Post to Beginners, READ!

[Soulshine2]

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.

I cant LIKE your post enough.

 

[Soulshine2]

Ok, so I may have come off as harsh to any new brewers and that was not my point.
Let me get this thread back on track and ask of you all,
1)would the more experienced brewing posters under this title to give the "general - first time new brewer " one piece of advice before jumping in eyes closed , feet first ,and open checkbook.

2)any brewers who are lets say less experienced <1 year/3 brews , post what the best piece of advice you've received since you've been in here.

 

[murphyslaw]

My advice to a new brewer would be:
Dont read this thread complaining about how annoying new brewers are. Ask away. You'll be blown away by the number of helpful people who are generous with their time and experience. It's what makes this forum special.

 

[Pappers_]

@Soulshine2 I didn't mean to imply at all that you were falling prey to the issues that some long-term members sometimes do when they become irritated with repeat questions. Sorry if it read that way. Your advice to new brewers to read as much as they can is great.

 

[chickypad]

I'm on board with the recommendation to do some basic reading up front. After that I think my best piece of advice is take all advice with a grain of salt.
There are lots of ways to skin a cat with brewing. If you want to start with extract and focus on fermentation first, do that. If you're interested in all grain you can start with that too, especially if you do a small 2-3 gallon batch. Don't be pressured to fit someone else's ideal. I see a lot of folks assume that everyone brewing extract wants to progress all grain eventually, or that everyone brewing small batches will always want to go bigger at some point. Do what you like and what you find fits your space/time/life best.

 

[Soulshine2]

My advice to a new brewer would be:
Dont read this thread complaining about how annoying new brewers are. Ask away. You'll be blown away by the number of helpful people who are generous with their time and experience. It's what makes this forum special.

Let me clarify- I didn't say new brewers or their questions are annoying. Never even implied it.
The problem I see and am commenting on is the amount of brewers who never bother to read or attempt the basics ahead of time and when given sound "tried and true " advice on how to properly remedy their issue ,which very well may be , to go back and simplify their procedure to find out where they went wrong, they don't listen and continue on with what they were doing and seem to have the same non-stop issues because of it.
Theres a white search bar in the upper right hand corner of the page. You can put key words , whole phrases , the name of the poster , etc...it will give good results. It may not give you the exact sentence youre searching for but it will give the thread (content)it was found in. Sometimes it takes a little bit of READING to find it.
Insanity is doing the same thing the same exact way over and over and expecting a different outcome.
All my take away is - If you come looking for help and advice,there is plenty here free for the asking. Ask all you want, take all you need , use what you take . Pay it forward.

 

[Morrey]

I totally understand where you are coming from, @Soulshine2. If a person does a bit of "homework" up front, at least they can begin to learn the vocabulary used in the art of brewing.

Way back when, I read Palmer's book, How to Brew. As a non-brewer at that point, I'd say 90% of what I read went right over my head. But I feel it was important that I was exposed to the vocabulary that later would make sense.

I brewed a batch or two and they were less than stellar, so I started re-reading Palmer's book. NOW that I had brewed a beer or two, the light bulb started coming on. I realize folks learn in various ways, but this method worked for me as I gained brewing skills.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

There are lots of ways to skin a cat with brewing. If you want to start with extract and focus on fermentation first, do that. If you're interested in all grain you can start with that too, especially if you do a small 2-3 gallon batch. Don't be pressured to fit someone else's ideal. I see a lot of folks assume that everyone brewing extract wants to progress all grain eventually, or that everyone brewing small batches will always want to go bigger at some point. Do what you like and what you find fits your space/time/life best.

That is a challenge with generic guidance. There is not one entry point into this hobby. I might recommend that somebody start with a simple Pale Ale or Porter extract kit, but if brewing an all-grain 10% Stout, or an NEIPA with $28 of hops, or an automated electric system, etc. is what is motivating you to brew then go for it!

People just need to know that if they are starting their woodworking hobby at building a set of bedroom furniture vs building a tool box, there might be some frustrations ahead. On the other hand, somebody with construction knowledge or an engineering/design background might be able to jump right in and build a bed. Somebody with solid knowledge of cooking, wine/mead/cider making, engineering, etc. might be able to jump right into that 10% Stout, or that automated brewing system.

 

[Quilter]

As a beginner, one of the first resources I found was this forum, which led me to Palmers. I didn't know which questions to ask, so I read some more. I read a lot before I made my first beer- wasn't real good, but it was beer! I have been thankful for every question someone has asked that an experienced brewer answered! I have about 6 brews under my belt now, and everyone of them is an improvement over the last. Each one has raised questions that I have come here to read about! I have not posted a question yet, but I am sure that when I do, some lovely brewer will answer! Thank you!

 

[Zambezi Special]

As an absolute newbie (haven't even brewed one batch yet), I did read all the way up to here and didn't read into it that I shouldn't ask questions
I feel that everyone's situation is slightly different, different climate, different equipment, different resources and ingredients, so asking questions is a way forward for your (mine) specific situation.
I am feeling very welcome here and already learned loads by reading the threads (maybe for once in my life I do fit a category, clearly type 3).
I got a kit on the way, got no other brewers in the area, no shop around the corner, so I am going to annoy all of you with questions once the stuff gets here

 

[BlackQueenBrews]

I’m really glad I found the beginner’s forum!

Really excited about homebrewing after getting a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas. Brewed their Long Play IPA couple of weeks ago and fermentation should be complete on 2/23.

Also following the Extract Brewing forum and have received great Small Batch Brewing tips too. Since I’m in an apartment, I don’t plan brewing more than 1-2 gal batches starting out to practice technique and to have a variety of beers available.

Interested in doing cool things with fruit, sours, porters, and Pale Ales once I get the basics down.

Thanks for having this forum for beginners and looking forward to learning and sharing! Cheers!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Okay, there are people who for various reasons would rather ask questions than research, and I subscribe to some professional groups where it happens too. Master degree grads that are not doing their research. My husband and I refer to them as spoon-feeders, and I’m afraid the younger the person the greater chance that may be the strategy they’ll use.
Additionally, this is a pattern that has appeared year after year in HBT. So, if it pisses you off to answer those questions over and over, year after year then don’t. New people in the hobby is good for the hobby, and it is good for the LHBS. I’m brewing over 5 years and still learning, I’ve made many decent beers, some really good ones and a few that were not so good, and at times I still have questions. If people didn’t ask questions or share what process has worked out good for them this forum might just become a few active threads, like what are you drinking, what came in the mail, etc. Just my two cents.

 

[Soulshine2]

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.

absolutely. I was a type 2 person. Back when the whole homebrew thing got its legal start and Mr Beer kits were all over . I'm surprised I didnt buy one then. My life would have taken quite a different course. Lol, no my frugal (aka- CHEAP)self didnt buy one until I saw a couple new unused kits in thrift stores and figured for $5-10 I'd give it a try.

 

[Soulshine2]

I’m really glad I found the beginner’s forum!

Really excited about homebrewing after getting a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas. Brewed their Long Play IPA couple of weeks ago and fermentation should be complete on 2/23.

Also following the Extract Brewing forum and have received great Small Batch Brewing tips too. Since I’m in an apartment, I don’t plan brewing more than 1-2 gal batches starting out to practice technique and to have a variety of beers available.

Interested in doing cool things with fruit, sours, porters, and Pale Ales once I get the basics down.

Thanks for having this forum for beginners and looking forward to learning and sharing! Cheers!

Let me welcome you to the forum. and as for your comment,
"I don’t plan brewing more than 1-2 gal batches starting out to practice technique and to have a variety of beers available. "
I think we've all said that at first. Let us know how that plan works out. I'm sure once the bug hits (and it will), you'll be buying 5 gallon equipment in no time.
As you're finding out already, there are many ways for a home brewer to go to get from "grain to glass" . Some limited by time, space or budget, some by skill level , some by the amount of automation and technology they can string together.
Not one of these is better than the other. Its about having fun ,being creative and having a common goal within this brewing community we "live "in. I've actually gone from being a facebook junkie to a homebrewtalk.com resident. I just can't be in here enough . When I thought I'd read everything, I find a new page or post or thread that keeps me going. A new path .
No matter which way you choose, always remember Charlie Papazian ,the father of homebrewing's favorite saying .
Relax, Don't Worry And Have A Home Brew.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

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.

It really comes down to how quickly someone wants to progress and how much time they're willing to invest. I've been brewing since last summer and have around 20 batches completed. I've delved really deep into it though and I think I have far more than a basic understanding of brewing at this point. I've spent a lot of time reading about water, hops, mashing. Mash ph, hopstands, biotransformation, yeast characteristics, closed transfers, spunding. Not to say all my batches have been really good, because I've been experimenting a lot trying to dial my system in. But some have.

Contrast that with my FIL, who has been homebrewing like 6 or 7 years. Still does extract, doesn't give a thought to what's in his tap water, mainly brews the same handful of recipes using the same hops every time. I would definitely say he still has a pretty basic understanding, by choice. He's happy with his beer though, and that's all that really matters.

 

[BlackQueenBrews]

I cant LIKE your post enough.

I would say the best “advice” I’ve read or learned from replies to several posts I’ve made is to “enjoy yourself”. I’ve not experienced anyone being rude and they’ve been very helpful.

 

[porter1974]

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

Try putting it in your ear.

 

[Anyhowe]

Conversion.
7 brews = 1 rodeo.