So, you fancy yourselves drinkers?

[Joe C]

Hey, I've been reading nonstop for the past day and a half, so I figure this is a good time to introduce myself. Some of this I copied over from the MrB thread.

One can tell by my screen name that I'm Joe. I'm 21, and from the 'burbs right outside of Boston. I am graduating with my BA in Business Management, MIS concentration from Sacred Heart university this sunday :rockin: . After that, I'm working at SHU fulltime and getting my MBA. My girlfriend's brother is a pretty serious brewer, which is what initially got me interested. This past winter my parents got me the Mr. Beer kit, and I started brewing. I really haven't had the time or the patience to read to much yet, but I started to read The Brewmasters BibleBy Stephen Snyder yesterday and found myself confused by a lot of it. I started searching online, and here I am.

I have the Mr. Beer kit with 3 of the plastic barrels, and I have already made a few batches of beer:
-Nut Brown Ale
-Weizenbier
-IPA(in the barrel)
-Canadian Draft(in the barrel, bottling today/tomorrow)

The beer itself has been good, but not great, I liked the simplicity and general means for understanding. It has been nice to learn the basics with MRB, and I definitely have to thank my parents for getting me the kit, otherwise I wouldn't have an entire closet with bottles, caps, plastic barrels, and swingtop glasses. I'm glad I started reading on this forum, as I am going out today to get some ingredients for the apfelwein as it appears to be a fan favorite here. It's great to see that I can still use the little barrels for something; they were only 10 bucks, so I think it was a decent buy.
I am also going to get the proper sugar for priming the bottles.



I found out that there is a local homebrew shop about 2 towns away from me here in CT, so I am going to stop by there today and start picking up a few more supplies. I am hoping that by mid-summer I will have enough to truly brew some great beer, and even possibly setup my kegerator. I have a Magic Chef Fridge (mcbr4451b) that I am contemplating turning into a kegerator, but it doesn't look like anyone has done it with this particular model:

There is a ton of great info on this site, and I'm looking forward to lurking and reading a lot more. So, hi.

 

[Joe C]

Oh yeah, I don't really have too many personal favorite beers, I just love trying as many as possible. I'm not a huge fan of really hoppy beers though.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

welcome Joe, good luck with your brewing, schooling and reading.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

Oh yeah, I don't really have too many personal favorite beers, I just love trying as many as possible. I'm not a huge fan of really hoppy beers though.

this too shall pass.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

"So you fancy yourselves drinkers?"

Ummm Yaaa, I sink so. I sink ve just beat ze Irish.

Yaaaaa!

Welcome to the board. Mr. Beer has been a great introduction to brewing for many here, but I'm glad to hear that you'r ready to take the next steps.

 

[Joe C]

hahahaha, I'm glad someone caught the reference rather than thinking I was being sarcastic. I definitely am ready for the next step. Though I am guilty of having coors light in my fridge at almost all times, it was the first beer I drank and I still enjoy it on an afternoon if I'm just hanging outside washing the car, or doing odds and ends projects.
Last summer and the summer before that I took classes in Ireland (Dingle, to be exact) and after having Guiness, Harp, and a few others straight from the source it was when I realized that I wanted beer with some more oomph.

 

[DUCCCC]

Looking at that fridge, I don't know if it's the best choice. You might have clearance issues, but I'll leave it to the experienced keg users to chime in...

 

[Joe C]

To add about that fridge; I'd only be thinking about 1-2 of the smaller sized kegs (not sure what the size is? the taller ones?) and one C02 tank.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

hahahaha, I'm glad someone caught the reference rather than thinking I was being sarcastic. I definitely am ready for the next step. Though I am guilty of having coors light in my fridge at almost all times, it was the first beer I drank and I still enjoy it on an afternoon if I'm just hanging outside washing the car, or doing odds and ends projects.
Last summer and the summer before that I took classes in Ireland (Dingle, to be exact) and after having Guiness, Harp, and a few others straight from the source it was when I realized that I wanted beer with some more oomph.

Nothing wrong with having and old standby beer once in a while. Even if it is Coors Light.

 

[Joe C]

Well, I got my real kit yesterday from a local shop maltose express. Very nice people, and a good place to buy supplies.

I was able to get Charlie Papazian's book instead of a capper/caps as I already have these items. I also bought a second carboy and started talking to the person about setting up a kegerator.

And of course I already started in on my first batch of Apfelwein

My biggest concern was sanitation. I didn't do an exact amount of the cleaner, but I made sure to shake the hell out of it and also let it sit for a while with all of the components. I put some vodka in the top of the airlock, and I can't wait to watch this thing keep going.

 

[Glibbidy]

careful you don't knock that hydrometer over.