Last Xmas I started this hobby (extract) and haven't looked back since. I have brewed about 15 batches and, while not all have not been home runs, I haven't exactly stuck out yet. Here's what I have learned, in case it is helpful to anyone else just getting started...
1) Your beer is more resilient than you think. I have left batches in primary too long, even by the primary-only brewer standards, fermented ales too warm, dry hopped way to long and generally mistreated my beer and disregarded my process. It all came out reasonably good.
2) Don't let something that should be fun turn into work...Your beer will wait for you (within reason) if life gets in the way. Don't feel like "I have to get down there and get that bottled by...." Save that for your job.
3) Pay close attention to sanitation. I attribute very careful and through sanitation routines using Star San exclusively to my lack of failure to this point...I always put some in a spray bottle so I can hit anything that I think may have gotten contaminated easily (and so I can sanitize work surfaces, etc.) that's just what I found that works for me.
4) Don't skimp on the basic equipment. I will be upgrading my kettle soon because I cheaped out on that in the beginning...waste of $$...I need a bigger one.
5) Save up and get yourself some of the more inexpensive pieces of equipment that will allow you to enjoy your hobby, reduce time, and brew more. A wort chiller is an example, but see the previous rule...I got an inexpensive immersion chiller and should have spent the extra $20 to get one with wider copper tubing...and more of it. An outside burner also helped me brew more often without complaints from the family.
6) Beer smith software has been a blessing and a curse. It gave me a false sense of confidence and I had delusions of grandure....I began too early on to write my own recipes with all different flavorings and in different styles..these turned into the worst beers I have made. Take your time and focus on basic styles first. Once you do this, this is a GREAT tool to help you tweak your recipes bit by bit and get them just the way you want.
7) Mistakes can be good. Best beer I have brewed, by far, was from a disasterous, drunken brew night. I added my aroma hops instead of my bittering hops and screwed up my entire hops schedule, leading to some on the fly research and substitutions. I did not have enough yeast on hand for an ale of that gravity, so I mixed S-04 and California Lager (had that laying around in the fridge). The beer came out wonderfully malty, with a unique and subtle hops character.
8) Write everything down. Even in my drunken state I did this and can now repeat this beer another day.
9) Support Homebrewtalk.com. I read a lot of books, talked with a lot of people, but have not found another resource as good as this - it deserves your support.
10) Use yeast starters for high gravity ales and for lagers. This sounded like such a mystery to me that I avoided it for the longest time. I got my stir plate and flask for under $50 from Bell's brewing co of all places and using starters in these situations is the single best improvement I have made in my brewing technique in terms of payoff on the finished product.
11) Exercise more or you are going to get fatter drinking all this beer.
12) Its fun to watch your coors light friends "have a few" of yours and be totally ripped. "I don't know how I got this way, I only had 3 or 4.."
Have a great holiday season and may your stockings be full of grain, yeast, etc.
1) Your beer is more resilient than you think. I have left batches in primary too long, even by the primary-only brewer standards, fermented ales too warm, dry hopped way to long and generally mistreated my beer and disregarded my process. It all came out reasonably good.
2) Don't let something that should be fun turn into work...Your beer will wait for you (within reason) if life gets in the way. Don't feel like "I have to get down there and get that bottled by...." Save that for your job.
3) Pay close attention to sanitation. I attribute very careful and through sanitation routines using Star San exclusively to my lack of failure to this point...I always put some in a spray bottle so I can hit anything that I think may have gotten contaminated easily (and so I can sanitize work surfaces, etc.) that's just what I found that works for me.
4) Don't skimp on the basic equipment. I will be upgrading my kettle soon because I cheaped out on that in the beginning...waste of $$...I need a bigger one.
5) Save up and get yourself some of the more inexpensive pieces of equipment that will allow you to enjoy your hobby, reduce time, and brew more. A wort chiller is an example, but see the previous rule...I got an inexpensive immersion chiller and should have spent the extra $20 to get one with wider copper tubing...and more of it. An outside burner also helped me brew more often without complaints from the family.
6) Beer smith software has been a blessing and a curse. It gave me a false sense of confidence and I had delusions of grandure....I began too early on to write my own recipes with all different flavorings and in different styles..these turned into the worst beers I have made. Take your time and focus on basic styles first. Once you do this, this is a GREAT tool to help you tweak your recipes bit by bit and get them just the way you want.
7) Mistakes can be good. Best beer I have brewed, by far, was from a disasterous, drunken brew night. I added my aroma hops instead of my bittering hops and screwed up my entire hops schedule, leading to some on the fly research and substitutions. I did not have enough yeast on hand for an ale of that gravity, so I mixed S-04 and California Lager (had that laying around in the fridge). The beer came out wonderfully malty, with a unique and subtle hops character.
8) Write everything down. Even in my drunken state I did this and can now repeat this beer another day.
9) Support Homebrewtalk.com. I read a lot of books, talked with a lot of people, but have not found another resource as good as this - it deserves your support.
10) Use yeast starters for high gravity ales and for lagers. This sounded like such a mystery to me that I avoided it for the longest time. I got my stir plate and flask for under $50 from Bell's brewing co of all places and using starters in these situations is the single best improvement I have made in my brewing technique in terms of payoff on the finished product.
11) Exercise more or you are going to get fatter drinking all this beer.
12) Its fun to watch your coors light friends "have a few" of yours and be totally ripped. "I don't know how I got this way, I only had 3 or 4.."
Have a great holiday season and may your stockings be full of grain, yeast, etc.
Happy holidays!
