Rookie Brewer from Rochester, NY

[arwoodruff]

Greetings Everyone,

I got into this hobby last November when my girlfriend got me a beer making class for my birthday and we both have been slowly getting more into it ever since.

We have made 2 five gallon batches so far, got our equipment from Northern Brewer, and have been underwhelmed with the final product but determined to improve. Which is the reason I decided to sign up for an account here. I have been reading through a lot of posts and see that this site and its members have great knowledge we can learn from to improve our craft.

Looking forward to growing as a brewer on here!

- Adam

 

[TheCADJockey]

Hey neighbor,

You're in the right spot. The best thing you can do is find a local home brewing store. When I started brewing, I would just go into ours and tell them I wanted to make a pale ale and they would give me the ingredients. I made one 5 gallon batch using a Northern Brewer kit that I got for Christmas, its the only beer I've ever made that I really did not like at all. I'm sure they have good product and I don't discount the chance that I screwed it up somehow... but when you are ready, ditch the kits.

If you have any questions about anything, hit us up man and if you're ever in Buffalo.. visit Niagara Traditions. They are amazing.

Welcome to the group.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO

Look for a brew club or a friendly brewer to learn from. I also love the Basic Brewing video podcast.

 

[unionrdr]

It's handy to find the local home brew shops nearest you, just in case you need something right quick, at the least. I order a lot of stuff online that I can't get locally without driving into downtown Cleveland. You'll also, as you've already seen, find lots of helpful folks on here.

 

[arwoodruff]

Thanks everyone for their comments.

Hey neighbor,

You're in the right spot. The best thing you can do is find a local home brewing store. When I started brewing, I would just go into ours and tell them I wanted to make a pale ale and they would give me the ingredients. I made one 5 gallon batch using a Northern Brewer kit that I got for Christmas, its the only beer I've ever made that I really did not like at all. I'm sure they have good product and I don't discount the chance that I screwed it up somehow... but when you are ready, ditch the kits.

If you have any questions about anything, hit us up man and if you're ever in Buffalo.. visit Niagara Traditions. They are amazing.

Welcome to the group.

I have one kit left in stock we are going to make then I am going to ditch kits. Thanks for the advice, I have family in Buffalo I will have to check out Niagara Traditions.

 

[TheCADJockey]

I have one kit left in stock we are going to make then I am going to ditch kits. Thanks for the advice, I have family in Buffalo I will have to check out Niagara Traditions.

Oh yeah, wasn't trying to be rude about kits. I just think they are overpriced and sometimes can have questionable contents. I have one that I got for xmas as well, but I may just gift it to someone and keep buying my ingredients.

Niagara Traditions is corner of military & sheridan. They are extremely knowledgeable.

 

[Iceman6409]

Welcome neighbor. I am a Rochesterian as well residing in Seabreeze. You are definitely in the right place. There is really only one homebrew place in Rochester called Sunset Hydroonics. I beleive there are 3 locations in Rochester. One is on Mushroom Blvd real close to AJs Beer Warehouse. One is in the plaza directly across from Eastview Mall. And the Third is in Greece. Almost all of my visits have been to Mushroom Blvd and I cannot say enough about them. I love the location across from Eastview as well but i work like 1/8 mile from the Mushroom location. Everything you need is there plus a very friendly knowledgeable staff.

I also recommend viewing as many videos as you can find or reading books if you like reading. I watched literally dozens and dozens before I jumped in. For me it was the key to get me started. What really solidified it for me was I found an old friend from high school that had been brewing for 25 years. Re-kindled our friendship and I learned TONS from him just being able to talk to him and hang out with him while he brewed a few times so I got to see what was happening and I got to ask all the questions I wanted. BIG BIG help if you can find someone you know that brews as well. I would always be able to try and help if you need it and if I am capable. If I can't answer your questions I promise to be honest and let you know that. Never ever be afraid to ask anything. Even if you think you should already know it. Ask it. I would rather be 100% sure about whatever question I have than not.

Here is an excellent choice as well. I cannot tell you how many times I have posted all the questions I could think of and I always got tons of help and different ideas from everyone. Eventually I take what I see and form my own opinions in the end but I cannot say nearly enough about the GREAT GREAT people on here. So much knowledge and ALWAYS willing to share. I absolutely love this place and rely on it. The 2 best things I like about this place are the different responses I get, which helps me see new and different ideas every time, and the response time is VERY fast. Sometimes within minutes of my postings for help.

Again welcome to the world of home brewing. Once you get it down it will change your life for the positive. Much luck to you.

 

[BrooklynTom]

Welcome and good luck.... From the other end of the state. Loads of great info and people here.

 

[arwoodruff]

Oh yeah, wasn't trying to be rude about kits.

Wasn't taken as rude at all! Appreciate any info I can get! Would you suggest going in with my own recipe list, maybe off a recipe from here, or just going in and saying "I want to make a ____" and having them just give me the stuff?

There is really only one homebrew place in Rochester called Sunset Hydroonics.

Iceman, the only place I have seen hombrew stuff here is Beers of the World in Henrietta. I'll def be checking out Sunset...do you think they are better than Beers of the World?

 

[Iceman6409]

Beers of the world is not bad. Sunset has EVERYTHING you could ever need and it is all fresh.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Wasn't taken as rude at all! Appreciate any info I can get! Would you suggest going in with my own recipe list, maybe off a recipe from here, or just going in and saying "I want to make a ____" and having them just give me the stuff?

If you have any brewing books, or find a recipe here... if the store you go to is anything like Niagara Traditions here in Buffalo, you can just give them the recipe and they'll show you where everything is and tell you about it. When I started, that is what I would do. I'd look up a recipe, hell, sometimes I'd go there and pick one out of a book they had on their shelf and show them. Other times when I was busy and stopped in out of the blue, I'd tell them I wanted to make a red or hefeweizen and they would always just go pick stuff out for me.

If you like pale ales, they can be a great way to start. The recipes can be very straight forward with a yeast that is very forgiving and you can still have a lot of control over flavor with hops additions. Excited for you to be getting into the hobby!