New From WV

[JoshInWV]

Hello all! I'm not a newbie (mostly a long time lurker to the forum).

3 years ago my brother in law got me a Mr. Beer kit to try out and see if I was interested in making beer. While I wasn't a huge beer fan, I like to do tinkwe with things like that. To me, I looked at it as an opportunity to play with sugar conversions, water chemistry, etc., so I was excited to get into it. I made the first extract batch with the ingredients that came with it initially and it was terrible. Since I made an assumption that the ingredients were wither old and expired or I just mangled the batch. I decided to retry making a batch of beer so I purchased the Mr. Beer apple cider kit and was disappointed with it and I started thinking it was me. I'm an engineer by trade, I thought to myself, I develop software and build hotrods, I'm following the instructions to the tee and I researched how to make beer. I decided to purchase a basic fermentation kit (2 - 6 gal pails and other equipment) and try my hand at real extract brewing.

Fast forward to today, I've made a few really good extract kits so far (and some that I have killed). (True Brew Oktoberfest - my and a lot of other people's fav - from Home Brew Ohio), Irish Red kit from Homebrew Stuff, and a Honey Brown kit from someplace I can't remember. I also made a few home made apple cider recipes and a Brewers Best Pear cider kit that I modified to have hints of black berries in it (which came out phenominal). So I just purchased 2 new kits to make. A Brewers Best Witbier and Oktoberfest. After those two kits, I want to switch over to my first all grain brewing this year (which I am really nervous about). I've made a ton of notes in my brewers journal (everything from the water source, to the music I was listening to). Every batch I make, my now 8 year old daughter helps with, and one day, it will be passed to her.

So I have still a ton of questions on my quest for making the absolute best Octoberfest lager that I can, but I just fgured I'd swing in and say hello , Cheers!

- JoshInWV

 

[madscientist451]

A small freezer and a temperature control unit is what you need to make lagers.
Or if you have a pretty cold basement you can make them in the winter.
Besides temp control, a cheap round cooler, a spigot and a BIAB bag and your ready to brew.
Lagers aren't any harder to brew than ales, but being able to ferment at the proper temperatures and then cold crashing helps a lot.
I would suggest you read the Brulosphy blog regarding the fast lager method:
http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

 

[JoshInWV]

A small freezer and a temperature control unit is what you need to make lagers.
Or if you have a pretty cold basement you can make them in the winter.
Besides temp control, a cheap round cooler, a spigot and a BIAB bag and your ready to brew.
Lagers aren't any harder to brew than ales, but being able to ferment at the proper temperatures and then cold crashing helps a lot.
I would suggest you read the Brulosphy blog regarding the fast lager method:
http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/

I converted an old chest freezer into a lagering box already. It was really easy and only cost about $45 for the control box. My first Oktoberfest kit I had (and the first REAL extract kit I ever did), I used the lagering box. Maybe that was the key on why it came out so well. I already have a 10 gallon round drink cooler, I need a metal spigot and the false bottom and a pot larger than the one I have for 5 gallon batches.

 

[madscientist451]

For $7-8 buy a BIAB bag and drop it in the cooler, you don't need a false bottom. If you ever get a stuck or slow mash, just pull up on the bag a little. You can brew smaller batches while waiting for a bigger pot.
If you use the fast lager method, you don't have to lager the beer or not as much, you do need to hold the fermentation down to the high 40's-low 50's, then ramp it up and then cold crash it.