Get Ready to get strange looks after you start brewing!
No, not because you're beer is amazing compared to your friend's "mainstream" beer. You will get strange looks because you start really talking beer. Hops, Yeast strains, Grain Bills, HLT (and an abundance of other acronyms).
I started brewing beer about a year ago. I started because my neighbor was having a nice get together in between semesters (he is a professor at the local college) and a few of his colleagues are home brewers. They brought some of their beers over and I tasted an oatmeal stout which I couldn't stand but the taste was so different that I needed to know more. We enjoyed many other homebrews that night and by the end I was convinced I would not be able to drink a normal beer again.
The very next week I talked to my neighbor about my new found love of beer (because beer and i were already in love). After convincing him we were the next Palmers we were ready to put our money together and make the dive into home brewing.
My best advice when planning to attend your Local Home Brew Shop (LHBS) plan ahead! We bought things I have never taken out of the package (Irish moss) and didn't buy things we needed (the correct size stopper for fermentation). We walked out of the store with our beginners kit of 2 carboys, 5gallon stainless kettle, air locks, a funnel, and 2 beer kits. Ready to rock and roll!
We bought a few kits and came home and started brewing. Rinsed everything off (did not sanitize) and started brewing. The brewing went good other than we needed to look up on YouTube on how to use a barometer! We put the carboys in my closet and waited. We couldn't wait and opened up the fermenter the next day and the next day and the next. Needless to say we exposed that beer to all sorts of bacteria and ruined the beer completely. We bottled it (not knowing it is infected) anyhow and opened up a few as recent as last week. The cap blew into my neighbors yard and there was beer everywhere. We created a bottle BOMB for sure! My advice is to be patient and keep an eye on your beer but do not open her up until your kit directions tell you to. Since this mishap we have followed directions and had a ton of amazing beers to show for it.
Through that experience I learned that planning, sanitizing, and being patient are key features every brewer must have. You will want to ask questions but your friends are going to look at you like you are crazy when you ask if something floating in your carboy looks like lactobacillus!
Rely on tools like HomeBrewTalk.com, Brewing Books like "how to brew" by John Palmer, Subscribe to Brewers like you on YouTube. Most of my research was done by the listed tools. I am not saying this is a recipe for award winning beer out of the gate but planning brews will certainly accelerate you into the right direction. Your friend will soon look to you for advice as well. Try not being like many of us get which is a hussy beer snob. Understanding their questions and helping them will help you along the way.
Cheers,
shooters brew crew
Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
