More Newbie Questions...

I've been reading through all of the posts here just trying to learn some things, but it's also "brewed" some more questions:
-What's the difference between beer, ale, stout, mead, lager, etc?
-what are the pros/cons between using extract or doing all grain?
well those are all that I can think of right this minute. Thanks

beer is the general term for fermented barley beverages. it can be split into two catagories; ale and lager.

the difference between an ale and a lager (in terms of ingredients) is yeast. yeast that works at higher temps and ferments on the top of the beer is an ale yeast. yeast that works at cooler temps and ferments on the bottom of the beer is a lager yeast. the flavors produced are very different. ales are fruity, bold flavored brews (if you want to pigeon hole the class), and lagers are lighter, crisper beers (if you want to pigeon hole it.)

Bass is an ale.
Sam Adams is a lager (speaking of the original Boston Lager version).
Both are beer.

stout is a type of ale (because of the yeast used). big, bold, roasted, black. other types of ales are; pale ale, irish red, india pale ale, porter, most belgian beers, scottish/scotch ales, etc, etc.

pilsner is a type of lager. (as are almost all german and american beers.)

mead is a beverage made from fermented honey. it's not beer at all.

pros of all grain: cost and beter control over the product (more options).
cons of all grain: more time consuming, more equipment.

-walker

A few extract pros: faster brewday, consistent results, compact storage, less equipment required
A few extract cons: faster brewday (more time for chores), less varieties available, darker wort (purely aesthetic con)

A few ag pros: longer brewday, nearly infinite combinations of grains for recipes available, able to achieve very light worts
A few ag cons: longer brewday (have to plan a bit more), potentially inconsistent extract efficiency depending on brewer/brewery, requires more equipment

Walker and BeeGee,
This is a prime example of why this forum is so great!

We have some very basic questions here that on some forums would have been lampooned and jeered at. But, we get very thoughtful and nurturing responses by both parties.

Thanks guys for being so nice and encouraging.

Good thread. Nice responses. A thread like this would have saved me a lot of searching and wondering a while back.

I appreciate it as well. To some my questions may have seemed pretty dumb, but I honestly didn't know (thats why I asked) and I actually learned a few things. thanks guys.

I could lampoon and jeer, but something simple makes me feel pretty dumb just about everytime I brew (or insert many other verbs here), so it would be quite hypocritical of me!

I like your avatar BeeGee. I've been a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan since I was a young boy. I've got all of the books as well as a bunch of sunday comic strip cutouts. I love the Space Man Spiff strips the most.

talleymonster said:

I like your avatar BeeGee. I've been a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan since I was a young boy. I've got all of the books as well as a bunch of sunday comic strip cutouts. I love the Space Man Spiff strips the most.

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Yeah, that was the best strip ever in my opinion. I like Dilbert, Foxtrot, and Mutts these days, but nothing really compares to C&H IMO. I've got most of the books, but not all. I've been contemplating that new "complete edition" that is out.

I keep seeing "IPA" everywhere. What is "IPA"?

India Pale Ale. A very hoppy ale.

India Pale Ale. It's a pale ale that (historically) was higher in alcohol and hopped heavily, because it had to survive the logn voyage by ship from the UK to India (where British troops were stationed.)

Hops are a preservative, hence the high amount of hops in the beer.

-walker

oh.. as for lampooning and jeering... I don't have the energy for that today. Plus, I'm feeling overwhelmed by some pretty complex **** here at work, so answering a simple question made me feel much better about myself.

-walker

talleymonster said:

I appreciate it as well. To some my questions may have seemed pretty dumb, but I honestly didn't know (thats why I asked) and I actually learned a few things. thanks guys.

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Your questions weren't dumb...far from it. There are a huge variety of beer styles, which can be very confusing. It takes a long time to get used to them all (and of course, taste them all! )

And asking a question about extract and all-grain pros and cons...well...this is the heart of this forum!

IPA stands for India Pale Ale. It stems from English colonnial times when beer was shipped over to India from England. Extra hops were added to keep the ale fresh during the long voyage by ship (hops preserve beer), so the very hoppy style was born.

Ah, I see Walker and BeeGee beat me to that one...it's like the quick draw of online forums!

Welcome to the forum talleymonster!

BB

BlightyBrewer said:

Ah, I see Walker and BeeGee beat me to that one...it's like the quick draw of online forums!

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Yeah, it's one of those days. I do 5 minutes of work then click a button and wait an hour to do 5 more minutes of work. I could fill in the gaps by reading trade papers or cleaning my office, but 20 years from now who's going to know the difference if I was reading homebrewtalk.com instead?

BeeGee said:

Yeah, it's one of those days. I do 5 minutes of work then click a button and wait an hour to do 5 more minutes of work. I could fill in the gaps by reading trade papers or cleaning my office, but 20 years from now who's going to know the difference if I was reading homebrewtalk.com instead?

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"And with that, the BeeGee kid blew the smoke from his keyboard and stood over the cold still post from BB Kid..."

talleymonster said:

I appreciate it as well. To some my questions may have seemed pretty dumb, but I honestly didn't know (thats why I asked) and I actually learned a few things. thanks guys.

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Hang in there and keep studying and asking questions. Before you know it, you will be seeing other people asking questions that YOU know the answer to and they don't. You'll be thinking I KNOW I KNOW the answer to that one. That's what happened to me. I usually let the old pros respond, but I know I could answer a lot of questions, and I haven't been at this that long.

If you haven't read through this, you should. Very informative:

http://www.howtobrew.com


Joe

Lounge Lizard If you haven't read through this said:

http://www.howtobrew.com[/url]


Joe

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I was readin this and in section 1.2 fermenattion it says

Pour the cooled wort into the fermentation bucket "aggressively," so that it splashes and churns in the bucket. This action adds the oxygen yeast need for growth.

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what if I were to use a glass carboy? if I'm right, in some of the starter kits they come with two glass carboys for fermentation. Or do you need to use a bucket for the first stage of fermentation?

you can use glass the whole way through. I just pick up the carboy and shake it like crazy for a few minutes. Gets the air into the wort and gets my heart rate up a bit.

-walker

Walker said:

you can use glass the whole way through. I just pick up the carboy and shake it like crazy for a few minutes. Gets the air into the wort and gets my heart rate up a bit.

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And now that you're an old man you're liable to throw out your back!

No you don't have to use a bucket, although many do. Oxygen must be added at some point though, whetehr that be through some fancy funnel/strainer method, an air stone/oxy supply or just old fashioned picking up the carboy and shaking it about.

Well I like the ides of glass carboys. They are transparent, allowing you to see the progress of your brew. They don't allow oxegyn in. Just gotta be careful not to drop one. How often would I need to shake it during the primary fermentation? And would it be better to have a 6.5 gallon carboy for the primary to reduce risk of mishaps? Are there any kits that come with a 6.5 and a 5 gallon carboy? or is that asking too much for a starter kit?

I bought a $4.00 fine-mesh strainer from Target. I rest it on the bucket and pour my hot wort through. It catches all the leftover gunk (called trub) that I want removed from my beer and aerates the wort as it passes through the strainer. It's a quality investment and had significantly improved the quality of my beers and the clarity. I'd like to find a larger one that fits over my entire bucket, but haven't seen anything yet (admittedly, I haven't been looking).

I think that brewing is the greatest hobby ever. My wife is amazed at how much I've devoted myself to it, and is getting jealous of not having a hobby of her own that she's so passionate about. It doesn't take all that much time out of your life, but in the end you get a wonderful product to share with friends and family.

All right, that settles it! I'm brewing again soon. I was going to hold off for a while, but nope.

talleymonster said:

Well I like the ides of glass carboys. They are transparent, allowing you to see the progress of your brew. They don't allow oxegyn in. Just gotta be careful not to drop one. How often would I need to shake it during the primary fermentation? And would it be better to have a 6.5 gallon carboy for the primary to reduce risk of mishaps? Are there any kits that come with a 6.5 and a 5 gallon carboy? or is that asking too much for a starter kit?

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You aerate / shake before adding your yeast. After yeast is in you don't want to touch it. Ditto when racking to your secondary/bottling bucket etc. No splashing; very gentle .

Cheesefood said:

I'd like to find a larger one that fits over my entire bucket, but haven't seen anything yet (admittedly, I haven't been looking).

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Does yours have the little 'ears' opposite the handle that allow it to rest over a regular size pot? You could just tape an extension to the handle and then that and the ears would hold it over your bucket.

when it comes to bottling, would you recommend priming tabs? I was just reading about them and they sounded like a good idea. Or is it better to do it the old fashioned way and siphon?

i've never used the Copper Carb Drops, but i've heard they work well. easy to use too.

a cool tid-bit on the IPA. maybe the English gang can confirm/negate this, but i read that once the IPA made it to india, they cut it w/ water so it wouldn't be so hoppy and high in alcohol. the reason they stared drinking it like it is somewhat known today, is a ship bound for india sunk in the harbor, and everyone jumped in to save the beer. started crack'n into those kegs in the dock pub's, and a legend was born......

any way, back to the questions!

DeRoux's Broux said:

a cool tid-bit on the IPA. maybe the English gang can confirm/negate this, but i read that once the IPA made it to india, they cut it w/ water so it wouldn't be so hoppy and high in alcohol. the reason they stared drinking it like it is somewhat known today, is a ship bound for india sunk in the harbor, and everyone jumped in to save the beer. started crack'n into those kegs in the dock pub's, and a legend was born......

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That's a cool story...wouldn't surprise me if it was true.

BeeGee said:

Does yours have the little 'ears' opposite the handle that allow it to rest over a regular size pot? You could just tape an extension to the handle and then that and the ears would hold it over your bucket.

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No, it's just a flat strainer.

Cheesefood said:

No, it's just a flat strainer.

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cheesefood, try your local HBS. i know mine has a big-ass strainer for that. or, one of the on-line suppliers. i bought the one i used to use at Wal-Mart. fit perfect over my little stove top brew kettle.

Well I think I have decided on a kit. *I Think* I'm gonna get a two stage kit with two glass carboys, 6.5 and 5 gallon. An i think I'll get a SS turkey fryer or a converted keg. It seems like a good kit to start out on, and later I can add more as I see fit. What do you think? heres where I am getting it. I am getting the
Deluxe Starter Kit

Wise choise.

Are you starting on Extract before going to all grain or jumping straight in?

oh im sure ill do extract first to get the feel for it all

Cheesefood said:

No, it's just a flat strainer.

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Flat? Sounds more like a grease splatter preventer than a strainer...all of my strainer are bowl shaped and have little ears to hold them over pots. Of course the splatter strainer has a finer mesh and is probably better suited to aeration and actual straining of hop bits, etc.

Talley, you're basically getting all the stuff I have right now, although I bought it in pieces over time. It all works really well for me, but if you ever go all grain, you're going to need some new stuff. That's the primary thing keeping me from AG.

Looks like you're off to a good start. You've asked some questions that I didn't get the answers to until my second or third batch. I just didn't know to ask them. I can't wait to hear what you brew up.

Thank you everybody for all of your input and advice. I'm sure it wont be the last time that I need to ask for help

rewster451 said:

Talley, you're basically getting all the stuff I have right now, although I bought it in pieces over time. It all works really well for me, but if you ever go all grain, you're going to need some new stuff. That's the primary thing keeping me from AG.

Looks like you're off to a good start. You've asked some questions that I didn't get the answers to until my second or third batch. I just didn't know to ask them. I can't wait to hear what you brew up.

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Rewster are you talking fermentation stuff of mash and boil stuff.
Boils side, a turkey fryer and cooler will do.

I was talking mash and boil stuff. I don't have the capacity to mash because I can only heat 3 gallons at a time. I mean, maybe I can mash with less than that, but I also don't have the equipment to crush all those grains. I want a grain mill and a turkey frier. Then I think I'd be ready for it. As far as ferm. equip., I'm ready for anything.

I buy my grain pre crushed.
Take a look at my set up to see a easy cheap fast way to heat 6 gallon at a time.