Hey all,
I have seen and heard plenty of people speak out against drinking and brewing. They all say that you end up with crappy beer and a poor process. I'm here to say that you can indeed brew great beer while enjoying your efforts at the same time!
I brew all grain with my (admittedly) un-hightech process. I have a homemade cooler mash tun, I do a split boil between 2 pots on my electric stove, I cool in the bathtub, and I ferment in an icebath in that same bathtub. I do have a keezer in which I store my kegged beer. I also always pitch a heathly yeast starter, treat my water properly, aerate the wort, and temp control in my bathtub.
I want to start out by saying that I am a relatively detail oriented person (at least in brewing). I have a history in science and lab work so I appreciate creating protocols, sanitary process, and brewing methodically. I write everything down.
I like to brew at night. I am currently in med school and brew in the unlikely occasion that I have a night off. This means that I start my brew at about 9pm and finish sometime around 5am, usually while enjoying quite a bit of my previous batches. How do I do this? I do all of my thinking and math ahead of time! (or at least before I hit beer #4). This is, in my opinion, the key to brewing while imbibing. As long as you write everything down, your water additions, your hop additions, your boil time, EVERYTHING, there is no way you will screw up as long as you remain conscious .
I don't count on remembering my O.G., I don't count on remembering my exact mash temp, I don't count on remembering any specific details of my brew so I write them all down! This lets me keep track of my process and adjust anything that I need to on my next brew.
I wish I had more to say but I don't. Just figure out everything early in the evening and write it down. If you've brewed a few successful batches on your system, you shouldn't have any troubles.
to brewing while *sampling* commercial examples of your final product!
I have seen and heard plenty of people speak out against drinking and brewing. They all say that you end up with crappy beer and a poor process. I'm here to say that you can indeed brew great beer while enjoying your efforts at the same time!
I brew all grain with my (admittedly) un-hightech process. I have a homemade cooler mash tun, I do a split boil between 2 pots on my electric stove, I cool in the bathtub, and I ferment in an icebath in that same bathtub. I do have a keezer in which I store my kegged beer. I also always pitch a heathly yeast starter, treat my water properly, aerate the wort, and temp control in my bathtub.
I want to start out by saying that I am a relatively detail oriented person (at least in brewing). I have a history in science and lab work so I appreciate creating protocols, sanitary process, and brewing methodically. I write everything down.
I like to brew at night. I am currently in med school and brew in the unlikely occasion that I have a night off. This means that I start my brew at about 9pm and finish sometime around 5am, usually while enjoying quite a bit of my previous batches. How do I do this? I do all of my thinking and math ahead of time! (or at least before I hit beer #4). This is, in my opinion, the key to brewing while imbibing. As long as you write everything down, your water additions, your hop additions, your boil time, EVERYTHING, there is no way you will screw up as long as you remain conscious .
I don't count on remembering my O.G., I don't count on remembering my exact mash temp, I don't count on remembering any specific details of my brew so I write them all down! This lets me keep track of my process and adjust anything that I need to on my next brew.
I wish I had more to say but I don't. Just figure out everything early in the evening and write it down. If you've brewed a few successful batches on your system, you shouldn't have any troubles.
to brewing while *sampling* commercial examples of your final product!