Hello All

[Gderem]

I just found this forum and wanted to say Hi. I got into homebrewing about 5 or 6 years ago, and made about a batch per month for 2 years. Actually I guess I was making about 2 Mr. Beer batches a month for 3 or 4 months and then moved up to 5 gallon batches. About 3 years ago my daughter was born and about the same time I was starting a business so all my free time went out the window.

I just recently started up again. I am currently drinking my first batch which is a Pale Ale, pretty mild but not bad. I have a Newcastle Brown clone going in my primary now, and a british ale going in the secondary. So I guess I'm on my way.

I've never gotten into a lot of the specialty aspects or aerating the wort, running it through cooling coils, adding moss or gypsum, measuring pH, though I used to take the hydro readings. If I keep going I might start learning more about these areas to improve the beer even more.

 

[khiddy]

Greetings, fellow northwesterner!

I, too, started with Mr. Brew, but within three days of getting my first batch going, I had upgraded to a 5-gallon system with 2 kegs. As you can see from my signature, I have several full-sized batches in the pipeline, and I managed to bottle my first Mr. Beer batch just last evening. Now it's a matter of waiting the three weeks until I get to try it!

Welcome!

 

[Gderem]

I usually open a bottle after about a week just to see how they are doing. Usually the beer will already taste good after a week, so you might try one.

I like using a few of the Mr. Beer 1 liter bottles when I bottle my beer. You can feel how the carbonation is doing by pressing in on the bottle.

Is the stuff below the line your signature? That's cool and it looks like most of the guys here are putting that info in their signature, I'll have to figure out how to do that/

 

[DragonTail]

Welcome

 

[khiddy]

Yeah, my freshly-bottled Mr. Beer plastic bottles are already getting a bit firm, so that first batch will work out fine, I think. I just tonight made my second Mr. Beer batch, the Jamaica Mon, with two cans of malt extract and a packet of Booster. We'll see how it turns out, I used a yeast cake from my full-sized conical fermenter, so it ought to take off immediately but not really blow off the lid!

The stuff below my message text is indeed my current lineup. You can create your own signature by clicking on "User CP" at the top of the screen right below the header banner, then "Edit Signature". Easy-peasy!

 

[Homercidal]

Welcome, you'll find plenty of new things to try and def find out what is important (like cooling your wort quickly.)

Check out IC chiller. Cheap and easy to make yourself and a nice upgrade to your process.

 

[Gderem]

I'm testing to see if my signature shows up. I have my signature going in my profile but isn't showing up in my posts. I also have a picture for my profile and it isn't showing by my posts either??

Homercidal: Is the IC chiller you're talking about the coiled metal thing I see occasionally? The way I usually cool the wort is add cold water up to the 5 gal mark, then put in bath-tub in cold water for 5 hours. I've never had an issue with yeast not activating, and I'm currently using dry yeast that's about 4 years old that's been sitting in my fridge all this time.

 

[wscott823]

Gderem, welcome to the forum. I'm in a similar situation getting back into brewing after a little hiatus. This forum should definitely get you the support for developing skills as a brewer. Cheers!