Relax, don't worry, have a home brew

For those that have concerns about infecting your beer or sanitization, this should make you feel a bit more relaxed. Talk about simplicity!

That sure is simplicity and shows you can make brew on the simple simple. Cudos to him since he seems to have found a process that he enjoys and I think that's an important part of the hobby.

Myself, I enjoy the process, learning about it, and the challenge of making a brew that people would be more than happy to drink. It tweaks both the food nerd and science nerd inside myself. Plus, I find sitting on my porch and doing each step relaxing and a fine way to spend an afternoon.

That, and if I wanted it simple I would go to the local liquor store and pick up a six pack of micro.

It kills me everytime I watch this. LOL. I can't believe he makes a drinkable batch. He sure is enjoying himself though and that's what is important.

I like this guy. He's genuine, excited about his method, and it works for him. Perfect!

Personally, it's not my style - I like all grain brewing, whole hops, and things that aren't generically labeled, "adjunct."

I just want to give him a hug.

What got me was that watching that I would have thought for sure he was contaminating everything he says that he never had an infected batch in 23 years. Sometimes he only used water (hot, not boiled) to sanitize!!

Come on now....that hose has to be dirty

Heck, my first couple of batches were even easier than that, no-boil kits. Two cans of extract, some hot water to mix it up, cold water to the 5 gal mark, toss in the yeast, pop on the lid and airlock, wait a week and bottle with tabs. No fuss no muss, and the beer was actually quite good. But he is right about one thing, it doesn't have to be rocket science if you don't want it to be.

yup I first learned home brewing from a guy just like that. He'd been brewing for 25+ years and he just liked it simple and easy. Good for him!

This guy kinda reminds me of Santa Clause a little - I wonder if he will bring me some home brew for Xmas???

Ha! A month or so ago, this very same video was pointed out in another thread. At the time, the video was perceived in a somewhat less positive light! Last time around, nobody wanted to hug him.

Guy seems like a turd bag...

I wanted to reach in the computer and throttle him every time he said "sterilize". I didn't see any damned autoclave in his kitchen. Also, he apparently never heard of a little bittering flower called "hops". He never used any. I know, I know- prehopped extract, but he never said that he was using that, either.

I sure as hell don't wanna give him a hug.

I should have filmed my first batch. "Okay, two gallons of water and two cans of extract. Now while we wait for the boil, now would be great time to go outside and smoke a cig..........."

BlindLemonLars said:

Ha! A month or so ago, this very same video was pointed out in another thread. At the time, the video was perceived in a somewhat less positive light! Last time around, nobody wanted to hug him.

Guy seems like a turd bag...

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He kind of seems like a turd bag in the first episode. As you go, he...well...he seems less turdy. He does seems like he really just wants to help people...he is not saying "ha ha a-holes I can make beer easier than you..."

I think he is santa in the summer, cut the beard down and lost some weight that's why the sweatshirt is so damn big.

The doco sertainly was not produced by 20th Century Fox and a couple of his points / practices were ....well ....questionable. Having said that though, I recon he achieved what he set out to do. Show newbies just how easy brewing can be and he used an extreamly popular world wide media to do it (youtube). If some random tube surfer stumbles over his video and gets interested and involved then thats good for us all and forums like this. Lets face it we all had our appitites wet some-where some-how by someone who was not a biochemist but yet we all love our home made beer and it works for us. So I recon, Good on ya for having a go mate !

Beerrific said:

He kind of seems like a turd bag in the first episode. As you go, he...well...he seems less turdy. He does seems like he really just wants to help people...he is not saying "ha ha a-holes I can make beer easier than you..."

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Oh sure, and I certainly don't mean to criticize him. I just thought it was funny how different HBT members would react to him so differently. Hey, if the guy is having fun with his unorthodox brewing methods, power to him...he certainly is taking RDWHAHB to a whole new level!

OTOH, I sure don't want to try his beer. Furthermore, I hope beginners aren't getting the wrong idea from him regarding ingredient choices and sanitation.

BlindLemonLars said:

Oh sure, and I certainly don't mean to criticize him. I just thought it was funny how different HBT members would react to him so differently. Hey, if the guy is having fun with his unorthodox brewing methods, power to him...he certainly is taking RDWHAHB to a whole new level!

OTOH, I sure don't want to try his beer. Furthermore, I hope beginners aren't getting the wrong idea from him regarding ingredient choices and sanitation.

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Or secondery fermentation and conditioning times for that matter!!!

If he has been doing it for 20+ years you know he can certainly go to much more rigorous methods than that. He probably just broke it down to the simplest method possible in order to attract more people.

Compared to even 100 years ago his steriliztion is WAY better than most brewers throughout history.

He "sterilizes" his equipment by running hot tap water over them (dropping a cap into the sink and pulling it out no less)...

Oh dear lord I wouldn't be able to sleep if I did that.

I would advice against following his methods.

Go read and then make your own mind up.

I'm suprised noone mentioned the other guy



Confectioners sugar? LOL! :cross:

Man that was a ton or sugar!!! oopps Dextrose

Wow we can make alot of different beers like "draft, lager, and even plusner"

And you guys lied to me I obvious dont need to sanitize or "sterilize" anything but the bucket. Not the thermometor, or hose, or spoon or anything. And I think i am going to add a 5 pound bag of sugar.... err i mean dextrose.... to my brew so it will make it REALLY high ACV.

You guys are too funny.
I wonder what his beer tastes like....

delarob said:

I'm suprised noone mentioned the other guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDPrl50RxeU

Confectioners sugar? LOL! :cross:

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The powdered sugar is pretty bad (don't they put corn starch in that stuff?) but I cringed when I saw that UNOPENED can of malt sitting in a pot of boiling water! His next YouTube video might be him visiting the burn ward.

BlindLemonLars said:

The powdered sugar is pretty bad (don't they put corn starch in that stuff?) but I cringed when I saw that UNOPENED can of malt sitting in a pot of boiling water! His next YouTube video might be him visiting the burn ward.

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I was waiting for that too.

Did I miss it or something? I didn't see him drinking while doing this! Not sure if I can trust someone who doesn't drink while brewing.

LOL, I had watched both of these mentioned videos before starting my own. Not to pick up any bad habits but it at least showed me it wasn't as complex as I imagined it.

When I saw the guy putting a spoonful of sugar in every bottle I thought there surely had to be an easier way. Glad I found this site to set me straight.

I am quite happy with my obsessive compulsive ways, thank you.

Damn, is unhopped DME + hops + speciality grains all that hard? Doesn't require any more equipment than he has...

delarob said:

I'm suprised noone mentioned the other guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDPrl50RxeU

Confectioners sugar? LOL! :cross:

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"Sometimes I use up to 8 cups. Then after a couple beers you'll get a good buzz."

8 cups of powdered sugar!

23 years of brewing you'd think he knew what the word "adjunct" means. Hell, 23 years of being alive you should know what that word means.

I like to think of this guy's brewing as training wheels.

Criticize all you want, this guy's video actually made me feel "If he can do it, i can" and gave me the balls to try my own brew... Which lead me here.

And tonight, I'm going to be dragging a box of milled grains up the stairs so that I can do my first all-grain brew this weekend.

I'd not drink his beer either, but the guy is making beer that is probably about as good as BMC, which is how he defines beer. More power to him.

regardless, here's to knowing your beer will be MUCH better

DeathBrewer said:

here's to knowing your beer will be MUCH better

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I'll drink to that!

Kevin Dean said:

the guy is making beer that is probably about as good as BMC, which is how he defines beer. .

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*That about says it all.*

Aside from all that I was just amazed at how haphazardly he seemed to do it all; especially when it came to sanitizing. Meanwhile I'm sanitizing my hands everytime I touch something and "re-sanitizing" items that have already been sanitized and a whole bunch of other anal and paranoid crap! He says he never had an infected beer in 23 years....maybe he don't know the difference?
That just tells me there is margin for error and that maybe I should relax more when brewing. Be careful, not "crazy" Looking around YouTube, it seems there are more like him.

Stepping away from the sanitizing issue, as far as brewing goes, I'd rather have more control over the final product as well as a bit more complexity to the beer.
He did say that he used to secondary and use a carboy as well as mixing a priming solution for his bottling bucket and a few other normal procedures. I guess he just wants it simple and a final product that is basically cheap alcohol (with a beer flavor).

Brewno said:

I guess he just wants it simple and a final product that is basically cheap alcohol (with a beer flavor).

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You'd be surprised on how good these simple beers can be. I assume the beer he made isn't great, but let's face it, none of us here have actually tasted his beer, so how do we really know it's so terrible?

I'd do a beer swap with him, just out of curiosity.

Yea this guy seems to enjoy his beer - I dont know why anyone is knocking it. He seems to enjoy it since has been doing it for years. I make beer from pre-hopped kits and I dont find it tastes like alcohol with a bit of beer flavor. I dont make it exactly like him i use malt extract in it and probley do a bit more sanitizing - and use a secondary t clear my beer.

I find my beer tastes really good - and my friends enjoy drinking my beer - even the in-laws gave it a try. Guess the point is different people have different ways of making beer and different people like different beer - im sure lots of guys on here making all grain beer make a great beer - im sure the malt extract guys make some great beer - and i find the prehopped kits make a good beer too. So no real need to knock anystyle if you like drinking it and have fun - do you own style - and enjoy!