hobby that I could tinker with and work with for the rest of my life. I had no idea all the fun and anxiety it can be sometimes, but it's fantastic.

As it is, I probably donate 1/2 of what I make to friends and family anyway.

But, I can honestly say with a straight face that I have a much better attitude and am a happier, more agreeable person since I began brewing. There's just something about it that makes ya feel good about yourself.

Definately give it a shot. You can get a starter kit for cheap, and be making great beers in no time at all.

Not going to lie to you, it does involve "work". Bottling day is a good example. But it is work with rewards. It will also give you a deeper appreciation for beer. Before I started homebrewing last July, I had tried a few microbrews and liked them, but never really payed attention to the complex flavors of a beer.

Brewing is alot like cooking, you follow a recipe or just come up with something on your own, and make it. Unless your batch goes bad for some reason (rare), you have a result that will most likely be pretty damn good, even if it wasn't exactly what you were shooting for.

Brewing beer is the ultimate hobby.

McKBrew said:

Not going to lie to you, it does involve "work". Bottling day is a good example. But it is work with rewards. It will also give you a deeper appreciation for beer. Before I started homebrewing last July, I had tried a few microbrews and liked them, but never really payed attention to the complex flavors of a beer.

Click to expand...

Totally agree--before I started homebrewing I preferred English beers, but I couldn't really tell you the difference between a porter and a stout, or a bitter and a pale ale, or whatever. Now, I get way more pleasure from a single beer than I ever did from drinking til I couldn't stand up. It's almost like magic to see the weird, vaguely distressing stew-like gunk get transformed into really, really good beer. And I promise--it's easy to make a good batch, and a good batch of homebrew will blow the hell out of any beer you'll ever buy, period. I never knew beer could taste this good!

I spent 50 bucks for my first brew and really enjoyed it. Now I've got a couple hundred in and about to spend a couple hundred more to go all grain...it can be expensive, but it's fun and drinking something you made...there's nothing like it really!


Dan

Cheesefood said:

Do you have a lot of friends that enjoy great beer? You might find happiness in sharing your hobby with them. Generally, it's not too hard to give away beer. I liken it to holding a good dinner party.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm only into my first batch, bottling this weekend, and i already have way way more friends than I did before. Lots and lots ob neighbors are giving me bottles.

I'm not sure what answer you're expecting on a board devoted to homebrewing. Of course, we think it's worth the time and effort . I've only done about 10 batches, but so far I love it. Brewing and bottling are escapes for me. I've turned some really bad days around by locking myself in the kitchen, turning on some good music and brewing a batch of beer. Watching the wort boil sure can be hynotizing.

Having said that, I will say that I've noticed that there are a lot of new brewers posting here. Sure there are a few regulars who've been around awhile, but there are an awful lot of newbies posting. That leads me to wonder how many people startup and decide it's too much work? Also, since I started brewing I've met a handful of people who used to brew (I even got some equipment from a coworker who used to brew), but I haven't met any active brewers. It's not like I'm actively searching, but when the conversation comes up I've I often hear, "I used to homebrew, but I gave it up when the microbrew revolution started a few years ago."

I got into the hobby because I really enjoy cooking, and like using fresh, natural ingredients in my food. The process and the science of brewing also fascinated me. I also started sampling as many different microbrews as I could find, and discovered that there was much more than BMC. Yes, brewing is a lot of work. If you enjoy the work, it is a very rewarding hobby. If not, it's all a PITA and you'd be much better off getting some really good micro/craft brews at your liquor store.

To be honest only you can answer that question. I was not a beer drinker at all (an occassional Mich lite) but kept thinking about brewing for a long time before I started. Now I thoroughly enjoy the hobby and having a beer or 2 of my own creation has made me find that I enjoy a more flavoured beer than you get than with the commercial stuff. The time and effort is very enjoyable if you get satisfaction from doing and completing things on your own. The feeling one gets from family praising (and more important) asking for more of your brew can not be explained but experienced.

If this still interests you then many beer supplies sites have beginner equipment kits that are good. I would recommend at least the intermediate kits that include a carboy for secondary fermentation. Many threads on equipment can be found here that explain alot of the needed or highly recommended equipment to make your brewing even more enjoyable.

Good luck with your decision. All we can say here at this board is that we all enjoy this hobby and we are here to answer as many questions as you may have.

Concur with everything above. If you are a "big beer drinker" in the sense of pounding down many beers at a sitting, this is probably not the hobby for you. The beers you brew yourself will be (in a very short time) better and fuller tasting than anything you buy. I've been rolling my own for a while now but I still seldom drink more than two in a night.

SteveM said:

Concur with everything above. If you are a "big beer drinker" in the sense of pounding down many beers at a sitting, this is probably not the hobby for you. The beers you brew yourself will be (in a very short time) better and fuller tasting than anything you buy. I've been rolling my own for a while now but I still seldom drink more than two in a night.

Click to expand...

I don't know about the big drinker thing--as a recent college grad, I've had a lot of beers in a single sitting, and for a while that was the goal. But realizing that there is more out there really helped me to change my "beer drinking goals"--now I've found that not only do I not like drinking more than two of my homebrews at a time, but I don't even really like drinking more than that, period. Homebrewing helped show me that beer isn't only a vehicle for alcohol--it's a fantastic drink, a connection to brewers now and throughout history (yeah, I'm a history nerd), and it's just plain fun. Obviously I'm preaching to the choir here, but yeah...anyone can love homebrewing: someone who likes specialty beer already, someone who doesn't know anything but BMC, or someone who 'doesn't like' beer, but finds out there's much more out there than they thought. Homebrewing for all!

Whelk said:

I don't know about the big drinker thing--as a recent college grad, I've had a lot of beers in a single sitting, and for a while that was the goal.

Click to expand...

Praise the Lord! I was a bit concerned for a couple of days.

There is a thread around somewhere by a guy in college now who wanted to make non-alcholic beer! I knew things hadn't chaged that much from when I graduated (ulp) more than 30 years ago!

:cross:

Hi lpdean!

Well I just bottled my first batch tonight and I have to tell you that all of the work doesn't really feel like work at all. There's alot to it, but that's what makes it so fun. I love the science of the brew and I love the fact that I'll be able to be creative with the process. I can't wait to sample the product of my craft.

And as others have mentioned, I've already promised many friends and family bottles as soon as they're ready. This is a hobby that's chock full of comradre. Consequently, this forum is pretty darn good too.

There's a few aspects to homebrewing. It's not just about the beer.

Some people enjoy the projects. Look at Yuri or BrewPastor and all the home projects they've come up with. It's just fun to build brew gear.
Some people like appreciating beer. It's a noble craft that predates just about everything else we know.
Some people like the community. Beer strengthens friendships.
Some people like just having a hobby.
Some people like being elitist about something.
Some people like understanding agriculture better.
Some people are biologists at heart. My mom is a biology teacher and I'd love to get her involved in a brew day. Unfortunately, she teaches grade school and they would frown on her bringing me in to brew for her class (even though it's such a perfect experience.)
Some people like the thought of having an interest to pass on to thier kids. I'm sure my son will drink beer in college, and I'd love to get him involved.

Brewing beer isn't just about creating beer. You create so many more things than just beer. Since I've started, I've learned how to drill metal, how to sweat pipes (Thanks, RDWJ), and how to make and enjoy a variety of fermented juices.

Everyone knocks it but I went with Mr.Beer.com. Cheap, easy and using all of the advice everyone else give you, it will be a very good way to get familiar with the concepts. Of course, graduating to all-grain and building your recipes is the long term goal. Keep that in mind. Good Luck!:rockin:

Gambrinus said:

Everyone knocks it but I went with Mr.Beer.com. Cheap, easy and using all of the advice everyone else give you, it will be a very good way to get familiar with the concepts. Of course, graduating to all-grain and building your recipes is the long term goal. Keep that in mind. Good Luck!:rockin:

Click to expand...

I don't knock it but I do say, It'll open your eyes to "Real Brewing"
It's a stepping stone.

I really appreciate all the feed back and help. Pretty sure I am going to give it a try. Searching for a kit now, I tried the local hbs but they weren't really helpful and I figured I could get one online cheaper.......I know it gets way more complicated than this but is this the general time line? 1 week primary fermenter......transfer to 2nd fermenter for 2 weeks....then bottle and leave for three weeks. Can you refidgerate immeadiatley after bottling?

you need the 3 weeks at 65-70 degrees after bottling for the yeast to carbonate the beer
then refrigerate.
if you get a moment read
www.howtobrew.com

lpdean said:

I really appreciate all the feed back and help. Pretty sure I am going to give it a try. Searching for a kit now, I tried the local hbs but they weren't really helpful and I figured I could get one online cheaper.......I know it gets way more complicated than this but is this the general time line? 1 week primary fermenter......transfer to 2nd fermenter for 2 weeks....then bottle and leave for three weeks. Can you refidgerate immeadiatley after bottling?

Click to expand...

Realistically, you can ferment in primary for 12 days and carbonate for 9 at ~70dF, and you'll have beer. But most beers benefit from at least some aging.