Post to Beginners, READ!

[Soulshine2]

I've been a contributing member for a little over 2 yrs now. I have 7 successful brews behind me. I don't claim to know everything there is about brewing but I've read some posts in the past that indicate that an OP hasnt in fact read "everything they can" before jumping in feet first and deep empty pockets end up in a jam on brew day or halfway into fermentation because they didn't plan ahead enough or understand the process enough. I understand sometimes a search on a subject or troubleshoot doesnt always yield the answer to the question you are asking.

I get it, we've all been a beginner at one point and questions do need to be addressed to gather information and improve ones brewing skills. Which is why this ,like any other forum exists.

I'm gong to generalize that almost everyone who is here has started with either a brewing buddy ,some sort of shelf available ,online purchase or gifted some sort of beer kit (Mr Beer) which got your interest.
Please, use those ,read the instructions thoroughly BEFORE you brew to get the idea . Ask the questions on that level before you have to post the inevitable " Help , Im brewing now and I'm in trouble "
You have to crawl before you walk before you run .

Keep it simple. Go extract. Make a simple beer. Use the dry yeast packet . Do a small batch . Learn how to calibrate and use a hydrometer , a thermometer. Learn how to sanitize properly, that cant be advised enough. Use a few food grade buckets. Bottle by hand.
Did it turn out ? Yes? Now you can move on .
or
Was there a problem? Find out why , try again.

Do yourself (and your bank account)a favor and not be the "never have I ever" brewer that posts "I've never brewed before but I just bought $5000 worth of stainless steel and electronic gadgets ,pumps and kegging equipment. I've made my own Imperial Dubbel coffee trappist IPA recipe as my first brew and its not working out... Now what do I do? "

Google is a wonderful tool for educating oneself on any subject.

Read.

Watch YouTube videos.

Go visit a HBS and ask the staff how to do things. Take a class if they offer them.

Read about the history of the beer youre making. The water profiles for THAT beer made in that region. read the characteristics of the malts youre using, the hops historically used , hop qualities, was it an ale or a lager? know what working range your yeast has. Read about what style malts, hops and yeasts your beer needs to be in the ballpark of a certain style.

PLEASE, dont let my words discourage anyone from home brewing. I'm just noticing recurring noobie problems and trying to slow that person down to get the crucial basics and make them into solid good habits first before jumping into instant pro level and wondering why their gravities didn't come out exact,or fight infections in a complex dry hopping process . It can be very discouraging to spend hard earned money on equipment and material alone to have an enjoyable hobby and end up out an entire day or week of fermentation because you missed something simple you should have done early on. Especially if you're married and your hobby comes out of the family budget expenses. Some spouses ,I'm sure, look at the equipment bill and see they could have had a nice week long vacation to the Caribbean.
RDWAHAHB

 

[MaxStout]

I get what you're saying, and have seen a lot of "Do I need to secondary?" -type posts around here. In a perfect world, everyone would spend a few minutes of due diligence before posting. But in every online forum I've been a part of, there are always some who just jump right in with a question. That's the nature of the beast.

If some people won't take the time to search their subject before posting, chances are they won't take the time to read your post, either.

 

[Soulshine2]

I get what you're saying, and have seen a lot of "Do I need to secondary?" -type posts around here. In a perfect world, everyone would spend a few minutes of due diligence before posting. But in every online forum I've been a part of, there are always some who just jump right in with a question. That's the nature of the beast.

If some people won't take the time to search their subject before posting, chances are they won't take the time to read your post, either.

Probably so . Common sense though tells you to read up on a subject before you jump in and wing it .
Good thing this isnt a skydiving forum.

 

[MaxStout]

I know there have been a few attempts at making some "beginner FAQs", but there are always some who won't read those, either.

 

[RPh_Guy]

sorry to hijack the thread, but my airlock isn't bubbling, what do i do now?

 

[Soulshine2]

have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in to see if that helps?

 

[Soulshine2]

I know there have been a few attempts at making some "beginner FAQs", but there are always some who won't read those, either.

yeah , for sure...I just get to the point after trying to help the noob , and putting up some good facts, they still dont take the advice and I'm like throwing my hands in the air asking "why did you ask then if you wont take tried and true advice from experienced brewers?" and 2 days later theyre still asking what went wrong.

 

[NGD]

Just started brewing and trying to make a sour. Does this look infected?

[photo did not load]

 

[Pappers_]

yeah , for sure...I just get to the point after trying to help the noob , and putting up some good facts, they still dont take the advice and I'm like throwing my hands in the air asking "why did you ask then if you wont take tried and true advice from experienced brewers?" and 2 days later theyre still asking what went wrong.

Well, these thoughts are more about the forum than about brewing, and they are just my own.

One of the challenges that experienced brewers face here on HBT, after being here for a while, is that many of the questions/conversations are repeats of ones we've all seen before - especially in the Beginners Forum, which makes perfect sense.

Sometimes, we are tempted to just respond "do a search, look up the answer" etc., which is never ok. Another thing we often are tempted to do is only link to an existing thread. Sometimes that's ok, but it should be in the context of a response. Members have sometimes taken to just cutting and pasting big blocks of text, over and over and over, for the same question. Occasionally, that may be ok, but generally it isn't.

The reason we have to be patient and not resort to the sort of interactions above is the nature of forums - part of what makes them fun, is that they aren't a static collection of FAQs, but an ever changing conversation. Sure, there are answers given, but more importantly there are conversations.

If we find ourselves unable to respond helpfully to a new member, in a friendly way that doesn't badger them for being a newbie asking a question that we've seen a thousand times before, then it is best to just move on. It may be an old question for us, but its new for them. Some other HBTer will come along and answer the question.

 

[mongoose33]

I'm thinking that if you want newbies to read your post, you're going to have to cut it down and make it more targeted. I did a word count and your post has 589 words in it.

If you could boil all that down to the three most important things a newbie brewer should do, what would they be?

 

[NGD]

I get what you're saying, and have seen a lot of "Do I need to secondary?" -type posts around here. In a perfect world, everyone would spend a few minutes of due diligence before posting. But in every online forum I've been a part of, there are always some who just jump right in with a question. That's the nature of the beast.

If some people won't take the time to search their subject before posting, chances are they won't take the time to read your post, either.

It seems there are 3 types of beginning brewers.

1. The type that gets a kit as a gift from an SO

2. The type that sees a Mr. Beer or some other ready made kit on sale at the market and buys on a whim.

3. The type that enjoys cooking and sees beer as another genre to master.

The type 3 people are generally the ones that start out reading and planning as much as they can. They’re asking questions before they ever start a boil. Also most likely to have read “How to Brew” before their first batch.

Type 2 people generally either end up wanting to make more or better beer, or end up with something wrong and come looking for answers. They may have several Mr kits under their belt. 50/50 chance they’re taking the time to read stickies

Type 1 people are the ones that generally come here when they have a problem, try google to find a solution and see HBT populate. They are here to find answers to a specific question, not read the library of opinions here. Most of the times its “My instructions told me to do (this), but now I have (that) happening”.

Let’s face it. At best most kit instructions are not great. Some are just plain bad. The first few times you see yeast rafts floating post fermentation it does look like something might be infected.

After having a few bad experiences with janky ass HBS employees and home brewers that actually spoke in acronyms. I read as much as I could and got some great advice from a few patient pro-brewers that really helped out. I’m not winning any competitions but I do make beer the SO and I enjoy.

I try to pay it forward by being patient with new brewers. We were all there once. In many ways I’m still a newbie. It doesn’t take much to discourage someone from dropping an already expensive hobby.

 

[lump42]

Probably so . Common sense though tells you to read up on a subject before you jump in and wing it .
Good thing this isnt a skydiving forum.

"Common sense is as rare as genius." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

[mongoose33]

It seems there are 3 types of beginning brewers.

1. The type that gets a kit as a gift from an SO

2. The type that sees a Mr. Beer or some other ready made kit on sale at the market and buys on a whim.

3. The type that enjoys cooking and sees beer as another genre to master.

The type 3 people are generally the ones that start out reading and planning as much as they can. They’re asking questions before they ever start a boil. Also most likely to have read “How to Brew” before their first batch.

Type 2 people generally either end up wanting to make more or better beer, or end up with something wrong and come looking for answers. They may have several Mr kits under their belt. 50/50 chance they’re taking the time to read stickies

Type 1 people are the ones that generally come here when they have a problem, try google to find a solution and see HBT populate. They are here to find answers to a specific question, not read the library of opinions here. Most of the times its “My instructions told me to do (this), but now I have (that) happening”.

Let’s face it. At best most kit instructions are not great. Some are just plain bad. The first few times you see yeast rafts floating post fermentation it does look like something might be infected.

After having a few bad experiences with janky ass HBS employees and home brewers that actually spoke in acronyms. I read as much as I could and got some great advice from a few patient pro-brewers that really helped out. I’m not winning any competitions but I do make beer the SO and I enjoy.

I try to pay it forward by being patient with new brewers. We were all there once. In many ways I’m still a newbie. It doesn’t take much to discourage someone from dropping an already expensive hobby.

There must be a type IV newbie because I don't fit types I to III.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

My advice new brewers is: Start simple and work your way up.

You would not learn to bake by purchasing a $4,000 convection oven and agreeing to make your best friend's wedding cake. You would follow a recipe and bake a batch of brownies. Maybe they turned out runny, or burnt, or taste funny, so you would make another batch fixing your issues. Then try some cookies, try a cake, figure out the impact of using different types of sugar, or adding cinnamon, or homemade frosting, etc. Along the way you might get a nicer mixer, nicer pans, or that new oven.

The reality is that it takes years to reliably be able to brew a good beer (like being able to cook, or play guitar, or paint, or sew, or garden, etc.). The way to figure out the best whirlpool hop addition strategy for your first homebrew, is to brew a beer that does not require whirlpool hops. You have plenty of time to figure out whirlpool hops, and closed system transfers, and water chemistry, and fermenting 11% beers, and oak aging, etc.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

If you could boil all that down to the three most important things a newbie brewer should do, what would they be?

1. Carefully read chapter 1 of How To Brew, 4e before brewing. Read the rest of the book while the beer is fermenting.
2. (this space reserved for future use)
3. (this space reserved for future use)

There are a number of additional homebrewing books, written after about 2013, that have the same information in the first chapter or two. I suspect that similar information exists in a number of home brew blog sites and/or videos.

 

[madscientist451]

My G/F likes beer, but she drooled in my brewpot while I was chilling, you think its ruined?
(Couldn't find the answer in Palmer's How to brew)
Thanks for the post!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

My G/F likes beer, but she drooled in my brewpot while I was chilling, you think its ruined?
(Couldn't find the answer in Palmer's How to brew)
Thanks for the post!

 

[mongoose33]

My G/F likes beer, but she drooled in my brewpot while I was chilling, you think its ruined?
(Couldn't find the answer in Palmer's How to brew)
Thanks for the post!

What's ruined? The relationship, or the beer?

I figure if she's drooling in your brewpot she's putting the relationship under extreme stress.....

 

[Homergah]

sorry to hijack the thread, but my airlock isn't bubbling, what do i do now?

I've never brewed before but I think you're supposed to suck on it.

 

[burntchef]

I'm thinking that if you want newbies to read your post, you're going to have to cut it down and make it more targeted. I did a word count and your post has 589 words in it.

If you could boil all that down to the three most important things a newbie brewer should do, what would they be?

1. relax
2. have another homebrew
3. still not working? Have another store bought brew.
Eric

 

[Homergah]

I've been brewing a little over 30 years. I followed this forum for years before actually joining and becoming a supporter. The first thing that struck me as odd is that there were people actually doing exactly as OP described. I still can not fathom a person sinking several k into something they know nothing about and are not committed enough to read a little about before jumping in. I read a post last year that started with the guy talking about his new Ssbrewtech system complete with plate chiller 3 conical fermentors right down to a tri clover stainless blow off tube. Then he commenced to ask how long he needed to boil his vial of white labs yeast.

The comment on starting with a small kettle and a couple of plastic buckets I think is the best piece of advice after reading a LOT. It's too easy to get caught up in the gadgets and bling to the point you never really learn to brew.

And the real shame is when they come on here and ask that noob question, and end up getting pissed at the tough answers they receive.

 

[Rodent]

My G/F likes beer, but she drooled in my brewpot while I was chilling, you think its ruined?
(Couldn't find the answer in Palmer's How to brew)
Thanks for the post!

so that's the secret ingredient/process in Big Sky Brewing's "Moose Drool"!

 

[BobBailey]

It's that time of the year. A boat load of people got sub-par brewing kits for Christmas and think they can just throw the ingredients together and make an award winning beer. It happens every year and will continue to do so.

I think the past couple of Christmases have been worse than before due to the popularity of small volume kits with an affordable price tag, even though many are overpriced for what you get.

Each of us has the option of attempting to help some of these people or to just ignore them. When I try to help, it's because the person appears to have done some research and is willing to spend the needed time and exert the necessary effort in order to brew a decent beer.

When I opt to ignore, it's usually because they show by their post that they just want a silver bullet or come across as someone who shouldn't try to pour a glass of water.

I've found that trying to do something that helps the masses is usually a waste of time. The people who need your assistance the most are usually the ones who either won't read the post, or won't follow the advice. Worse yet, are those who ask for advice and then argue with person who offers it.

Such is the world we live in.

 

[GoeHaarden]

"I've never brewed before but I just bought $5000 worth of stainless steel and electronic gadgets ,pumps and kegging equipment.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/build-completed-and-tested-at-last.662131/

 

[Alex4mula]

..
The reality is that it takes years to reliably be able to brew a good beer (like being able to cook, or play guitar, or paint, or sew, or garden, etc.). ...

I definitely disagree with this and I think is the wrong message for a new brewer. But i do agree it is good to start simple if you can't loose much and try to educate yourself a little first.
I went to a LHBS meeting and saw some people brewing in the open and drank some home brews. That got me hooked. Started researching the equipment and watched several videos and read a few forums. Started with a carboy, a Mash & Boil kettle and yes a plate chiller and pumps. Definitely started with good extract kits. My first two brews were successful and the result was not good but very good beer. And I do know what is good beer because as part of the hobby I has been visiting my local breweries and has done 43 during the last year drinking 1-2 flights at each one.
Brewing is not hard but it is very process oriented and there are some critical steps that if missed could reduce quality. I am very process oriented but many out there are not and that is ok. They may need more time to get everything right. I will try to help any newbe the same way I am still being helped. Sometimes a quick answer can come faster than searching and reading through 20 threads. Being there done that. I appreciate all members here that do take the tie to reply. That's what makes this forum great. Cheers! ;-)

 

[BobBailey]

Wow! Now that's a very refreshing exception to the norm.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Not that long ago I was a Noob asking all the stupid questions and several wonderful members here patiently gave me the answers that I needed to make a drinkable beer.

Some of those answers did include read a book, and I did indeed read some of them.

Through it all, I continued to brew and ask stupid Noob questions, and more wonderful people answered my questions, witch I'm sure had been asked several times before, with thoughtful and helpful information.

On occasion I would get the "Hey stupid Noob, learn to use the search, this has been asked and answered a 100 times before" reply to one of my stupid questions. Now I'm not a stupid person, however, I am challenged when it comes to navigating a forum like this one. It's just not my forte'.

Now, I have close to 100 brews to my credit. I, now, make some very good beers. My rye pale ale is one of my all time favorite beers. I like it more than most commercial pale ales that I have tried. I brew it repeatedly. It's my very own recipe, though not very complex. I have grown my own hops for several years now, and even grew, malted and roasted my own barley for an all home grown beer last year.

I am an experienced home brewer at this point, but in no way would I ever consider myself a brew master. There are still times that I have simple "Noob" questions to ask. I rarely ask them here because of those folks that rudely post the "Hey Noob....." response. Sometimes I will search and find the answer that I am looking for, often in a post from several years ago. Heaven forbid you drag one of those threads back open. Most of the time it would be much quicker to ask the community on this forum.

I would strongly advise anyone reading this that has a question, stupid Noob question or complex master brewer/micro biology, rocket science, Noble prize worthy question, to just go ahead and ask. After all that's the way we learn, and there is likely someone on here that knows the answer and is willing to share their knowledge.

The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked!

And for those that are sick of the Stupid Noob questions, you don't need to answer them. You can choose to not even read them if you wish. Please don't discourage people for seeking new knowledge.

just my $.02

 

[murphyslaw]

Never understood why it bothers people to see a question get asked multiple times. You guys realize the posts have titles to let you know if it's a topic that interests you, right? You dont have to read all of them.

 

[seatazzz]

Almost every time I come here, first I check out General Discussion, then All Grain/Partial Mash, then I say to myself "let's see what the noobs are up to today". I go there to help, if I can, and learn, if it's something that I haven't seen asked before. 3+ years of brewing and 75+ brews under my belt (several very bad ones) and I STILL find new things to learn, even though I'm making some truly great beers these days. My thinking is, if they want to learn, they will; if they don't, we reap the benefits on craigslist or offerup later. You can lead a horse to RO water, but you can't make him think.

 

[mongoose33]

The reality is that it takes years to reliably be able to brew a good beer (like being able to cook, or play guitar, or paint, or sew, or garden, etc.). The way to figure out the best whirlpool hop addition strategy for your first homebrew, is to brew a beer that does not require whirlpool hops. You have plenty of time to figure out whirlpool hops, and closed system transfers, and water chemistry, and fermenting 11% beers, and oak aging, etc.

I have to disagree with this as well. Brewing is simple, yet not simplistic. There are a lot of moving parts, but they can be learned, and learned pretty quickly, if you are motivated and have the right resources.

I have 69 batches under my belt, the last 66 all-grain. I first brewed in December 2015. Now, I don't know if you consider 3 years to be the time frame you mean in that it takes "years to reliably be able to brew a good beer." But I didn't just now start to brew good beer.

I taught a buddy how to brew. Here's what I did: he watched me do a brew day. Asked a bunch of questions, I explained here and there. Then, he did a brew day with me watching and kibbitzing. I made all the decisions for him (water, temps, things like that), so all he had to do was focus on the process. He wanted to brew a specific recipe, so I made sure it would work.

Then, the third time, he did it on his own. I rec'd about 5 texts and 1 phone call during when he wasn't sure, but he did it on his own.

All three of those beers were excellent.

Since then, he's branched out. Brewed a coffee-infused beer that was one of the best I've ever had (my recipe, he figured out the coffee stuff). Then he did a blood-orange IPA. It was...well, quite stunning.

It didn't take him years. Yeah, I had a part in that, but he had the very good sense to listen, and he did. And he did what I told him to do. He learned the process--I think most new brewers think it's the recipe that counts, whereas I would place most of the importance on the process--and once you do that, you're 80 percent there.

*******

Here are my three things for new brewers:

1. If you're a new brewer, open yourself up to the joy of learning. There are things that are major leaps forward in the process, embrace them. Fermentation temp control is one. If you're doing all-grain (and even if extract), understand the importance your water has in the outcome. Learn about it. Brew simple recipes at first, and focus on learning the process. Get that down. Once you do that, you're 80 percent there.

2. If you can, watch an experienced brewer--whose beer is good--do a brew day. It'll reward you hugely as it'll help you make sense of what you read. Find a mentor if you can, and pick his or her brain. And you might find if you model what they do, it'll accelerate your growth.

3. And read. Palmer's book is a great place to begin. HBT is also great, though you have to do a little sifting and winnowing to figure out what is gold, and what sometimes is fool's gold. And read other books. Water, Yeast, Malt, and Hops are great, IMO. There are others.

And there's one other thing:

4. Have fun. The creating of beer is spiritual, and enjoyable. If you're not doing #4, then the other three don't matter.

 

[Infantryjared1]

I want to throw my 2 cents into the pot here. I am a brand new brewer, I fit the got a kit for Christmas profile. I got around to making my very first wort this past wednesday. I read the instructions first, and second and then read them again as i went through the process. I was reading the next step if i had time during the step i was doing. During my 60 minute boil i was able to step away and that's when i found HBT. I dont think I necessarily asked any questions until fermentation began. I ordered a few books that night also (not delivered yet). I use the search, find X amount of post's near what I am wondering but not exactly and get tired and scrolling, say screw it, and just ask. I have also been on Jeep forums and they're as passionate about our vehicles as we are our beverages, but yes, its the same. It feels good to be a part of a community, a band of brothers and sisters that share the same passion. Everyone has a starting point, a lot of which are way off point, but the passion is still there. I like this forum, and the very vast amount of info, but, it can be overwhelming and sometimes you just gotta say screw it, and ask that noob question thats been answered way to often and hope for a hand from someone who hasn't got to many bittering hops. Cheers!

 

[Gameface]

Well, these thoughts are more about the forum than about brewing, and they are just my own.

One of the challenges that experienced brewers face here on HBT, after being here for a while, is that many of the questions/conversations are repeats of ones we've all seen before - especially in the Beginners Forum, which makes perfect sense.

Sometimes, we are tempted to just respond "do a search, look up the answer" etc., which is never ok. Another thing we often are tempted to do is only link to an existing thread. Sometimes that's ok, but it should be in the context of a response. Members have sometimes taken to just cutting and pasting big blocks of text, over and over and over, for the same question. Occasionally, that may be ok, but generally it isn't.

The reason we have to be patient and not resort to the sort of interactions above is the nature of forums - part of what makes them fun, is that they aren't a static collection of FAQs, but an ever changing conversation. Sure, there are answers given, but more importantly there are conversations.

If we find ourselves unable to respond helpfully to a new member, in a friendly way that doesn't badger them for being a newbie asking a question that we've seen a thousand times before, then it is best to just move on. It may be an old question for us, but its new for them. Some other HBTer will come along and answer the question.

This!

Can you imagine if you joined a local homebrew club because you wanted to get better at brewing and at the first meeting you went to you started asking some of the established members stuff about brewing and they were like "We've talked about that to death years ago, leave me alone." Probably be the last meeting you'd go to.

Forums are a continuous conversation. If you have been here for ten years already and have answered that question 20 times, just don't respond, let the guy who's been here a year take that one. I have learned as much trying to give advice here as I have asking questions.

 

[seatazzz]

I like this forum, and the very vast amount of info, but, it can be overwhelming and sometimes you just gotta say screw it, and ask that noob question thats been answered way to often and hope for a hand from someone who hasn't got to many bittering hops. Cheers!

And that is the perfect attitude to have, in my opinion. There are many of us here that started out just like you did, and sometimes your exact question can't be found in search engines. There's a quote about learning and teaching that I cannot remember right now (beer, right?) but the best way to learn, is to ask. Yes, you may get some smarta$$ responses from people who tell you to search and not bother asking....but then you will also find some truly wonderful people here who will patiently explain what you need to know. Been there, done that, and happy to be a member here.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I definitely disagree with this and I think is the wrong message for a new brewer. But i do agree it is good to start simple if you can't loose much and try to educate yourself a little first.

I have to disagree with this as well. Brewing is simple, yet not simplistic. There are a lot of moving parts, but they can be learned, and learned pretty quickly, if you are motivated and have the right resources.

Maybe not "years" but it takes a lot more than 4 batches (and yes...3 years and 66 all-grain batches is "years"...it probably took me 10 years before I was on my 66th all-grain batch!). If you are brewing every weekend, then maybe it is "months" but I started as more of a 1 batch a month brewer.

Don't get me wrong. With the ingredients and information out there, people should be able to pick up a kit and make some very good beer. From there people can decide how far they want to go. There is nothing wrong with somebody that brews extract kits and enjoys sharing their beer with friends, but there is also a lot more than that.

Brewing is one of those things where the more you know, the more you realize how much more there is you don't know. You don't need to know all the science or understand every ingredient to be a "real brewer" (God knows I do not), but there is way more variety of ingredients and process options out there to even get a basic understanding in 10 batches...or even 20 batches. For me a big draw of the hobby is the continual learning and the continual pull to improve over my last batch.

 

[murphyslaw]

Forums are a continuous conversation. If you have been here for ten years already and have answered that question 20 times, just don't respond, let the guy who's been here a year take that one. I have learned as much trying to give advice here as I have asking questions.

This!

We all evolve. Someone else who more recently learned or mastered the topic will answer the question you find tiresome.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I am a brand new brewer, I fit the got a kit for Christmas profile. I got around to making my very first wort this past wednesday.

Welcome and good luck! I am fairly new to the forums (registered a while ago) but it seems to have a good vibe. I see more bickering among long time members than I see hostility to new brewers.

I can appreciate the "is this infected?" posts...I have a 1 gal hop sampler fermenting in a clear container and damn does it look disgusting! I would be tempted to dump it if I didn't know better. It is like watching sausage being made.

 

[El Nino]

My advice from a pretty new brewer but with over 20 brews under my belt now. Get a form of temperature control, because that's probably the most important thing for getting a good beer.

I bought it when I was a total newbie hoping I wasn't overspending on a new hobby, but with the beer I've been making, never regretted it for a second

Some added thoughts:
- I'm glad I went cheap on a kettle. My 5 gallon gaspro I bought for 30 bucks will mash and boil just as well as any overpriced 150+ dollar kettle
- One item I sometimes regret getting was my 1 gal mini keg + regulator. But when I do bring it to parties it's always a good conversation starter. It's just that I don't use it much since bottling has been more cost effective, and I only do 2.5 gal batches so it's not like I have to bottle a crazy amount of beers all the time.
- Bombers are nice if you want to make bottling day a little easier. I've lately been buying beers at the store just to get a 22oz bottle & have been using them more often.
- Bottling bucket is a godsend, never bottle without one. I mean you can but it's infinitely more frustrating.
- Don't worry too much about infections. Early on I was paranoid about everything I did causing a possible infection. I've gotten less so over time, maybe even too lax, like pouring tap water to add a little more volume to the carboy and that one in particular ended up being my best beer so far lol. I do think that it helps that I brew indoors though, I'd imagine it's more likely to happen if you're doing this outdoors with wild yeast getting blown around by the wind.

 

[Home_alone1]

I started November 2017 after spending months watching all of Larry’s beer and bbq episodes on YouTube. I bought a 10 gallon all grain set up ( cheap , I use coolers !) and my brother who brews got me a keg and co2 tank . After batch 2 I decided i needed temp control , then I got a notebook ! And now I’m 14 batches in !

After temp control the notebook is the best resource I have . I use it for recipes , notes on brewing books , notes on brew days , and to write down conversations I’ve had with other brewers.


Get a notebook !

 

[Soulshine2]

Well, these thoughts are more about the forum than about brewing, and they are just my own.

One of the challenges that experienced brewers face here on HBT, after being here for a while, is that many of the questions/conversations are repeats of ones we've all seen before - especially in the Beginners Forum, which makes perfect sense.

Sometimes, we are tempted to just respond "do a search, look up the answer" etc., which is never ok. Another thing we often are tempted to do is only link to an existing thread. Sometimes that's ok, but it should be in the context of a response. Members have sometimes taken to just cutting and pasting big blocks of text, over and over and over, for the same question. Occasionally, that may be ok, but generally it isn't.

The reason we have to be patient and not resort to the sort of interactions above is the nature of forums - part of what makes them fun, is that they aren't a static collection of FAQs, but an ever changing conversation. Sure, there are answers given, but more importantly there are conversations.

If we find ourselves unable to respond helpfully to a new member, in a friendly way that doesn't badger them for being a newbie asking a question that we've seen a thousand times before, then it is best to just move on. It may be an old question for us, but its new for them. Some other HBTer will come along and answer the question.

Im not saying to not help newbies, or just put up a block of link to pass the buck...No, what I'm saying is newbies come in , refuse to read anything first, and overnight have become professional craft brewers and expect award winning beer on their first brew just because they skipped on the simple hands on , watch the clock , use cheap manual tools, and bought the most expensive set up money can buy to brew their first few beers and it doesnt turn out.
Anyone here ever watch Norm Abram when he had his woodworking show? The man is a master carpenter/craftsman with more high end power tools than Home Depot , Lowes and Sears put together. He knew how to use each one. He stressed at the beginning of each show (besides safety )to read and understand each power tools instructions .He knew his craft. He didn't just go buy all that and become a master craftsman overnight.

Same with brewing.

 

[Soulshine2]

I'm thinking that if you want newbies to read your post, you're going to have to cut it down and make it more targeted. I did a word count and your post has 589 words in it.

If you could boil all that down to the three most important things a newbie brewer should do, what would they be?

1) Read
2) Read some more
3) See 1 & 2

hows that?