beginner

Hello, I am new to brewing and would like some advice on the cheapest way to make alcohol with simple ingredients like yeast, juice, and simple kitchenware. I would like to become more proficient and make more advanced brews eventually but I want to start small for now. All help is appreciated!

Ive never made a wine that was good enough to actually want to age and sit in the wine fridge! After 8 months of trial and lots of error it feels really good! 👍 Banana wine with orange peel for that tannin astringency.

There are bubbles (pictured) on the inside of one of my carboys. I dont remember ever seeing so many like these before. There arent any cracks or defects I’m aware of. My two thoughts are carbonation or leftover soap?

Hey guys, I am new to homebrewing. This is my second real batch. I recently started an oatmeal stout (extract recipe) in primary fermentation. After 24 hours there was no bubbling in the airlock (it's a large three-piece airlock). I put some yeast nutrient in it to encourage it a little. After...

I am a new brewer and I have finished three beers and have a fourth in primary fermentation now. All of them tasted great before I bottled and primed, but when I open them two weeks later they’re mostly flat and sour. After the first one I figured I wasn’t sanitizing carefully enough so I...

I started my second 5 gallon batch of mead with 15 lbs honey in 5 gallons water with champagne yeast and yeast nutrient. The starting gravity is 1.093 as of 7/17/23 and 1.5 weeks later I tested got a current gravity of 0.998. I don’t see any activity going on in air lock anymore after 1.5 weeks...

Hi, I plan on making a peach wine (with a teeny bit of orange and cinnamon) I was wondering if brown sugar would work well with this. Any thoughts?

Hey guys, I am new to homebrewing and self-taught (from the internet) and I have some questions. I just started an English porter from an extract recipe in primary fermentation a few days ago. Do extract beers behave differently from all grain beers as far as secondary fermentation/bottle...

New to trying to brew beer. I made an ale & the recipe says it's expected efficiency is 75%. The expected OG is 1.030 & FG is 1.000. My OG was 1.051 & FG was 1.020, not sure what I did wrong. I tasted it before bottling & it smells & taste real similar to miller lite maybe mixed with a natty. Is...

OK, so I’m new to all grain brewing. This is my fourth brew recently after taking a several year hiatus from brewing. The last three batches of brood have all come out to different volumes. The first batch I brewed field about 39 12 ounce bottles. The second batch filled almost 50 12 ounce...

Beginner here on my 3rd batch. It is a Single Hop IPA kit from Craft A Brew. My OG was 1.063 and FG=1.010. Fermented 2 weeks at 68°F in a plastic Nortbern Brewer bucket w/ airlock. I never opened lid until kegging day. A. Is this a pellicle? B. I will not be brewing any sour beers, so...

I am a brand new brewer, having made only one 5 gal batch. My first was a clone of the Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh Squeezed IPA from an extract kit with specialty grains and four different applications of hops. Much to my surprise, it turned out great. Now I want to make my next batch to add...

Hi! I recently started my first ever batch of cider- I've never brewed anything before. I'm partway through the process but I'm not sure when to proceed to the next step! Here's where I'm at so far: June 4th: In a 2 gallon bucket, mixed 1 gallon apple juice with 1/16th tsp potassium...

I've read about people putting cinnamon sticks and other spices (Apple Pie Spice was written on one of my favorite local ciders) and I'm not sure when they actually add in that element. Is it at the start of the first fermentation or is it later on? I've been on this forum for about a week and...

Two questions for a newbie! 1.) how do Cider Mills (have one near my house) make cider when apples are out of season? 2.) can I make a good cider with regular juice that is at a super market? I’d like to add some flavors too but a book I’m reading only has that option if you add other fruits...

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I am a big fan of Tia Maria mixed with Guinness. I am thinking about brewing a kit beer that has similar notes to it. What would happen if I brewed a St Peters stout kit with a bottle (or two) of Tia Maria added to the mix? I am quite new to home-brewing and...

Hello from Smyrna, home of the Braves. I’ve been a part of the home brew community for years… making empties. Recently I took a class at Schoolhouse Brewing. It was fantastic. In class we used a grainfather system… so perhaps I’m spoiled. I don’t want to go through the progression of buying...

Hi, this is my first time ever brewing anything, and I messed up the headspace and wound up having to use a blow off set up. Everything was looking ok at first, but now I've noticed a lot of liquid in the tubing, and I'm worried and wondering if I should change something in the set-up. I have a...

Before I start, I am very new to this. This is my 3rd ever brew, 1st being without a kit... So I've just started my latest brew - 1.8kg of Wilko limited edition Wheat Beer extract, 1kg brewing sugar, 500g light DME, 20 litres of water. Regular temp between 19-20C. OG was 1.046 and its been...

Hello I'm just starting my brewing hobby having brewed only 2 batches (first was an American Pale Ale kit - followed the instructions religiously, the second was a St Peters stout kit which I added 500g lactose sugar and cocoa nibs). Today, I have used a Wilko Premium Wheat Beer kit (limited...