Beginner as it gets

[armando23]

I just started brewery 1 month ago and i am interested in making my own beer from scratch. Ive tried to read up online but I cant find anything useful. Maybe you guys have a few tips on how and where to start. I know close to nothing so anything would help.

Cheers![emoji2]

 

[cubalz]

This forum is one of the best places to learn and ask questions. We are always glad to help. I recommend getting a copy of "How to Brew" from John Palmer. It is indispensable. Good luck and don't forget to have a good time.

 

[armando23]

This forum is one of the best places to learn and ask questions. We are always glad to help. I recommend getting a copy of "How to Brew" from John Palmer. It is indispensable. Good luck and don't forget to have a good time.

Thanks alot! I appreciate it!

 

[GoeHaarden]

Ive tried to read up online but I cant find anything useful

If you googled "how to brew" you would find the provided link as the first listed. I'm pretty sure most homebrewers have read this book. I read it probably a dozen times online before I bought the actual book.

Read this twice: http://www.howtobrew.com

And then search this forum for questions you have left...

Welcome and Cheers!

 

[flars]

Ask any question. How is your local access to home brew supply stores? Will you need to order from online stores to get ingredients and yeast? Country you are located in would help if you have questions about brewing supplies.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

... Ive tried to read up online but I cant find anything useful. ...

Sometimes the best content is content worth buying.

Physical sciences don't change much (if at all). But many of the ingredients used in brewing are processed (or manufactured) and they will change over time.

The How To Brew web site was published around the year 2000.

The book "How To Brew" 4th edition was published in 2017. For $10 (ebook) or $15 (paper) you can read "How To Brew" once and start homebrewing with a current base of knowledge.

 

[stosh]

Here's what worked for me...

First I researched if I wanted to start my brewing hobby all grain or extract. Read this website and others and watched videos on you tube.

I decided to start with extract knowing I'd move up to all grain or BIAB (which I have done)

Researched extract kits online and settled on a 5 gal IPA kit from Northern Brewer because it was on sale when I was ready to buy. Who has the better kit you ask? I don't know but they all make beer.

I ordered my extract kit AND John Palmers book. As someone else mentioned, I read and reread it online and realized it needed to be on my bookshelf as one of the keystone resources for brewing.

I read the bulk of Palmers book, studied the brewing instructions, laid out all my ingredients, outlined my brew day and brewed my first IPA. It came out pretty good.

I would say don't be in a rush to just crank out some beer. Take your time, read/learn as much as you can then make a decision and stick with it. Search your questions on this site in the search box upper right of the site and post questions as well.

Most of all enjoy the ride.

 

[ong]

I would suggest you start with a nice simple extract kit. It may not be your favorite style, but browns or porters seem to me to be the most failure proof style: the flavors will cover up the inevitable mistakes.

 

[Redpappy]

I started with a mr beer kit, after one brew i wanted to advance, so I ordered a beginners kit from Northern Brewer ( there are many out there, so don’t think you need to start with northern brewer). As I brewed extract, I read things on this forum ( which the guys and gals on here are great, so don’t hesitate to ask) as well as palmers book ( online) which took me a few months/several brews. I have just recently started brewing BIAB ( brew in a bag). As far as brewing from scratch, that will be All Grain (AG)/ as well as BIAB.

 

[TrubDude]

I started with a 3 gal kit, beginners extract ingredients, and a buddy. We sanitized the heck out of everything and made a nice first batch. The first step is wanting to do it and not giving up! I've been brewing for about 1 year and learned a ton with 8 batches under my belt. There's a lot you can do, not just beer. I've been getting into fruit mead (melomel) lately because I don't have to boil. They're quick, easy, taste awesome and all my friends love them (see avatar pic). They make great gifts too.

Also home brewing has got me into gardening, a lot. I'm growing cascade hops, chamomile, horehound, hyssop, and other herbs for brewing. I like trying new things and learning from my mistakes.

My experience, homebrewing is not a frugal hobby. I've spent ~$700 on everything but it's something that's becoming a skill and an outlet for my science mind.

I asked a friend if he wanted to get into homebrewing with me. What he said totally steered me toward where I am today. He said "I don't think you could brew beer better than what you can buy." I wasn't sold on his logic, so I started making me own, and enjoy it more than just buying some beer at the grocery store.

Who knows, maybe someday you'll brew the next best thing. Home brewing is amazing!

 

[brewgar]

Here's what worked for me...

First I researched if I wanted to start my brewing hobby all grain or extract. Read this website and others and watched videos on you tube.

I decided to start with extract knowing I'd move up to all grain or BIAB (which I have done)

Researched extract kits online and settled on a 5 gal IPA kit from Northern Brewer because it was on sale when I was ready to buy. Who has the better kit you ask? I don't know but they all make beer.

I ordered my extract kit AND John Palmers book. As someone else mentioned, I read and reread it online and realized it needed to be on my bookshelf as one of the keystone resources for brewing.

I read the bulk of Palmers book, studied the brewing instructions, laid out all my ingredients, outlined my brew day and brewed my first IPA. It came out pretty good.

I would say don't be in a rush to just crank out some beer. Take your time, read/learn as much as you can then make a decision and stick with it. Search your questions on this site in the search box upper right of the site and post questions as well.

Most of all enjoy the ride.

@stosh Very well written, and brings a lot of memories about my own early days brewing. Best wishes on your brewing journey and hope you make and enjoy many excellent beers.

 

[El Nino]

I started with a 1 gal extract kit from Northern Brewer, I was immediately hooked and wished I had more beer, so I upped my batches to 2.5 and have been doing BiAB ever since. The main sticky thread on the BiAB forum is where I got my info from, as well as reading up on the process a lot. Very good information on that thread though, and with pictures, following it was easy.

Doing an extract brew is an easy way to get into it imo, skips the mash part of it and usually the boil is 45m instead of 60, making brew day easily under 2 hours including setup/clean-up. Some people might frown on extract brewing, but in my experience the beer could be just as good. Just depends how involved with the process you want to be. I personally enjoy BiAB brewing since it's a convenient way to do all-grain.

 

[wepeeler]

A lot of good information/advice given already above.

My 2 cents: I started extract brewing last June (1st from a few kits, then onto my own recipes). I just did my first BIAB last Thursday. I've heard a lot of people say, "just start All Grain", but I'm happy to say I've learned so much about brewing from extract (ingredients, technique). Best advice I could give someone just starting to home brew would be to talk to EVERYONE you can about it. Ask questions! Local breweries, online/forums, books etc. I've chatted about brewing with every local brewery I can and most are willing to give you some sort of advice. You'll start to be able to form your own opinions by putting bits and pieces from what you hear.

Second best advice, if you really want to put together your own recipes, would be to get beer making software. I use BeerSmith, although I know there are some free ones out there. My own first recipe I made was without software, and it ended up being a 15 IBU malt bomb of an IPA because I didn't understand how the ingredients all worked with one another. I went by what I remembered from a few kits I did, and I ended up only using 1/4 the amount of bittering hops and the beer was overly sweet. Software will give you a very detailed idea of what to expect, depending on your equipment and ingredients.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

If you googled "how to brew" you would find the provided link as the first listed. I'm pretty sure most homebrewers have read this book. I read it probably a dozen times online before I bought the actual book.

Read this twice: http://www.howtobrew.com

And then search this forum for questions you have left...

Welcome and Cheers!

I'm waiting for the movie to come out.

 

[palealerunner]

I started with a bit of research online. But my biggest research was paying attention to what I was drinking.

When I discovered a beer style and brewer I loved, my aim was to try and do a clone. Fortunately the brewer stated the ingredients on the can- malts, hops and the yeast strain.

I started home Brewing in Jan this year with BIAB (Boil in a bag) with crushed grain. Which is for an amateur straight in at the deep end.

Not knowing the grain bill of the beer it was all guess work and with my first attempt I made a beer which was pretty much perfect, except it was too bitter.

I’ve jumped around making from dry extract and brew kits and I’ve just bottled my 9th brew and with this one I took all I have learned since Jan and repeated my first BIAB attempt but I scaled back on the hops in the boil and ramped up the dry hopping. Initial trial of a bottle is exactly how I wanted it to taste.

My next brew will be the same but I’m going to increase the strength to DIPA levels.

My approach is to keep it simple and keep it cheap (equipment)