Award Winning Beer w/Home Brew Equipment

[Qhrumphf]

(plus a mill, stir plate, e-flask and stir bar, and a pure O2 setup)

 

[jerrylotto]

Temperature consistency is not the point, control is what is important. If you want to make something consistent, predictable, and good, you will need to control the fermentation and aging temperatures or else be supremely lucky. At first, when fermentation is really active, you will probably want to be able to remove heat to keep the temp from rising. which can increase production of fusel alcohols (higher molecular weight than ethanol) and fruity esters. Of course this will impact the taste, if you want banana flavored beer, ferment warmer Later, you may want to be able to add heat to encourage tired yeast to "finish their job. Then you might want to lager and / or cold crash (but not freeze) your finished beer. All of this takes control and therefore knowledge of what the wort temperature is which is only loosely related to the air temperature where your fermentation vessel is, especially when you want to make changes.

 

[nickbarley]

I haven't entered any competitions yet, but I did brew (and ruin) enough batches to figure out what caused the major flaws in my beer. Very similar list to Bobby's post, and most homebrewers have had the same discoveries based on the endless documentation that is available to you in books and online forums.

1. Water (use RO). My city water has ruined several batches of mine and I didn't want to believe it until I started using RO and my off flavors finally started to disappear.
2. Sanitation
3. Temp control
4. Yeast health and pitch rate
5. Reduce oxygen exposure

I brew 4 gallon BIAB batches in a 7.5 gal stainless steel kettle with propane and it's cheap and effective. I ferment in 5 gal corny kegs to allow for closed transfers and serving out of them. They are also cheap used. Realistically, you should be able to find all of the equipment you need to brew excellent beer for under $400-$500. Large quality pots can be found for $50, corny kegs for $40/each used, CO2 tank used on Craigslist for $60 with regulator, propane burner for $50, and all of the accessories will keep you under that mark. You will want upgrade by your third batch anyway, so don't bother with starter set ups.

 

[jerrylotto]

All of the important stuff has been said already but I want to add it one more thing.

From a process standpoint during a boil there are a few addition steps where something is added that needs to dissolve.. Generally speaking

1) remove heat source
2) add and mix/dissolve well
3) return to heat source

Especially true of DME and sugar.

 

[maxr]

I haven't entered a competition since switching from a home depot cooler and single propane burner to an electric all-in-one system, but my impression is that the beers that I made with the old, cheap system were as good as and possibly better than what I brew with the ebiab system. I won several ribbons, including 1st place in IPA (out of 80+ entries) at the BAM World Cup of beer with my cobbled-together system. I did have fermentation temperature control and made yeast starters at the time. My fermentation vessel was a vittles vault with no airlock.

IMO the homebrew industry and instagram have done a great job convincing hobbyists that they need $2500 worth of equipment to do a $250 job. edit: Expensive equipment can make your hobby more convenient and enjoyable but isn't necessarily superior to basic stuff when used correctly.

 

[Bobby_M]

Expensive equipment can make your hobby more convenient and enjoyable but isn't necessarily superior to basic stuff when used correctly.

Definitely true and there is a sweet spot for every brewing style and attitude. I've run quite a few system configurations from single pot and cooler with bucket pouring all the way up to 3 vessel electric HERMS but my long term system is a pretty "overbuilt" eBIAB rig. It's worth about $1200 but given my experience with several systems, this is the price point to convenience mix that I needed to get back to brewing regularly.

On the other hand, I had three Unitanks on a glycol system and determined it was too much cleaning overhead for my taste so I bailed on that. Some of these lessons just have to be learned the hard way. The equipment should serve the task or parameter at hand. If you're trying to brew award winning NEIPA, you best have a fermenter with very low oxygen ingress and closed-transfer it to the kegs. If you want award winning German lagers, that will be easier with good fermentation temp control equipment.

 

[Broothru]

I haven't entered a competition since switching from a home depot cooler and single propane burner to an electric all-in-one system, but my impression is that the beers that I made with the old, cheap system were as good as and possibly better than what I brew with the ebiab system. I won several ribbons, including 1st place in IPA (out of 80+ entries) at the BAM World Cup of beer with my cobbled-together system. I did have fermentation temperature control and made yeast starters at the time. My fermentation vessel was a vittles vault with no airlock.

IMO the homebrew industry and instagram have done a great job convincing hobbyists that they need $2500 worth of equipment to do a $250 job. edit: Expensive equipment can make your hobby more convenient and enjoyable but isn't necessarily superior to basic stuff when used correctly.

I don't disagree, but if it weren't a hobby you wouldn't WANT to spend $2500 instead of $250 for something you can buy at any convenience store for $20.50. Just sayin'.

 

[adpostel]

Very good thread! Thank You to all of the experienced brewers for their insight. I have a few kettles 2 10 gallon propane fired and 1 e-Kettle w/5500w element and a mash tun cooler. I am learning that AFTER you make your wort, the process is just as important. I am still collecting my tools and still brewing in between. In the past couple of months, I have added these items to my brew tools:

Upright Freezer with InkBird Controller for ferm chamber
Yeast starter equipment, flask and stir plate
Jaded Hydra Immersion Chiller (Game Changer!)
small RO system (used with new filters) (Guess I'll need a PH Meter now)
switched to All Rounders and Flat Bottoms for fermenting, too


I have had a keezer and been kegging since I started brewing, but I am hoping that these new items will help me on the way to better beer! Prost!!!

 

[Bobby_M]

I am learning that AFTER you make your wort, the process is just as important.

Totally agree. I would say brewing is about 20% recipe, 20% hot side process, and 60% cold side give or take. You can screw up the recipe and the balance is a bit off. You can mash too hot or cold and the balance is off. The mash pH may be high and you're a little tannic. Screw up on the cold side and you can end up with something truly undrinkable.

Don't misunderstand me. "Award Winning" beer requires attention to details across the board but I think many people who struggle often put a disproportionate effort into aspects that matter a lot less.

Since I own a homebrew store, I have many examples of people that just started brewing extract 3 batches ago and they come in specifically to drop $500 on a stainless conical with no plans for temperature control.

 

[jerrylotto]

Totally agree. I would say brewing is about 20% recipe, 20% hot side process, and 60% cold side give or take. You can screw up the recipe and the balance is a bit off. You can mash too hot or cold and the balance is off. The mash pH may be high and you're a little tannic. Screw up on the cold side and you can end up with something truly undrinkable.

Don't misunderstand me. "Award Winning" beer requires attention to details across the board but I think many people who struggle often put a disproportionate effort into aspects that matter a lot less.

Since I own a homebrew store, I have many examples of people that just started brewing extract 3 batches ago and they come in specifically to drop $500 on a stainless conical with no plans for temperature control.

I also concur but would further say that the cold side 60% can be further divided into 25% fermentation, 25% transfer/handling and 10% packaging.

 

[seatazzz]

What @Brewbuzzard said. It all comes down to being consistent in your process, and KNOWING what your system can/can't do. I, for one can't do true decoction mashes, because I MIAB; but I CAN make consistently good beers, because I know my system and what it can do. I will also state something else, that has been posted elsewhere; Know Yeast, Know Beer; NO yeast, NO beer! If we don't have yeast, we don't have beer; simple as that. Take care of your yeast and it will take care of your beer. This is true of fresh liquid or dry yeast as well as yeast you have harvested from previous batches.

 

[jerrylotto]

MIAB is not completely incompatible with decoction if your bag is open on the top. You can still scoop out 1/3 of your grist with a pitcher and decoct into another pot. 20 min saccrification rest at 155 (unless you already reached that step in you mash tun) and then boil while stirring until you hit your desired color/aroma. I got this advice from someone I trust who uses this method to make award winning lagers.

 

[seatazzz]

MIAB is not completely incompatible with decoction if your bag is open on the top. You can still scoop out 1/3 of your grist with a pitcher and decoct into another pot. 20 min saccrification rest at 155 (unless you already reached that step in you mash tun) and then boil while stirring until you hit your desired color/aroma. I got this advice from someone I trust who uses this method to make award winning lagers.

Good point. I will counter, however, by stating what I have said before; I am LAZY. Sounds like a bit too much work to me. I like my 4.5 hour or less brewdays too much to change it up now. Hell I still won't use my old IC as a heat exchanger because setting it up is a PITA. Just gonna get me a new mash tun to replace the ghetto one I currently have (but which has also produced some award/medal winning beers; like many others I just want something new and shiny.)

 

[Barbarossa]

I don't disagree, but if it weren't a hobby you wouldn't WANT to spend $2500 instead of $250 for something you can buy at any convenience store for $20.50. Just sayin'.

1000 times 20.50$.

Your math is wrong. I'm in to save money.

 

[WesBrew]

As said above you can make winning beer with some basic equipment. Stainless pots and parts last forever and are less likely to have sanitization issues. That is worth the upgrade when you can swing it. Fermentation temp control was the biggest improvement in my brewing. When I had fermentation and mash temp precision it was even better.